Molongui Authorship lets you assign one or more authors to your WordPress posts, including registered WordPress users and Guest Authors.
When multiple authors are assigned to a post, one of them must be designated as the Main Author.
This guide explains what the Main Author is, how Molongui automatically assigns it, and when you need to select one manually.
What Is the Main Author?
The Main Author is the primary author credited for a post.
A post can have:
- One Main Author: The primary person credited for the content.
- One or more Co-authors: Additional people who contributed to the content.
The Main Author can be a registered WordPress user or a Guest Author.
In the author selector, the Main Author is identified by a MAIN label. Other assigned authors have a star icon that lets you designate them as Main.
The Main Author is also shown in the Author column of the WordPress posts list. Additional authors appear in the Co-authors column when co-author support is enabled.
How Is the Main Author Assigned Automatically?
Starting with Molongui Authorship 5.3.2, the plugin automatically handles several common situations to reduce unnecessary manual steps.
1. Creating a New Post
When you create a new post, your WordPress user is normally assigned as its author and marked as Main.
If your site has a different default author configured, that default may be used instead.
You don’t need to select the Main Author manually unless you want to change it.
2. Adding an Author to an Empty List
If a post has no authors and you add one, the new author automatically becomes Main.
This also applies when you remove all existing authors before adding a replacement.
3. Adding Co-authors
When a post already has a Main Author, adding another author does not change the Main.
For example:
- John — MAIN
- Sarah — Co-author
Adding Michael produces:
- John — MAIN
- Sarah — Co-author
- Michael — Co-author
John remains the Main Author unless you explicitly select someone else.
4. Removing the Main Author When Only One Author Remains
If a post has exactly two authors and you remove the Main Author, the remaining author automatically becomes Main.
For example:
Before removal:
- John — MAIN
- Sarah — Co-author
After removing John:
- Sarah — MAIN
Since only one author remains, Molongui can safely assign Main without requiring another action.
5. Removing the Main Author When Multiple Authors Remain
If removing the Main Author leaves two or more authors, Molongui does not automatically choose a replacement.
For example:
Before removal:
- John — MAIN
- Sarah — Co-author
- Michael — Co-author
After removing John:
- Sarah — No Main assigned
- Michael — No Main assigned
A warning appears asking you to select a Main Author.
This prevents the plugin from arbitrarily assigning primary credit to the wrong contributor.
6. Editing a Post That Already Has No Main Author
If an existing post has authors assigned but no Main Author, Molongui preserves that unresolved state.
Adding another co-author does not automatically fix it. Neither does removing authors until only one remains.
You must explicitly designate one of the existing authors as Main using the star icon.
This prevents unintended authorship changes when editing older or incomplete posts.
How to Select or Change the Main Author Manually
You can designate any assigned author as Main:
- Open the post editor.
- Locate the Authors panel.
- Find the author you want to designate as Main.
- Click the empty star icon next to that author.
- Confirm that the MAIN label appears.
- Save or update the post.
The newly selected Main Author moves to the primary position in the author list.
Reordering co-authors does not change the Main Author. Use the star icon whenever you want to change primary authorship.
Which Editing Screens Support These Rules?
The same automatic assignment rules apply to:
- Block Editor (Gutenberg): Use the Authors panel in the editor sidebar.
- Classic Editor: Use the Molongui Authors metabox.
- Quick Edit: Manage authors directly from the WordPress posts list.
- Bulk Edit: Define an author selection to apply to multiple posts.
Important for Bulk Edit: An empty author selection means No Change. It does not remove authors from the selected posts. Once you add an author to the Bulk Edit selector, that author automatically becomes Main for the new selection.
Can I Save a Post Without a Main Author?
Yes, but only in workflow states that do not require a Main Author.
For example, you can save a Draft without resolving its authorship.
However, a valid Main Author is required when publishing, scheduling, or updating a published post. Private posts and other public publication statuses also require valid authorship.
If the post does not have a valid Main Author, Molongui prevents the publication or invalid update and displays an error.
This ensures that published content has a clearly identified primary author.
How to Find Posts Without a Main Author
Go to Posts > All Posts and select the No Main Author view.
This view helps you find posts that have been explicitly marked as missing a Main Author.
Open an affected post, select the appropriate author using the star icon, and save your changes.
The view focuses on posts with an explicitly unresolved Main Author. Older posts that rely on legacy author information may not appear in this list.
Key Takeaway
Molongui automatically assigns the Main Author whenever the correct choice is unambiguous.
When multiple authors could reasonably be selected, the plugin leaves the decision to you.
This approach keeps author management convenient while ensuring accurate attribution for published content.
