Quick summary
A production debugging note about fixing a form CAPTCHA that disappeared when an optimization plugin delayed scripts ahead of their jQuery dependency.
The problem
A homepage form showed a spinning or missing reCAPTCHA widget for logged-out visitors because its form scripts were being delayed in the wrong dependency order.
What I checked
- Logged-in and clean logged-out form behavior
- Browser console errors and script execution order
- Form-plugin, reCAPTCHA, and jQuery dependencies
- Optimization-plugin delay settings
- Cached output before and after configuration changes
What I changed
- Added narrow delay exclusions for the form, reCAPTCHA, variables, and jQuery scripts
- Purged and rebuilt the optimized cache
- Retested the form from a clean visitor session
- Verified the widget initializes automatically without new console errors
Result
The CAPTCHA and form now initialize in the correct order while the rest of the page keeps its performance optimizations.
Where this fix usually leads next
This kind of work usually connects back to Production Debugging, WordPress Support and Website Fixes so the fix note can lead into a clearer support path instead of staying as an isolated one-off task.
What I'd watch next
- Whether optimization-plugin updates rename or rebundle the excluded files
- Whether future form add-ons introduce another dependency
- Whether cache rebuilds preserve the exclusion rules