Clutch WordPress Plugin Removes Existing Permalink Settings

Description: When the Clutch plugin is installed on a WordPress site, it removes the site's permalink settings entirely. This creates a serious issue for live or production sites where permalink structures are critical for routing, SEO, or archives.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Install Clutch plugin on a WordPress site with custom permalink structure (e.g., /learning-center/%category%/%postname%/).

2. Observe that permalink settings are removed from the WP dashboard.

3. Remove the plugin — previous permalink structure is not restored.

Expected Behavior: Clutch should not modify or remove existing permalink settings. At the very least, it should:

• Detect if the permalink setting is using "Plain" and warn the user to update it.

• Respect existing custom permalink formats.

Actual Behavior:

• Permalink settings are removed entirely.

• Dashboard option for permalink structure disappears.

• Custom structures are wiped on plugin uninstall.

Impact:

• Breaks routing and archive pages on client sites using custom permalink formats.

• Makes the plugin unsafe to use on live sites without prior caution.

Suggested Fix:

• Add detection for current permalink settings during plugin install.

• Warn user if "Plain" is active and recommend switching to "Post name" or another clean format.

• Preserve user settings and restore them on uninstall.

Reported by: @Speshled
Confirmed by: @MatthewHager
Related: Clutch plugin compatibility with REST API and clean slugs.