diff --git a/admin/views/embeddings.php b/admin/views/embeddings.php
index 5295d8f..e23f232 100644
--- a/admin/views/embeddings.php
+++ b/admin/views/embeddings.php
@@ -101,35 +101,35 @@ class="regular-text">
 		$db_type            = $database->get_db_type();
 		$has_vector_support = $database->has_native_vector_support() ? 'Yes' : 'No';
 
-		error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Performing semantic search for query: ' . $search_query );
-		error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] API Key exists: ' . ( ! empty( $api_key ) ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) );
-		error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Model: ' . $model );
-		error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] API Base: ' . $api_base );
+		\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Performing semantic search for query: ' . $search_query );
+		\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'API key exists: ' . ( ! empty( $api_key ) ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) );
+		\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Model: ' . $model );
+		\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'API base: ' . $api_base );
 
 		if ( $api_key && $model ) {
 			try {
 				$embedding_result = \WPVDB\Core::get_embedding( $search_query, $model, $api_base, $api_key );
 
 				if ( is_wp_error( $embedding_result ) ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Error getting embedding: ' . $embedding_result->get_error_message() );
+					\WPVDB\Logger::error( 'Error getting embedding: ' . $embedding_result->get_error_message() );
 				} else {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Successfully generated embedding with dimensions: ' . count( $embedding_result ) );
+					\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Successfully generated embedding with dimensions: ' . count( $embedding_result ) );
 
 					$embedding  = $embedding_result;
 					$has_vector = $database->has_native_vector_support();
-					error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Database has native vector support: ' . ( $has_vector ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) );
+					\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Database has native vector support: ' . ( $has_vector ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) );
 
 					if ( $has_vector ) {
 						// Convert the embedding array to JSON.
-						$embedding_json = json_encode( $embedding );
+						$embedding_json = wp_json_encode( $embedding );
 
 						// Use Database class to get the appropriate vector function.
 						$vector_function = $database->get_vector_from_string_function( $embedding_json );
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using vector function: ' . $vector_function );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Using vector function: ' . $vector_function );
 
 						// Get total count of vectors.
 						$total_vectors_searched = $wpdb->get_var( "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM $table_name" );
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Total vectors searched: ' . $total_vectors_searched );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Total vectors searched: ' . $total_vectors_searched );
 
 						// Use Database class to get the appropriate distance function with both vectors.
 						$db_type = $database->get_db_type();
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ class="regular-text">
 						} else {
 							$distance_function = "DISTANCE(e.embedding, $vector_function, 'COSINE')";
 						}
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using distance function: ' . $distance_function );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Using distance function: ' . $distance_function );
 
 						// Optimized query that will use the vector index.
 						// The ORDER BY + LIMIT pattern is what triggers the vector index usage.
@@ -153,34 +153,34 @@ class="regular-text">
 							20 // Show top 20 matches.
 						);
 
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Executing SQL query: ' . $sql );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Executing SQL query: ' . $sql );
 
 						$search_results = $wpdb->get_results( $sql );
 
 						if ( $wpdb->last_error ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] SQL error: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
+							\WPVDB\Logger::error( 'SQL error: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 
 							// Try executing a simpler query to test database connection.
 							$test_query  = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM $table_name";
 							$test_result = $wpdb->get_var( $test_query );
 
 							if ( $wpdb->last_error ) {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Even simple query failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
+								\WPVDB\Logger::error( 'Even simple query failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 							} else {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Simple query succeeded, embedding count: ' . $test_result );
+								\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Simple query succeeded, embedding count: ' . $test_result );
 
 								// Try a direct query without the vector function to see if that's the issue.
 								$basic_query   = "SELECT e.* FROM $table_name e LIMIT 20";
 								$basic_results = $wpdb->get_results( $basic_query );
 
 								if ( $wpdb->last_error ) {
-									error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Basic query failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
+									\WPVDB\Logger::error( 'Basic query failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 								} else {
-									error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Basic query succeeded, returned ' . count( $basic_results ) . ' results' );
-									error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Issue is likely with the vector function: ' . $distance_function );
+									\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Basic query succeeded, returned ' . count( $basic_results ) . ' results' );
+									\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Issue is likely with the vector function: ' . $distance_function );
 
 									// Fall back to PHP-based distance calculation.
-									error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Falling back to PHP-based distance calculation' );
+									\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Falling back to PHP-based distance calculation' );
 									$all_rows  = $wpdb->get_results(
 										$wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM $table_name WHERE model = %s", $model ),
 										ARRAY_A
@@ -205,16 +205,16 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 									);
 
 									$search_results = array_slice( $distances, 0, 20 );
-									$search_results = json_decode( json_encode( $search_results ) ); // Convert to objects.
+									$search_results = json_decode( wp_json_encode( $search_results ) ); // Convert to objects.
 
-									error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] PHP fallback found ' . count( $search_results ) . ' results' );
+									\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'PHP fallback found ' . count( $search_results ) . ' results' );
 								}
 							}
 						} else {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Found ' . count( $search_results ) . ' results' );
+							\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Found ' . count( $search_results ) . ' results' );
 							if ( count( $search_results ) > 0 ) {
-								error_log(
-									'[WPVDB DEBUG] First result distance: ' .
+								\WPVDB\Logger::debug(
+									'First result distance: ' .
 									( isset( $search_results[0]->distance ) ?
 									$search_results[0]->distance : 'Not set' )
 								);
@@ -222,20 +222,20 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 						}
 					} else {
 						// Fallback: do in PHP.
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using PHP fallback search' );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Using PHP fallback search' );
 						$all_rows               = $wpdb->get_results(
 							$wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM $table_name WHERE model = %s", $model ),
 							ARRAY_A
 						);
 						$total_vectors_searched = count( $all_rows );
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Total vectors searched: ' . $total_vectors_searched );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Total vectors searched: ' . $total_vectors_searched );
 
 						$distances = array();
 
 						foreach ( $all_rows as $r ) {
 							$stored_emb = json_decode( $r['embedding'], true );
 							if ( ! is_array( $stored_emb ) ) {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Invalid embedding in row: ' . $r['id'] );
+								\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Invalid embedding in row: ' . $r['id'] );
 								continue;
 							}
 							$similarity_score = \WPVDB\REST::cosine_distance( $embedding, $stored_emb );
@@ -251,12 +251,12 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 						);
 
 						$search_results = array_slice( $distances, 0, 20 );
-						$search_results = json_decode( json_encode( $search_results ) ); // Convert to objects.
+						$search_results = json_decode( wp_json_encode( $search_results ) ); // Convert to objects.
 
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] PHP fallback found ' . count( $search_results ) . ' results' );
+						\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'PHP fallback found ' . count( $search_results ) . ' results' );
 						if ( count( $search_results ) > 0 ) {
-							error_log(
-								'[WPVDB DEBUG] First result similarity score: ' .
+							\WPVDB\Logger::debug(
+								'First result similarity score: ' .
 								( isset( $search_results[0]->distance ) ?
 								$search_results[0]->distance : 'Not set' )
 							);
@@ -271,11 +271,11 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 				}
 			} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
 				// Handle errors.
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Exception: ' . $e->getMessage() );
+				\WPVDB\Logger::error( 'Exception: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 				echo '<div class="notice notice-error"><p>' . esc_html__( 'Error performing semantic search: ', 'wpvdb' ) . esc_html( $e->getMessage() ) . '</p></div>';
 			}
 		} else {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] API key or model not configured' );
+			\WPVDB\Logger::error( 'API key or model not configured' );
 			echo '<div class="notice notice-warning"><p>' . esc_html__( 'API key or model not configured. Please check your settings.', 'wpvdb' ) . '</p></div>';
 		}
 	}
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 		if ( $total_embeddings > 0 ) {
 			$embeddings_query = "SELECT * FROM $table_name ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 20";
 			$embeddings       = $wpdb->get_results( $embeddings_query );
-			error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Loaded ' . count( $embeddings ) . ' embeddings for display' );
+			\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Loaded ' . count( $embeddings ) . ' embeddings for display' );
 		}
 	}
 	?>
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 							} else {
 								// If no distance property, check what properties are available.
 								$props = array_keys( get_object_vars( $embedding ) );
-								error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Properties available: ' . print_r( $props, true ) );
+								\WPVDB\Logger::debug( 'Properties available: ' . wp_json_encode( $props ) );
 
 								echo esc_html__( 'No similarity data available', 'wpvdb' );
 							}
diff --git a/admin/views/status.php b/admin/views/status.php
index e312fce..1438248 100644
--- a/admin/views/status.php
+++ b/admin/views/status.php
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@
 					$debug_settings['automattic']['api_key'] = '********' . substr( $debug_settings['automattic']['api_key'], -4 );
 				}
 
-					echo esc_html( print_r( $debug_settings, true ) );
+					echo esc_html( wp_json_encode( $debug_settings, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT ) );
 				?>
 				</pre>
 
@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@
 						'embedding_table_exists'    => $embedding_table_exists,
 						'embedding_count'           => $system_info['embedding_count'],
 					);
-					echo esc_html( print_r( $db_info, true ) );
+					echo esc_html( wp_json_encode( $db_info, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT ) );
 					?>
 				</pre>
 
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-activation.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-activation.php
index 3d8f0d1..e9adb6e 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-activation.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-activation.php
@@ -64,8 +64,7 @@ public static function activate() {
 			update_option( 'wpvdb_incompatible_db', true );
 
 			// Log the incompatible activation.
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB] Activated on incompatible database. Vector features require MySQL 8.0.32+ or MariaDB 11.7+.' ); }
+			Logger::warning( 'Activated on incompatible database. Vector features require MySQL 8.0.32+ or MariaDB 11.7+.' );
 
 			// Restore error reporting and return early (we'll show the warning later).
 			error_reporting( $old_error_reporting );
@@ -222,8 +221,7 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 
 			// Only proceed if database is ready and we've initialized properly.
 			if ( ! self::$database ) {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB] Database not initialized, skipping vector index creation' ); }
+				Logger::warning( 'Database not initialized, skipping vector index creation' );
 				return false;
 			}
 
@@ -233,8 +231,7 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 			try {
 				$table_exists = $wpdb->get_var( "SHOW TABLES LIKE '$table_name'" ) === $table_name;
 			} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB] Error checking if table exists: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+				Logger::error( 'Error checking if table exists: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 				return false;
 			}
 
@@ -246,8 +243,7 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 				$is_mariadb         = self::$database->get_db_type() === 'mariadb';
 				$has_vector_support = $is_mariadb && self::$database->has_native_vector_support();
 			} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB] Error checking database type or vector support: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+				Logger::error( 'Error checking database type or vector support: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 				return false;
 			}
 
@@ -259,8 +255,7 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 						$index_check  = $wpdb->get_results( "SHOW INDEX FROM $table_name WHERE Key_name = 'embedding_idx'" );
 						$index_exists = ! empty( $index_check );
 					} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-						if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB] Error checking for existing index: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+						Logger::warning( 'Error checking for existing index: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 					}
 
 					if ( ! $index_exists ) {
@@ -273,8 +268,7 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 						);
 
 						if ( false === $result ) {
-							if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB] Failed to add vector index using new syntax: ' . $wpdb->last_error ); }
+							Logger::warning( 'Failed to add vector index using new syntax: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 
 							// Try with simpler syntax as fallback.
 							$result = $wpdb->query(
@@ -285,16 +279,15 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 							);
 
 							if ( false !== $result ) {
-								if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-									error_log( '[WPVDB] Added vector index with simplified syntax' ); }
-							} elseif ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB] Failed to add vector index with simplified syntax: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
+								Logger::debug( 'Added vector index with simplified syntax' );
+							} else {
+								Logger::error( 'Failed to add vector index with simplified syntax: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 							}
-						} elseif ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB] Added optimized vector index to embeddings table' );
+						} else {
+							Logger::debug( 'Added optimized vector index to embeddings table' );
 						}
-					} elseif ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB] Vector index already exists, skipping creation' );
+					} else {
+						Logger::debug( 'Vector index already exists, skipping creation' );
 					}
 
 					// After creating the main vector index, add supporting indexes if needed.
@@ -313,27 +306,23 @@ public static function add_vector_index_to_existing_table() {
 								}
 							} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
 								// Ignore errors for supporting indexes, they're not critical.
-								if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-									error_log( "[WPVDB] Error creating supporting index $index_name: " . $e->getMessage() ); }
+								Logger::warning( "Error creating supporting index $index_name: " . $e->getMessage() );
 							}
 						}
 					} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
 						// Ignore errors for supporting indexes, they're not critical.
-						if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB] Error creating supporting indexes: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+						Logger::warning( 'Error creating supporting indexes: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 					}
 				} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
 					// Log error but don't let it crash the activation.
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB] Error adding vector index: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+					Logger::error( 'Error adding vector index: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 				}
 			}
 
 			return true;
 		} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
 			// Catch all exceptions to prevent activation failure.
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB] Fatal error in add_vector_index_to_existing_table: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+			Logger::critical( 'Fatal error in add_vector_index_to_existing_table: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 			return false;
 		}
 	}
@@ -377,13 +366,11 @@ public static function recreate_tables() {
 					// Update table statistics for optimal query planning.
 					$wpdb->query( "ANALYZE TABLE $table_name" );
 
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB] Added optimized vector index and supporting indexes to embeddings table' ); }
+					Logger::debug( 'Added optimized vector index and supporting indexes to embeddings table' );
 				}
 			} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
 				// Ignore errors.
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB] Error adding vector index during recreation: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+				Logger::error( 'Error adding vector index during recreation: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-admin.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-admin.php
index 0c9d2fe..8976c35 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-admin.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-admin.php
@@ -1082,8 +1082,7 @@ public function ajax_confirm_provider_change() {
 				$cancel = true;
 			}
 		}
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( 'WPVDB: Cancel flag: ' . ( $cancel ? 'true' : 'false' ) ); }
+		Logger::debug( 'Cancel flag: ' . ( $cancel ? 'true' : 'false' ) );
 
 		$settings = get_option( 'wpvdb_settings', array() );
 
@@ -1141,8 +1140,7 @@ public function ajax_confirm_provider_change() {
 		} else {
 			// Mirror of handle_apply_provider_change for the AJAX path.
 			if ( empty( $settings['pending_provider'] ) || empty( $settings['pending_model'] ) ) {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( 'WPVDB: No pending provider change found' ); }
+				Logger::debug( 'No pending provider change found' );
 				wp_send_json_error(
 					array(
 						'message' => __( 'No pending provider change found.', 'wpvdb' ),
@@ -1843,7 +1841,7 @@ public function ajax_test_embedding() {
 
 		// Get sample of embedding values (first 5).
 		$sample      = array_slice( $embedding, 0, 5 );
-		$sample_json = json_encode( $sample, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT );
+		$sample_json = wp_json_encode( $sample, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT );
 
 		wp_send_json_success(
 			array(
@@ -1925,8 +1923,7 @@ public function handle_admin_actions() {
 			}
 
 			// Log that diagnostics were run.
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ADMIN] Running database diagnostics from admin UI' ); }
+			Logger::debug( 'Running database diagnostics from admin UI' );
 
 			// Redirect back to the page with a parameter to show diagnostics.
 			wp_redirect( add_query_arg( 'diagnostics', 'run', admin_url( 'admin.php?page=wpvdb-status' ) ) );
@@ -2747,8 +2744,7 @@ public function handle_cancel_provider_change() {
 			admin_url( 'admin.php' )
 		);
 
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( 'WPVDB CRITICAL: Redirecting to: ' . $redirect_url ); }
+		Logger::debug( 'Redirecting to: ' . $redirect_url );
 		wp_redirect( $redirect_url );
 		exit;
 	}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-cache.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-cache.php
index 28336c3..1800ee0 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-cache.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-cache.php
@@ -123,9 +123,7 @@ public static function invalidate_document_cache( $doc_id ) {
 		wp_cache_delete( 'db_stats', self::CACHE_GROUP );
 
 		// Log cache invalidation.
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( "[WPVDB CACHE] Invalidated cache for document {$doc_id}" );
-		}
+		Logger::debug( "Invalidated cache for document {$doc_id}" );
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -230,10 +228,7 @@ public static function flush_all() {
 		self::invalidate_query_cache();
 		wp_cache_delete( 'db_stats', self::CACHE_GROUP );
 
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB CACHE] Flushed all caches' ); }
-		}
+		Logger::debug( 'Flushed all caches' );
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -317,10 +312,7 @@ public static function preload_popular_embeddings() {
 			}
 		}
 
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( "[WPVDB CACHE] Preloaded {$preloaded} embeddings" ); }
-		}
+		Logger::debug( "Preloaded {$preloaded} embeddings" );
 
 		return $preloaded;
 	}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-core.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-core.php
index e8efb52..dab8b70 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-core.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-core.php
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public function default_chunking( $chunks, $text ) {
 		// Ensure text is a string.
 		if ( ! is_string( $text ) ) {
 			if ( is_array( $text ) || is_object( $text ) ) {
-				$text = json_encode( $text );
+				$text = wp_json_encode( $text );
 			} else {
 				$text = strval( $text );
 			}
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public function default_summary( $summary, $text ) {
 		// Ensure text is a string.
 		if ( ! is_string( $text ) ) {
 			if ( is_array( $text ) || is_object( $text ) ) {
-				$text = json_encode( $text );
+				$text = wp_json_encode( $text );
 			} else {
 				$text = strval( $text );
 			}
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ public static function enhanced_chunking( $chunks, $text, $chunk_size = null ) {
 		// Ensure text is a string.
 		if ( ! is_string( $text ) ) {
 			if ( is_array( $text ) || is_object( $text ) ) {
-				$text = json_encode( $text );
+				$text = wp_json_encode( $text );
 			} else {
 				$text = strval( $text );
 			}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-database.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-database.php
index 1728b05..860643c 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-database.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-database.php
@@ -144,8 +144,7 @@ public function has_native_vector_support() {
 				// Check for MariaDB version with vector support.
 				try {
 					$version = $wpdb->get_var( 'SELECT VERSION()' );
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB] Database version: ' . $version ); }
+					Logger::debug( 'Database version: ' . $version );
 
 					if ( stripos( $version, 'MariaDB' ) !== false ) {
 						// Extract version number.
@@ -166,8 +165,7 @@ public function has_native_vector_support() {
 						}
 					}
 				} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB] Error checking database version: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+					Logger::warning( 'Error checking database version: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 					return false;
 				}
 
@@ -178,13 +176,11 @@ public function has_native_vector_support() {
 						$check = $wpdb->get_var( "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM information_schema.columns WHERE column_type LIKE 'VECTOR%' LIMIT 1" );
 						if ( null === $check && $wpdb->last_error ) {
 							// Failed to query for VECTOR type, might not be supported.
-							if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB] Vector type check failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error ); }
+							Logger::warning( 'Vector type check failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 							$this->has_vector_support = false;
 						}
 					} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-						if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB] Error checking vector support: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+						Logger::warning( 'Error checking vector support: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 						$this->has_vector_support = false;
 					}
 				}
@@ -210,8 +206,7 @@ public function has_native_vector_support() {
 						}
 					}
 				} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB] Error checking database version: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+					Logger::warning( 'Error checking database version: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 					return false;
 				}
 			}
@@ -219,7 +214,7 @@ public function has_native_vector_support() {
 			Logger::info( 'Vector support determination completed', array( 'has_support' => $this->has_vector_support ) );
 			return $this->has_vector_support;
 		} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-			Logger::log_exception( $e, 'Fatal error checking vector support' );
+			Logger::log_exception( $e, 'Error checking vector support' );
 			return false;
 		}
 	}
@@ -571,8 +566,7 @@ public function delete_post_embeddings( $post_id ) {
 			delete_post_meta( $post_id, '_wpvdb_embedded_model' );
 
 			// Log the deletion.
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( "[WPVDB] Deleted embeddings for post ID: $post_id" ); }
+			Logger::debug( "Deleted embeddings for post ID: $post_id" );
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -616,8 +610,7 @@ public function add_vector_index( $m_value = 16, $distance_type = 'cosine' ) {
 
 			return false !== $result;
 		} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Failed to add vector index: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+			Logger::error( 'Failed to add vector index: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 			return false;
 		}
 	}
@@ -667,8 +660,7 @@ public function optimize_vector_performance() {
 
 			return true;
 		} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Failed to optimize vector performance: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+			Logger::error( 'Failed to optimize vector performance: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 			return false;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-logger.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-logger.php
index 95a4641..cbb33e2 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-logger.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-logger.php
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ public static function log( $level, $message, $context = array() ) {
 				$message,
 				! empty( $context ) ? wp_json_encode( $context ) : ''
 			);
-			error_log( $formatted_message );
+			error_log( $formatted_message ); // phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.DevelopmentFunctions.error_log_error_log -- Centralized log sink.
 		}
 
 		// Store in database for admin viewing.
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-plugin.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-plugin.php
index e577a16..fad4fcc 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-plugin.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-plugin.php
@@ -287,8 +287,7 @@ public function maybe_deactivate_plugin() {
 				// Set a transient to show a notice after deactivation.
 				set_transient( 'wpvdb_was_deactivated', true, 60 * 60 );
 
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB] Plugin deactivated due to incompatible database.' ); }
+				Logger::warning( 'Plugin deactivated due to incompatible database.' );
 
 				// If this is running in a CRON or admin context without a screen, we're done.
 				if ( ! function_exists( 'get_current_screen' ) || ! get_current_screen() ) {
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-providers.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-providers.php
index 2ec9506..ac0f2db 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-providers.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-providers.php
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ public static function is_automattic_ai_proxy_url( $url ) {
 			return false;
 		}
 
-		$parts = parse_url( $url );
+		$parts = wp_parse_url( $url );
 		if ( ! is_array( $parts ) || empty( $parts['host'] ) || empty( $parts['path'] ) ) {
 			return false;
 		}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-query.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-query.php
index 8d43031..749fad2 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-query.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-query.php
@@ -64,8 +64,7 @@ public static function maybe_vector_search( $query ) {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] maybe_vector_search triggered with query: ' . $vdb_query ); }
+		Logger::debug( 'maybe_vector_search triggered with query: ' . $vdb_query );
 
 		// For simplicity, embed and do a fallback search. Then get the doc_ids, presumably post_id was stored as doc_id.
 		global $wpdb;
@@ -78,8 +77,7 @@ public static function maybe_vector_search( $query ) {
 		}
 		if ( ! $api_key ) {
 			// If there's no stored key, we can't generate embeddings. We skip.
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] No API key found, skipping vector search' ); }
+			Logger::error( 'No API key found, skipping vector search' );
 			return;
 		}
 
@@ -88,54 +86,46 @@ public static function maybe_vector_search( $query ) {
 		if ( empty( $model ) ) {
 			$model = Models::get_default_model_for_provider( 'openai' );
 		}
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using embedding model: ' . $model ); }
+		Logger::debug( 'Using embedding model: ' . $model );
 
 		// Get API base URL with fallback.
 		$api_base = Settings::get_api_base();
 		if ( empty( $api_base ) ) {
 			$api_base = 'https://api.openai.com/v1/';
 		}
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using API base: ' . $api_base ); }
+		Logger::debug( 'Using API base: ' . $api_base );
 
 		try {
 			$embedding_result = Core::get_embedding( $vdb_query, $model, $api_base, $api_key );
 			if ( is_wp_error( $embedding_result ) ) {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Error generating embedding: ' . $embedding_result->get_error_message() ); }
+				Logger::error( 'Error generating embedding: ' . $embedding_result->get_error_message() );
 				return; // skip.
 			}
 
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Embedding generated successfully, dimensions: ' . count( $embedding_result ) ); }
+			Logger::debug( 'Embedding generated successfully, dimensions: ' . count( $embedding_result ) );
 
 			$embedding  = $embedding_result;
 			$has_vector = self::$database->has_native_vector_support();
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Vector support detected: ' . ( $has_vector ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) ); }
+			Logger::debug( 'Vector support detected: ' . ( $has_vector ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) );
 
 			$limit = $query->get( 'posts_per_page' );
 			$limit = $limit ? $limit : 10;
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Posts per page limit: ' . $limit ); }
+			Logger::debug( 'Posts per page limit: ' . $limit );
 
 			$doc_ids = array();
 
 			if ( $has_vector ) {
 				try {
 					// Convert the embedding array to JSON.
-					$embedding_json = json_encode( $embedding );
+					$embedding_json = wp_json_encode( $embedding );
 
 					// Use Database class to get the appropriate vector function.
 					$vector_function = self::$database->get_vector_from_string_function( $embedding_json );
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using vector function: ' . $vector_function ); }
+					Logger::debug( 'Using vector function: ' . $vector_function );
 
 					// Use Database class to get the appropriate distance function.
 					$distance_function = self::$database->get_vector_distance_function( 'embedding', $vector_function, 'cosine' );
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Using distance function: ' . $distance_function ); }
+					Logger::debug( 'Using distance function: ' . $distance_function );
 
 					// Set an appropriate similarity threshold - we discovered this is critical for performance
 					// Lower values (0.2-0.3) are more strict but faster, higher values (0.4-0.6) give more results.
@@ -158,34 +148,28 @@ public static function maybe_vector_search( $query ) {
 						$limit * 3 // fetch more candidates than needed.
 					);
 
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Vector search SQL: ' . $sql ); }
+					Logger::debug( 'Vector search SQL: ' . $sql );
 
 					$rows = $wpdb->get_results( $sql, ARRAY_A );
 
 					if ( $wpdb->last_error ) {
-						if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Database error in vector search: ' . $wpdb->last_error ); }
+						Logger::error( 'Database error in vector search: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 					}
 
 					if ( $rows ) {
-						if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-							error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Found ' . count( $rows ) . ' results from vector search' ); }
+						Logger::debug( 'Found ' . count( $rows ) . ' results from vector search' );
 						foreach ( $rows as $r ) {
 							$doc_ids[] = (int) $r['doc_id'];
-							if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-								error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Added doc_id: ' . $r['doc_id'] . ' with distance: ' . $r['distance'] ); }
+							Logger::debug( 'Added doc_id: ' . $r['doc_id'] . ' with distance: ' . $r['distance'] );
 						}
-					} elseif ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] No results found from vector search' );
+					} else {
+						Logger::debug( 'No results found from vector search' );
 					}
 				} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-					if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-						error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Exception in vector search: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+					Logger::error( 'Exception in vector search: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 				}
 			} else {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] No vector support, using PHP fallback search' ); }
+				Logger::debug( 'No vector support, using PHP fallback search' );
 				// Fallback: do in PHP.
 				$all_rows  = $wpdb->get_results(
 					$wpdb->prepare( "SELECT doc_id, embedding FROM $table_name WHERE model = %s", $model ),
@@ -224,8 +208,7 @@ function ( $a, $b ) {
 			$query->set( 'post__in', $doc_ids );
 			$query->set( 'orderby', 'post__in' );
 		} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Unhandled exception in maybe_vector_search: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+			Logger::error( 'Unhandled exception in maybe_vector_search: ' . $e->getMessage() );
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-queue.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-queue.php
index 9e670d2..6001d8a 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-queue.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-queue.php
@@ -456,8 +456,7 @@ private static function process_post( $post, $model, $provider = '' ) {
 		$existing_count = (int) $wpdb->get_var( $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM $table_name WHERE doc_id = %d", $post->ID ) );
 
 		if ( $existing_count > 0 ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( "[WPVDB] Deleting {$existing_count} existing embeddings for post {$post->ID} before creating new ones." ); }
+			Logger::debug( "Deleting {$existing_count} existing embeddings for post {$post->ID} before creating new ones." );
 			$wpdb->delete( $table_name, array( 'doc_id' => $post->ID ), array( '%d' ) );
 			// Bust here so cache invalidates even if no inserts succeed below.
 			Cache::invalidate_query_cache();
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-rest.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-rest.php
index f72bca4..80a75e8 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-rest.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-rest.php
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ public static function handle_embed( WP_REST_Request $request ) {
 		// Ensure text is a string.
 		if ( ! is_string( $text ) ) {
 			if ( is_array( $text ) || is_object( $text ) ) {
-				$text = json_encode( $text );
+				$text = wp_json_encode( $text );
 			} else {
 				$text = strval( $text );
 			}
@@ -439,9 +439,7 @@ public static function handle_query( \WP_REST_Request $request ) {
 
 		self::init_database();
 
-		if ( \wpvdb_should_log_to_error_log( 'debug', 'handle_query called' ) ) {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] handle_query called' );
-		}
+		Logger::debug( 'handle_query called' );
 		$data = $request->get_json_params();
 		if ( ! is_array( $data ) ) {
 			$data = array();
@@ -915,17 +913,15 @@ public static function handle_metadata( \WP_REST_Request $request ) { // phpcs:i
 	 */
 	public static function insert_embedding_row( $doc_id, $chunk_id, $chunk_content, $summary, $embedding, $model = '', $doc_type = 'post', $chunk_index = null ) {
 		// Detect callers using the legacy 5/6/7-arg signature; fall back to 0 for backward
-		// compatibility but emit a debug-only warning so the regression is visible.
+		// compatibility but emit a warning so the regression is visible.
 		if ( null === $chunk_index ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB WARN] insert_embedding_row called without chunk_index; defaulting to 0' ); }
+			Logger::warning( 'insert_embedding_row called without chunk_index; defaulting to 0' );
 			$chunk_index = 0;
 		}
 		$chunk_index = (int) $chunk_index;
 
 		if ( ! Core::is_valid_embedding( $embedding ) ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] insert_embedding_row rejected invalid embedding for doc_id=' . $doc_id . ' chunk_index=' . $chunk_index ); }
+			Logger::error( 'insert_embedding_row rejected invalid embedding for doc_id=' . $doc_id . ' chunk_index=' . $chunk_index );
 			return new \WP_Error(
 				'embedding_invalid',
 				'Refused to store an embedding that is empty, non-finite, or zero-magnitude.',
@@ -944,8 +940,7 @@ public static function insert_embedding_row( $doc_id, $chunk_id, $chunk_content,
 
 		// First, check if the table exists.
 		if ( $wpdb->get_var( "SHOW TABLES LIKE '$table_name'" ) !== $table_name ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Embeddings table does not exist' ); }
+			Logger::error( 'Embeddings table does not exist' );
 			return new \WP_Error(
 				'embedding_table_missing',
 				'The wpvdb embeddings table does not exist. Run plugin activation or the schema migration.',
@@ -958,18 +953,16 @@ public static function insert_embedding_row( $doc_id, $chunk_id, $chunk_content,
 
 		// Check for vector support and handle storage differently.
 		$has_vector = self::$database->has_native_vector_support();
-		if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Vector support detected: ' . ( $has_vector ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) ); }
+		Logger::debug( 'Vector support detected: ' . ( $has_vector ? 'Yes' : 'No' ) );
 
 		if ( $has_vector ) {
 			try {
 				// Convert the embedding array to a JSON string.
-				$embedding_json = json_encode( $embedding );
+				$embedding_json = wp_json_encode( $embedding );
 
 				// Use the Database class to determine the vector function to use.
 				$vector_function = self::$database->get_vector_from_string_function( $embedding_json );
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB DEBUG] Vector function: ' . $vector_function ); }
+				Logger::debug( 'Vector function: ' . $vector_function );
 
 				// For MySQL, the prepare statement handles the quoting properly
 				// For MariaDB, we need to make sure the vector function is inserted as-is.
@@ -1009,8 +1002,7 @@ public static function insert_embedding_row( $doc_id, $chunk_id, $chunk_content,
 					);
 				}
 			} catch ( \Exception $e ) {
-				if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-					error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Exception in insert_embedding_row: ' . $e->getMessage() ); }
+				Logger::log_exception( $e, 'Exception in insert_embedding_row' );
 				$result = false;
 			}
 		} else {
@@ -1025,7 +1017,7 @@ public static function insert_embedding_row( $doc_id, $chunk_id, $chunk_content,
 					$chunk_id,
 					$chunk_content,
 					$summary,
-					json_encode( $embedding ),
+					wp_json_encode( $embedding ),
 					$model,
 					$doc_type,
 					$chunk_index
@@ -1034,8 +1026,7 @@ public static function insert_embedding_row( $doc_id, $chunk_id, $chunk_content,
 		}
 
 		if ( false === $result ) {
-			if ( defined( 'WP_DEBUG' ) && WP_DEBUG ) {
-				error_log( '[WPVDB ERROR] Failed to insert embedding row: ' . $wpdb->last_error ); }
+			Logger::error( 'Failed to insert embedding row: ' . $wpdb->last_error );
 			return new \WP_Error(
 				'embedding_insert_failed',
 				'Database insert failed: ' . $wpdb->last_error,
@@ -1123,7 +1114,7 @@ public static function cosine_distance( $vec1, $vec2 ) {
 		if ( count( $vec2 ) != $length ) {
 			// Either truncate or pad vec2 to match vec1's length.
 			$vec2 = array_slice( $vec2, 0, $length );
-			while ( count( $vec2 ) < $length ) {
+			for ( $vec2_length = count( $vec2 ); $vec2_length < $length; $vec2_length++ ) {
 				$vec2[] = 0.0;
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-security.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-security.php
index 4a19990..0058045 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-security.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-security.php
@@ -179,10 +179,7 @@ public static function log_security_event( $event, $data = array() ) {
 			'data'       => $data,
 		);
 
-		// Log to WordPress error log if debug is enabled.
-		if ( \wpvdb_should_log_to_error_log( 'debug', 'security_event', $log_data ) ) {
-			error_log( '[WPVDB SECURITY] ' . wp_json_encode( $log_data ) );
-		}
+		Logger::debug( 'Security event', $log_data );
 
 		// Allow plugins to hook into security logging.
 		do_action( 'wpvdb_security_event', $event, $log_data );
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-settings.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-settings.php
index 93d2b4a..3cefe0a 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-settings.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-settings.php
@@ -716,16 +716,12 @@ public static function has_pending_provider_change() {
 		$settings = get_option( 'wpvdb_settings', array() );
 
 		if ( ! is_array( $settings ) ) {
-			if ( \wpvdb_should_log_to_error_log( 'debug', 'invalid_settings_format' ) ) {
-				error_log( 'WPVDB CRITICAL: Invalid settings format - not an array' );
-			}
+			Logger::critical( 'Invalid settings format - not an array' );
 			return false;
 		}
 
 		$has_pending = ( ! empty( $settings['pending_provider'] ) || ! empty( $settings['pending_model'] ) );
-		if ( \wpvdb_should_log_to_error_log( 'debug', 'has_pending_provider_change' ) ) {
-			error_log( 'WPVDB CRITICAL: Has pending provider change: ' . ( $has_pending ? 'YES' : 'NO' ) );
-		}
+		Logger::debug( 'Has pending provider change: ' . ( $has_pending ? 'YES' : 'NO' ) );
 
 		return $has_pending;
 	}
diff --git a/includes/class-wpvdb-utils.php b/includes/class-wpvdb-utils.php
index 2f8d246..95895d3 100644
--- a/includes/class-wpvdb-utils.php
+++ b/includes/class-wpvdb-utils.php
@@ -139,7 +139,8 @@ public static function format_bytes( $bytes, $precision = 2 ) {
 
 		$units = array( 'B', 'KB', 'MB', 'GB', 'TB', 'PB' );
 
-		for ( $i = 0; $bytes > 1024 && $i < count( $units ) - 1; $i++ ) {
+		$unit_count = count( $units );
+		for ( $i = 0; $bytes > 1024 && $i < $unit_count - 1; $i++ ) {
 			$bytes /= 1024;
 		}
 
diff --git a/includes/wpvdb-runtime.php b/includes/wpvdb-runtime.php
index 85dbb8c..a1a5687 100644
--- a/includes/wpvdb-runtime.php
+++ b/includes/wpvdb-runtime.php
@@ -74,8 +74,8 @@ function ( $args, $url ) {
 			return $args;
 		}
 
-		$host                      = parse_url( $url, PHP_URL_HOST );
-		$path                      = (string) parse_url( $url, PHP_URL_PATH );
+		$host                      = wp_parse_url( $url, PHP_URL_HOST );
+		$path                      = (string) wp_parse_url( $url, PHP_URL_PATH );
 		$is_allowed_openai         = 'api.openai.com' === $host;
 		$is_allowed_wpcom_ai_proxy = 'public-api.wordpress.com' === $host
 		&& strpos( $path, '/wpcom/v2/ai-api-proxy/' ) === 0;