Alynt Plugin Updater WP Registry grade A. No security issues foundWP RegistryNo security issues foundOpen the reportA

A lightweight WordPress plugin that enables automatic updates for GitHub-hosted plugins. Uses WordPress's native update system with GitHub public releases.

Features

• Checks GitHub releases for new versions
• Supports tags formatted as v1.0.0 or 1.0.0
• Automatic fallback to tags API when releases are unavailable
• Per-plugin "Check for updates" link in the plugins list
• Optional GitHub webhook support for instant update checks
• Settings page with status, cache controls, and webhook setup
• Configurable check frequency (every 6, 12, 24 hours, or weekly)
• GitHub API rate limit tracking and handling
• Comprehensive caching system to minimize API requests
• Preserves managed plugins' active state and active-list order during programmatic updates

Requirements

• WordPress 6.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Composer (for development)
• Node.js 14+ and npm (for asset building)

Installation

1. Upload the alynt-plugin-updater folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
2. Activate the plugin via the WordPress admin.
3. Visit Settings → Plugin Updater to configure options.

Registering a Plugin

Add a header to the plugin's main file:

GitHub Plugin URI: username/repository

Or use the full URL:

GitHub Plugin URI: https://github.com/username/repository

Webhook Setup (Optional)

Webhook support is optional but provides instant update notifications. Configure it in Settings → Plugin Updater and follow the instructions shown.

1. Go to your GitHub repository → Settings → Webhooks → Add webhook
2. Set Payload URL to the webhook URL shown in plugin settings
3. Set Content type to application/json
4. Set Secret to the secret key shown in plugin settings
5. Enable SSL verification
6. Select individual events → Check Releases only
7. Click Add webhook

Note: Even without webhooks, the plugin will check for updates via scheduled cron jobs.

Development

Install dependencies:

composer install
npm install

Build assets:

npm run build

Lint JavaScript:

npm run lint

Run tests:

composer test

Check code style:

composer phpcs

FAQ

How do I register a plugin for updates?

Add the following header to your plugin's main PHP file:

/**
 * GitHub Plugin URI: username/repository
 */

Or use the full URL:

/**
 * GitHub Plugin URI: https://github.com/username/repository
 */

Does this work with private repositories?

No, this plugin only supports public GitHub repositories. Private repository support would require GitHub authentication tokens.

How often does it check for updates?

By default, every 12 hours. You can configure this in Settings → Plugin Updater to check every 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, or weekly.

Do I need to set up webhooks?

No, webhooks are optional. The plugin will check for updates via scheduled cron jobs even without webhooks. Webhooks simply provide instant notifications when you publish a new release.

What happens if GitHub rate limits are reached?

The plugin will use cached data until the rate limit resets. The settings page shows when the limit will reset. For unauthenticated requests, GitHub allows 60 requests per hour.

Can I manually check for updates?

Yes, there are two ways:

1. Click the "Check for updates" link below any GitHub-managed plugin in the plugins list
2. Use the "Check All Updates" button in Settings → Plugin Updater

What version tag formats are supported?

Both v1.0.0 and 1.0.0 formats are supported. The plugin automatically normalizes version strings.

Does this plugin modify my managed plugins?

No, it only provides update information to WordPress. The actual plugin updates are handled by WordPress's native update system.

Where can I find the plugin logs?

If WP_DEBUG is enabled, logs are written to your WordPress debug.log file with the prefix [Alynt Plugin Updater].

License

GPL v2 or later.