Why it exists
Updates are the most common way a working WordPress site breaks, and auto-updates make it happen while nobody is looking. WordPress rolls back a plugin auto-update only when it causes a fatal error right away. A broken checkout, a form that no longer loads or a fatal error on one template can go unnoticed until a customer complains.
What it does
- Update log. Every WordPress, plugin and theme update with the old and new version, when, who (or “automatic”, “WP-CLI”), and a short changelog excerpt.
- Changes made outside WordPress. Version changes from FTP, Git deploys or host tools are found and logged as “detected”.
- Smoke check after every update batch. Up to five pages you choose (home, a form, cart, checkout), each with an optional text that must appear, plus PHP fatal errors written to the error log during the updates.
- Alerts only when a check fails, by email and optionally to a webhook (Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n), with what was updated just before and how to roll it back.
- Site Health test that turns orange when the last check failed.
- Abilities for AI agents (WordPress 6.9+):
plugevity/get-update-logandplugevity/run-smoke-check.
It never rolls back, deactivates or changes anything by itself. An automatic rollback can fail halfway or undo a security fix, so the alert gives you the steps instead.
Privacy
Update Watch sends no data to Plugevity. The smoke check only requests pages of your own site. After a WordPress.org plugin is updated, it asks the public WordPress.org API for that plugin’s changelog, sending only the slug. If you add a webhook, failed-check alerts go there without PHP error messages.
Questions
How do I find out if a WordPress update broke my site?
Check the pages that matter right after the update, and look for PHP fatal errors written at the same time. Update Watch does this for you about a minute after every batch of updates, on up to 5 pages you choose, and emails you only if something failed.
Does WordPress roll back a broken update?
Only partly. Since WordPress 6.6, a plugin auto-update is rolled back when it causes a fatal error right away. A broken checkout, a form that stops loading or an error on one template is not caught, and manual updates are not rolled back at all.
How do I see which plugins were updated and when?
Update Watch keeps a log of every WordPress, plugin and theme update with the old and new version, the time, and who ran it, including automatic updates and WP-CLI. Version changes made by FTP, Git deploys or host tools are logged as "detected".
Does Update Watch roll back updates?
No, on purpose. An automatic rollback can fail halfway or undo a security fix. Every alert lists what was updated just before and the steps to roll back by hand.
Can I get the alert in Slack?
Yes. Add a Slack incoming webhook, or a Zapier, Make or n8n webhook. The webhook gets the checked pages and recent updates, never PHP error messages.
Is Update Watch free?
Yes. It is free, licensed under the GPL, sends no data to Plugevity and has no upsells in the dashboard.
Built to last
Plugevity Update Watch is covered by the continuity pledge: 90 days' notice before any change of ownership, and the code goes to the community if we ever stop.