FAQ
Does Update Doctor guarantee that an update will not break my site?#
No. It checks the pages you tell it to check, before and after the update, and restores the files if those checks fail. A problem on a page it does not check, or one that shows up later, will not be seen. Keep your own backups.
How is this different from WordPress’s built-in rollback?#
WordPress 6.6 and later rolls back an active plugin after a background auto-update that causes a PHP fatal on the home page. Update Doctor also covers updates you start by hand, bulk updates, WP-CLI, other tools and themes. It checks several pages, restores owned options as well as files, verifies the result and explains why. Both can run together.
Do I need an AI provider?#
No. Checks, snapshots, restores, rules diagnosis, approvals, reports and WP-CLI all work without one. AI adds a second explanation when a run regresses.
Will it update things by itself?#
Not unless you ask. “Run auto-updates through Update Doctor” is off by default.
Does it restore my database?#
It restores the options a plugin or theme owns, together with the files. It restores the plugin’s own tables only when you approve it, after a preview of the row counts. It never restores WordPress core tables, so a restore cannot remove your posts, comments or users.
Can an AI agent approve changes?#
No. Agents can read, propose and diagnose, and with your permission start a safe update within each item’s policy. Approving needs a logged-in user in wp-admin or WP-CLI with --user.
What does it send to my AI provider?#
Redacted evidence about the failed update: version numbers, failing checks, error and log text, and the plugin list. Secrets, emails, cookies, IP addresses and absolute paths are removed first. Page bodies are never sent.
Does it send my data anywhere else?#
Only these outside requests are made: api.wordpress.org for changelogs of WordPress.org plugins, your AI provider if you enable AI, your HTTPS webhook if you set one, and license and update checks to technoleet.dev. When an update runs, WordPress’s own upgrader also downloads the package from the item’s update source and refreshes the list of available updates. Checks request only your own site’s pages.
Can I use it on a staging site?#
Yes. Each activation counts toward the number of sites in your plan.
How much disk does it use?#
A snapshot is a copy of one plugin or theme folder plus the data it owns. Snapshots are kept for 30 days, at most 5 per item and 1 GB in total by default. Change this on the Safety tab, or run wp update-doctor snapshots prune.
Does it work on multisite?#
Yes. Network-activate it. Screens, settings and the license are in the Network Admin, and runs work on the main site, with a sample of subsites checked.
Does it replace my backup plugin?#
No. It copies only what an update touches, not your whole site, so keep your backup plugin.