SiteBrief/Documentation

WordPress Plugin

Connect any WordPress site to SiteBrief in 60 seconds. Get plugin update alerts, security flags, and PHP/WP version data — all in your dashboard.

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Tip:The plugin is free and always will be. Download it from your site's detail page → WordPress Health → Generate Token.

What the plugin collects

Once connected, SiteBrief receives the following data from your WordPress site every hour:

DataDetails
WordPress versionCore version installed
PHP versionVersion running on the server
Active pluginsName, version, author, and whether an update is available
Active themeName, version, and update status
Admin user countHow many accounts have Administrator role
Debug modeWhether WP_DEBUG is enabled (security risk on production)
File edit settingWhether DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT is set
Filesystem methodFS_METHOD value (direct / ftpext / etc.)
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Note:The plugin never collects passwords, post content, user data, payment information, or any personally identifiable information.

Installation

Step 1 — Generate a token

Open any site in your SiteBrief dashboard → scroll to WordPress Health → click Generate Token. Copy the token — it starts with sp_wp_.

Step 2 — Install the plugin

Install directly from WordPress.org: wordpress.org/plugins/sitebrief-monitor

  • WordPress admin → Plugins → Add New
  • Search SiteBrief Monitor → Install Now → Activate

Step 3 — Paste the token

Go to Settings → SiteBrief in your WordPress admin. Paste the token you copied in Step 1 and click Save.

The plugin syncs immediately on save and then every hour via WP-Cron.

WordPress Health panel

After the first sync, the WordPress Health panel on your site detail page shows:

  • Health score — 0–100, penalised for outdated plugins, debug mode on, too many admins
  • Core info — WP version, PHP version, active plugin count, admin count
  • Theme — name, version, update available badge
  • Security flags — debug mode status, file edit status, filesystem method
  • Plugin table — all plugins sorted by update priority, with new version badges

Health score

The health score starts at 100 and loses points for issues found:

IssuePoints deducted
Each plugin needing update−5 per plugin
WP_DEBUG enabled−15
More than 3 admin users−10

A score of 80+ is healthy. Below 60 indicates multiple issues that need attention.

One-click task creation

When the WordPress Health panel detects issues, + Create task buttons appear next to them. Clicking creates a maintenance task pre-filled with the issue title and sets the priority automatically:

  • Plugin updates → priority High, source: wp_update
  • WP_DEBUG enabled → priority Critical, source: wp_security

Tasks appear in the Maintenance Tasks panel on the same site page and in the global /tasks board.

Sync schedule

The plugin syncs data every hour via WordPress Cron (wp-cron). You can also trigger a manual sync from Settings → SiteBrief → Sync now in WordPress admin.

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Warning:WP-Cron only runs when someone visits the site. On very low-traffic staging sites, hourly syncs may be delayed. Use a real cron job (*/60 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron) if exact timing matters.

Token management

From the WordPress Health panel you can:

  • Regenerate — creates a new token. Update it in your WordPress settings or the old token stops working.
  • Revoke — deletes the token and clears all WP data from SiteBrief. The plugin will stop syncing until you generate a new token.

Frequently asked questions

Does the plugin slow down my WordPress site?
No. The sync runs via WP-Cron in the background and has no effect on frontend page load time.
Can I use one token for multiple sites?
No. Each site needs its own token. Tokens are unique per site in your SiteBrief account.
What if my WordPress site is behind a firewall?
The plugin initiates the connection outbound (from WordPress to SiteBrief), so inbound firewall rules do not affect it. Only the outbound HTTPS connection to sitebrief.net needs to be allowed.
Is the plugin on WordPress.org?
Yes — search "SiteBrief Monitor" in the WordPress plugin directory or visit wordpress.org/plugins/sitebrief-monitor.