wp plugin auto-updates

Overview

Control whether WordPress automatically updates individual plugins in the background. Enable auto-updates for security plugins, disable them for plugins that require careful version management.

What It Does

wp plugin auto-updates manages the WordPress auto-update setting (introduced in WP 5.5) for installed plugins. When enabled, WordPress will automatically download and apply updates for that plugin during background update runs — without any manual intervention.

Syntax

wp plugin auto-updates <command> [<plugin>...] [--all] [--enabled-only] [--disabled-only] [--format=<format>]

Subcommands

Subcommand	Description
enable	Enable auto-updates for plugin(s)
disable	Disable auto-updates for plugin(s)
status	Show the current auto-update setting for plugin(s)

Arguments & Options

Argument / Flag	Description
PLUGIN...	Plugin slug(s) to target
--all	Apply to all installed plugins
--enabled-only	Filter to plugins with auto-updates enabled
--disabled-only	Filter to plugins with auto-updates disabled
--format=FORMAT	Output: table, json, csv, yaml, count

Basic Usage

Enable auto-updates for a plugin

wp plugin auto-updates enable woocommerce

Output:

Success: Enabled 1 plugin auto update.

Disable auto-updates for a plugin

wp plugin auto-updates disable woocommerce

Enable for all plugins

wp plugin auto-updates enable --all

Disable for all plugins

wp plugin auto-updates disable --all

Check auto-update status

wp plugin auto-updates status woocommerce

List all plugins and their auto-update status

wp plugin auto-updates status --all

Output:

+--------------------+--------+
| name               | auto_update |
+--------------------+--------+
| akismet            | on     |
| contact-form-7     | off    |
| woocommerce        | off    |
| wordfence          | on     |
+--------------------+--------+

When to Enable vs Disable

✅ Good candidates for auto-updates ON

Plugin Type	Why
Security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri)	Critical patches should apply immediately
Spam protection (Akismet)	Ruleset updates are always safe
Translation / language plugins	Typically safe, low risk
Simple utility plugins	Low dependency risk

❌ Good candidates for auto-updates OFF

Plugin Type	Why
WooCommerce core	Major versions can break integrations
ACF / Gravity Forms	Custom data structures need migration review
Page builders (Elementor, Bricks)	UI changes require testing
Custom / premium plugins	No WordPress.org update API
Heavily customized plugins	Overwriting custom code

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Enable auto-updates only for security plugins

# Disable auto-updates for everything first
wp plugin auto-updates disable --all

# Enable only for security/essential plugins
wp plugin auto-updates enable wordfence
wp plugin auto-updates enable akismet
wp plugin auto-updates enable really-simple-ssl

Scenario 2: Audit auto-update status across all plugins

wp plugin auto-updates status --all --format=csv > auto-update-audit.csv
cat auto-update-audit.csv

Scenario 3: Enable auto-updates for all security-critical plugins in a fleet

SECURITY_PLUGINS=("wordfence" "akismet" "really-simple-ssl")
SITES=("/var/www/site1" "/var/www/site2")

for site in "${SITES[@]}"; do
  for plugin in "${SECURITY_PLUGINS[@]}"; do
    wp --path="${site}" plugin auto-updates enable "${plugin}" --quiet 2>/dev/null || true
  done
done
echo "Auto-updates configured for security plugins on all sites ✅"

Scenario 4: Enforce no auto-updates before a production freeze

# Freeze all auto-updates during a critical period
wp plugin auto-updates disable --all
wp theme auto-updates disable --all

Best Practices

1. Do not enable auto-updates for WooCommerce or page builders on production — breaking changes can cause revenue loss.
2. Always enable auto-updates for security plugins — delayed security patches create risk windows.
3. Audit status regularly — settings can be changed by plugins or through wp-admin.
4. Pair with a staging environment — even auto-updates should be tested before reaching production when possible.
5. Document which plugins have auto-updates on — future maintainers need to know.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
Plugin updated unexpectedly	Auto-updates were enabled	Disable with wp plugin auto-updates disable SLUG
Auto-updates not running	WordPress background cron disabled	Check WP_DISABLE_CRON; ensure server cron is set up
Status shows no change	Old WP version (< 5.5)	Auto-updates require WordPress 5.5+

Quick Reference

wp plugin auto-updates enable wordfence         # Enable for one
wp plugin auto-updates disable woocommerce      # Disable for one
wp plugin auto-updates enable --all             # Enable all
wp plugin auto-updates disable --all            # Disable all
wp plugin auto-updates status --all             # Audit all

Next Steps

• wp plugin update --all — manually trigger updates regardless of auto-update setting.
• wp plugin list — see auto_update column in plugin inventory.