Add site health check for DISABLE_WP_CRON configuration #2583
Conversation
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Add a new health check to warn site administrators when the DISABLE_WP_CRON constant is enabled. While it's acceptable to use a system cron to call wp-cron.php, having WP-Cron completely disabled can cause delays in: - Publishing posts to the fediverse - Processing reactions (likes, boosts, replies) - Other scheduled ActivityPub tasks The health check: - Shows as "good" when WP-Cron is enabled (default) - Shows as "recommended" warning when DISABLE_WP_CRON is true - Provides clear explanation of potential impacts - Includes link to WordPress documentation on setting up system cron - Suggests running system cron every 1-5 minutes for optimal performance
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Pull request overview
This PR adds a new site health check to detect when WordPress's built-in cron system is disabled via the DISABLE_WP_CRON constant, which can impact ActivityPub's ability to publish posts and process reactions in a timely manner.
Key changes:
- New site health test that warns administrators when
DISABLE_WP_CRONis enabled - Provides guidance on proper system cron configuration as an alternative
- Includes documentation link for setting up system cron
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| includes/wp-admin/class-health-check.php | Adds test_wp_cron() method and registers it as a site health check to detect and warn about disabled WP-Cron |
| .github/changelog/2583-from-description | Changelog entry documenting the new feature |
💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.
obenland
reviewed
Dec 4, 2025
obenland
approved these changes
Dec 5, 2025
Sign up for free
to join this conversation on GitHub.
Already have an account?
Sign in to comment
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.
Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.
Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.
You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.
Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.
This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.
Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.
Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.
Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
Proposed changes:
DISABLE_WP_CRONconstant is enabledThis PR is the result of a support case on Mastodon.
Other information:
N/A - Site health check addition, would require testing environment with
DISABLE_WP_CRONenabledTesting instructions:
To test the warning state:
define( 'DISABLE_WP_CRON', true );to yourwp-config.phpTo test the good state:
DISABLE_WP_CRONfromwp-config.php(or set tofalse)Changelog entry
Changelog Entry Details
Significance
Type
Message
Add site health check to warn when DISABLE_WP_CRON may impact ActivityPub functionality