Updates, Backups, and Configuration
The plugin checks code-owned private metadata at smartsite.markomalec.com, caches it for six hours, requires HTTPS on the same trusted host, and verifies an optional SHA-256 checksum before installation.
A SmartSite update can change PHP code, database schema, compiled assets, and assumptions about saved configuration. The private updater obtains metadata from the code-owned HTTPS endpoint, checks package-host trust, and verifies a SHA-256 value when supplied. A staging regression and protected backup are still required because trust checks do not prove compatibility with a particular website.
Start with the smallest safe step: record the current plugin version and active configuration. Do not consider the task finished before you run the diagnostic checklist and retain the backup under policy; this is where the configuration is tested in the context that truly consumes it.
What this feature does and when to use it
Section titled “What this feature does and when to use it”Use normal WordPress update controls after staging verification and a complete backup.
Use this feature in the following situations:
- WordPress reports a private SmartSite update and you are preparing a controlled rollout.
- You need to know which configuration, uploads, logs, and credentials a backup must preserve.
- You are investigating why update metadata or a package was rejected.
Where to find it
Section titled “Where to find it”Before you begin
Section titled “Before you begin”- SmartSite Assistant is installed and activated.
- You are signed in with an account that can manage WordPress options.
Set it up step by step
Section titled “Set it up step by step”- Record the current plugin version and active configuration.
- Back up the WordPress database, plugin directory, and SmartSite uploaded files.
- Review release information from the trusted update source.
- Apply the update on staging and test assistant, knowledge, files, tools, channel, design, access, analytics, and security.
- Apply in production during a rollback window.
- Confirm version and database upgrade complete.
- Run the diagnostic checklist and retain the backup under policy.
Fields, controls, and important values
Section titled “Fields, controls, and important values”Updates can change the code that builds every response, while backups preserve the configuration and data needed to recover known behavior. The controls below do not improve answers day to day, but they make it possible to test a release, restore instructions and knowledge mappings, and avoid treating an update failure as an AI-quality problem.
| Field, control, or status | What SmartSite Assistant does with it | How to use it and why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Metadata endpoint | Defaults to https://smartsite.markomalec.com/smartsite-assistant/update.json; developer constant/filter can override it. | For maintenance purposes, “Metadata endpoint” means: Defaults to https://smartsite.markomalec.com/smartsite-assistant/update.json; developer constant/filter can override it. Record the before-and-after state and retest a representative conversation, because operational changes can affect availability without intentionally changing answer content. |
| Metadata cache | Network site transient cached for six hours. | Choose “Metadata cache” from observed needs rather than guesswork. Boundary values can affect availability, detection, display, or reporting; test a normal case and an edge case so useful conversations are not sacrificed for an arbitrary number. |
| Trusted package | Must use HTTPS and the same host as configured metadata. | “Trusted package” belongs to upkeep rather than response writing: Must use HTTPS and the same host as configured metadata. Understanding its scope prevents unnecessary model or instruction changes when the real issue is deployment, storage, cleanup, or recovery. |
| SHA-256 | Verified when metadata supplies a checksum. | “SHA-256” has this operational consequence: Verified when metadata supplies a checksum. It does not make the AI more capable, but it can preserve, restore, diagnose, update, or remove the configuration and data on which dependable responses rely. |
| Request metadata | Update checks send slug, current version, site URL, WordPress version, and PHP version to the metadata endpoint. | “Request metadata” must match the receiver’s HTTPS address or request contract exactly. Test with synthetic data in a controlled destination and examine authentication plus the returned body; transport success alone does not prove the intended action finished. |
How to confirm it is working
Section titled “How to confirm it is working”Use a separate test session to confirm Updates, Backups, and Configuration. This keeps existing login, browser storage, and response history from hiding the change, and it shows whether the result reaches the complete workflow rather than stopping at WordPress storage.
Practical example
Section titled “Practical example”Stage the current-to-next update with a copy of settings but sanitized visitor logs before production rollout.
Recommended practice
Section titled “Recommended practice”- Change one part of Updates, Backups, and Configuration at a time and keep a short record of the previous value and test result.
- Verify the saved result in the screen, visitor session, or connected service that actually consumes the setting.
Important warnings
Section titled “Important warnings”Common problems and focused checks
Section titled “Common problems and focused checks”| Problem | What to check and what to do next |
|---|---|
| Updates, Backups, and Configuration is missing or does not match this guide. | Confirm the plugin is active and the account can manage WordPress options. Preserve logs and configuration evidence before changing files, caches, update state, or stored data. |
| A change on Updates, Backups, and Configuration does not produce the expected result. | Keep the exact notice and test case, then review the browser console and WordPress/PHP log. Preserve logs and configuration evidence before changing files, caches, update state, or stored data. |
Screen reference
Section titled “Screen reference”- Capture
- Show the WordPress Plugins update row for a fictional next version with version/changelog controls visible and unrelated licenses hidden.
- Show
- Current/new version, update details, update action, backup confirmation note
- Viewport
- Desktop, 1440 × 900
- Annotate
- Use numbered callouts only for controls referenced in the procedure.
- Redact
- OpenAI keys, tokens, secrets, personal information, private URLs, IP addresses, and conversation text