WordPress left in maintenance mode if auto-updating plugin fails to install

  • Recently I decided to enable auto-updating plugins on a few WP sites. Since then, I started finding these sites repeatedly ending up stuck in maintenance mode. Removing the .maintenance file in the WordPress root directory resolved the issue temporarily until it happened again. I have isolated the issue to a plugin that was failing to update due to restrictive file permissions that prevented wordpress from updating this particular plugin. Since no actual changes could be made, is there a reason WordPress leaves the site in maintenance mode which requires user intervention? I think it would make more sense the WordPress auto-update plugin (and core, if applicable) function(s) to exit maintenance mode if no changes were made rather than repeatedly bricking the site each time the auto-update schedule triggers. Thoughts?

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  • Moderator t-p

    (@t-p)

    I have isolated the issue to a plugin that was failing to update due to restrictive file permissions that prevented wordpress from updating this particular plugin.

    I recommend reporting the issue at that plugin’s dedicated support forum so the developers and support community can help you with this.

    Thread Starter s0medude

    (@s0medude)

    @t-p Is the auto-update function not a part of WordPress Core? I believe the order of operations goes something like this:

    – Core puts site into maintenance mode
    – Core initiates scheduled plugin auto-updates
    – Core takes site out of maintenance mode*

    *This last step being the one that is not happening in this instance

    I don’t think the particular plugin in this case is doing anything due to the permissions preventing the user WordPress runs as from updating the plugin. Specifically, the plugin directory being owned by root instead of web user. I have searched for a call to wp_maintenance throughout the plugin directory and do not find it there.

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