Description
kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates gives you granular control over automatic updates. While WordPress allows you to enable or disable auto-updates entirely, this adds a third option: auto-update only minor and patch versions while keeping major versions at bay.
Why Use This?
Major version updates often introduce significant changes that may:
- Break compatibility with other extensions
- Introduce new features that require testing
- Change the behavior of existing functionality
- Require database migrations or manual intervention
With this, you can:
- Receive security patches automatically – Minor and patch versions typically contain security fixes
- Get bug fixes without intervention – Patch versions are generally safe to apply automatically
- Control major updates manually – Review major version changes before applying them
- Maintain site stability – Reduce the risk of unexpected breaking changes
How It Works
It uses semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) to determine update types:
- Major update (e.g., 1.0.0 2.0.0): Blocked from auto-update
- Minor update (e.g., 1.0.0 1.1.0): Allowed to auto-update
- Patch update (e.g., 1.0.0 1.0.1): Allowed to auto-update
Features
- Per-item control – Enable minor/patch auto-updates for specific items
- Easy toggle – Simple links in the admin pages
- Non-intrusive – Works alongside WordPress’s native auto-update system
- Clean uninstall – Removes all data when uninstalled
- Translation ready – Fully prepared for localization
Usage
- Go to Plugins Installed Plugins
- Look for the “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” link below each plugin’s auto-update setting
- Click to enable/disable minor/patch auto-updates for that plugin
For themes:
1. Go to Appearance Themes
2. Click on a theme to view its details
3. Look for the “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” option in the theme details overlay
Privacy Policy
This plugin does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. It only stores plugin/theme preferences in your WordPress database.
Installation
From WordPress Admin
- Go to Add New in your admin
- Search for “kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates”
- Click Install Now and then Activate
Manual Installation
- Download the ZIP file
- Go to Add New Upload
- Choose the ZIP file and click Install Now
- Activate it
Via FTP
- Download and unzip
- Upload the plugin folder (for example
kanenas-minor-patch-auto-updates) to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate through the admin menu
FAQ
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Yes! It works with any extension that follows semantic versioning, regardless of whether it’s from WordPress.org or a premium source.
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What if an extension doesn’t follow semantic versioning?
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It will attempt to parse the version number and extract major, minor, and patch components. If parsing fails, it defaults to allowing the update for safety.
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Can I use this alongside WordPress’s native auto-updates?
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Yes. If you enable both the native “Enable auto-updates” and “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” options, the minor/patch setting will take precedence and block major version updates.
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Will this work on multisite?
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Yes, it supports WordPress multisite installations.
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How do I report a bug or request a feature?
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Please visit kanenas.net or use the WordPress.org support forum.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Change log
1.0.1
- Renamed plugin for WordPress.org distinctiveness; text domain is now
kanenas-minor-patch-auto-updates. - Plugin directory and bootstrap file are
kanenas-minor-patch-auto-updates/kanenas-minor-patch-auto-updates.php(matches SVN slug).
1.0.0
- Initial release