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Since version 4.4.1, MainWP Dashboard displays changelogs and plugin information for premium plugins when viewing available updates.
Animation showing premium plugin changelog display in MainWP Dashboard
If a premium plugin’s changelog doesn’t appear in MainWP, the plugin likely doesn’t follow WordPress standards for providing update information.

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What You’ll Learn

  • Why some premium plugins don’t show changelogs
  • Steps to troubleshoot missing changelog information
  • Alternative ways to find plugin changelogs
  • Technical details for plugin developers

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Prerequisites

  • MainWP Dashboard version 4.4.1 or later
  • Premium plugin installed on child sites
  • Admin access to your Dashboard

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Why Some Premium Plugins Don’t Show Changelogs

Premium plugins distribute updates outside the WordPress.org repository. To make changelogs available, plugin authors must implement specific WordPress hooks that provide update and changelog information to the WordPress update system. Not all premium plugin authors implement these hooks. When they’re missing, WordPress (and therefore MainWP) cannot retrieve the changelog data.

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Troubleshoot Missing Changelogs

1

Verify Dashboard version

Go to MainWP > Status and confirm you’re running version 4.4.1 or later. Earlier versions don’t support premium plugin changelogs.
2

Sync the child site

Force a fresh sync from MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites to ensure MainWP has the latest plugin information.
3

Check plugin settings

Some plugins display changelog information in their own settings pages. Use Jump to WP Admin to access the child site and navigate to the plugin’s settings.
4

Contact the plugin author

If the changelog still doesn’t appear, the plugin doesn’t implement WordPress standards. Contact the vendor and ask:
  • Where to find the changelog for each version
  • Whether they plan to add WordPress-standard changelog support

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Alternative: Find Changelogs Elsewhere

When changelogs don’t appear in MainWP, check these sources: Bookmark these pages for quick reference before running updates.

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For Plugin Developers

To make your plugin’s changelog visible in MainWP and WordPress update screens, implement the pre_site_transient_update_plugins filter. When MainWP Child runs get_plugin_updates(), it retrieves whatever information WordPress has about available updates—including changelogs—and synchronizes that data to the Dashboard.

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Required Implementation

Your update server response should include:

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WordPress References

For themes, use pre_site_transient_update_themes instead. Properly implementing these standards ensures your plugin’s changelog appears in MainWP, WordPress dashboard, and any other management tool that uses WordPress’s update APIs.

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Self-Check Checklist

  • MainWP Dashboard is version 4.4.1 or later
  • Child site has been synced recently
  • Checked plugin’s settings page for changelog
  • Contacted vendor about missing changelog (if needed)
  • Found alternative source for changelog information