How to Get an Email When a WordPress Plugin Is Updated

A plugin update changes the code that runs your site, and an automatic update can happen overnight with nobody watching. Zapify emails you every time a plugin is updated, with its name and the old and new version, so you know exactly what changed and when. It uses the free A plugin is updated trigger and the Send an email action.

What this automation does

The automation is one trigger plus one action:

• Trigger: A plugin is updated (WPADMIN_PLUGIN_UPDATED, WP Admin)
• Action: Send an email (WP_SEND_EMAIL, WordPress)

When a plugin is updated, Zapify emails the address you set with the plugin's name, the version it was updated from and the version it is now.

The trigger sees one-click updates, bulk updates and automatic updates alike. It runs once for each plugin, so a bulk update of five plugins sends five emails. An update that failed is not reported.

This is also one of Zapify's ready-made templates, Email me when a plugin is updated, so you can start from Zapify → Templates instead.

Before you start

• A working email setup on your site. An SMTP plugin makes delivery more reliable.

How to build the automation

Step 1: Create a new automation

1. In the WordPress admin, go to Zapify → Automations.
2. Click Add New to open the builder.
3. Name it clearly, such as Email me when a plugin is updated.

Step 2: Add the "A plugin is updated" trigger

1. Click Add Trigger.
2. Choose WP Admin as the app.
3. Select the trigger A plugin is updated.
4. In the Plugin field, pick one plugin to watch, or leave it on Any plugin to be told about every plugin update.

Step 3: Add the "Send an email" action

1. Click Add Action.
2. Choose WordPress as the app.
3. Select Send an email.

Step 4: Write the email

Use the {} token button beside any field to insert the details of the event.

Field	Required	What it does
To	Yes	Type the address that should get the alert. Separate several addresses with commas.
Subject	Yes	The subject line. Tokens are allowed.
Format	Yes	HTML (default) or Plain text.
Body	Yes	The message. Tokens are allowed.
Cc / Bcc	No	Extra recipients.
From name / From email	No	Override the sender.
Reply to	No	Where replies go.

For example:

• To: you@example.com
• Subject: {Plugin name} was updated
• Body: {Plugin name} was updated from {Old version} to {New version}. Automatic update: {Automatic update}.

Step 5: Set the steps Live and save

1. Set both the trigger and the action to Live. A new automation starts as Draft and will not run until its steps are Live.
2. Click Save.

Tokens you can use

Token	What it holds
Plugin name	The plugin's name, read from the plugin on disk.
Plugin file	The plugin's file inside the plugins folder, such as akismet/akismet.php.
Plugin version	The version installed now. After an update this is the new version.
Plugin author	The author named in the plugin.
Old version	The version before the update.
New version	The version after the update.
Automatic update	yes when WordPress updated it on its own, no when someone did it by hand.
Actor user ID / Actor username	The logged-in person who did it. Empty (and 0) when nobody was logged in, as with an automatic update.

How to test it

1. Open Dashboard → Updates (or Plugins) and update a plugin that has an update waiting.
2. Check the recipient's inbox for the email.
3. If nothing arrives, open Zapify → Logs to see whether the run fired.

If you have no updates waiting, try this on a staging copy of the site first.

Conclusion

With the free A plugin is updated trigger and the Send an email action, you get a record of every plugin change as it happens. To keep a running log instead of an inbox, see logging plugin updates to a Google Sheet. For every WP Admin trigger, read WP Admin triggers.

FAQs

Can I be told about only one plugin?

Yes, and it is free. Set the trigger's Plugin field to that plugin instead of Any plugin.

Does it run for automatic updates?

Yes. WordPress updates run from its background task, with nobody logged in. The automation still runs, Automatic update holds yes, and Actor user ID and Actor username are empty.

What happens when I update several at once?

The automation runs once for each one, so a bulk update of five plugins sends five alerts. An update that failed is not reported.

Can I see which version it was before?

Yes. The Old version token holds the version the plugin was on before the update, and New version holds the version after it. Zapify notes the old version just before WordPress replaces the files.

Does it report when Zapify itself is updated?

No. Zapify cannot watch itself being replaced, so its own activation, deactivation and updates are left out. The Plugin dropdown does not list it.

Is this feature free?

Yes. WP Admin is a free Zapify integration, and both the A plugin is updated trigger and the Send an email action are included in the free plan.

Why didn't the email arrive?

Open Zapify → Logs. If the run succeeded but no email arrived, the cause is usually the site's mail configuration. An SMTP plugin resolves most delivery problems. Check the spam folder too.

Do I need to write any code?

No. Everything is configured in the Zapify visual builder.