How to Send a Webhook When a WordPress Plugin Is Updated

If you manage many WordPress sites, you want their changes in one place. Zapify sends an HTTP request to any URL every time a plugin is updated, with the plugin, the old and new version and whether it was automatic, so a monitoring tool, a no-code platform or your own dashboard can pick it up. It uses the free A plugin is updated trigger and the Send a webhook 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 a webhook (WEBHOOK_SEND, Webhooks)

When a plugin is updated, Zapify calls the URL you give it with the details in the body. It runs once for each plugin.

Before you start

• The destination URL, and its expected body format and authentication, from the receiving service.
• Both the trigger and the action are free.

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 Send plugin updates to my dashboard.

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 a webhook" action

1. Click Add Action.
2. Choose Webhooks as the app.
3. Select Send a webhook.

Step 4: Configure the request

Field	Required	What it does
URL	Yes	The endpoint to call.
Method	Yes	POST is the usual choice.
Headers	No	Extra headers. Values may contain tokens.
Body	Yes	JSON fields is the safe choice. Zapify builds the JSON, so a value containing a quote cannot break it.
Fields	Depends	The key and value pairs of the body.
Authentication	No	None, Bearer token, or Username and password; or pick a saved auth profile.

For example, add these Fields:

Key	Value
event	plugin_updated
site	your site's address, typed in
plugin	{Plugin name}
old_version	{Old version}
new_version	{New version}
automatic	{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. Update a plugin that has an update waiting.
2. Check the receiving service for the request.
3. If it did not arrive, open Zapify → Logs to see the status code the URL answered with.

Conclusion

With the free A plugin is updated trigger and the Send a webhook action, every site you run can report its own changes to one place. To receive requests instead, see webhooks.

FAQs

Can I use the same URL for several sites?

Yes. Add a site field with a different value on each site so the receiver can tell them apart.

Can I authenticate or sign the request?

Use the Authentication field in the action for the options it offers. What each plan includes for authentication and request signing is listed in Webhooks and Zapify Free vs Pro.

Which tools can receive it?

Anything that accepts an HTTP POST: Zapier, Make, n8n, your own endpoint or a monitoring service with a webhook address.

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.

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 and Webhooks are free Zapify integrations, and the trigger and the Send a webhook action are included in the free plan.

Do I need to write any code?

No. Everything is configured in the Zapify visual builder.