Documentation
Everything you need to get the most from Canary Site Monitor
Plain-English guides for every module — with optional technical detail for developers. Use the links below to jump to any section.
Getting started — Installation
Canary Site Monitor comes in two separate plugins. The free plugin is available from the WordPress.org directory. Canary Site Monitor Pro is a separate download delivered through Freemius after purchase, and it includes everything in the free version plus the Pro modules.
Installing the free plugin
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Search for Canary Site Monitor and click Install Now, then Activate.
- That’s it — monitoring begins immediately with no configuration required.
Installing Pro
Because Pro contains all of the free functionality, it replaces the free plugin rather than running alongside it.
- After purchase, download the Pro .zip from the link in your confirmation email, or from your account at Freemius.
- In your dashboard, go to Plugins and deactivate and delete the free Canary Site Monitor plugin. Your settings and history are stored in the database and are not removed by this step.
- Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin, choose the Pro .zip, and click Install Now, then Activate.
- Go to Canary Site Monitor > Licence and enter the licence key from your confirmation email.
Don’t run both plugins at once. The free and Pro plugins share the same functions and scheduled tasks. Activating both will cause errors. Always remove the free plugin before activating Pro.
Technical detail — manual installation via FTP. Unzip the package locally and upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/ via FTP or SFTP. Activate via the Plugins menu in wp-admin, or via WP-CLI: wp plugin activate canary-site-monitor
Getting started — Initial setup
After activating the plugin, Canary Site Monitor adds a menu item in your WordPress dashboard. Here’s what to configure on first use:
- Set your notification email. Go to Canary Site Monitor > Settings. Enter the email address where you want your morning digest and alert notifications sent. This defaults to your WordPress admin email.
- Choose your digest schedule. Select daily or weekly delivery and set your preferred send time. Daily is recommended for active sites. The default is 7:00 AM in your site’s configured timezone.
- Review your dashboard. The Canary Site Monitor dashboard gives you a live view of all module statuses. Green means healthy. Amber means something needs a look. Red means action is recommended.
Getting started — Free vs Pro
These are two separate plugins. The free plugin includes the core monitoring modules. The Pro plugin includes those same modules plus the Pro features — you install one or the other, not both.
| Feature | Free plugin | Pro plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Database health scanner | ✓ | ✓ |
| Plugin watchdog | ✓ | ✓ |
| 404 flood detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dashboard alerts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Morning digest email | — | ✓ |
| Debug log analysis | — | ✓ |
| Ad interference monitor | — | ✓ |
| License & update health | — | ✓ |
| Where to get it | WordPress.org | Freemius (after purchase) |
Database health scanner Free
Scans all WordPress database tables for errors, overhead, and collation mismatches. Runs once daily via WP-Cron and flags anything that needs attention — in your dashboard immediately, and in your morning digest if you’re on Pro.
A collation mismatch happens when two database tables use different character encoding rules. It’s a common cause of slow queries and search failures — especially after migrating a site to a new host or switching hosting providers.
What it flags: Tables with overhead greater than 10MB · Tables with collation other than utf8mb4_unicode_ci · MyISAM engine on core WordPress tables · Tables with errors reported in TABLE STATUS
Technical detail — checks via SHOW TABLE STATUS. Columns read: Engine, Row_format, Rows, Data_length, Index_length, Data_free (overhead), Collation. Skips VIEWs. Flags: Data_free > 10485760 (10MB), Collation != utf8mb4_unicode_ci, Engine = MyISAM on wp_ core tables. Database repair operations validate the target table and column against a known-schema registry before running.
Plugin watchdog Free
Monitors the status of all installed plugins and alerts you to unexpected changes. If a plugin deactivates — whether from an update conflict, a permissions issue, or a manual change you didn’t make — Canary Site Monitor logs it and flags it at your next check-in.
What it monitors: Plugin activation and deactivation events · Version changes following an update · Newly installed plugins · Plugins flagged as having known conflicts with your active theme or other plugins
Technical detail — how plugin state is tracked. Plugin status is captured via get_plugins() and get_option('active_plugins') on each scan cycle. A snapshot is stored in wp_options under csmon_plugin_snapshot. On the next cycle, the new state is diffed against the snapshot and changes are written to the activity log.
404 flood detection Free
Tracks 404 error frequency on your site and alerts you when the rate spikes above a normal threshold. A 404 flood is often caused by a bot sweep, a broken redirect, or a deleted page that still has inbound links — all of which silently drain your SEO if left unchecked.
What it detects: Sustained 404 rate above your configured threshold (default: 50 per hour) · Sudden spikes indicating a possible bot sweep or viral broken link · Top offending URLs — the specific paths being requested most
Technical detail — how 404s are counted. Hooks into template_redirect at priority 999. On 404, it increments a transient counter (csmon_404_count_{hour}) and logs the requested URI. Hourly totals are compared against the threshold stored in csmon_settings. No additional server logging or .htaccess modification required.
Morning digest Pro
A daily email summary of everything Canary Site Monitor has flagged across all seven modules. Arrives at a time you choose — default is 7:00 AM in your site’s timezone. Written in plain English, with a clear OK / Flag / Alert status for each module so you can scan it in under 30 seconds.
What’s in the digest: Status for each active module: OK, Flag, or Alert · A plain-English summary of any flags or alerts raised since the previous digest · Direct links to your dashboard for any item requiring attention · A site health score based on combined module statuses
Technical detail — email delivery. Uses wp_mail() via your site’s configured mailer. Digest is scheduled via wp_schedule_event() using the csmon_daily_digest hook. For reliable delivery, pair with an SMTP plugin: WP Mail SMTP, Postmark, or SendGrid are all compatible.
Debug log analysis Pro
Reads your WordPress debug log (wp-content/debug.log) and surfaces meaningful errors in plain English — without you having to dig through hundreds of lines of PHP notices. Distinguishes between notices, warnings, and critical errors, and only flags items likely to affect site function.
What it surfaces: Critical PHP errors and fatal exceptions · Recurring warnings from specific plugins or themes · Database query errors logged by WordPress core · Deprecated function notices that may indicate plugin incompatibilities
Technical detail — log parsing. Reads the log in 50KB chunks (most recent content prioritised). The log path is confined to wp-content and must be a .log file. Lines are parsed by severity prefix: [ERROR], [WARNING], [NOTICE], [DEPRECATED]. Critical and Error lines trigger Alert status. Warnings trigger Flag.
Ad interference monitor Pro
Detects when plugins or browser-side scripts are interfering with ad network delivery on your site. If you run display advertising through Google AdSense, Mediavine, AdThrive, or similar networks, certain caching plugins, security plugins, or script managers can silently block ad tags — costing you revenue without any visible error.
What it detects: Scripts from known ad networks missing from page output · Content Security Policy headers that block ad network domains · Caching plugins serving pages without ad script tags · Plugin-level script dequeuing that removes ad-related scripts
Technical detail — how interference is detected. Performs a server-side page fetch via wp_remote_get() on your homepage and up to 2 configured inner pages. Output is parsed for the presence of configured ad network script domains (e.g. pagead2.googlesyndication.com). Absence triggers a Flag. CSP headers are inspected for restrictive script-src directives.
License & update health Pro
Keeps an eye on the licence status and update availability of your premium plugins — the ones that don’t always announce themselves when something’s wrong. If a licence key has expired, a plugin is running an outdated version, or an update is being blocked because of a licence issue, Canary Site Monitor catches it.
What it monitors: Expired or invalid licence keys for premium plugins · Premium plugins with updates available but not applying due to licence issues · Plugins abandoned (no updates in 12+ months) · WordPress core and free plugin update availability
Technical detail — licence check mechanism. Checks the update_plugins transient for plugins with update_available = true. For Freemius-powered plugins, reads the fs_accounts option to assess licence expiry dates. For EDD Software Licensing plugins, inspects the relevant options prefix.
FAQ — General
Does Canary Site Monitor slow down my site?
No. All monitoring runs on WP-Cron schedules during low-traffic periods and adds zero overhead to front-end page loads. The plugin has no impact on your site’s Time to First Byte or Core Web Vitals scores.
Will it conflict with my existing plugins?
Canary Site Monitor is designed to be entirely passive — it reads site data and sends reports. It does not modify your database, intercept requests, rewrite URLs, or alter the behaviour of other plugins. Conflicts are very rare.
Do I need to configure anything after installing?
The free plugin works immediately after activation with no configuration required. On Pro, you’ll want to set your notification email and digest schedule in Canary Site Monitor > Settings — this takes about two minutes.
Do I need both the free and Pro plugins installed?
No — and you shouldn’t. The Pro plugin contains everything the free plugin does. Install one or the other. If you’re upgrading, deactivate and delete the free plugin before activating Pro.
Is Canary Site Monitor compatible with WordPress Multisite?
Single-site installation only at this time. Multisite support is on the roadmap — join the mailing list to be notified when it’s available.
FAQ — Performance
How does Canary Site Monitor use WP-Cron?
Each module is scheduled as a separate WP-Cron event. Scans are staggered to avoid running simultaneously. If your site uses a real server cron, the events will run on that schedule instead of being triggered by page visits.
Will the 404 flood detector slow page loads?
No. The 404 counter uses a lightweight transient increment — it adds roughly 1–2ms to 404 responses only, and has no effect on pages that load normally.
What if WP-Cron is disabled on my server?
Canary Site Monitor will still work, but scheduled scans won’t run automatically. You’ll need to set up a real server cron job to trigger wp-cron.php.
FAQ — Billing & license
What’s the difference between Free and Pro?
They are two separate plugins. The free plugin, available from WordPress.org, covers the three core monitoring modules with dashboard alerts. The Pro plugin includes all of that plus the morning digest email, debug log analysis, ad interference detection, and licence health monitoring. Pro replaces the free plugin — you don’t run both.
What’s the difference between the annual and lifetime license?
The annual license is $34.99/year and renews automatically. The lifetime license is a one-time payment of $109.99 and covers all future updates with no renewal. Both cover one site.
What happens when my Pro license expires?
Your settings and scan history are preserved in your database — you won’t lose any data. To continue monitoring, either renew your licence or reinstall the free plugin from WordPress.org, which will pick up your existing settings. Renewing restores full Pro functionality immediately.
Can I use one license on multiple sites?
A single license covers one site. Each additional site requires its own license. Agency multi-site pricing is on the roadmap.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes — we offer a 14-day refund policy on Pro licence purchases. Contact us within 14 days of your purchase date and we’ll process a full refund through Freemius.
FAQ — Troubleshooting
I’m not receiving my morning digest. What should I check?
First, check your spam folder. If it’s not there, go to Canary Site Monitor > Settings and confirm the notification email is correct. Then check that your site is sending email at all — use a plugin like Check & Log Email to test. For reliable delivery, pair with an SMTP plugin such as WP Mail SMTP.
The database scanner is showing errors I don’t recognize. Should I be worried?
Not necessarily. The most common flag is table overhead — this is normal and can be resolved by running an optimize operation. Collation mismatches are worth addressing but are rarely urgent. If you see a table listed as corrupted, that warrants immediate attention.
My license key isn’t being accepted. What should I do?
First, confirm you have the Pro plugin installed — licence keys are only accepted by the Pro plugin, not the free version from WordPress.org. Then make sure you’re copying the key exactly as it appears in your purchase confirmation email, with no leading or trailing spaces. If you no longer have that email, you can retrieve your key from your Freemius account, or contact us and we’ll resend it.
Canary Site Monitor is flagging a plugin I trust. Can I suppress that alert?
Yes. In Canary Site Monitor > Settings > Module preferences, you can add specific plugins to the ignore list for the Plugin Watchdog module. This is useful for plugins that legitimately deactivate and reactivate on a schedule.