WordPress Plugin Lifecycle Events

Plugin lifecycle triggers run when a plugin is activated, deactivated, or an upgrade process finishes. Use them for carefully scoped maintenance and notification workflows.

This group contains 3 trigger nodes in the supplied plugin source. Use the individual guides below to check the event’s purpose, underlying hook or event key, and important timing notes. The event label is the name shown in the workflow editor.

Screenshot to add: [Workflow editor Plugin trigger group and selected trigger settings]

How to choose a trigger

  1. Open your workflow and open the trigger picker.
  2. Select the event whose timing matches the step you want to automate. Some hooks run during setup or before an operation is complete.
  3. Inspect the available trigger data, then map only the fields needed by later nodes.
  4. Test the workflow on a staging site or low-risk record before enabling live changes or customer-facing messages.

Individual Plugin trigger guides

Safety and timing

WordPress hooks may run before a change is complete or several times during one user action. Verify the trigger timing and available data in your own environment. Avoid sending passwords, reset tokens, session secrets, or other sensitive data to external services or unnecessary run logs.