WordPress Plugin Setup

Notificator works in dashboard-only mode immediately after activation. An API key is optional and is needed only for mobile push and MQTT.

Install the plugin

Download the current installable ZIP from GitHub Releases, or install it from WordPress.org when the directory listing is available.
In WordPress Admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
Upload the Notificator ZIP, install it, and activate it.
Open Notificator → Overview.

Discover site events

Select Scan from Getting started or open Settings → Event discovery → Scan active plugins.
Keep active plugins only selected for the fastest first scan.
When the scan completes, choose Review discoveries.
Use Recommended first. Search by event, hook, or plugin when needed.

Discovery explains events in plain language and marks noisy, dynamic, registration-only, and observed candidates. Dynamic patterns cannot be selected until they resolve to an exact WordPress hook.

When a scan finishes, Notificator refreshes the Overview status, discovered-event count, and Discover results immediately. You do not need to reload the page.

Scan after activating another plugin

After the first successful scan, Notificator notices when an active plugin has not been scanned yet. The Overview step changes to Discover events from Plugin Name for one plugin or Discover events from new plugins for several. Run the suggested scan to include their events and templates; the step returns to Discover site events when the scan completes.

This check compares active plugin names with the saved scan record. It does not inspect plugin files or start a scan during a normal admin page load.

The per-plugin event limit in Settings applies separately to each plugin, so the total number found can be much higher. Scans run in bounded background batches, reuse unchanged results, and keep the previous discovery snapshot available until the new scan completes.

Create a notification

You can start from:

Created notifications — manage existing rules.
Templates — apply a ready-made configuration.
Discover events — create a rule from a scanned or explicitly registered event.

In the create modal:

Choose the source plugin and event.
Give the notification a clear name and priority.
Optionally add notes, placeholders, and conditions.
Select at least one delivery channel.

Delivery channels

Channel	API key required?	Result
Dashboard	No	Records the event in Activity and can display a wp-admin toast.
Mobile push	Yes	Sends a notification to connected phones.
MQTT	Yes	Publishes through your own configured HiveMQ Cloud cluster.

Dashboard is enabled by default. Mobile push remains unavailable until at least one saved API key is enabled. MQTT additionally requires a complete user-owned broker configuration; Notificator does not provide a default MQTT broker.

Connect mobile push or MQTT (optional)

Create a WordPress (wordpress_server) key in the mobile app.
Open Notificator → Settings.
Add the key under Remote delivery, optionally give it a nickname, and save.
Use Test on that key.
Edit a notification and enable Mobile push, MQTT, or both.

You can store several API keys and switch each one on or off. If every key is off, the plugin returns to dashboard-only delivery without disabling event setup.

For MQTT, also connect the HiveMQ Cloud cluster used by your device under Settings → Connections → MQTT broker. WordPress and the device must use the same cluster and topic prefix. The current release supports HiveMQ Cloud only; HiveMQ offers a Serverless free plan for getting started. Follow MQTT Broker Setup for account, cluster URL, and credential instructions.

WordPress delivery service

The plugin contacts https://wpnotif.notificator-project.com only when an administrator tests an API key, an enabled notification requests Mobile push or MQTT delivery, or a configured website monitor is sent to the service. Dashboard-only notifications do not contact this endpoint.

Requests can include the enabled API key, request-signing metadata, site details, notification content, selected delivery channels, rendered placeholders, and configured monitor details. Avoid placing unnecessary personal or sensitive information in remotely delivered notification text. See the Notificator privacy policy for more information.

Review Activity

Activity shows the event, time, priority, destination, and delivery state. Use search and filters to isolate delivered, throttled, paused, or failed events. Dashboard-only delivery is shown separately from remote delivery.

Tune plugin behavior

Under Settings you can:

enable or disable dashboard toasts globally;
change toast duration, position, and dismissal behavior;
set event throttling;
change the maximum hooks scanned per plugin;
export or clear Activity;
reset plugin test data while preserving API keys.

Use the Tools button in the header only to export or import notification configurations. API keys are never included in exports. After importing on another site, review plugin availability, event names, placeholders, conditions, keys, and delivery channels before enabling the notifications.

Deleting the plugin through WordPress removes its settings, notifications, logs, scan caches, scheduled jobs, and user toast metadata. Deactivation alone keeps the configuration.

Troubleshooting

Scan appears stuck

Wait for the progress modal; background scans use WP-Cron.
Confirm WordPress loopback requests and WP-Cron are working.
Try active plugins only or reduce the scan limit.
An API key is not required to scan.

Dashboard alert is missing

Confirm the event and its Dashboard channel are enabled.
Check the global dashboard-toast setting.
Trigger the exact event and inspect Activity.
Conditions and throttling can intentionally suppress delivery.

Push or MQTT is unavailable

Add a WordPress API key and save it.
Ensure at least one key is switched on.
Test the key from its Settings row.
For mobile push, confirm notifications are enabled for the device.
For MQTT, connect your own HiveMQ Cloud cluster and complete its broker test.