Documentation

Sentinel 1.2 records what happens on a WordPress site and shows it in admin.

Use this if the site cannot use the plugin directory. Keep the same version as WordPress.org.

Administrators see Quick Setup the first time Sentinel 1.2 runs. You can open it again from Settings.

Overview is the first screen in the Sentinel menu. It summarises what has already been recorded.

Administrators also see Sentinel Memory Insights on the WordPress Dashboard. It shows current memory use, not a leak report.

Activity Logs is the history of events Sentinel has stored. Open a row for the detail drawer.

After install, the Sentinel menu has four items.

Sentinel 1.2 sends three kinds of mail. Turn them on under Settings → Notifications.

One email when a critical event happens. The same type stays quiet until the next day.

Open Sentinel → Settings. Administrators only. There is no Log Management tab in 1.2. Quick Setup can be reopened from the header on this screen.

Event Registry is the catalogue of keys Sentinel 1.2 can write. Pause a type there and new rows of that key stop. Existing log rows are kept. Administrators only.

These keys ship with Sentinel 1.2. Labels in admin may differ slightly; the code is stable.

When WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, or WPForms is active, those keys are added to Event Registry automatically. See Plugin integrations. Pause them the same way as built-in types.

Settings → Performance. Most sites can leave these as they are.

Sentinel Free records memory-pressure events (memory_early_warning, memory_warning, memory_critical) and shows Sentinel Memory Insights on the WordPress Dashboard for administrators. That widget is current and peak memory use, not a leak report.

Settings → Privacy & access. These are tools for how Sentinel stores and shows activity. They are not a legal certification.

A logged-in person can ask Sentinel to anonymise their activity rows. An administrator has to approve. This does not delete the WordPress user, their posts, or their comments. There is no per-user export of Sentinel data; administrators download from Settings → Export & API.

When file watch is on, Sentinel 1.2 hashes two files once a day. A recorded change writes file_modified and can send urgent mail.

Hard-coded in Sentinel_File_Monitor. There is no custom path list in 1.2.

file_modified is a critical event, so it can send urgent mail. The log row payload includes:

Sentinel 1.2 fires these hooks. Use them from a theme or a small plugin. SENTINEL_API is 1. The extra hooks are for another plugin. They are not Sentinel+ screens.

sentinel_log_event( $event_key, $data = array(), $user_id = null ) writes a row. $event_key must already be in Event Registry (or an active integration). Unknown keys are ignored. Payload is stored as JSON on the row.

Safe for a template or widget. Counts only: no names, IPs, or log lines.

Most integrations use the functions above. These classes are here if you need lower-level access.

Handles writing events to the database, including batch queueing and disabled-event checks.

Namespace sentinel-plugin/v1. Off by default. Settings → Export & API → Allow read-only REST access, then generate a key. Generate shows the full key once. After that the field is masked, and Sentinel stores a hash. Anyone with the key can read activity. Keep it in server-side code.

Send the X-Sentinel-API-Key header. Query-string keys are not accepted.

Sign-ins and failed sign-ins, content and comments, Media Library, plugins and themes, WordPress upgrades, PHP and WordPress errors, and Sentinel’s own privacy or housekeeping events. WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, and WPForms add keys when those plugins are active. Pause types in Event Registry.

No. Failed sign-ins are counted in the daily briefing. Urgent mail is only for critical events, and the same type will not email again until the next day.

Not from a screen in Sentinel Free. Built-in types can be paused. sentinel_log_event() only writes keys Sentinel already knows. Another plugin can register types through the hooks in Hooks & filters. A screen for that is planned for Sentinel+.

No. It records activity and can email you. The Performance rate limit caps how many log writes Sentinel will store for the whole site, not visitor logins. Response modes are planned for Sentinel+.

No. The free plugin can hash wp-config.php and .htaccess once a day. That switch is under Settings → Privacy & access.

Writes go into Sentinel’s own tables. If volume is a problem, Settings → Performance can queue writes in batches and cap how many events are stored per minute.

Yes, read-only, off by default. Settings → Export & API. See REST API.

It is built for a single site. It is not tested as a network-activated plugin.

Use the contact form.

Settings → Export & API. This download does not follow the filters on Activity Logs. It includes IP, user agent, URL, and payloads if they were stored. There is no per-user export.

Sentinel 1.2 records a small set of events from three plugins. If the plugin is active, the keys are in Event Registry and can be paused there.

Requires WooCommerce. Events appear in Event Registry while WooCommerce is active. Order number, totals, and payment method are stored. Line items and customer addresses are not.

Requires Contact Form 7. Events appear in Event Registry while CF7 is active. Message body and field values are not stored.

Requires WPForms Lite or Pro. The key appears in Event Registry while WPForms is active. Message body and field values are not stored.