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How to automate plugin updates in Modular DS

Keeping your WordPress sites up to date is a complex and time-consuming task. If you manage a significant number of sites, you'll have dozens of new updates every day.

With Modular DS automations, you define once which plugins get updated, on which sites, when, and under what conditions. From there, the system takes care of running them for you.

How automations work

An automation is a rule that automatically applies updates to the plugins you choose on the sites you choose. When a new version is available, Modular DS installs it at the time you've set and only if the conditions you've configured are met.

When you create an automation, you make four decisions: which plugins are included, which sites they apply to, how often it runs, and under what conditions the update happens (for example, waiting a few days after a version is released or requiring a certain Update Copilot score).

You can have several automations running at once with different configurations. That way you can update critical plugins daily and leave the rest for a weekly update in the early morning.

Although this guide talks about plugins, the process is the same for themes and WordPress versions. You just need to do it from the corresponding tab.

How to create an automation

1. Open the full list of plugins

Go to "Updates & Manager" in the left-side menu and, in the dropdown at the top left, switch the filter to "All plugins".

2. Select the plugins and sites

Check the box for each plugin you want to include. If you select the plugin directly, all the sites that have it installed are included. If you'd rather choose only some, expand the list of sites using the arrow next to the plugin and check only the ones you want.

3. Open the update options

With the plugins and sites selected, click "Update" in the bar at the bottom of the screen. In the window that opens, go to the "Automated" tab.

4. Configure when and how it updates

Here you define how the automation behaves. These are the main options:

Frequency: choose between "Daily", "Weekly", or "Monthly" and set the time window when you want it to run.
"Update immediately if there's a vulnerability": if a vulnerability is detected, the update is applied without waiting for the scheduled time.
"Clear cache after updating": clears the site's cache once the update is complete.
"Safe update": applies the update while checking the state of the site so it can be rolled back if something goes wrong.

When you enable "Safe update", Modular DS checks the site after updating and rolls back the change if it detects errors or unexpected changes. You can choose how that result is validated:

"Manual validation" (recommended): you review the screenshots and the percentage of change, and decide whether to keep the update or revert.
"Automatic validation": you're only asked for a manual review when the percentage of content change exceeds the threshold you've set.

Below, under "Smart conditions", you can fine-tune even further when it runs:

Only update versions that have been available for a certain number of days.
Only do so if the Update Copilot score is above a threshold.
Only update minor or hotfix versions.

5. Create the automation

When your configuration is ready, click "Automate". The automation is created and will start running according to what you've defined.

How to add plugins to an existing automation

If you already have an automation and want to add more plugins to it, go back to the "All plugins" filter and select the plugins (and sites) you want to add. Click "Update" and, in the "Automated" tab, enable the "Join an existing automation" option.

The list of automations you've already created will appear. Choose the right one and click "Automate" to add the selected plugins.

How to edit or delete an automation

To manage the automations you already have, switch the dropdown to "Automated updates". You'll see the list of all created automations, each with its frequency and configuration.

From here you can do two things.

To remove specific plugins from an automation, expand the automation using the arrow to see the plugins it includes, check the ones you want to remove, and click "Cancel automatic update".

To change the configuration or delete it entirely, click "Edit automation" next to the name. From there you can modify the settings and save your changes with "Save", or delete the whole automation with "Delete".

How to pause your automations with vacation mode

If you're going to be away and prefer that no automatic updates run, enable the "Vacation mode" toggle at the top right of the "Automated updates" view. A window will open where, by clicking "Pause automatic updates", you stop all your automations at once. You can reactivate them with a single click when you return.

Do you need help with anything else? Email us at help@modulards.com or contact us via the support chat, and we'll be happy to help you.

Updated on: 28/07/2026

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