MainWP Early Access extension

The MainWP Early Access extension lets you opt into pre-release versions of both the MainWP Dashboard plugin and the MainWP Child plugin.
This is useful if you want to test upcoming features, help evaluate changes before they reach WordPress.org, or prepare workflows for new versions that are still in development.

Early Access works globally (for your Dashboard and all child sites), but you can also override settings for individual sites.

Early Access builds are best used on staging or testing environments, not production sites.

Install the Early Access Extension

1. Go to MainWP Dashboard > Add-ons page
2. Click Install Add-ons button
3. Search for the MainWP Early Access add-on
4. Select it in the list, and click Install Selected Add-ons
5. After the installation, page will automatically refresh
6. Finally, click the Activate Add-ons button to activate the license for the newly installed add-on

Accessing the Early Access settings

The extension provides two settings pages:

• Global settings (Dashboard-level):
  MainWP > Add-ons > Early Access
• Per-site settings:
  MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites > (Select a Site) > MainWP Early Access tab

Global Settings

Enable Early Access for MainWP Dashboard

Toggle this option on if you want your Dashboard plugin to receive pre-release updates.
When enabled, update checks include GitHub releases marked as prereleases.

Your GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT)

If you manage many sites, GitHub rate limits may slow update checks.
Adding a PAT increases your limit from 60 requests/hour to 5,000 requests/hour.

To create a PAT key,

1. Go to your GitHub Developer Settings page: https://github.com/settings/apps
2. Click on Personal access tokens > Fine-Grained tokens
3. Click on Generate new token.
4. Give the token a descriptive name.
5. Select the Expiration date
   • We recommend increasing it from the default 30 days
6. Select the scopes you need for the token
   • The default scope (Public repositories, and no additional permissions) provides the minimal required permission level
7. Click on Generate token.
8. Paste your PAT into this field and save.

The PAT key is securely encrypted by the Dashboard.

Roll Back to Latest Stable Release

This installs the current stable version of the MainWP Dashboard plugin from WordPress.org.

Use this option if:

• You no longer want to stay on prerelease builds, or
• A prerelease build causes compatibility issues.

Child Site’s Settings

These settings control Early Access for the MainWP Child plugin on your connected sites.

Enable Early Access for MainWP Child Plugin

When enabled, all child sites will use the Early Access track unless an individual site overrides this setting.

Update MainWP Child Plugin on Sites to Pre-Release Version

Runs a bulk update across all eligible sites.
A modal window displays progress and site-by-site results.

Check for updates

If a new prerelease version is available, this link forces a fresh update check.

Roll Back Child Plugins on Sites to Latest Stable Release

Reinstalls the stable WordPress.org version of MainWP Child on all eligible sites.

Per-Site Early Access Settings

These controls are available inside each site’s MainWP Early Access tab.

MainWP Child Early Access

A simple dropdown lets you choose:

• Use global setting
• Enable
• Disable

Update MainWP Child Plugin on Site to Pre-Release Version

Runs the same action as the global updater but affects only that single site.

A Check for updates link is included to refresh prerelease availability for that site.

Roll Back Child Plugin on Site to Latest Stable Release

Reverts the site back to the stable MainWP Child plugin from WordPress.org.

What to Expect During Early Access Updates

• Manual Check for updates links are available on both global and per-site pages.
• If a prerelease child version is available and Early Access is enabled, the Dashboard may display an admin notice with a shortcut back to the Early Access settings page.
• When the Early Access extension license/API key is active, plugin row meta will include a Check for updates now link.

Notes and Best Practices

• Early Access builds should be tested on staging sites before rolling into production.
• Child-site overrides always take priority over global settings.
• If a prerelease update fails, check the site’s connection status and retry from the modal.
• Rollback operations always use the stable version provided by WordPress.org.