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Why Your WordPress Plugin Page Isn't Updating After an SVN Commit

31 threads Sep 7, 2025 Core → Developing with wordpress

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You've spent hours perfecting your plugin, committed the updated files to the WordPress SVN repository, and confirmed they are there. Yet, hours or even a day later, your plugin page on WordPress.org still shows the wrong version, an old banner, or even the dreaded "Awaiting Data Upload" message. This is a common and frustrating hurdle for many developers.

This guide will walk you through the most common reasons why a plugin page fails to update and how to resolve them.

Why This Happens

The WordPress.org plugin repository does not update in real-time. It relies on a system that processes SVN commits on a schedule. However, the most frequent cause of a stalled update is not the system's delay but an error in the plugin's SVN structure or metadata.

Common Solutions and Checks

1. Verify Your SVN Structure

The single most common mistake is an incorrect SVN folder structure. Your plugin's SVN repository must follow a strict layout:

  • /trunk/ - Contains the main development version.
  • /tags/1.2.3/ - Contains a specific, stable version of your plugin (replace 1.2.3 with your version number).
  • /assets/ - Contains plugin banners and icons.

Critical Check: Your new version number in the Stable Tag field of your readme.txt file must exactly match the name of a folder inside your /tags/ directory. For example, if your Stable tag is 1.5.0, you must have a /tags/1.5.0/ directory containing all your plugin files, not just the readme.txt.

2. Validate Your Readme.txt File

A single formatting error in your readme.txt file can prevent the system from parsing it correctly. Use the official Readme Validator tool to check your file for errors before committing.

3. Check Plugin Headers

Ensure the version number in your main plugin file's header (e.g., Plugin Version: 1.5.0) matches the version you are trying to release and the tag you've created.

4. Correct Asset File Naming and Placement

For banners and icons to display, they must be placed in the /assets/ directory and named correctly. The required files are:

  • banner-772x250.jpg (or .png)
  • icon-256x256.jpg (or .png)

Note: The letter 'x' in the filename must be a lowercase X, not a multiplication symbol (×).

5. Be Patient and Force a Refresh

Sometimes, the system simply needs more time to process your commit. While delays longer than 24 hours are unusual, they can happen. You can try to "nudge" the system by making a minor, inconsequential change to a file in your /trunk/ directory and committing it.

What to Do If Nothing Works

If you have verified all of the above and your page still won't update after a significant wait (over 24 hours), the best course of action is to contact the WordPress Plugin Team directly for assistance. You can reach them via email at [email protected] or in the #pluginreview channel on the Make WordPress Slack.

By methodically checking these common issues, you can usually resolve the problem and get your plugin page updated to showcase your latest work.

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