Update channels
How stable and nightly releases are built and delivered.
Updates are delivered from GitHub releases through the normal WordPress updates screen. There is no update server and no licence key.
Stable
The default. The site is offered the newest published, non-pre-release GitHub release. Every stable
release is cut from a v* tag, and CI runs the full test suite before the zip is attached.
Nightly
Built from main once a day and published as a GitHub pre-release. Nightlies are not manually
tested. Use them on staging, not on a production site.
Opt in with:
define( 'MRDW_UPDATE_CHANNEL', 'nightly' );How nightly versions are numbered
A nightly is stamped with the next minor version plus the build date:
installed stable 1.4.0
nightly build 1.5.0-nightly.20260824
next stable 1.5.0That ordering means a nightly always looks newer than the stable it was built from, and older than
the stable that eventually supersedes it — so a nightly site rejoins the stable line by itself once
1.5.0 ships.
WordPress never offers a lower version than the one installed. Going from nightly back to stable before the next stable release means downloading the stable zip and re-uploading it by hand.
Checking which channel a site is on
MrDemonWolf → General shows the installed version and the resolved channel, along with a reminder of the constant to set. The channel is read-only in the admin on purpose: it is a deployment decision, not a per-user preference.