How Plugin Authors Can Leverage Fullworks Support Diagnostics for Enhanced WordPress Support

As WordPress plugin developers, we all know the challenges of providing effective technical support. Troubleshooting issues remotely often means relying on users to collect and share diagnostic information – a process that can be frustrating for both parties. That’s where Fullworks Support Diagnostics comes in to streamline this critical workflow.

A Purpose-Built Support Solution

Fullworks Support Diagnostics is a free WordPress plugin available in the official repository that revolutionizes how plugin authors can provide technical support. Rather than creating custom diagnostic tools for each plugin, you can leverage this framework to automatically collect relevant information when users experience problems.

Key Benefits for Plugin Authors

1. Automatic Plugin Discovery

The diagnostic tool automatically detects plugins with a support-config.json file in their root directory. This means your plugin can be instantly recognized without any additional configuration from users.

2. Customizable Data Collection

Through a simple JSON configuration file, you can specify exactly what information you need:

• Plugin settings and options
• Database tables and row counts
• Active shortcodes
• Transient data
• Action Scheduler tasks
• Log files
• Custom debug constants

3. Intelligent Handling of Sensitive Data

One of the most powerful features is the recursive masking of sensitive information. The plugin can automatically detect and mask API keys, passwords, and other confidential data at any nesting level in your configuration:

"sensitive_fields": ["api_key", "secret_token", "key", "password", "auth_token"],
"mask_sensitive": true

This ensures that users can safely share diagnostic information without exposing confidential data.

4. Freemius Integration

For premium plugin authors using Freemius, the tool can collect license status and activation details, making it easier to verify customer entitlements during support interactions.

5. Debug Management

The plugin enables safe modification of debug constants in wp-config.php with automatic backups, allowing you to request specific debugging information without requiring users to manually edit core WordPress files.

6. Remote Diagnostics

The REST API endpoints allow you to remotely access diagnostic information through temporary secure links (valid for 24 hours), streamlining the support process even further.

Implementation Guide

Creating Your support-config.json File

To make your plugin compatible with Fullworks Support Diagnostics, simply create a support-config.json file in your plugin’s root directory. Here’s an example structure:

{
  "plugin_info": {
    "name": "Your Plugin Name",
    "slug": "your-plugin-slug",
    "settings_page": "your-plugin-settings-page"
  },
  "shortcodes": ["your_shortcode"],
  "options_to_extract": [
    {
      "option_name": "your_option_name",
      "label": "Human-Readable Label",
      "sensitive_fields": ["api_key", "password"],
      "mask_sensitive": true
    }
  ],
  "database_tables": [
    {
      "prefix": "your_table_prefix_",
      "include_row_counts": true
    }
  ]
}

You can expand this configuration to include additional diagnostic information as needed.

Support Workflow

With Fullworks Support Diagnostics, your support workflow becomes much more efficient:

1. When a user reports an issue, ask them to install Fullworks Support Diagnostics from the WordPress repository
2. Direct them to Tools → Plugin Support Diagnostics in their WordPress admin
3. Have them generate diagnostic data and share it via copy/paste, download, or temporary link
4. Receive comprehensive, structured information about their WordPress environment and your plugin’s configuration
5. Quickly identify potential issues without multiple back-and-forth communications

Security Considerations

The plugin is designed with security in mind:

• Access keys can be regenerated at any time
• Temporary access links expire after 24 hours
• API keys and sensitive data are masked in diagnostic reports
• REST API endpoint can be disabled if not needed
• All wp-config.php modifications require explicit admin confirmation

Wrapping Up

Fullworks Support Diagnostics offers plugin authors a powerful framework for streamlining technical support. By implementing a simple configuration file, you can gather precisely the information you need while respecting user privacy and security.

The tool’s availability in the official WordPress repository makes it trustworthy and easily accessible to your users, eliminating barriers to adoption when troubleshooting is needed.

For plugin authors looking to enhance their support experience, integrating with Fullworks Support Diagnostics represents a significant opportunity to reduce resolution times and improve customer satisfaction.

Future Plans

In the future I will add some AI access tothe diagnostics REST route so we can do more automated support. I think a MCP server that links the diagnostics output to any plugin docs would be neat.

Download from WP.org