This guide helps you diagnose and resolve common issues with the DocSync plugin.

Common Issues

API Authentication Errors

Problem: Getting 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden errors.

Solutions:

• Ensure you’re using proper WordPress authentication (cookies or application passwords)
• Verify user has appropriate capabilities:
  • edit_posts for POST/PUT /docs, GET /sync/status, and POST /sync/doc + POST /sync/batch
  • delete_posts for DELETE /docs/{id}
  • manage_categories for POST /sync/setup, PUT /codebase/{id}, and POST /codebase/resolve when create_missing: true
  • manage_options for manual GitHub sync and diagnostics (/sync/all, /sync/term/{id}, /sync/test-token, /sync/test-repo)
• Check that the REST API is enabled in WordPress settings
• For external sync, ensure API credentials are configured correctly

Sync Operations Failing

Problem: /sync/doc or /sync/batch endpoints return errors.

Common Causes:

• edit_posts for POST/PUT /docs, GET /sync/status, and POST /sync/doc + POST /sync/batch
• delete_posts for DELETE /docs/{id}
• manage_categories for POST /sync/setup, PUT /codebase/{id}, and POST /codebase/resolve when create_missing: true
• manage_options for manual GitHub sync and diagnostics (/sync/all, /sync/term/{id}, /sync/test-token, /sync/test-repo)

Debug command:

curl "/wp-json/docsync/v1/sync/status?project=your-project-slug"

If the request returns 403, confirm the authenticated user has edit_posts.

Markdown Processing Issues

Problem: Markdown content not converting properly or links not resolving.

Common Issues:

• edit_posts for POST/PUT /docs, GET /sync/status, and POST /sync/doc + POST /sync/batch
• delete_posts for DELETE /docs/{id}
• manage_categories for POST /sync/setup, PUT /codebase/{id}, and POST /codebase/resolve when create_missing: true
• manage_options for manual GitHub sync and diagnostics (/sync/all, /sync/term/{id}, /sync/test-token, /sync/test-repo)

Check link resolution:

# Get document and check rendered content
curl /wp-json/docsync/v1/docs/{post_id}

Performance Issues

Problem: Slow API responses or high server load.

Solutions:

• Missing project setup: Ensure /sync/setup was called first and project_term_id is valid
• Invalid parameters: Check that all required fields are provided (source_file, title, content, project_term_id, filesize, timestamp)
• Subpath format: Ensure subpath is an array of strings, not a single string
• Timestamp issues: Verify timestamp is a valid ISO 8601 format and newer than existing content

Install Tracking Not Working

Problem: WordPress.org install counts not updating.

Causes:

• Internal links not using .md extension
• Incorrect relative link paths
• Missing target documents
• Taxonomy hierarchy mismatches

Verify metadata:

curl /wp-json/docsync/v1/codebase/{term_id}

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging for troubleshooting:

WordPress Debug Logging

Add to wp-config.php:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Check logs at /wp-content/debug.log for:

• Enable caching for taxonomy queries
• Use batch operations instead of individual requests
• Limit query result sets with per_page parameter
• Check for inefficient database queries in debug logs

API Debug Headers

Include debug headers in API responses:

curl -H "X-Debug: true" /wp-json/docsync/v1/docs

Diagnostic Commands

Check Plugin Status

# Verify plugin is active
wp plugin status docsync

# Check for plugin errors
wp plugin verify-checksums docsync

Database Integrity

# Check for orphaned posts
wp db query "SELECT ID, post_title FROM wp_posts p LEFT JOIN wp_term_relationships tr ON p.ID = tr.object_id WHERE p.post_type = 'documentation' AND tr.term_taxonomy_id IS NULL"

# Verify taxonomy terms
wp term list codebase --format=table

API Connectivity

# Test basic API connectivity
curl -I /wp-json/docsync/v1/

# Test authentication
curl -u "username:password" /wp-json/docsync/v1/docs

Recovery Procedures

Reset Sync Data

# Remove all sync metadata (CAUTION: destructive)
wp post meta delete --all --keys=_sync_%

# Reset taxonomy terms (CAUTION: destructive)
wp term delete codebase $(wp term list codebase --field=term_id)

Rebuild Taxonomy Hierarchy

# Recreate project structure
curl -X POST /wp-json/docsync/v1/sync/setup 
  -d '{
    "project_slug": "my-project",
    "project_name": "My Project",
    "category_slug": "wordpress-plugins",
    "category_name": "WordPress Plugins"
  }'

Clear Caches

# Clear WordPress object cache
wp cache flush

# Clear any external caches
wp transient delete --all

Getting Help

If issues persist:

1. Check the logs: Enable debug logging and review error messages
2. Verify configuration: Ensure all required settings are configured
3. Test with minimal data: Use simple test cases to isolate issues
4. Check WordPress compatibility: Verify your WordPress version is supported
5. Contact support: Include debug logs and steps to reproduce the issue

Prevention

• Invalid repository URLs in term metadata
• API rate limiting from WordPress.org
• Plugin/theme not found in WordPress.org directory
• Metadata fields not properly set