UpdateDrill

For WooCommerce stores · early access

Find out if an update breaks checkout before your customers do.

UpdateDrill copies your store to staging, applies the pending plugin and theme updates, and places a real test order before and after. If checkout fails, the total moves, or PHP throws a fatal error, you get a FAIL and the staging site is rolled back.

See how a run works

Your live store is only ever read, never written to.

“Every release is a new surprise on how it breaks my website.”
From a 2-star review of WooCommerce in the WordPress.org plugin directory

How a run works

The same test order, before and after every update.

  1. Clone to staging

    Database and files are copied from live to staging over SSH. URLs are rewritten and search indexing is turned off.

  2. Take a baseline

    Key pages are loaded and screenshotted. A test order goes through checkout with Cash on delivery.

  3. Update one by one

    Each plugin, theme or core update is applied on its own, so a failure points at the exact package.

  4. Test again

    Same pages, same order. Totals, shipping, screenshots, browser errors and debug.log are compared.

  5. Verdict and report

    PASS, WARN or FAIL with a report you can forward to the client. On FAIL, staging is restored from the snapshot.

What it checks

It fails on things that cost sales.

A changed layout might be intended, so it is a warning for a person to look at. A checkout that stops working is never intended.

CheckFails whenWarns when
CheckoutFAILThe test order can no longer be placedWARNCheckout was already broken before the update
Order total and shippingFAILEither amount differs from before the update—
PagesFAILHTTP error or “critical error” page after the updateWARNStatus code changed
debug.logFAILNew PHP fatal or parse errorWARNNew PHP warnings or database errors
Screenshots—WARNMore than 2% of pixels changed, or page height changed
Browser console—WARNNew JavaScript errors

What you get back

A plain answer, then the evidence.

Every run writes an HTML report with the findings, the update list, checkout totals before and after, and side-by-side screenshots with the changed pixels highlighted.

Agencies forward it to clients as proof the maintenance was done.

$ updatedrill run --site acme-staging.json --auto-rollback
Listing pending updates…
  2 pending: woocommerce 9.8.0→11.3.0, storefront 4.6.0→4.6.2
Creating snapshot…
Checking site BEFORE updating…
Applying updates…
  ok     woocommerce
  ok     storefront
Checking site AFTER updating…
FAIL → restoring snapshot…

Verdict: FAIL
  [FAIL] totals: Order total changed: $54.00 → $57.50
  [FAIL] totals: Shipping changed: $6.00 → $9.50
  [WARN] visual: "checkout" looks different: 12.10% of pixels changed
Snapshot: 20261115-073200 (restored)
Report: runs/acme-staging-20261115-073200/report.html

Safety

Built so a test can never reach a real customer.

  • Live store is read-only

    Cloning only runs read commands against live. Tests refuse to run on any site not marked as staging.

  • Emails are blocked

    A small must-use plugin on staging stops all outgoing email. Addresses are masked in the logs.

  • Browser stays on staging

    If staging redirects to the live domain, the test stops before placing an order.

  • Snapshot before every change

    Database and code are saved before updates run, and restored automatically on FAIL.

  • No customer data kept

    The database is streamed from live to staging, not saved as a dump file on our side.

  • Scheduled jobs paused

    WP-Cron is off on staging, so renewals, syncs and newsletters do not fire from the copy.

Early access

Get one update check on your store, free.

We run UpdateDrill against your store's pending updates and send you the full report. If it finds a problem, you hear about it before your customers do.

  • One full run: clone, test, update, re-test, report
  • A short call to walk through the findings
  • You need SSH access to your host with WP-CLI. A staging site helps but is not required
  • No payment details, no WordPress admin password

Questions

Before you ask.

Does it work with my theme and checkout?

It handles both the classic WooCommerce checkout and the newer block checkout. If your theme renames buttons or fields, the selectors are adjusted in the site's config during the first run.

Will it create orders on my live store?

No. Test orders are placed only on staging, using Cash on delivery. Runs refuse any site that is not marked as staging, and the browser is locked to the staging domain.

What hosting does it need?

SSH access and WP-CLI on the server. Cloning also uses rsync. Most VPS and managed WordPress hosts provide these. If yours doesn't, tell us in the request and we'll check.

What does it cost after early access?

Early access checks are free. Pricing for regular runs is set after we talk, based on how many stores you look after.

Is this made by WooCommerce?

No. UpdateDrill is an independent tool and is not affiliated with WooCommerce or Automattic.