Plugin installation troubleshooting

If the PowerSEC plugin won't install, activate, or reach PowerSEC Central, this guide walks through common causes.

"The link you followed has expired"

Your server's PHP upload_max_filesize or post_max_size is smaller than the plugin ZIP.

Fix:

1. SSH into your server
2. Edit php.ini (location varies; php --ini shows you)
3. Set upload_max_filesize = 16M and post_max_size = 16M
4. Restart PHP-FPM / Apache
5. Retry the plugin upload

If you can't edit php.ini, ask your host to increase these values, or install with WP-CLI:

wp plugin install powersec-latest.zip --activate

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

The WordPress security token expired during a long upload. Try again.

"Plugin could not be activated because it triggered a fatal error"

Check your PHP version first:

1. WP admin → Tools → Site Health → Info → Server
2. Confirm PHP is 7.4 or later and WordPress is 5.8 or later
3. If not, upgrade through your host's control panel

If the versions are fine but the error persists, check the error log (with WP_DEBUG_LOG enabled):

tail -50 /path/to/wp-content/debug.log

Common causes:

• Missing PHP extension (mbstring, curl, openssl) — ask your host to install it
• Memory limit too low — set define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); in wp-config.php
• A conflicting plugin (rare) — temporarily disable other plugins to isolate it

"Cannot connect to powersec.io"

The plugin can't reach PowerSEC Central. Causes:

1. Outbound HTTPS blocked — your host's firewall blocks outbound connections
   • Allow outbound HTTPS (port 443) to powersec.io
2. DNS or network issue — test from the server:
   • curl -v https://powersec.io/health should return HTTP 200
3. TLS certificate verification failure — outdated CA bundle
   • Update the OS ca-certificates package
4. Your host requires an HTTP proxy for outbound traffic — WordPress's own proxy settings apply to PowerSEC. Add to wp-config.php:

define('WP_PROXY_HOST', 'proxy.example.com');
define('WP_PROXY_PORT', '8080');
// only if the proxy needs a login:
define('WP_PROXY_USERNAME', 'user');
define('WP_PROXY_PASSWORD', 'password');

"Database error: table 'powersec_*' doesn't exist"

The plugin's database setup didn't complete. Fix:

1. Deactivate the plugin
2. Reactivate it — this re-runs the installer
3. If it still fails, check that your database user has the CREATE TABLE permission

PowerSEC menu missing

The plugin is installed but the PowerSEC menu doesn't appear:

1. Hard-refresh your browser (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R)
2. Check the plugin is Active at /wp-admin/plugins.php
3. Check your user has the manage_options capability (the administrator role)
4. Check another plugin isn't hiding admin menus

Still stuck?

Open a support ticket with:

• Your WordPress version (Tools → Site Health → Info)
• PHP version
• Plugin version you're trying to install
• Error message (exact text or screenshot)
• Last 50 lines of wp-content/debug.log

We aim to reply within 1–2 business days on every plan.