Fatal Plugin Auto Deactivator - Never let a plugin break your site

No, Fatal Plugin Auto Deactivator works automatically right after activation with no configuration required.

No, the plugin only activates its core functionality during the PHP shutdown phase and only takes action when a fatal error is detected.

The plugin catches fatal PHP errors, parse errors, and other critical errors that would normally crash your site.

Yes, an admin notice will be displayed in your WordPress dashboard showing which plugin was deactivated and the specific error that caused it.

Yes, you can reactivate the plugin through the normal WordPress plugins page. However, be aware that if the issue hasn't been fixed, the plugin will be deactivated again if it causes another fatal error.

The current version is designed for standard WordPress installations. Multisite support may be added in future updates.

The plugin compares the file path of the fatal error against the directories of your active plugins. When the error originates inside an active plugin's folder, that specific plugin is deactivated. Errors originating outside the plugins directory — such as in a theme, a must-use plugin, a drop-in, or WordPress core — are still logged and shown on the custom error page, but nothing is deactivated.

The plugin determines the source of the error from its file path (theme, must-use plugin, drop-in, or WordPress core) and shows an honest message explaining that the issue could not be resolved automatically and may require manual attention. It will never claim to have fixed an error it could not act on. The error is still recorded in the Fatal Plugin Log, marked as logged only.

This plugin specifically targets fatal PHP errors that would normally make your site inaccessible. It doesn't handle warnings, notices, or other non-fatal errors.

A drop-in is a special type of WordPress file that replaces core functionality. This plugin uses the fatal-error-handler.php drop-in to ensure it can handle errors even when other plugins fail. The drop-in is automatically installed when you activate the plugin and removed when you deactivate it.

WordPress allows only one fatal-error-handler.php drop-in at a time. While this plugin is active, it installs and maintains its own drop-in, replacing any existing fatal error handler drop-in so that error handling stays reliable. When you deactivate or uninstall this plugin, it removes only its own drop-in and leaves any non-related drop-in untouched.

For security reasons, detailed error information (file paths, line numbers, error messages) is only displayed on the front-end error page when WP_DEBUG is enabled in your WordPress configuration. When disabled, visitors see a generic error message while administrators still receive detailed notifications in the dashboard. Every fatal error is always recorded in the Fatal Plugin Log (Tools → Fatal Plugin Log) regardless of the WP_DEBUG setting.

Error logs are stored in your WordPress database as options. The plugin maintains both temporary logs (for admin notifications) and a permanent log (for troubleshooting history) viewable under Tools → Fatal Plugin Log. Every detected fatal error is recorded in the permanent log, including errors that could not be attributed to an active plugin (such as those originating in a theme or in WordPress core) — those are marked as logged only, with no plugin deactivated.