SOLO

Jumpstart

One button that cleans and protects a WordPress site. Jumpstart by WP Multitool is a separate plugin - this page covers install, the three run levels, Undo, WP-CLI and the FAQ.

Install

  1. Buy and download

    Buy Jumpstart at wpmultitool.com/jumpstart/. The confirmation page and the email carry the zip and your license key; both stay in your Polar portal.

  2. Upload and activate

    In WordPress: Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, pick the zip, Install, Activate. Requires WordPress 6.0 or newer, PHP 8.0 or newer.

  3. Paste the license key

    On the Plugins screen, Jumpstart row, click License and paste the key. WP-CLI does the same: wp jumpstart license set <key>.

Run It

Plugins screen, Jumpstart row, click Run. A dialog opens with three levels:

  • Safe - cleanup only. Expired transients, finished background tasks older than a day, and autoload switched off for settings left by inactive plugins (undoable).
  • Reversible - more, with Undo (default). Safe plus: debug.log compacted when over 1 MB (backup kept), the standard head cleanup and security settings turned on (13 switches, undoable), and, only after the homepage check passed, revisions pruned to the last 5 and orphaned data removed (SQL backup first).
  • YOLO - everything. Reversible plus: autoload switched off for oversized settings and JavaScript defer turned on (both undoable), then all transients deleted, orphaned cron hooks removed and OPTIMIZE TABLE.

Press Run. The line under the title shows "Running..." and then the result. A run can take from a few seconds to a few minutes on a large database.

Read the Line

  • Done. Homepage 48 ms -> 42 ms, autoload 48.4 KB -> 48.8 KB.Both numbers were measured on your site before and after. Homepage time is the median of three fetches as a logged-out visitor on the server's own network, full response. Autoload is the size of the settings WordPress loads on every page.
  • Done. The homepage looks the same to visitors.The run finished, the check passed, but one of the numbers could not be taken, so none are shown.
  • The homepage changed for visitors, so the settings the run changed were put back.The check failed and the settings were restored automatically. Deletions that had already run are listed after it, with counts and whether a backup file exists.
  • Done, but the homepage could not be checked as a visitor, so the steps that delete rows were held back. Check the homepage yourself.The site could not fetch its own homepage (some hosts block this). Settings changes applied; row deletions did not.
  • N step(s) failed: ...A step hit an error. The others ran; the homepage check still ran.
  • The last run can still be undone. Undo it first, or wait until it is 7 days old. Nothing was changed.See Undo.

Undo

After a run the Run button becomes Undo for 7 days. It restores every setting the run changed (autoload switches, frontend switches), leaves alone anything you changed yourself since (and tells you how many), clears the page caches it knows about, and checks the homepage again.

Deleted rows are not undone. Before every delete Jumpstart writes the rows to an SQL file in its private backup folder (outside the web root where possible, otherwise in uploads, with a check that the file is not downloadable). Files are kept 30 days; the newest five are always kept. Restoring from them is a manual import.

While a run can still be undone, a new run is refused. Undo first, or wait 7 days.

Lock the Level

In wp-config.php:

define( 'JUMPSTART_MODE', 'safe' ); // safe, reversible or yolo

The dialog shows the level greyed out and the server ignores any other level. Useful for client sites.

WP-CLI

wp jumpstart run --level=safe|reversible|yolo [--format=json]
wp jumpstart status [--format=json]
wp jumpstart undo --run=<id> [--format=json]
wp jumpstart license set <key>

The JSON report has run_id, level, steps[] with id, phase, status (applied / skipped / refused / failed), count and reason, plus rolled_back, verification and measure.before / measure.after. A run that did not finish as asked exits non-zero. An invalid --level exits non-zero before anything runs.

Other Optimizers

If WP Rocket, Perfmatters, Autoptimize, ASE, WP Multitool or similar are active, Jumpstart reads their settings before touching a frontend switch. A switch that plugin already handles, or might, is skipped and the step says so. Jumpstart never writes another plugin's settings.

Uninstall

Deleting the plugin removes every jumpstart_* option and the retention cron. Backup files on disk are left in place on purpose; delete the folder yourself once you no longer need them.

Support

support@wpmultitool.com. Include the result line and, if you have it, the output of wp jumpstart status --format=json.

FAQ

Does it need WP Multitool?

No. Separate plugin, own code, runs alone. Both can be active; Jumpstart leaves any setting WP Multitool already handles alone.

What exactly does the homepage check compare?

The structure of the HTML and the list of asset paths it references, fetched as a logged-out visitor before the settings changes and after. It does not run JavaScript, does not compare pixels and looks at one page. If a cache plugin serves a stale copy, the comparison still sees the HTML a visitor would get.

What if my host blocks loopback requests?

The run reports "unverified": settings changes stay applied, row-deleting steps are held back, and the message asks you to check the homepage yourself. Undo still works.

Will it delete my content?

No posts, pages, media, users or comments. Revisions beyond the last five per post, auto-drafts older than 7 days and trash older than 30 days are removed on Reversible and YOLO, with an SQL backup written first.

Where are the backups?

In Jumpstart's private backup folder, outside the web root when the server allows it, otherwise inside uploads with a check that the file cannot be downloaded. 30-day retention, newest five kept. The CLI prints the path in status.

Why is Run greyed out / why does it say "nothing was changed"?

The last run is still inside its 7-day Undo window. Undo it or wait.

Can I schedule it?

No. One button, pressed by a person. On the CLI you can cron wp jumpstart run --level=safe, but note the 7-day refusal: a daily cron will run once a week at most unless it undoes first.

Does YOLO break sites?

JavaScript defer can, on themes that rely on inline scripts running before jQuery. The homepage check catches most of it and rolls back; Undo covers the rest. Run YOLO when you can look at the site right after.

Multisite?

Not tested. Treat as unsupported for 1.0.

Does it send anything anywhere?

No. No telemetry, no external calls except the loopback fetch of your own homepage and the license update check against wpmultitool.com.

One license, how many sites?

One. Staging copies of the same site are fine. A second production site needs a second license or WP Multitool Pro Annual.

Refunds?

14 days, same policy as WP Multitool: wpmultitool.com/refund-policy/

Changelog

Jumpstart releases are documented on this page. The /changelog/ archive tracks WP Multitool.

1.0.0

  • Added: One Run link on the Plugins screen opens a dialog with three levels: Safe, Reversible and YOLO. No settings screen.
  • Added: Every run measures the homepage request time and the autoloaded size before and after, and prints both. Numbers that could not be measured are not shown.
  • Added: Homepage check as a logged-out visitor after the settings changes; a changed page puts the settings back automatically and holds the row deletions.
  • Added: Undo for 7 days, drift-aware, with page-cache purge and a homepage re-check.
  • Added: SQL backup before every row deletion, stored in a private folder, 30-day retention with the newest five files kept.
  • Added: Overlap check: a frontend setting another active optimizer already handles is left to that plugin.
  • Added: JUMPSTART_MODE wp-config constant locks the level.
  • Added: WP-CLI: wp jumpstart run|status|undo with --format=json.
  • Added: Uninstall removes every Jumpstart option and its cron event; backup files are left in place.

Ready for the one-button cleanup?

Jumpstart by WP Multitool - $49/year, one site, 14-day refund.

Get Jumpstart