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Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when the cron runs

If your import is not working, verify with your host that the cron command is properly configured and executing from their end — hosts sometimes have unique paths or command requirements.

Work through the list in order:

  1. Run the command by hand. Paste it into a shell, or open the generated URL in a browser. If it works manually but not on schedule, the problem is with the cron entry, not the import.
  2. Check the path. The php and curl commands include the absolute path to your WordPress index.php. Some hosts run cron from a different filesystem root, or need a different PHP binary (/usr/local/bin/php, php8.2, /opt/alt/php82/usr/bin/php).
  3. Confirm the secret key matches. If the key was regenerated after you set up the cron job, the old command is dead — the request is rejected silently. Copy the command again.
  4. Confirm the key isn't blank. An import with no stored secret key will never run automatically. This is deliberate: it prevents an unprotected import URL from being triggered by anyone.
  5. Check the import ID. The dms_import_id in the command must match an existing import.

The request returns a blank page

That's expected. The automatic import runs and then exits without output — successful and rejected requests look the same from the outside, by design, so the endpoint gives nothing away to someone guessing keys.

Confirm the outcome in DMS → Import/Export, where every accepted run appears in the log with the Automatic badge.

The import times out or dies partway

Large feeds executed over HTTP can hit the web server's timeout or PHP's max_execution_time.

  • Switch to the wp-cli command (wp dms import <id>). It runs on the CLI, where those limits generally don't apply, and it disables post-save and cache-purge hooks during the run.
  • Failing that, use the php command, which also runs outside the web server.

Listings are attributed to the wrong user

The author comes from Import as User in the automatic settings, not from whoever last edited the import. See Settings.

The Automatic Import option isn't there

The option only appears when the import type is Download a File. Local file uploads can't be scheduled — a scheduled run has no file to re-read. Change the source to a URL and the option appears.

Also confirm the extension is active in DMS → Extensions and that your license is Standard or higher.