Kernel Care
Subscription
Requires Kernel Host
WordPress maintenance
without the guesswork.
Predictable updates, a tested rollback process, and a team that already knows your site. No surprise breakage, no chasing down who's responsible.
Monthly subscription
$119 / mo
Per site. Requires Kernel Host ($65/mo).
WP core & plugin updatesTested before applied. Rolled back if something breaks.
Health checksRegular scans of site status, plugin conflicts, and error logs.
Backup & rollback processBackup verified before updates. Rollback path always ready.
Incident triageSomething breaks? We diagnose and act — not just acknowledge.
Monthly summaryShort written recap of what ran, what was flagged, and what's next.
New features are separateCare covers maintenance, not new development. Feature work is scoped separately.
Requires Kernel Host — cannot be added to a third-party host.
What's Included
Maintenance that runs.
Maintenance that runs.
Not maintenance that reacts.
Kernel Care is a structured process, not a support ticket pool. Here's what runs every cycle — and what you receive.
01
WordPress Core Updates
Core updates applied on a controlled schedule — not the moment WordPress publishes them. We verify compatibility with your active theme and plugins before applying.
02
Plugin & Theme Updates
All active plugins reviewed and updated with a staging-first process where applicable. Abandoned or vulnerable plugins flagged for review.
03
Health Checks
Regular review of PHP error logs, database health, broken links, admin notices, and plugin conflicts. Issues flagged before they become visible problems.
04
Backup & Rollback Process
A verified backup is confirmed before every update cycle. If something breaks post-update, rollback is immediate — not a support ticket waiting for a response.
05
Incident Triage
When something breaks — a plugin conflict, a PHP error, a layout issue after an update — we diagnose and act. Not just "we've received your report."
06
Monthly Summary
A short, readable recap at the end of each month: what was updated, what was flagged, what's worth watching. No jargon, no padding.
How Updates Run
A process, not a button push.
WordPress updates that break things are almost always updates that were applied without a backup or a test. Here's how we do it instead.
Safe
Backup verified
Before anything updates, we confirm the most recent backup is valid and restorable. Not assumed — confirmed.
Reviewed
Updates assessed
Available updates reviewed for compatibility, known conflicts, and security relevance. Not everything is applied the moment it appears.
Applied
Updates applied
Core, plugins, and theme updates applied in the correct order. Live site checked immediately after each batch.
Checked
Post-update health check
Error log reviewed, front-end spot-checked, admin dashboard verified. If anything looks wrong, it's caught here — not by a visitor.
Rollback ready
Rollback if needed
If a post-update issue is confirmed, rollback is immediate. No waiting for a second opinion. The backup we verified in step one is used.
Without Care
A plugin update ships a breaking change. The site owner gets a white screen. They open a support ticket with their host. The host says "not our problem, contact the plugin developer." The developer says check with your host. The site is down.
[10:14] Plugin auto-updated
[10:15] White screen — all visitors affected
[14:32] Owner notices, opens ticket
[next day] Issue still unresolved
[10:15] White screen — all visitors affected
[14:32] Owner notices, opens ticket
[next day] Issue still unresolved
With Kernel Care
Same plugin update, same breaking change. Backup is verified before the cycle runs. Update applied. Post-update check catches the error. Rollback executed. Site stays up while we investigate a safe path forward.
[09:00] Backup confirmed valid
[09:04] Update applied + error detected
[09:05] Rollback executed — site stable
[09:12] Root cause logged, fix scoped
[09:04] Update applied + error detected
[09:05] Rollback executed — site stable
[09:12] Root cause logged, fix scoped
Monthly Summary
You know what ran.
You know what ran.
Every month.
At the end of each billing cycle you receive a short written summary — not a dashboard you have to interpret, not silence.
Kernel Care · yourdomain.com · Jan 2025
WordPress core
6.4.2 → 6.4.3 ✓
Plugins updated
7 updated
Plugins skipped
1 — compatibility held
Health checks
Passed
Incidents
0
Rollbacks
0
Flagged
1 abandoned plugin
Recommended
Replace with maintained alt
Next cycle: Feb 1–28. No action required from you.
Audit trail, not assumptions
You see exactly which plugins were updated, which were held, and why. No guesswork about what changed on your site this month.
Flagged before they break
Abandoned plugins, outdated dependencies, and potential conflicts are called out in the summary before they become live incidents.
Short and readable
One email, plain language. Not a PDF with charts. Not a dashboard link. You read it in 60 seconds and know your site's state.
No action required
The summary is informational. We've already handled everything in it. Nothing is waiting on you unless we've flagged a decision that needs your input.
Support Scope
What's covered.
What's covered.
What needs a separate scope.
Kernel Care is maintenance, not a general retainer. Here's the exact breakdown of what's in scope and what gets scoped separately.
Included in Kernel Care
-
WordPress core updates Applied on a controlled schedule with pre-update backup and post-update health check.
-
Plugin & theme updates All active, maintained plugins reviewed and updated. Compatibility-risk updates held and flagged.
-
Rollback on update failure If an update causes a visible issue, we rollback immediately using the pre-cycle backup.
-
PHP error log review Error logs checked during each maintenance cycle. Patterns flagged in the monthly summary.
-
Incident triage Break caused by an update or maintenance action? We diagnose and act. Not "log a ticket and wait."
-
Monthly written summary What ran, what was flagged, what's recommended. Delivered by email at the end of each cycle.
Scoped separately
-
New features & development New pages, custom functionality, or design changes are out of scope. These are project-level work — scoped and quoted via Kernel Build.
-
Third-party plugin support Issues that originate inside a plugin and require the plugin developer's involvement are flagged, but resolution sits with the vendor.
-
Performance optimization TTFB tuning, Redis configuration, and LiteSpeed cache optimization are covered by Kernel Boost — a one-time engagement.
-
Content editing & copy changes Text, image, or content updates are not part of Care. These are editorial changes — not maintenance.
-
Incidents unrelated to updates Issues caused by external factors — hacking, DNS changes, domain expiry — are triaged but may require a separate engagement to resolve fully.
Scope
What's in, what's out.
Clear scope is part of a stable maintenance relationship. Nothing is assumed — everything is documented.
Included
- WP core, plugin & theme updates
- Pre-update backup verification
- Post-update health check
- Rollback on update-caused failure
- PHP error log review
- Incident triage (update-related)
- Monthly written summary
- 7/24 outage response (via Kernel Host)
Not included
- New features or development work (→ Kernel Build)
- Performance tuning (→ Kernel Boost)
- Content or copy edits
- Third-party plugin vendor support
- Sites not on Kernel Host
- Laravel or custom backend applications
- SEO audits or keyword strategy
Kernel Host is required. Care runs on the same managed environment — access to the server and stack is necessary to execute the maintenance process reliably.
Predictable maintenance.
No surprises.
Get in touch and we'll confirm your site is on Kernel Host, review any existing setup, and onboard you within one billing cycle.
Per-site subscription · Requires Kernel Host · Cancel before renewal · No refunds mid-cycle