PushPull

Sharraxaad

PushPull stores selected WordPress content in a Git repository using a canonical JSON representation instead of raw database dumps.

Beta notice

This is a beta plugin. It is still under active development, has limited functionality, and currently supports only a narrow subset of the intended PushPull feature set.

The current release supports these managed content domains:

1. GenerateBlocks Global Styles (gblocks_styles)
2. GenerateBlocks Conditions (gblocks_condition)
3. WordPress Block Patterns (wp_block)
4. WordPress Pages (page)
5. WordPress Custom CSS (custom_css)
6. WordPress Attachments (attachment, explicit opt-in only)

PushPull keeps a local Git-like repository inside WordPress database tables and supports the following workflow directly from WordPress admin:

1. Test the remote GitHub connection
2. Commit live managed content into the local repository
3. Initialize an empty remote repository
4. Fetch remote commits into a local tracking ref
5. Diff live, local, and remote states
6. Pull remote changes through fetch + merge
7. Merge remote changes into the local branch
8. Resolve conflicts when needed
9. Apply repository content back into WordPress
10. Push local commits to GitHub

The plugin also includes:

1. An audit log screen
2. Local repository reset tooling
3. Remote branch reset tooling that creates one commit removing all tracked files from the branch
4. Global and per-domain managed-content views in the admin UI

Current scope

This is an early, focused release. At the moment, PushPull is intentionally limited to:

1. GitHub as the implemented remote provider
2. Six managed content domains:
   generateblocks/global-styles/
   generateblocks/conditions/
   wordpress/block-patterns/
   wordpress/pages/
   wordpress/custom-css/
   wordpress/attachments/
3. Canonical JSON storage with one file per managed item for manifest-backed sets, plus directory-backed storage for attachments using attachment.json and the binary file
4. Explicit opt-in attachment sync through a media-library checkbox

It does not yet manage general posts, menus, forms, wp_options, or arbitrary plugin data.

How PushPull represents content

PushPull does not use WordPress post IDs as repository identity.

For the currently supported managed sets it stores:

1. One canonical JSON file per managed item
2. One separate manifest.json file for manifest-backed sets that preserves logical ordering
3. One directory per attachment for the attachments set, containing attachment.json and the binary file
4. Stable logical keys instead of environment-specific database IDs
5. Recursive placeholder normalization for current-site absolute URLs in post-type-backed content

Configuration

PushPull currently supports GitHub repositories through the GitHub Git Database REST API.

Create a fine-grained personal access token or installation token with access to the target repository. The token should allow:

1. Repository metadata read access
2. Repository contents read and write access

In PushPull > Settings:

1. Select GitHub as the provider
2. Enter the repository owner and repository name
3. Enter the target branch
4. Enter the API token
5. Enable one or more managed content domains in the managed content settings
6. Click Test connection
7. Save the settings

Workflow

The normal workflow is:

1. Commit to snapshot the current live managed-set content into the local repository
2. Fetch to import the current remote branch into refs/remotes/origin/<branch>
3. Inspect the live/local and local/remote diff views if needed
4. Pull for the common fetch + merge flow, or Merge manually after fetch when you want review first
5. Apply repo to WordPress when you want the local branch state written back into WordPress
6. Push when you want local commits published to GitHub

If both local and remote changed, PushPull can persist conflicts, let you resolve them in the admin UI, and then finalize a merge commit.

Empty repositories

If the configured GitHub repository exists but has no commits yet, Test connection will report that the repository is reachable but empty.

In that case, click Initialize remote repository. PushPull will:

1. create the first commit on the configured branch
2. fetch that initial commit into the local remote-tracking ref
3. make the repository ready for normal commit, fetch, merge, apply, and push workflows

You do not need to create the first commit manually on GitHub before using PushPull.

External services

PushPull connects to the GitHub API for the repository you configure in the plugin settings.

The plugin uses GitHub’s REST API to:

1. Read repository metadata and the default branch
2. Read and update branch refs
3. Read and create Git blobs, trees, and commits
4. Test repository access before sync operations

PushPull sends the following information to GitHub over HTTPS:

1. The repository owner, repository name, branch, and API base URL
2. Your configured API token in the Authorization header
3. Canonical JSON representations of the managed content you choose to commit and push
4. Commit metadata such as commit messages and, if configured, author name and email

In the current release, the managed content sent to GitHub is limited to the enabled supported domains: GenerateBlocks Global Styles, GenerateBlocks Conditions, WordPress Block Patterns, WordPress Pages, WordPress Custom CSS, and explicitly opted-in WordPress Attachments.

PushPull does not send your whole WordPress database to GitHub. It only sends the managed content represented by the enabled adapters.

GitHub terms of service: https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/github-terms/github-terms-of-service
GitHub privacy statement: https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/privacy-policies/github-general-privacy-statement