Basics

Getting started

FatalGuard catches the fatal errors that take a WordPress page down — the “white screen of death” — logs them, and can alert you the moment one happens. It works on any host, needs no configuration to start, and never edits your wp-config.php.

Install

From your dashboard (recommended)

  1. Go to Plugins → Add New.
  2. Search for FatalGuard.
  3. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Manually

  1. Download the plugin ZIP from wordpress.org.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the ZIP, and install.
  3. Activate it.

What happens on activation

FatalGuard installs a tiny must-use drop-in that starts watching every request. It does this without you touching wp-config.php and without a hard dependency on wp-admin — so it keeps working even when a fatal has taken the admin down.

From that point on, when a fatal error occurs FatalGuard:

  • captures it (error type, message, file and line, the URL that triggered it), and
  • surfaces it in the log viewer instead of letting the page die silently.

There’s nothing else you have to configure to get value. Capture and the log viewer work immediately, for free.

Next: turn on alerts

To hear about fatals when you’re not looking at the site, connect a channel. The free tier includes Telegram:

→ Connect Telegram

Pro adds Slack, Discord, email, and custom webhooks, plus searchable history and AI access.

Where to find everything

Open FatalGuard in the wp-admin sidebar. The settings screen has tabs for:

  • Alerts — connect Telegram (and, on Pro, other channels).
  • General — logging options and Pro extras.
  • Error history — the searchable database of past fatals (Pro).
  • AI (MCP) — connect an AI assistant to your error history (Pro).

Requirements

  • WordPress 6.0+
  • PHP 7.4+
  • Any host — shared, managed, or your own server. No shell access needed.