Troubleshooting
The database tables check is failing
The plugin keeps a small number of its own tables — the job identity map, the application outbox and run history. This check says one is missing or not at the expected version. It is rare, and it almost always follows a migration, a restore or a partial database copy.
Do not reinstall the plugin to fix this
It is the instinct and it is the wrong move. The outbox table may hold applications that have been submitted but not yet delivered. Losing it loses real candidates. Diagnose first.
Causes
Why it happens
- A partial database copy. Somebody moved the site and copied only the WordPress core tables, or an export excluded tables it did not recognise. Much the commonest cause.
- A restore from an older backup. The tables are present but at an earlier version than the plugin now expects.
- An interrupted update. A migration that started and did not finish, usually because PHP was killed mid-run.
- Database user permissions. On a locked-down host the WordPress database user may not be allowed to create tables. The plugin cannot create what it is not permitted to create.
Resolve
What to do
- Run
wp w3rp diagnosticsand read what the tables check actually says. It names what it found rather than only that something is wrong. - Check whether anything is waiting in the outbox before touching the database, with
wp w3rp application-outbox status. If that command cannot run, say so when you contact us. - If the site was recently migrated, the right fix is usually to copy the missing tables across from the source database rather than to recreate them empty.
- If you are unsure, send a support bundle and stop. This is the one check where guessing can cost you candidate data.
Next time
Preventing it
When migrating a site, copy the whole database rather than a selected list of tables. Most "it broke after the move" problems with any plugin come from an export that only knew about WordPress’s own tables.
Check Site Health immediately after a migration rather than waiting for somebody to notice that applications stopped arriving.