Explore: distribution and onboarding for self-hosters

[apermo]

Context

Body Refactoring targets technical users who self-host. The WordPress plugin model gives us a well-known distribution and update path, but onboarding still needs thought.

Distribution Options

WordPress.org Plugin Directory

• Widest reach, automatic updates, trusted source
• Review process, guidelines to follow (GPL, no phone-home, etc.)
• Plugin must work standalone (ActivityPub/Friends as optional enhancers)

GitHub Releases Only

• Full control, no review process
• Users install via ZIP upload or Git-based plugin managers
• Automatic updates possible via GitHub Updater or similar

Both

• wp.org for discoverability, GitHub for development/bleeding edge

Onboarding Flow

1. Install & activate plugin
2. Plugin creates the app page automatically
3. First visit: schedule upload (or pick from bundled examples)
4. Optional: enable ActivityPub publishing in settings
5. Optional: install Friends plugin for social feed

Plugin Settings Page

• General: App page selection, language
• Sharing: Which post types to publish (workouts, achievements, PRs)
• Privacy: Default visibility (private/public), data granularity
• Schedule: Upload/manage schedules (replaces current schedule editor)

Technical Considerations

• Minimum PHP version (8.1+ to match current codebase?)
• WordPress minimum version (6.5+ for script modules?)
• Must work without ActivityPub/Friends (standalone mode)
• Graceful feature detection: enhance when social plugins are active
• Uninstall cleanup: remove tables, options, posts on plugin deletion

Questions

• Should the plugin bundle example schedules for new users?
• WordPress multisite support needed?
• How to handle updates that require database migrations?