Cross-Plugin Debug & Trace Recorder - Records and visualizes hook execution order for WordPress developers.

SmilingSyntax

Manjul

HookTrace is a developer observability tool that records and visualizes the runtime execution order of WordPress hooks, filters, and plugin initialization for a single page request.
For Developers Only
This plugin is designed exclusively for development and staging environments. It helps developers understand:
<ul>
<li>Which hooks fired, in what order</li>
<li>Which callbacks executed on each hook</li>
<li>Callback priority and execution time</li>
<li>Source plugin, theme, or core location</li>
<li>Exact file and line number</li>
<li>Plugin and theme load timeline</li>
</ul>
Key Features:
<ul>
<li>Hook List Tracking – Records all hooks that fire during a page request with type and source information</li>
<li>Detailed Callback Inspection – When a hook is selected, displays comprehensive callback information including priority, execution order, duration, file path, and source</li>
<li>Modern Modal UI – Beautiful, searchable interface with filtering capabilities</li>
<li>Zero Performance Impact – In-memory storage only, no database writes</li>
<li>Early Boot Support – MU-plugin bootstrap captures hooks from the very beginning</li>
</ul>
Requirements:
<ul>
<li><code>WP_DEBUG</code> must be set to <code>true</code> in <code>wp-config.php</code></li>
<li>User must have <code>manage_options</code> capability (administrator)</li>
<li>PHP 8.0 or higher</li>
</ul>
Safety Features:
<ul>
<li>Automatically disables when <code>WP_DEBUG</code> is false</li>
<li>Never runs for non-admin users</li>
<li>Never modifies WordPress behavior</li>
<li>Observational only – no code execution changes</li>
</ul>

HookTrace – Trace Hooks with Precision


I think this is a brilliant piece of dev tool!



Although Query Monitor has something similar, this plugin has a singular focus and thus, have a wider possibility to be useful in this particular area of seeng and analyzing what's happening on each and every hook fired. Looking forward to explore using it more in my dev workflow.



Thank you for developing it.


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