Title: HookTrace – Trace Hooks with Precision Author: SmilingSyntax Published: Gener 8, 2026 Last modified: Gener 14, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/hooktrace/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3439673) ![](https://ps.w.org/hooktrace/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3435404) # HookTrace – Trace Hooks with Precision By [SmilingSyntax](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smilingsyntax/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/hooktrace.1.1.0.zip) * [Details](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/hooktrace/#description) * [Reviews](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/hooktrace/#reviews) * [Installation](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/hooktrace/#installation) * [Development](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/hooktrace/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/) ## Description 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: * Which hooks fired, in what order * Which callbacks executed on each hook * Callback priority and execution time * Source plugin, theme, or core location * Exact file and line number * Plugin and theme load timeline **Key Features:** * **Hook List Tracking** – Records all hooks that fire during a page request with type and source information * **Detailed Callback Inspection** – When a hook is selected, displays comprehensive callback information including priority, execution order, duration, file path, and source * **Modern Modal UI** – Beautiful, searchable interface with filtering capabilities * **Zero Performance Impact** – In-memory storage only, no database writes * **Early Boot Support** – MU-plugin bootstrap captures hooks from the very beginning **Requirements:** * `WP_DEBUG` must be set to `true` in `wp-config.php` * User must have `manage_options` capability (administrator) * PHP 8.0 or higher **Safety Features:** * Automatically disables when `WP_DEBUG` is false * Never runs for non-admin users * Never modifies WordPress behavior * Observational only – no code execution changes ## Screenshots * [[ * Hook list view showing all hooks that fired, with search and filter options * [[ * Selected hook detail view showing all callbacks with priority, execution order, duration, and file paths * [[ * Color-coded badges indicating source (core/theme/plugin) and type (action/filter) * [[ * [[ * [[ ## Installation 1. Upload the `hooktrace` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` directory 2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress 3. Ensure `WP_DEBUG` is set to `true` in your `wp-config.php` file 4. (Optional) For early hook capture, copy `hooktrace-bootstrap.php` from the plugin directory to `/wp-content/mu-plugins/` ## FAQ ### Does this plugin work in production? No. This plugin is designed exclusively for development and staging environments. It requires `WP_DEBUG` to be enabled and will automatically disable itself if `WP_DEBUG` is false. ### Will this slow down my site? The plugin is designed with minimal overhead (5-10ms average). However, it should only be used in development/staging environments where performance is not critical. ### Do I need to install the MU-plugin bootstrap? The MU-plugin bootstrap is optional but recommended. It allows the plugin to capture hooks from the very beginning of WordPress initialization, including must-use plugins and early core hooks. ### Can I use this to debug plugin conflicts? Yes! The timeline view shows which hooks fire and which plugins are registering callbacks, making it easier to identify conflicts and execution order issues. ### Does this modify WordPress behavior? No. This plugin is purely observational. It never modifies hook execution, suppresses errors, or changes WordPress behavior in any way. ### What data is stored? No data is stored. All trace information is kept in memory for the current request only and is discarded after the page loads. ### How do I inspect a specific hook? Click on any hook in the list to see detailed information about all callbacks registered for that hook, including priority, execution order, duration, and source file location. ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/98195d228e9177e36ca8a13d4c674356c6df724a3e0468dc646c9cc872a077a8? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Brilliant!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/brilliant-1685/)󠁿 [Bowo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/qriouslad/) Gener 12, 2026 1 reply 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. [ Read all 1 review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “HookTrace – Trace Hooks with Precision” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ SmilingSyntax ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smilingsyntax/) * [ Manjul ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/codemadan/) [Translate “HookTrace – Trace Hooks with Precision” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/hooktrace) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/hooktrace/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/hooktrace/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/hooktrace/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/hooktrace/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.1.0 * Added local editor integration – Open files directly in your favorite IDE (VS Code, PhpStorm, Sublime Text, Atom, Cursor, Antigravity, or custom protocol) * Added settings page (Tools HookTrace) for configuring local editor and path mapping * Added function filter for single hook tracing – Filter callbacks by function name * Added execution statistics – Display min, max, avg, and total execution time for filtered functions * Improved callback execution tracking – Each callback execution is now tracked separately with accurate timing * Enhanced UI/UX – Single scroll area, sticky filter and stats, more compact callback items * Improved labels – Full descriptive words instead of abbreviations (Priority, Execution Order, etc.) * Added translation support – All strings are now translatable with POT file included * Added dual editor links – Display both local editor and WordPress editor links when available * Improved modal positioning – Aligned to top to prevent flickering with dynamic content #### 1.0.0 * Initial release * Hook list tracking (all hooks that fire) * Detailed callback inspection for selected hooks * Modern modal UI with search and filtering * Admin bar integration * MU-plugin bootstrap support * Color-coded badges for source and type identification * Responsive design with smooth animations ## Meta * Version **1.1.0** * Last updated **3 mesos ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 5.0 or higher ** * Tested up to **6.9.4** * PHP version ** 8.0 or higher ** * Language * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hooktrace/) * Tags * [debugging](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/debugging/)[hooks](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/hooks/) [profiling](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/profiling/)[trace](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/trace/) * [Advanced View](https://bal.wordpress.org/plugins/hooktrace/advanced/) ## Ratings 5 out of 5 stars. * [ 1 5-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 0 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 0 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 0 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/?filter=1) [Add my review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ SmilingSyntax ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smilingsyntax/) * [ Manjul ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/codemadan/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hooktrace/)