Understand the network license used for updates
Plugin updates and AI services are authorized separately on multisite. This page is about updates only: which license drives them, what has to be true for them to appear, and why a network full of correctly licensed subsites can still receive no updates at all.
The rule
Updates are checked with the network license. On a multisite installation that is the entry managed from the main site or the network admin — never a subsite's own service key.
For an update to be offered, two things must both hold:
- a valid network license is stored;
- POM AI is network-active, or active on the network's main site.
The second condition exists because the update check runs from the installation that owns the network entry. A copy of POM AI activated only on a subsite is not in a position to perform it.
Setting it up
- Open Network Admin → Plugins and confirm POM AI is Network Active. If it is not, network-activate it, or activate it on the main site.
- On the main site, open Settings → POM AI → License.
- Paste the key and select Save and validate.
- Confirm the panel shows a valid status.
That is all. Updates then appear in the ordinary WordPress places: Network Admin → Updates and the plugin list.
The same key you saved here also serves as the main site's AI service license. There is no second field to fill in for that.
What a subsite key does not do
A subsite key is a service license. It authorizes AI operations and credit consumption for that subsite's host, and nothing else. It will never:
- cause an update to be offered;
- affect what version the network runs;
- substitute for a missing network key.
This is why the subsite License panel carries a note saying that automatic updates require POM AI to be active and licensed on the network's main site. The note is displayed as a plain statement of the requirement, without checking the main site's state — it is guidance for the subsite administrator, not a live status report about a screen they cannot reach.
Diagnosing "no updates appear"
Work through this in order, from the network admin.
| Check | Where |
|---|---|
| Is POM AI network-active, or active on the main site? | Network Admin → Plugins |
| Is a key stored on the main site? | Settings → POM AI → License on the main site |
| Is its status valid, and its expiry in the future? | The same panel |
| Can the server reach the account host at all? | Whether the credit balance loads on that panel |
| Is a newer version actually available? | My Account → Licenses & Downloads, which shows the latest version |
The most common cause is the first row. A network where POM AI was activated per-site rather than network-activated will have working AI everywhere and no updates anywhere.
Manual updating
When automatic updates cannot be arranged — a network with unusual activation requirements, or a maintenance window that must not depend on an outbound call — download the ZIP from My Account → Licenses & Downloads and install it manually.
That screen enforces a download allowance: it shows how many downloads of the current version you have used and how many you have used in the last seven days. The allowance exists to prevent redistribution. Regular maintenance should not come close to it; if it does, fix automatic updates instead.
When the network license expires
An expired or lapsed network license stops updates for the whole network. It does not stop subsites that hold their own valid keys from using AI, because those are separate authorizations against separate subscriptions.
That asymmetry is worth knowing during a renewal lapse: the visible symptom is usually "updates disappeared", not "AI stopped working".
Renew, then use Revalidate on the main site so the panel reflects the new expiry immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled check.
Keeping the network entry healthy
- Note who owns the network subscription and how it renews. It is a different commercial relationship from a subsite customer's own subscription.
- After migrating a network, confirm the main site's Domain line still matches the network's real host.
- After rotating WordPress salts, expect to paste the network key again; the stored copy will no longer be readable.
- Do not attempt to give a subsite update capability by saving the network key there. It authorizes that subsite's host for AI services and still does nothing for updates.