Finding your update source

PluginPulse checks one or more sources to learn when a new version of a plugin is out. You need at least one. This page explains how to find the right identifier for each. It's shared by all three guides.

You can list more than one — one is the primary and the rest are fallbacks tried in order if the primary is unreachable. By default the order is Modrinth, then GitHub, then Hangar, then Jenkins. To choose your own order, add a source-order list (primary first); any source you leave out is appended after the ones you list:

modrinth: my-plugin
github: me/my-plugin
source-order: [github, modrinth]   # check GitHub first, Modrinth as fallback

In the web tool, use the priority dropdown next to each source instead — it writes source-order for you.

Modrinth

For plugins published on modrinth.com.

Open the plugin's page. The URL looks like https://modrinth.com/plugin/my-plugin.
The bold part is the slug — that's your Modrinth value.

modrinth: my-plugin

Modrinth's API asks every caller to identify itself. Provide a contact (an email or URL) via user-agent-contact so your checks aren't rejected.

GitHub Releases

For plugins whose releases are published on GitHub's Releases page (each release must attach the plugin .jar as an asset).

Find the repository URL: https://github.com/owner/repo.
Use the bold owner/repo part.

github: owner/repo

GitHub allows only ~60 checks per hour from one server's IP when unauthenticated. PluginPulse spaces checks out and remembers the last result, so the default interval is fine — just don't set an aggressively short one.

Hangar

For plugins on hangar.papermc.io.

Open the project. The URL looks like https://hangar.papermc.io/author/My-Plugin.
The project slug is the last part (My-Plugin).

hangar: My-Plugin

Jenkins (CI snapshots)

For plugins whose builds come from a Jenkins server — for example FastAsyncWorldEdit (ci.athion.net/job/FastAsyncWorldEdit), LuckPerms snapshots (ci.lucko.me), EssentialsX dev builds, and many others. PluginPulse follows the job's last successful build.

Use the job page URL — the page listing the build history, ending in /job/<Name>/.
Many jobs archive several jars per build (FAWE ships Bukkit, CLI and Paper jars). Add jenkins-artifact — a pattern matched against the file name — to pick the right one.

jenkins: https://ci.athion.net/job/FastAsyncWorldEdit/
jenkins-artifact: "Paper"     # optional; regex, case-insensitive
require-hash: false           # needed for download/auto modes — see below

Two things to know about CI builds. (1) Jenkins publishes no checksums, so with the default require-hash: true PluginPulse will notify you but refuse to auto-download; set require-hash: false for this plugin if you accept unverified CI artifacts. (2) These are development snapshots, not releases — every successful build is offered, so expect frequent updates and the occasional broken build. Prefer Modrinth/Hangar/GitHub when the plugin publishes proper releases there.

Known-good jobs and their filters

Verified against the live servers (July 2026). Where a build archives several jars, the listed jenkins-artifact picks the right one:

Plugin	`jenkins:`	`jenkins-artifact:`
FastAsyncWorldEdit	`https://ci.athion.net/job/FastAsyncWorldEdit/`	`Paper` (or `Bukkit`)
LuckPerms	`https://ci.lucko.me/job/LuckPerms/`	`Bukkit-5` (plain `Bukkit` would also match `Bukkit-Legacy`)
spark	`https://ci.lucko.me/job/spark/`	`paper` (or `bukkit`)
EssentialsX	`https://ci.ender.zone/job/EssentialsX/`	`^EssentialsX-` for the core; each module jar is also archived
ViaVersion	`https://ci.viaversion.com/job/ViaVersion/`	(none needed — single jar)
PlaceholderAPI	`https://ci.extendedclip.com/job/PlaceholderAPI/`	`PlaceholderAPI-[\d.]+\.jar$` — required; without it the `-plain` classifier jar is picked first
BungeeCord	`https://ci.md-5.net/job/BungeeCord/`	`^BungeeCord` — module command jars are archived alongside it
HolographicDisplays	`https://ci.codemc.io/job/filoghost/job/HolographicDisplays/`	(none needed) — nested CodeMC folder jobs work with the plain job-page URL

The PlaceholderAPI row shows the general rule: when a job archives classifier jars (-plain, -shaded, -all, per-platform variants), set an explicit jenkins-artifact rather than trusting the default "first jar that isn't -sources/-javadoc" pick.

Some Jenkins servers can't be used: ci.citizensnpcs.co (Citizens, Denizen) blocks the JSON API at its web proxy, and ci.dmulloy2.net (ProtocolLib) sits behind a Cloudflare challenge — both return HTML instead of JSON, so the check fails.

Self-hosted (advanced)

If the plugin author publishes their own JSON manifest (for example, a paid plugin behind a licence key), that's a custom source — see the developer reference CustomJsonSource. The companion plugin and web tool don't configure custom sources; use the library directly.

Which should I pick?

Whichever the plugin's author actually publishes to. If a plugin is on Modrinth, use Modrinth. If it's only on GitHub, use github. Listing a second source as a fallback (e.g. Modrinth primary, GitHub fallback) is a nice-to-have, not required.