Action Scheduler: something may be wrong

(@oldfactory)

Hello, I am getting this “action scheduler error”

our website is wholesalecustomsoap.com – its not live yet, but issue is not a visual one.
systems report below

WordPress Environment<br><br>WordPress address (URL): https://wholesalecustomsoap.com<br>Site address (URL): https://wholesalecustomsoap.com<br>WC Version: 10.6.1<br>Legacy REST API Package Version: The Legacy REST API plugin is not installed on this site.<br>Action Scheduler Version: ✔ 3.9.3<br>Log Directory Writable: ✔<br>WP Version: 6.9.4<br>WP Multisite: –<br>WP Memory Limit: 512 MB<br>WP Debug Mode: –<br>WP Cron: ✔<br>WP Environment Type: production<br>Language: en_US<br>External object cache: – Server Environment<br><br>Server Info: Apache<br>Server Architecture: Linux 5.14.0-162.23.1.9991722448259.nf.el9.x86_64 x86_64<br>PHP Version: 8.3.30<br>PHP Post Max Size: 516 MB<br>PHP Time Limit: 60<br>PHP Max Input Vars: 1000<br>cURL Version: 7.76.1<br>OpenSSL/3.5.1<br><br>SUHOSIN Installed: –<br>MySQL Version: 5.7.44-48<br>Max Upload Size: 512 MB<br>Default Timezone is UTC: ✔<br>fsockopen/cURL: ✔<br>SoapClient: ✔<br>DOMDocument: ✔<br>GZip: ✔<br>Multibyte String: ✔<br>Remote Post: 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Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)
(@lovingbro)

6 days, 20 hours ago
Hi @oldfactory,

I can see you’re running into the Action Scheduler warning, and thanks for sharing your system status report, that really helps to narrow things down.

From what you’ve provided, one key thing stands out, your daily cron is not scheduled, and that can directly impact how Action Scheduler processes queued tasks. Since WooCommerce relies on WP-Cron to run scheduled actions, this can lead to actions piling up, like the 200+ pending tasks shown in your report.

To get things moving again, here are a few steps you can take:
1. Check WP-Cron functionality: Even though WP Cron shows as enabled, it may not be triggering reliably. You can test this using a plugin like WP Crontrol or by setting up a real server cron job.
2. Set up a real cron job (recommended): This ensures scheduled tasks run consistently. Most hosts provide this option. You can follow this guide: https://woocommerce.com/document/understanding-the-woocommerce-system-status-report/scheduled-actions/.
3. Manually run pending actions: Go to WooCommerce > Status > Scheduled Actions, and try running a few pending actions to confirm they process successfully.
4. Check for plugin or theme conflicts: If the issue persists, temporarily deactivate all plugins except WooCommerce and switch to a default theme like Storefront, then test again.
Once cron is running properly, the pending actions should begin clearing automatically over time. Let us know how it goes after trying the above, we’re here to help further if needed 🙂
Thread Starter oldfactory
(@oldfactory)

6 days, 17 hours ago
Thank you for the detailed response. I tried to add the wp crontrol plug in, but its also giving me this error:

There was a problem spawning a call to the WP-Cron system on your site. This means WP-Cron events on your site may not work. The problem was:

Unexpected HTTP response code: 403

I also did as suggested, deactivating all plug ins and changing themes and it still showed ‘not scheduled’ error.
- This reply was modified 6 days, 17 hours ago by oldfactory.
Plugin Support LovingBro (woo-hc)
(@lovingbro)

6 days, 12 hours ago
Hi @oldfactory,

I can see you’ve taken the right steps already, especially testing with plugins and themes disabled, and that helps narrow things down quite a bit. The 403 response you’re seeing when WP-Cron tries to run is a key clue here, and it points to something on the server blocking those requests rather than an issue within WooCommerce itself.

When WP-Cron attempts to trigger, it makes a loopback request to your own site. A 403 response typically means that request is being blocked by the server, firewall, or security layer. This would also explain why your daily cron is not scheduled and why Action Scheduler tasks are piling up.

Here are the next steps I’d recommend:
1. Check with your hosting provider: Ask them to verify that loopback requests to your site are allowed and not blocked by a firewall, ModSecurity, or other security rules. You can mention that WP-Cron is returning a 403 error.
2. Review security configurations: If your host uses tools like ModSecurity, Cloudflare, or server-level firewalls, these can sometimes block internal requests. Your host can whitelist these requests if needed.
3. Consider a real server cron job: Once the blocking issue is resolved, setting up a real cron job is still the most reliable approach. Your host can help configure this to replace WP-Cron entirely.
Once those loopback requests are allowed again, WP-Cron should start working properly, your daily cron should schedule correctly, and the pending actions should begin processing.

Let me know how it goes after checking with your host, happy to continue from there 🙂

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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