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How to manage settings, sync, and the companion

Settings is where you set the dashboard language, add or archive a store, install the companion, and sync the local copy of products, customers, and orders. Shoppers still check out on WooCommerce.

What it is

In the sidebar, open Site Settings, then Settings. Tabs are General (default) and AI. WooCommerce Settings and Plans & Billing are different sidebar items.

How it helps you

You keep the dashboard in your language, connect another store, see if the companion is healthy, and refresh the local copy without opening WordPress. On AI you set the language and prompts WooDonkey uses to write product content. That is not what shoppers see.

What is included

  • Tabs: General and AI. Loading copy Loading…
  • Language & direction: Heading Language & direction. Helper Your dashboard language and layout direction. These are independent – pick any combination. Language: English, עברית, Português, Español, Français, Italiano. Direction: Left-to-right (LTR), Right-to-left (RTL). Toasts Language updated and Direction updated. This is the merchant dashboard, not the storefront.
  • Store Management: Heading Store Management. Helper All connected stores. You can add a new store or delete an existing one. Button Add Store (onboarding). Empty No connected stores. Each row: name, URL, Active on the current store, Delete.
  • Archive a store: Delete opens Remove store ‘{name}’? Body: The store will be archived (not permanently deleted) – you can restore it at any time from Settings. Your actual WooCommerce store will not be affected. Cancel. Archive. Toast Store deleted. Store archive / Restore is not shown to every merchant.
  • Customer-facing direction: Active store only. Heading Customer-facing direction. Helper Text direction for what your shoppers see – emails, the add-to-cart popup, the waitlist form, search, and quantity messages. Use RTL for RTL languages. Auto (store language), Left-to-right (LTR), Right-to-left (RTL). Saves immediately. Toast Saved.
  • WooDonkey Companion: Active connected store only. Heading WooDonkey Companion. Helper This is the plugin that lets WooDonkey read, sync, and update your store’s data. Button Download the plugin (ZIP). Filename woodonkey-companion.zip. Hint woodonkey-companion – tailored to your store. Fail Download failed. Refresh aria Check again.
  • Companion status: Checking the connection to the plugin… The plugin is installed and active · vN. The plugin is installed and active. Connected – verified via the last sync (direct check blocked, data still syncs). Connected – but N actions are stuck in the queue. The plugin was not found on the store. The plugin is installed but the token doesn’t match (reinstall the ZIP, Replace current with uploaded). We couldn’t reach the store. Server communication error (HTTP N). We couldn’t verify the plugin.
  • Companion extras: When healthy, WordPress, WooCommerce, PHP, ACF Installed / Installed (Pro) / Not installed, SEO Yoast or RankMath or Not detected, Zap Installed / Not installed. Update banner when behind 1.375.0: A new version is available: v1.375.0 (installed: vN). From 1.39.0 WordPress can Update now. Older than 1.39.0 needs one last manual ZIP. The Settings card does not show token or store-id fields.
  • Store data sync: Active store only. Heading Store data sync. Helper Sync data from WooCommerce to local storage for 10-30x faster loading. Sync changes (only records changed since the last sync). Sync everything (full re-fetch, slow). While running: Syncing changes… or Syncing everything… and Stop sync. Banner also has Stop.
  • Sync toasts and empty: Sync started in the background – you can navigate between pages while it runs. A sync is already running in the background. Sync stopped – you can start a new sync. Empty No active store or Loading status…
  • Entity cards: Products, Customers, Orders. Last sync: Just now, Nm ago, Nh ago, Nd ago, or Never. Buttons Sync Products, Sync Customers, Sync Orders. Progress Synced N, and (page X/Y) only when the store reports a real page total. Failed: Sync failed – plus the reason. Failed job banner Sync failed and Try again (continues from the same point).
  • Sync notes: Sync everything also removes products, customers, and orders that are no longer in the store. Guest checkout buyers appear as customers after orders sync. Waiting to start… Filling the catalog from the store… You can keep working. You can leave the page while it runs.
  • AI tab: Active store only. Heading Store Settings & Prompts. Store name and URL. Button Save changes (Saving… while pending). Toast Settings saved. Error Couldn’t load store settings.
  • Content language: The language the AI uses to write product content. Default English. The list includes RTL languages. Not the dashboard Language field.
  • Prompts: System prompt (max 4000). Brand voice (max 2000). QA prompt (max 4000, empty uses the default). SEO prompt (max 2000) for SEO Title, Meta Description, and keywords.
  • Not on this page: No WooCommerce Settings. No Plans & Billing. No Store archive. No Store change log. There is no shortcode.

How to turn on and manage each capability

Open Settings

  1. In the sidebar, open Site Settings.
  2. Click Settings.

Set language and direction

  1. On General, under Language & direction, pick a Language.
  2. Pick Left-to-right (LTR) or Right-to-left (RTL). The two are independent.

Add or archive a store

  1. Click Add Store and finish onboarding, or click Delete on a row.
  2. If you delete, click Archive in Remove store ‘{name}’? WooCommerce is not deleted.

Set customer-facing direction

  1. On General, open Customer-facing direction.
  2. Pick Auto (store language), Left-to-right (LTR), or Right-to-left (RTL). It saves immediately.

Install or refresh the companion

  1. Click Download the plugin (ZIP) and install woodonkey-companion.zip on WordPress (Replace current with uploaded when the token does not match).
  2. Click Check again and read the status line.

Sync the local copy

  1. Click Sync changes, Sync everything, or Sync Products / Sync Customers / Sync Orders.
  2. If it fails, click Try again. To halt a run, click Stop sync.

Save AI writing settings

  1. Open the AI tab.
  2. Set Content language and the prompts you need, then click Save changes.

What to know before you start

  • Dashboard Language is not shopper language. Content language is only for AI writing.
  • Companion, Customer-facing direction, Store data sync, and the AI tab need an active store.
  • Archive in WooDonkey does not delete the WooCommerce store. Restore is not shown to every merchant.
  • Sync everything also drops local rows that are gone from WordPress.
  • There is no shortcode.

Problems you may hit, and how to fix them

  • Symptom: No connected stores. Fix: Click Add Store and finish Connect with WooCommerce.
  • Symptom: The plugin was not found on the store, or the token doesn’t match. Fix: Download the plugin (ZIP) and Replace current with uploaded.
  • Symptom: Connected – verified via the last sync. Fix: Expected when a firewall blocks the live check but data still syncs.
  • Symptom: Connected – but N actions are stuck in the queue. Fix: Keep the plugin active and up to date. Hosting may need WP-Cron. Click Check again.
  • Symptom: Sync failed. Fix: Click Try again. It continues from the same point.
  • Symptom: Download failed. Fix: Retry Download the plugin (ZIP) while you are signed in.
  • Symptom: AI tab is empty or Couldn’t load store settings. Fix: Connect a store first. The AI tab needs an active store.
  • Symptom: Dashboard Language changed, shoppers did not. Fix: Expected. Use Customer-facing direction and the store’s own language for shoppers.

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