A cPanel cron job was set up to run a WordPress test, but the expected log file never appeared. The instinct was to conclude WordPress itself was failing. Instead, the test was progressively simplified: PHP CLI, then a basic file-write command, then the actual WordPress cron command — starting with something as simple as an echo command writing to a proof file.
When a Test Has to Prove the Test Before It Can Prove Anything Else
Field Note #291
⚡ Quick Fix (TL;DR)
The Culprit: The absence of the expected log said nothing yet about WordPress — the test mechanism itself hadn't been proven to work. Once the simpler proof confirmed the cron entry was firing, the WordPress-specific command was tested on its own and confirmed working.
The Fix: The cron entry's own execution was verified with a trivial command before trusting any conclusion about the more complex WordPress command running inside it.
/bin/echo "CRON PROOF" >> /home/username/cron-proof.txtRather not untangle this yourself? Our Done-For-You team handles exactly this kind of thing, start to finish.
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