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First run

This page walks through the configuration a fresh Loveshack site needs before it is ready to publish and accept subscribers.

LoveShack → Dashboard shows a setup checklist covering the steps below that need configuration: theme updates, FluentSMTP, the ActivityPub profile (greyed out until the plugin is installed), and Stripe subscriptions. Each item links to its settings screen and is checked off automatically once configured; the Stripe step can be skipped for sites without paid tiers.

The same checklist is also available as a Loveshack Setup Checklist widget on the WordPress dashboard, alongside a Loveshack Analytics widget. Both are shown by default and can be hidden under Screen Options.

1. Configure subscribers

Go to LoveShack → Subscriptions and work through the settings groups:

  • Form copy and behavior — the text shown on the subscribe and login forms.
  • Email sender — the name and address digests and login emails are sent from.
  • FluentSMTP — whether a working SMTP transport is required, plus the current detected status.
  • Stripe — secret key and webhook signing secret, if you are selling tiers.
  • Tiers — the subscription tiers, their prices, display order, and provider references.

2. Set up a real mail transport

Loveshack sends through the WordPress wp_mail() API. On most hosts the default PHP mailer will land in spam or fail silently, so configure a real transport before inviting anyone.

FluentSMTP with TLS on port 587 is the recommended path for most providers, and Loveshack detects it directly in the Subscribers settings screen.

See Email delivery for the full setup.

3. Enable server cron

Digest emails are processed by a WP-Cron event. Visitor-triggered WP-Cron is unreliable on a low-traffic site, so production installs should disable it and drive the queue from a real cron job.

In wp-config.php:

define( 'DISABLE_WP_CRON', true );

Then add a cron entry that runs every ten minutes:

*/10 * * * * cd /path/to/site && wp cron event run --due-now >/dev/null 2>&1

See Cron for the HTTP alternative and for Bedrock-specific notes.

4. Connect Stripe (optional)

If the site sells paid tiers:

  1. Paste the Stripe secret key into LoveShack → Subscriptions.
  2. Copy the webhook endpoint shown on that settings screen.
  3. Add it as a webhook destination in the Stripe dashboard.
  4. Paste Stripe's webhook signing secret back into the Loveshack settings.

Details and the full event list are in Tiers and Stripe.

5. Verify the flows

Before announcing the site, confirm each path end to end:

  • Subscribing with a new email address delivers the confirmation email
  • The passwordless login link signs the subscriber in
  • Changing tiers from /settings/ persists
  • The Stripe checkout flow opens and completes
  • The subscriber's private feed URL from Settings → Feeds returns their accessible posts only
  • A gated post is absent from the public RSS feed

6. Set up the theme's appearance

With the plumbing working, move on to Customizer to configure the header, colors, typography, and stream layout.