Lifecycle

• register_activation_hook( __FILE__, 'callback' )
• register_deactivation_hook( __FILE__, 'callback' )

Guardrails:

• These hooks must be registered at top-level (not inside other hooks).
• If you flush rewrite rules, ensure rules are registered first (often via a shared function called both on init and activation).

Upstream reference:

• https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-basics/activation-deactivation-hooks/ (opens in a new tab)

Uninstall

Preferred approaches:

• uninstall.php (runs only on uninstall)
• register_uninstall_hook()

Guardrails:

• Check WP_UNINSTALL_PLUGIN before running destructive cleanup.

Upstream reference:

• https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/plugin-basics/uninstall-methods/ (opens in a new tab)