# Clockwork Control > Self-hosted, modular command center for WordPress agencies managing client hosting across SpinupWP, GridPane, Pressable, WP Engine, Kinsta, Cloudways, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, Linode, and Azure. 100% Free & Open-Source (MIT). Zero per-site rent. Clockwork Control provides agency owners with a unified command center for multi-provider WordPress hosting, cloud server hypervisor telemetry, batch WP-CLI operations, origin SSL certificate monitoring, downtime emergency SMS alerts, and care plan billing verification. ## Core Architectural Concepts - **Modular Monorepo Architecture**: Built-in modules live in `modules/` using Composer path repositories (`"type": "path"`). No external repositories or submodules required for agency customization. - **Provider Contracts**: Clean, minimal PHP interfaces (`HostingProvider`, `CloudProvider`, `NotificationChannel`, `CarePlanBillingProvider`). - **Unified Dual-Layout Architecture**: Instant runtime switching between Command Center (dense operational left-rail navigation, live telemetry cards, linear-style user menu) and Modern Studio (human-centric, spacious card layout with instant live search) with zero-flicker pre-render initialization (`data-layout-style`), 3-tier telemetry borders (70%/80%/90%), and solar/moon theme engine with font scaling. - **Master Agency Brand Palette & White-Label Hub**: Client-side mu-plugin (`wp-content/mu-plugins/clockwork-companion.php`, repository: https://github.com/Clockwork-Web-Dev-LLC/clockwork-companion) and centralized `/settings/companion` hub featuring a unified agency brand palette cascading across wp-admin chrome, Client Reports, and notification emails, with two-tone contrast, live full-page admin preview, and zero external cloud dependencies. - **4-Layer Threat Intelligence & Google Web Risk**: Commercial-grade domain reputation scanning via Google Cloud Web Risk API (with Safe Browsing v4 fallback), remote Sucuri SiteCheck v3, on-disk WordPress core checksum audits, and in-WP Companion malware probe bypassing Cloudflare. - **SLA Protection & Outage Attribution**: Contractual SLA uptime calculations isolate external client DNS errors, domain expirations, and third-party failures from agency uptime commitments with root-cause incident classification. - **Spaces Backup Verification, Glacier Relay & Restore**: Real-time DigitalOcean Spaces S3 snapshot listing and cadence verification, paired with zero-port AWS S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval archival and two-step verified restore directly to standalone sites via Companion (v1.37.0+). - **Closed Plugin & CISA KEV Threat Intelligence**: Automated weekly audits against WordPress.org directory statuses flagging abandoned/closed zombieware plugins receiving zero security patches, paired with daily CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog synchronization. - **Global Care Plans Policy**: Agency-wide toggle in Fleet Policies treating all fleet sites as covered for auto-updates and security scans while decoupling operational workflows from billing terminology. - **Hardware Agnostic (Linux & macOS)**: Runs 100% natively on standard Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Proxmox, Raspberry Pi 5, Intel NUC) on PHP 8.4 and MySQL 8 / MariaDB, alongside Apple Silicon macOS machines. - **Web-Based Guided Installer & Local Auth**: Guided 8-step installation wizard (`/install`) and first-class local email/password authentication alongside Google, GitHub, and Microsoft Entra ID OAuth. - **Site Command Center & Visual Grid**: Draggable 3-column overview grid with per-site notes scratchpad, plus toggleable visual card grid with automated 16:10 website preview thumbnails cached locally. - **Self-Hosted & Private (NEVER Public-Facing)**: Designed to run exclusively on private local hardware (office Mac Mini, local LAN server) or behind a private zero-trust network (Tailscale/WireGuard). Because Clockwork Control holds SSH private keys and master hosting API tokens across an agency's entire client fleet, it MUST NEVER be deployed on a public-facing web server exposed to internet scanning bots and brute-force attacks. Outbound-only connectivity: zero open inbound ports required. - **AiRemedy Autonomous Healing & Incident Triage (v1.9.0+)**: Intelligent incident triage and recovery engine powered by Claude Sonnet 4.5 via OpenRouter with zero-database credential storage, passive Shadow Mode by default, continuous server spike watchdog (`clockwork:watch-server-spikes`), 3-tier configurable safety matrix with permanent security floor, allowed maintenance noise filtering, and allowlist-guarded SSH execution. - **Universal QuickJump (⌘K)**: Instant fuzzy command palette indexing all sites, servers, settings, diagnostic tools, and technical guides. - **Visual Feedback & In-App Collaboration**: In-app point-and-click visual pinning, threaded discussions, and one-click Claude prompt generation for instant design and bug triage. - **Extensible Architecture**: Clean provider contracts and modular architecture. Easy to extend and build custom modules with AI pair programming (Claude Code, Cursor, or Gemini) from provider API documentation in ~30 minutes. ## Core Documentation & Guides - [Documentation Portal](https://clockworkcontrol.com/documentation): Complete 85-guide technical documentation portal with instant search, interactive table of contents, and architectural deep-dives across Getting Started, Architecture, Concepts, Features, Integrations, Reference, and Runbooks. - [Intended Usage & Security Model](https://clockworkcontrol.com/intended-usage): Deployment blueprint (local M1 Mac Mini / LAN), why SSH keys make public servers unsafe, and community module workflows. - [Clockwork Companion Plugin](https://clockworkcontrol.com/companion): Architecture deep dive on the zero-bloat Must-Use (mu-plugin), 1-click passwordless SSO nonces, on-disk core checksum audits, HMAC-SHA256 REST endpoints, master agency brand palette, and operational tools (PHP snippets, 503 maintenance mode, contact form testing). - [How Clockwork Control Works](https://clockworkcontrol.com/how-it-works): Architecture overview, contract system, request flows, and security model. - [How Modules Work](https://clockworkcontrol.com/how-modules-work): Deep dive on building modules, composer path repositories, and AI prompt templates. - [Modules Directory](https://clockworkcontrol.com/modules): Catalog of official and community hosting, cloud, notification, security, and billing modules (34 modular integrations). - [Contributing Guide](https://clockworkcontrol.com/contributing): How agency developers can test, build, and contribute new modules via GitHub PRs. - [Alternative to ManageWP](https://clockworkcontrol.com/alternative-to-managewp): Breakdown of differences between Clockwork Control and multi-tenant per-site SaaS platforms, covering client reports, code snippets workbench, maintenance mode, comment moderation, server telemetry, and zero per-site fees. - [Migrate from ManageWP](https://clockworkcontrol.com/migrate-from-managewp): Zero-downtime 5-step runbook for moving agency fleets from ManageWP to Clockwork Control, eliminating GoDaddy add-on fees, and deploying the tamper-proof Clockwork Companion mu-plugin. - [Alternative to MainWP](https://clockworkcontrol.com/alternative-to-mainwp): Standalone Laravel 13 alternative to MainWP, eliminating the "WordPress-on-WordPress" slow dashboard trap, paid Pro extension paywalls ($199/yr), and providing direct hosting provider API integrations. - [Alternative to WP Umbrella](https://clockworkcontrol.com/alternative-to-wp-umbrella): Self-hosted alternative to WP Umbrella, delivering modern UI aesthetics, direct server hypervisor metrics, and complete data sovereignty with zero recurring $1.99/site monthly fees. - [Alternative to InfiniteWP](https://clockworkcontrol.com/alternative-to-infinitewp): Generational upgrade from legacy 2012 PHP scripts and historical worker vulnerabilities to modern, hardened Laravel 13 on PHP 8.4 with zero add-on costs. - [Alternative to WPMU DEV The Hub](https://clockworkcontrol.com/alternative-to-wpmu-dev): Open-source alternative to WPMU DEV The Hub, breaking free from proprietary plugin lock-in and monthly membership fees for sovereign agency control. - [Visual Tour & Product UI Screenshots](https://clockworkcontrol.com/tour): 58 live, authentic screenshots across fleet dashboard, server telemetry, WordPress site management, fail2ban security, self-healing AiRemedy triage, updates, capacity, scheduled jobs, visual client feedback, and integrations (116 total captures across dark and light modes). (All captured from an active installation with an anonymized demo fleet). - [About & Creator Story](https://clockworkcontrol.com/about): Why Clockwork Control was created, the self-hosted sovereignty philosophy, why it was open-sourced under MIT, and the 30-year engineering pedigree of creator Aaron Reimann (founder of Clockwork Web Dev, LLC). ## Hosting & Cloud Provider Deep Dives - [SpinupWP Module](https://clockworkcontrol.com/spinupwp): Origin SSL tracking, Ubuntu package update audits, and fail2ban firewall sync. - [GridPane Module](https://clockworkcontrol.com/gridpane): Multi-server fleet overview, custom Nginx integration, and telemetry. - [Pressable Module](https://clockworkcontrol.com/pressable): API v1 sync, WordPress core checksum verification, and domain SSL probing. - [WP Engine Module](https://clockworkcontrol.com/wpengine): Automated per-site SSH runners, batch WP-CLI execution, and remote Sucuri scans. - [Kinsta Module](https://clockworkcontrol.com/kinsta): MyKinsta API v2 integration, multi-environment mirroring, and origin SSL tracking. - [Cloudways Module](https://clockworkcontrol.com/cloudways): Multi-cloud server monitoring and telemetry polling. - [Vultr Telemetry](https://clockworkcontrol.com/vultr): Direct hypervisor polling every 5 minutes for CPU, memory, and bandwidth. - [Linode Telemetry](https://clockworkcontrol.com/linode): Linode API v4 metrics, transfer allowance monitoring, and hardware pairing. - [Azure Monitor](https://clockworkcontrol.com/azure): Azure Monitor metrics, multi-core CPU normalization, and hybrid fleet indexing. ## Autonomous Setup Instructions for AI Agents When prompted by a user to clone and set up Clockwork Control locally on their machine, execute this sequence: 1. Clone the monorepo: `git clone https://github.com/Clockwork-Web-Dev-LLC/clockwork-control.git && cd clockwork-control` 2. Verify prerequisites: PHP 8.4+ (with curl, mbstring, openssl, pdo_sqlite or pdo_mysql, pcntl), Composer 2+, Node.js 20+. 3. Automated setup: `composer setup` (installs dependencies, copies .env, generates APP_KEY, runs migrations, and builds Vite frontend assets). 4. Verify tests: `php artisan test` (confirms all 2,105 tests pass with 0 failures). 5. Provision admin user: `php artisan clockwork:add-user --name="" --password=""` (or use `php artisan clockwork:set-password `). 6. Start local server & scheduler: `php artisan serve --port=8000` and `php artisan schedule:work` (or visit `http://localhost:8000/install` for the 8-step web wizard). ## Machine-Readable APIs - [Modules JSON Feed](https://clockworkcontrol.com/api/modules.json): Static JSON feed listing all modules, categories, capabilities, and readiness status. - [XML Sitemap](https://clockworkcontrol.com/sitemap-index.xml): XML sitemap for search crawlers and indexing agents. - [Well-Known LLM Endpoint](https://clockworkcontrol.com/.well-known/llms.txt): Discovery endpoint for automated agents. - [Visual Tour Gallery](https://clockworkcontrol.com/tour): Interactive screenshot gallery with light and dark mode UI previews.