This plugin will activate updates for every plugin with a Git or Bitbucket repository in its header:

/*
Plugin Name: Plugin Example
Plugin URI: https://github.com/brainstormmedia/git-plugin-updates
Git URI: https://github.com/brainstormmedia/git-plugin-updates
*/

Either Plugin URI or Git URI can be set to your repository address. You don't need both.

For private repos, you can use the URI format:

https://username:[email protected]/brainstormmedia/git-plugin-updates

Ideally, Git Plugin Updates runs as a stand-alone plugin. However, if you would like to bundle it as a package in your own plugins to make sure updates over Git are enabled by default, you may do so by moving git-plugin-updates into your plugin directory, then activating updates with this code:

add_action( 'plugins_loaded', 'myplugin_git_updater' );

function myplugin_git_updater() {
	if ( is_admin() && !class_exists( 'GPU_Controller' ) ) {
		require_once dirname( __FILE__ ) . '/git-plugin-updates/git-plugin-updates.php';
		add_action( 'plugins_loaded', 'GPU_Controller::get_instance', 20 );
	}
}

This method allows your plugin to update over Git, and if Git Plugin Updates is installed as a plugin later, only the stand-alone-plugin copy will load.

• New: Updater ran as plugin overrides and prevents load of additional updaters included as libraries.
• New: Cleaner readme code examples.
• New: Ignore Plugin URI header by default to avoid conflicts with wordpress.org. Override with add_filter( 'gpu_use_plugin_uri_header' '__return_true' );
• Fix: Don't use variables for text-domains. See Internationalization: You're probably doing it wrong.
• Minor: Code cleanup. Simplify plugin load. Remove unused log and __get methods. Remove variable github and bitbucket hosts. Move constants into GPU_Controller. Reorder pre-load checks in order of liklihood.

• Rewrite to support Github as well as Bitbucket
• Updates enabled on plugins by including a Git repository address in the Plugin Header under Plugin URI or Git URI.
• Enable private repositories with URI format https://username:password@repo_address.
• Get remote version number from plugin header.

• Minor fixes from @sc0ttkclark's use in Pods Framework
• Added readme file into config

• Fixed all php notices
• Fixed minor bugs
• Added an example plugin that's used as a test
• Minor documentation/readme adjustments

• Added phpDoc and minor syntax/readability adjusments, props @franz-josef-kaiser, @GaryJones
• Added a die to prevent direct access, props @franz-josef-kaiser

• Fixed sslverify issue, props @pmichael

• Fixed potential timeout

• Fixed potential fatal error with wp_error

• Initial Public Release

This plugin is written and maintained by Paul Clark.

It was forked from WordPress Github Plugin Updater by Joachim Kudish.

It has been updated with methods from Github Updater by Andy Fragen and @GaryJones.