fix: move Generate Now to background processing to avoid 120s timeout

Hostinger's LiteSpeed web server kills any HTTP connection that runs
longer than 120 seconds with a 500 "Request Timeout" error. The full
pipeline (Reddit fetch → topic scoring → article generation → editorial
pass → image gen ×2) takes 120-180s, causing "Request failed: error"
on every manual generation attempt.

Architecture change:
- Generate Now AJAX handler now schedules a one-shot WP-Cron event
  and returns immediately (~100ms response time)
- New prautoblogger_manual_generation cron action runs the pipeline
  in a separate PHP process free from the connection timeout
- Pipeline progress is written to a transient at each stage
- New prautoblogger_generation_status AJAX endpoint lets the frontend
  poll progress every 5 seconds
- Frontend auto-resumes polling on page load if a generation is running
- Direct wp-cron.php loopback ensures cron fires even if DISABLE_WP_CRON
  is set (common on Hostinger)

Version bump: 0.2.9 → 0.3.0

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

assets/js/admin.js

@@ -75,6 +75,25 @@
 				$referer.val(refUrl.pathname + refUrl.search);
 			}
 		}
+
+		// Resume polling if a generation is already running (e.g., user
+		// navigated away and came back, or opened a new tab mid-generation).
+		var $genBtn = $('#prautoblogger-generate-now');
+		if ($genBtn.length && config.ajaxUrl) {
+			$.ajax({
+				url: config.ajaxUrl,
+				method: 'POST',
+				data: { action: 'prautoblogger_generation_status', nonce: config.generateNonce },
+				timeout: 10000,
+				success: function (response) {
+					if (response.success && response.data && response.data.status === 'running') {
+						setButtonLoading($genBtn, config.generatingText || 'Generating…');
+						showProgress(response.data.stage || 'Generation in progress…');
+						pollGenerationStatus($genBtn);
+					}
+				}
+			});
+		}
 	});
 
 	/*
@@ -146,29 +165,76 @@
 	 * Shows pipeline stages while the request is in-flight so the user
 	 * knows it hasn't hung.
 	 */
-	var generateStages = [
+	/*
-		{ text: 'Collecting sources from Reddit…',      delay: 0 },
+	 * Pipeline stages are now reported by the server via the status polling
-		{ text: 'Analyzing topics and scoring…',        delay: 8000 },
+	 * endpoint. The old client-side fake timers have been removed.
-		{ text: 'Selecting best topic…',                delay: 16000 },
+	 */
-		{ text: 'Generating article draft via AI…',     delay: 24000 },
+
-		{ text: 'Running editorial pass…',              delay: 50000 },
+	/** Poll interval handle for generation status checks. */
-		{ text: 'Saving and publishing…',               delay: 75000 },
+	var statusPollTimer = null;
-		{ text: 'Almost done — finalizing…',            delay: 100000 }
+
-	];
+	/**
-	var stageTimers = [];
+	 * Poll the generation status endpoint until the run finishes.
+	 * Updates the progress UI and resolves the button state on completion.
+	 *
+	 * @param {jQuery} $btn The Generate Now button.
+	 */
+	function pollGenerationStatus($btn) {
+		statusPollTimer = setInterval(function () {
+			$.ajax({
+				url: config.ajaxUrl,
+				method: 'POST',
+				data: {
+					action: 'prautoblogger_generation_status',
+					nonce: config.generateNonce
+				},
+				timeout: 15000,
+				success: function (response) {
+					if (!response.success) return;
+					var d = response.data;
+
+					if (d.status === 'running') {
+						showProgress(d.stage || 'Generating…');
+						return; // Keep polling.
+					}
+
+					// Terminal state — stop polling.
+					clearInterval(statusPollTimer);
+					statusPollTimer = null;
+					hideProgress();
+					resetButton($btn, config.generateText || 'Generate Now');
+
+					if (d.status === 'complete') {
+						showStatus(
+							'Generation complete: ' + d.generated + ' generated, ' +
+							d.published + ' published, ' + d.rejected + ' rejected. ' +
+							'Cost: $' + parseFloat(d.cost).toFixed(4),
+							'success'
+						);
+					} else if (d.status === 'error') {
+						showStatus(
+							'Generation failed: ' + (d.message || 'Unknown error'),
+							'error'
+						);
+					} else {
+						// idle or unknown — generation may have finished before
+						// polling started. Reset the button cleanly.
+						hideProgress();
+					}
+				},
+				error: function () {
+					// Network blip — keep polling, don't bail on transient errors.
+				}
+			});
+		}, 5000); // Poll every 5 seconds.
+	}
 
 	$(document).on('click', '#prautoblogger-generate-now', function () {
 		var $btn = $(this);
 		if ($btn.prop('disabled')) return;
 
 		setButtonLoading($btn, config.generatingText || 'Generating…');
-
+		showProgress('Starting generation…');
-		// Start pipeline stage messages.
-		stageTimers = [];
-		$.each(generateStages, function (i, stage) {
-			var t = setTimeout(function () { showProgress(stage.text); }, stage.delay);
-			stageTimers.push(t);
-		});
 
 		$.ajax({
 			url: config.ajaxUrl,
@@ -178,21 +244,19 @@
 				nonce: config.generateNonce,
 				force: '1' // Always clear stale locks on manual runs.
 			},
-			timeout: 300000, // 5 minutes — generation can be slow.
+			timeout: 30000, // 30s is plenty — this just schedules the cron.
 			success: function (response) {
 				if (response.success) {
-					var d = response.data;
+					// Generation kicked off in background — start polling.
-					showStatus(
+					showProgress(response.data.message || 'Generation started…');
-						'Generation complete: ' + d.generated + ' generated, ' +
+					pollGenerationStatus($btn);
-						d.published + ' published, ' + d.rejected + ' rejected. ' +
-						'Cost: $' + parseFloat(d.cost).toFixed(4),
-						'success'
-					);
 				} else {
 					showStatus(
 						'Generation failed: ' + (response.data && response.data.message || 'Unknown error'),
 						'error'
 					);
+					hideProgress();
+					resetButton($btn, config.generateText || 'Generate Now');
 				}
 			},
 			error: function (xhr, status) {
@@ -200,11 +264,6 @@
 					'Request failed: ' + status + '. Check server error logs.',
 					'error'
 				);
-			},
-			complete: function () {
-				// Clear all stage timers.
-				$.each(stageTimers, function (_, t) { clearTimeout(t); });
-				stageTimers = [];
 				hideProgress();
 				resetButton($btn, config.generateText || 'Generate Now');
 			}

includes/class-executor.php

@@ -59,11 +59,20 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Executor {
 		}
 	}
 
+	/** Transient key for background generation status. */
+	private const STATUS_TRANSIENT = 'prautoblogger_generation_status';
+
+	/** How long to keep the result available for polling (seconds). */
+	private const STATUS_TTL = 600;
+
 	/**
-	 * AJAX handler: trigger manual generation.
+	 * AJAX handler: kick off manual generation as a background cron job.
-	 * Verifies nonce/capability, then runs the pipeline with the same DB lock.
 	 *
-	 * Side effects: API calls, database writes, WordPress post creation.
+	 * Returns immediately so the browser never hits Hostinger's 120-second
+	 * connection timeout. The frontend polls on_ajax_generation_status()
+	 * every few seconds to get progress and final results.
+	 *
+	 * Side effects: schedules a WP-Cron event, writes a status transient.
 	 */
 	public function on_ajax_generate_now(): void {
 		check_ajax_referer( 'prautoblogger_generate_now', 'nonce' );
@@ -73,37 +82,160 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Executor {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		// LLM calls take 30-60+ seconds; extend PHP limit (may be blocked by host).
-		// phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.NoSilencedErrors.Discouraged
-		@set_time_limit( 300 );
-
 		$force = isset( $_POST['force'] ) && '1' === $_POST['force'];
 		if ( $force ) {
 			$this->release_generation_lock();
+			delete_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT );
 		}
 
+		// Check if a run is already in progress.
+		$current = get_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT );
+		if ( is_array( $current ) && 'running' === ( $current['status'] ?? '' ) ) {
+			wp_send_json_success( [
+				'background' => true,
+				'message'    => __( 'Generation already in progress.', 'prautoblogger' ),
+			] );
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// Write initial "running" status for the frontend to poll.
+		set_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT, [
+			'status'  => 'running',
+			'stage'   => __( 'Starting generation...', 'prautoblogger' ),
+			'started' => time(),
+		], self::STATUS_TTL );
+
+		// Schedule immediate one-shot cron event. WordPress will fire this
+		// on the next page load (or via wp-cron.php) in a separate PHP process
+		// that is not subject to the 120-second connection timeout.
+		if ( ! wp_next_scheduled( 'prautoblogger_manual_generation' ) ) {
+			wp_schedule_single_event( time(), 'prautoblogger_manual_generation' );
+		}
+
+		// Spawn the cron immediately via a non-blocking loopback request
+		// so we don't depend on the next visitor to trigger it.
+		// Some hosts (including Hostinger) set DISABLE_WP_CRON = true and
+		// rely on an external cron runner. spawn_cron() respects that flag
+		// and may no-op, so we also fire a direct loopback as a fallback.
+		spawn_cron();
+
+		// Direct non-blocking loopback to wp-cron.php — ensures the event
+		// fires even if DISABLE_WP_CRON is true or spawn_cron() no-ops.
+		wp_remote_post(
+			site_url( 'wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron=' . sprintf( '%.22F', microtime( true ) ) ),
+			[
+				'timeout'   => 0.01,
+				'blocking'  => false,
+				'sslverify' => false,
+			]
+		);
+
+		wp_send_json_success( [
+			'background' => true,
+			'message'    => __( 'Generation started in background. Polling for status...', 'prautoblogger' ),
+		] );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Cron handler for manual (background) generation.
+	 *
+	 * Runs in a separate PHP process triggered by WP-Cron, free from
+	 * the web server's connection timeout. Writes progress and final
+	 * results to a transient that the frontend polls.
+	 *
+	 * Side effects: API calls, database writes, WordPress post creation,
+	 *               transient updates.
+	 */
+	public function on_manual_generation(): void {
+		// phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.NoSilencedErrors.Discouraged
+		@set_time_limit( 300 );
+
 		if ( ! $this->acquire_generation_lock() ) {
-			wp_send_json_error( [ 'message' => __( 'A generation run is already in progress. Pass force=1 to clear the lock.', 'prautoblogger' ) ] );
+			set_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT, [
+				'status'  => 'error',
+				'message' => __( 'Could not acquire generation lock. Another run may be in progress.', 'prautoblogger' ),
+			], self::STATUS_TTL );
 			return;
 		}
 
 		try {
-			// Manual runs skip dedup so "Generate Now" always produces content.
+			// Update stage for frontend polling.
+			$this->update_generation_stage( __( 'Collecting sources from Reddit...', 'prautoblogger' ) );
+
 			$results = ( new PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Runner() )
 				->set_skip_dedup( true )
 				->run();
-			wp_send_json_success( $results );
+
+			set_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT, [
+				'status'    => 'complete',
+				'generated' => $results['generated'],
+				'published' => $results['published'],
+				'rejected'  => $results['rejected'],
+				'cost'      => $results['cost'],
+			], self::STATUS_TTL );
 		} catch ( \Throwable $e ) {
 			PRAutoBlogger_Logger::instance()->error(
 				sprintf( 'Manual generation %s: %s', get_class( $e ), $e->getMessage() ),
 				'pipeline'
 			);
-			wp_send_json_error( [ 'message' => $e->getMessage() ] );
+			set_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT, [
+				'status'  => 'error',
+				'message' => $e->getMessage(),
+			], self::STATUS_TTL );
 		} finally {
 			$this->release_generation_lock();
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * AJAX handler: return current generation status for frontend polling.
+	 *
+	 * Lightweight endpoint — reads a transient and returns it. Called every
+	 * few seconds by admin.js while generation is in progress.
+	 *
+	 * Side effects: none.
+	 */
+	public function on_ajax_generation_status(): void {
+		check_ajax_referer( 'prautoblogger_generate_now', 'nonce' );
+
+		if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
+			wp_send_json_error( [ 'message' => __( 'Insufficient permissions.', 'prautoblogger' ) ], 403 );
+			return;
+		}
+
+		$status = get_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT );
+
+		if ( ! is_array( $status ) ) {
+			wp_send_json_success( [ 'status' => 'idle' ] );
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// If still "running" but started more than 10 minutes ago, assume it died.
+		if ( 'running' === $status['status'] && isset( $status['started'] ) && ( time() - $status['started'] ) > self::STATUS_TTL ) {
+			delete_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT );
+			wp_send_json_success( [
+				'status'  => 'error',
+				'message' => __( 'Generation timed out. Check the Activity Log for details.', 'prautoblogger' ),
+			] );
+			return;
+		}
+
+		wp_send_json_success( $status );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Helper: update the generation stage for frontend polling.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $stage Human-readable stage description.
+	 */
+	private function update_generation_stage( string $stage ): void {
+		$current = get_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT );
+		if ( is_array( $current ) ) {
+			$current['stage'] = $stage;
+			set_transient( self::STATUS_TRANSIENT, $current, self::STATUS_TTL );
+		}
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * AJAX handler: generate images for existing posts that lack them.
 	 *

includes/class-prautoblogger.php

@@ -85,6 +85,10 @@ class PRAutoBlogger {
 		add_action( 'prautoblogger_daily_generation', [ $this->executor, 'on_daily_generation' ] );
 		add_action( 'prautoblogger_collect_metrics', [ $this->executor, 'on_collect_metrics' ] );
 
+		// Manual "Generate Now" runs as a one-shot cron event to avoid
+		// Hostinger's 120-second web-server connection timeout.
+		add_action( 'prautoblogger_manual_generation', [ $this->executor, 'on_manual_generation' ] );
+
 		$registry = $this->executor->get_model_registry();
 		add_action( 'prautoblogger_refresh_model_registry', [ $registry, 'refresh' ] );
 	}
@@ -92,6 +96,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger {
 	/** Register AJAX handlers for admin actions. */
 	private function register_ajax_hooks(): void {
 		add_action( 'wp_ajax_prautoblogger_generate_now', [ $this->executor, 'on_ajax_generate_now' ] );
+		add_action( 'wp_ajax_prautoblogger_generation_status', [ $this->executor, 'on_ajax_generation_status' ] );
 		add_action( 'wp_ajax_prautoblogger_generate_image', [ $this->executor, 'on_ajax_generate_image' ] );
 		add_action( 'wp_ajax_prautoblogger_test_connection', [ $this->executor, 'on_ajax_test_connection' ] );
 		add_action( 'wp_ajax_prautoblogger_get_models', [ $this->executor, 'on_ajax_get_models' ] );

includes/core/class-pipeline-runner.php

@@ -61,17 +61,20 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Runner {
 		$target_count = absint( get_option( 'prautoblogger_daily_article_target', 1 ) );
 
 		// Step 1: Collect source data.
+		$this->broadcast_stage( __( 'Collecting sources from Reddit…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		$collector = new PRAutoBlogger_Source_Collector();
 		$collector->collect_from_all_sources();
 
 		// Step 2: Analyze collected data for patterns.
 		// Pass a generous target so the LLM returns enough diverse ideas for
 		// scoring to pick from — ask for 2× the daily target so dedup has room.
+		$this->broadcast_stage( __( 'Analyzing topics and scoring…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		$llm      = new PRAutoBlogger_OpenRouter_Provider();
 		$analyzer = new PRAutoBlogger_Content_Analyzer( $llm, $cost_tracker );
 		$analysis = $analyzer->analyze_recent_data( max( $target_count * 2, 6 ) );
 
 		// Step 3: Score and deduplicate ideas.
+		$this->broadcast_stage( __( 'Selecting best topic…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 		$scorer = new PRAutoBlogger_Idea_Scorer();
 		$scorer->set_skip_dedup( $this->skip_dedup );
 		$ideas  = $scorer->score_and_rank( $analysis, $target_count );
@@ -99,9 +102,11 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Runner {
 			}
 
 			try {
+				$this->broadcast_stage( __( 'Generating article draft via AI…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 				$content = $generator->generate( $idea );
 				$generated++;
 
+				$this->broadcast_stage( __( 'Running editorial pass…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 				$review = $editor->review( $content, $idea );
 
 				if ( 'approved' === $review->get_verdict() || 'revised' === $review->get_verdict() ) {
@@ -112,6 +117,7 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Runner {
 						? ( $review->get_revised_content() ?? $content )
 						: $content;
 
+					$this->broadcast_stage( __( 'Saving and publishing…', 'prautoblogger' ) );
 					if ( $auto_publish ) {
 						$publisher->publish( $final_content, $idea, $review, $cost_tracker->get_run_id() );
 						$published++;
@@ -144,4 +150,22 @@ class PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Runner {
 			'cost'      => $total_cost,
 		];
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Update the generation status transient with the current pipeline stage.
+	 *
+	 * Called at key checkpoints during the pipeline so the frontend status
+	 * poller can show real progress instead of fake timers. No-ops if the
+	 * transient doesn't exist (e.g., during daily cron runs).
+	 *
+	 * @param string $stage Human-readable stage description.
+	 */
+	private function broadcast_stage( string $stage ): void {
+		$transient_key = 'prautoblogger_generation_status';
+		$current       = get_transient( $transient_key );
+		if ( is_array( $current ) && 'running' === ( $current['status'] ?? '' ) ) {
+			$current['stage'] = $stage;
+			set_transient( $transient_key, $current, 600 );
+		}
+	}
 }

prautoblogger.php

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ declare(strict_types=1);
  * Plugin Name:       PRAutoBlogger
  * Plugin URI:        https://peptiderepo.com/prautoblogger
  * Description:       Monitors social media for trending topics, generates SEO-friendly blog posts using AI, and publishes them on a daily schedule with full cost tracking and self-improvement metrics.
- * Version:           0.2.9
+ * Version:           0.3.0
  * Requires at least: 6.0
  * Requires PHP:      7.4
  * Author:            PeptideRepo
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
 | and limits without magic strings.
 */
 
-define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_VERSION', '0.2.9' );
+define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_VERSION', '0.3.0' );
 define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_DB_VERSION', '1.1.0' );
 define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_PLUGIN_FILE', __FILE__ );
 define( 'PRAUTOBLOGGER_PLUGIN_DIR', plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) );