MLSImport keeps three separate records, and picking the right one saves most of the work. Import History tells you what happened to a listing. The per property history tells you what the last run changed on it. The log files tell you where a run stopped, and they are the only one that is off by default.
Turn logging on to reproduce a fault, then turn it off. It writes on every run and is not meant to stay on.
Before you start
- You are an administrator. All three records are admin only.
- You can reach the plugin folder over FTP or your host’s file manager. The log files are files, with no screen that displays them.
Turn logging on
- Open MLS Import Settings and go to the Tools tab.
- Set Disable System Logs to logs enabled.
- Click Save Changes.
- Reproduce the problem: run the import, or wait for the sync to fire.
- Set it back to logs disabled when you have what you need.
Expected result: dated files appear in the plugin’s logs folder, one per kind of run and one per day.
The four log files
Each is named for what it records, with the date on the end, for example import_logs-2026-08-06.log.
- import_logs holds manual runs. Each line carries the batch number, the total number of batches and the memory in use at that point.
- cron_logs holds the hourly sync. Read this one when listings stop updating on their own but a manual run works.
- delete_logs holds every removal, one line per property, with its identifier and its status at the time. It also records the properties that were skipped because they were created by hand.
- server_cron_logs holds calls made through the server cron address.
The memory figure on each import line is the useful one. A run that climbs steadily and then stops has hit the host’s memory limit, and the last line before it stopped tells you at which batch.
Read the log from the end. The last line before the file goes quiet is the point of failure, and it names the batch, so you know how far the run got before the host cut it off. A run that ends on a completion line stopped on purpose and the problem is somewhere else.
The live progress file
status_logs.log sits in the same folder and works differently from the other four. It is written whether or not logging is enabled, because it is what the import screen reads to draw the progress line.
It also holds one line at a time. Each write replaces the previous one rather than adding to it, so it is a live status rather than a history. Reading it after a run tells you the last thing that happened and nothing about how it got there.
What one property recorded
Open any imported property in wp-admin and scroll to the Mls Import Hidden Fields box. Before the field values it shows the listing’s identifier, which import task created it, which task last updated it, and any protected statuses that task carries. That answers most questions about a single property without a log file at all.
Below that, under Mls Import History, is a line by line account of what the last run changed on that property: the fields written, the images added, the title it was given. It is replaced on every run, so it describes the most recent one only.
The box is filled while Disable Property History on the Tools tab is set to history enabled, which is how it ships. Switched off, the box reads that history is blank and points you back at the setting.
Property history is the fastest way to answer why a field is empty on one listing and filled on another. Open both, compare what each run wrote, and you can see whether the field arrived empty from the feed or was never written at all. The log files cannot tell those two apart.
Which record to reach for
- A property disappeared. Import History, searched on the MLS number. The deleted row names the run that removed it.
- A property is wrong. The property’s own history box, which shows what the last run wrote to it.
- A run stalls or never finishes. The import log, read from the end.
- The sync is not running at all. The cron log. An empty cron log for today means the sync never started, which is a scheduling problem rather than an import one.
If it does not work
- The logs folder is empty after a run. The toggle was saved after the run, or it did not save. Reopen the Tools tab and confirm it still reads logs enabled.
- The folder does not exist. It is created on the first write. No folder means nothing has been logged yet.
- Files exist but today’s is missing. Nothing ran today. For the cron log, that is the answer rather than a fault.
- The property history box is empty on an old property. History is written when a run touches a property. One that has not changed since you enabled the setting has nothing to show.
Frequently asked questions
Are the log files cleaned up on their own?
No. A new file is created each day and old ones stay until you remove them, which is the other reason to switch logging off after a diagnosis rather than leaving it on.
Can I read the logs from wp-admin?
No. They are plain text files in the plugin folder and there is no viewer for them. Import History and the per property box are the parts you read on screen.
Does logging slow imports down?
Slightly, on a large run. Every batch writes a line, which is why it ships off. The cost is small enough to ignore for a diagnosis and not worth paying permanently.
Do the logs contain my MLS credentials?
No. They record progress, counts, memory, and which listings were written or removed. Send them to support without editing them.
Related
- Import History and the activity log
- How to report an issue so we can fix it fast
- Cron not working: a checklist
- Checking that auto update is running
- Deleting properties safely
Send us today’s import log and the MLS number you were expecting and we will tell you where the run stopped.