Title: Rules updates failed
Last modified: July 23, 2025

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# Rules updates failed

 *  Resolved [bbarar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bbarar/)
 * (@bbarar)
 * [10 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/rules-updates-failed/)
 * Hello,
 * I’m currently unable to update the Wordfence firewall rules. When I try to do
   it manually, I receive an error indicating that my server cannot connect to the
   Wordfence servers.
 * However, when I check the **Diagnostics** tab, the connectivity test to the Wordfence
   servers passes without any issues.
 * Is there a known reason why the rule update would fail even though the diagnostics
   show a successful connection? Any help would be appreciated.
 * Thanks in advance,

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  Plugin Support [wfpeter](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wfpeter/)
 * (@wfpeter)
 * [10 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/rules-updates-failed/#post-18567825)
 * Hi [@bbarar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bbarar/), thanks for reaching
   out to us.
 * Thank-you for checking the connection appears to be working in diagnostics. This
   might suggest the files have become corrupt and cannot update, which _may_ be
   shown by expanding the “**Filesystem**” section near the top when looking at 
   diagnostics.
 * Have you also already tried the “**MANUALLY REFRESH RULES**” button at the bottom
   of **Wordfence > Firewall > All Firewall Options** after expanding the “**Advanced
   Firewall Rules**” panel?
 * If that fails, navigate to your **wp-content/wflogs** folder and delete it or
   its contents entirely. Wordfence should try to repopulate it within 30 minutes(
   usually quicker). You may find that alone is enough to rectify the updates going
   forward.
 * If you have persistent problems with file-writing, you can bypass it by setting
   logs to use the MySQLi storage engine instead: [https://www.wordfence.com/help/firewall/mysqli-storage-engine/](https://www.wordfence.com/help/firewall/mysqli-storage-engine/)
 * Let us know how you get on,
   Peter.
 *  Thread Starter [bbarar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bbarar/)
 * (@bbarar)
 * [10 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/rules-updates-failed/#post-18567835)
 * Hello,
 * Thank you for the quick reply.
   I’ve checked the filesystem section, and all four
   tests are OK.
 * I also clicked the button to manually update the rules.
 * I’ll try deleting the **wflogs** folder and attempt the update again **tomorrow**.
 *  Plugin Support [wfpeter](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wfpeter/)
 * (@wfpeter)
 * [10 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/rules-updates-failed/#post-18567926)
 * Okay [@bbarar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bbarar/), thanks for the update.
   Let us know how it goes for you.
 * Peter.
 *  Thread Starter [bbarar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bbarar/)
 * (@bbarar)
 * [9 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/rules-updates-failed/#post-18613891)
 * Hello Peter, I tried deleting the wflogs, but I still can’t refresh the rules
   manually (it shows a “failed to contact server” error, even though the server
   status looks fine in the diagnostics).
 * Now, there’s only one rule left (“auth-bypass”).
   Also, when I run a scan, the
   server state shows as “Warning.”

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Rules updates failed’ is closed to new replies.

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 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [bbarar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bbarar/)
 * Last activity: [9 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/rules-updates-failed/#post-18613891)
 * Status: resolved