v1.2.1

changelog.txt

@@ -1,5 +1,44 @@
 == Changelog ==
 
+= 1.2.1 =
+
+_Release date: 2026-08-17_
+
+**Highlights**
+
+* Automatic updates are now delivered through the Manager (by ROBOTSTXT) plugin; the built-in self-updater has been removed
+* A dismissible notice on the Plugins page (and a permanent one on the plugin Settings page) recommends installing Manager when it is not active
+* Minimum WordPress lowered to 4.2, the real lowest version the code runs on (verified with WP-Compat)
+
+**Changed**
+
+* Removed the built-in self-updater (`class-robotstxt-updater.php` and `update.json`); updates are now handled by the [Manager (by ROBOTSTXT)](https://www.robotstxt.software/plugins/robotstxt-manager/) plugin
+* New admin notice when the Manager plugin is not installed and active: dismissible on the Plugins page, permanent on the plugin Settings page, both linking to the Manager download page
+* Minimum WordPress lowered from 6.8 to 4.2 — the real lowest compatible version confirmed by a WP-Compat scan (`wp_delete_file()`, available since WordPress 4.2, is the oldest API used)
+* Plugin URI and Update URI now point to https://www.robotstxt.software/plugins/robotstxt-documentation-markdown/
+* Author URI updated to https://www.robotstxt.software/
+
+**Security**
+
+* league/commonmark updated from 2.9.0 to 2.10.0 via `composer update` (no known CVEs; `composer audit` clean)
+
+**Compatibility**
+
+* WordPress: 4.2 - 7.1
+* PHP: 8.0 - 8.5 (real minimum confirmed by PHPCompatibility 5.6-8.5 full-range scan)
+
+**Translations**
+
+* Spanish (es_ES) and Catalan (ca): 10 strings added that were missing since 1.2.0, plus the new Manager notice string
+
+**Tests**
+
+* PHP Coding Standards: PHPCS with WordPress-Core, WordPress-Docs, WordPress-Extra — 0 errors
+* PHPStan: level 9, 0 errors
+* PHPCompatibility: PHP 8.0-8.5 validated (full-range scan 5.6-8.5)
+* WP-Compat: WordPress 4.2 floor validated
+* PHPUnit: plugin header tests pass
+
 = 1.2.0 =
 
 _Release date: 2026-08-07_