Re-enter and save every Toast and Google credential after WordPress security keys or salts are rotated. Steuard derives its encryption key from those values, so it cannot decrypt credentials saved with the old values.
Steuard detects this case: the Toast connection card reads Needs attention with "The saved Client Secret can't be read — the site's security keys or salts have changed since it was saved", and the same message appears in the admin notice and on the Dashboard. The same thing happens when a database is copied to a site with different keys, such as a staging or local copy of a live site, so a copied site needs its secrets re-entered too (or the live site's AUTH_KEY and AUTH_SALT in its wp-config.php).
Use these paths:
- Go to Steuard → Menu Options → Connections, re-enter each Toast Client Secret and the matching credential values, click Test Connection, and click Save Changes.
- Go to Steuard → Reviews, open each Review post, re-enter its Google Places API key on the Connection tab, and update. If a gated review source is enabled on your installation, reconnect it so it receives a new refresh token.
- Return to Steuard → Menu Options → Dashboard → Data Freshness and confirm that menu and review timestamps advance.
If only one connection fails afterward, troubleshoot that connection normally. If all connections remain blank or fail, confirm that the site is loading the intended wp-config.php, then send support the safe details in What should I send Steuard support?.
For the broader storage and external-request model, see What data does Steuard store and send?.
