Tag Archives: meeting

neillmcshea 3:38 pm on 26 March 2026
Tags: , meeting   

AI Contributor Weekly Summary โ€“ 25 March 2026

The AI Contributor group met on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, to discuss the upcoming WordPress 7.0 release, progress on the AI Experimentation pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party., and plans for WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what theyโ€™ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia.

WordPress 7.0 Release & Schedule

With RC1 released yesterday, the team is shifting focus toward the final stretch of the 7.0 cycle.

  • Current Target: The final release remains scheduled for Thursday, April 9, 2026.
  • Potential Delays: Discussions regarding real-time collaboration in 7.0 are ongoing. While this shouldnโ€™t delay the final launch, it may impact the timing of RC2. Any official changes will be communicated via Make CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress..
  • 7.1 Outlook: If the 7.0 window narrows, several items (like advanced connectors filtering) are already being eyed for the 7.1 cycle to ensure they receive proper maturity and testing.

AI Experiments PluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment. (v0.6 & v0.7)

Version 0.6.0 is now live, featuring major image editing and refinement capabilities in the post editor and media library.

MCP, WP AI Client, & AI connectors

  • Model Context Protocol (MCP): The MCP adapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. is moving toward being merged into trunk. A Call for Testing will be published soon. There is an ongoing debate about whether to bundle the MCP experiment directly in the AI plugin or distribute it via a separate library/plugin to avoid composer-related hurdles.
  • Naming Conventions: A brief discussion occurred regarding the naming of the wp_supports_ai function. Some contributors suggested โ€œallowsโ€ instead of โ€œsupportsโ€ to align with other Core naming patterns.
  • Call for Testing: A specific call for testing for the AI ProviderProvider An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI). connector plugins was highlighted. This is a critical piece of infrastructure for cross-plugin AI compatibility.

WordCamp Asia & Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/

The team is preparing for WordCamp Asia (March 6โ€“8, 2026).

  • Contributor Day Lead: @raftaar1191 is organizing the AI table, @justlevine will assist online. @isotropic will be attending in a supporting capacity but wonโ€™t be leading the table due to travel timing.
  • Preparation: The team is finalizing a โ€œPreparation Docโ€ for contributors and a list of AI providers offering free APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. tiers (like Google AI Studioโ€™s free tier) to ensure new contributors can test features without cost.

Design & Marketing

  • Branding Concerns: New plugin icons and banners featuring a โ€œbreaking awayโ€ WordPress logo were put on hold. There is concern that the visual could be interpreted as AI โ€œbreakingโ€ WordPress, which is not the intended sentiment. We have paused the current design update and seek a more โ€œpositiveโ€ visual direction. Call for designers here who might feel strongly about the direction we can land on.
  • AI Landing Page: @jeffpaul proposed a dedicated wordpress.org/ai marketing page (similar to the Gutenberg landing page) to showcase the teamโ€™s work to non-technical users. This is currently limited by a lack of dedicated design resources.

Decision Points

  • Experiment Lifecycle: A new document has been drafted to define how an โ€œExperimentโ€ graduates to a โ€œFeatureโ€ within the plugin.
  • UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think โ€˜how are they doing thatโ€™ and less about what they are doing. Refresh: Two competing PRs are in progress to modernize the settings pageโ€”one using Data Views/Forms and another focusing on a โ€œConnectorsโ€ style UI.

Upcoming Meetings

Props to @jeffpaul for pre-publish review.

#core-ai, #meeting

neillmcshea 2:26 am on 19 March 2026
Tags: , meeting   

AI Contributor Weekly Summary โ€“ 18 March 2026

The AI Contributor group met on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to discuss the final push for WordPress 7.0, upcoming pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. releases, and critical architecture decisions regarding the MCP (Model Context Protocol) and the AI โ€œMaster Switch.โ€

AI Experiments PluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment.

  • Version 0.5.0 Released: This version aligns the plugin with the AI client in WordPress 7.0 CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress..
  • Version 0.6.0 Scheduled: Targeting a release tomorrow. The primary focus is Image Editing, which has been identified as a Feature (notably not an Experiment) for the 7.0 cycle.
  • Refine from Notes: A new experiment is underway allowing AI to action comments within post notes to update content.
  • Contextual Tagging: Work is beginning on AI-suggested categories and tags, though it may land in a post-7.0 release.

UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think โ€˜how are they doing thatโ€™ and less about what they are doing. and Design Concerns

  • Settings Refactor: There is a push to align the AI settings page with the modern โ€œConnectorsโ€ UI.
  • Banner Design Feedback: @jeffpaul raised concerns regarding the new โ€œWordPress in bitsโ€ banner design, noting that the floating elements could be interpreted as AI โ€œbreaking upโ€ or destroying WordPress. Designers are encouraged to provide feedback on the Trac ticket by the end of the week.

The AI โ€œOff Switchโ€

A significant portion of the meeting focused on the implementation of a global constant to disable AI features.

  • The Conflict: There is a debate between using a filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. (allowing plugins to override) versus a strict constant (an โ€œOff Switchโ€).
  • Decision: To meet the RC1 deadline tomorrow, the team will merge the current implementation but continue the discussion during the RCRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. phase. The goal is to ensure users have a transparent way to opt-out of AI entirely without plugin interference.

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

  • Plugin vs. Package: Discussion continued on whether the MCP adapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. should be a standalone plugin on WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ or bundled as a package.
  • Stability: @dlevine emphasized that if AI becomes user-facing in 7.0, the MCP infrastructure must be considered stable.
  • Action: @ovidiuiulian is working to get version 0.5.0 of the MCP adapter out to stabilize the codebase before any further refactoring.

Community & Documentation

  • WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what theyโ€™ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia Resources: @raftaar1191 presented a draft for a Core-AI welcome and resource list for contributors. The team is encouraged to review and provide feedback directly in the document.
  • Open SourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. Providers: The group discussed the lack of a prominent โ€œOpen Sourceโ€ model providerProvider An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI). on the initial connector screen. While Local-LLM options like Ollama are in development, they may not be approved by the Plugins team and released in time for the WP 7.0 launch.

Weekly Goals

  • Merge the AI Off Switch into Core for RC1 by tomorrow.
  • Release AI Experiments 0.6.0 featuring Image Editing.
  • Publish PHPMCP Schema to Packagist (needs admin assistance).
  • Gather Design Feedback on the AI banner imagery to avoid negative connotations.

Upcoming Meetings

Props to @jeffpaul for pre-publish review.

#core-ai, #meeting

neillmcshea 11:16 pm on 11 March 2026
Tags: , meeting   

AI Contributor Weekly Summary โ€“ 11 March 2026

This weekโ€™s AI contributor meeting focused on final preparations for WordPress 7.0, specifically addressing critical compatibility issues between the AI Experiments pluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment. and coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. The group also discussed a potential rebrand of the experiments pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party., the introduction of โ€œCapital Fโ€ features, and initial coordination for the upcoming WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what theyโ€™ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/.

AI Experiments Plugin & Rebranding

@jeffpaul shared major updates regarding the roadmap for the experiments plugin as it transitions toward the WordPress 7.0 release.

  • Version 0.5 and 0.6: The upcoming 0.5 release will shift the plugin to leverage the AI client now bundled in WordPress core, raising the minimum supported version to 7.0. This allows the team to remove technical debt by dropping support for 6.9.
  • โ€œCapital Fโ€ Features: Following feedback from Matt, the team is identifying โ€œFeaturesโ€ (stable) versus โ€œExperimentsโ€ (testing). Image Editing is slated to be the first official โ€œFeatureโ€ elevated within the plugin.
  • Rebranding Discussion: With the mix of stable features and experiments, the name โ€œAI Experimentsโ€ may no longer fit. Early suggestions include WordPress AI, AI, or AI Labs.
  • Visual Assets: Discussions are ongoing regarding whether the pluginโ€™s callout on the Connectors page should align with the WordPress 7.0 โ€œAboutโ€ page design treatment to create a fluid user onboarding experience.

WordPress 7.0 Compatibility & Critical Fixes

A significant portion of the meeting addressed a โ€œfatal errorโ€ risk for users testing WordPress 7.0 with the current version of the AI Experiments plugin.

  • Fatal Error Alert: @jorgefilipecosta noted that the current plugin release crashes on WordPress 7.0 due to conflicts with the now-core AI Client.
  • Immediate Patching: @darinkotter confirmed the fix is already in develop. The team is working to push version 0.5 immediately to ensure that when the โ€œTry AIโ€ call-out appears in the next WordPress BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process., users land on a functional experience.
  • AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both โ€œdirect accessโ€ (i.e. unassisted) and โ€œindirect accessโ€ meaning compatibility with a personโ€™s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility): Several accessibility issues in GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses โ€˜blocksโ€™ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ related to AI features were identified. @jorgefilipecosta and @raftaar1191 are coordinating to ensure these are patched before the RC1 milestone.

Technical Updates: Core & MCP

  • Kill Switch (Trac 64706): @davidlevine presented a PR for a single switch to disable all LLM-related features in core, providing site owners with high-level control over AI functionality.
  • APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. Key Masking (Trac 64819): Progress continues on validating and masking API keys. While merged in Gutenberg, work remains to ensure it is properly backported to core.
  • MCP AdapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts.: @neillmcshea reported that the 0.5.0 release of the MCP (Model Context Protocol) adapter is currently in testing and awaiting final feedback.

WordCamp Asia Contributor Day

The team began surfacing needs for the AI table at WordCamp Asia.

  • Onboarding Materials: @raftaar1191 suggested a video overview or a โ€œTL;DRโ€ of the AI teamโ€™s progress over the last six months to help new contributors get up to speed.
  • Task Identification: @jeffpaul will work on identifying โ€œGood First Issuesโ€ across the PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php AI Client, WordPress Core, and the Experiments plugin to give new attendees clear entry points.
  • Pre-event Communication: The team discussed drafting a Make post or email for registered attendees to provide pre-contributor day โ€œhomeworkโ€ or context.

Next Steps

  • Release AI Experiments 0.5: @jeffpaul and @darinkotter to tag and release the compatibility fix to prevent fatal errors on WP 7.0.
  • Feature Graduation Docs: @jeffpaul to draft a PR outlining the conceptual requirements for an experiment to graduate to a โ€œFeature.โ€
  • Accessibility Patches: Review and merge accessibility fixes for the connectors interface.
  • WordCamp Asia Planning: @raftaar1191 to draft a welcome message/resource list for Contributor Day.

Upcoming Meetings

  • AI Team Chat (SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/): Thursday, 19 March 2026 at 17:00 UTC.
  • AI Contributor Meeting (Video): Wednesday, 18 March 2026 at 17:00 UTC.

Props to @jeffpaul for pre-publish review.

#core-ai, #meeting

neillmcshea 3:35 pm on 2 March 2026
Tags: , , meeting,   

AI Contributor Weekly Summary: 25 February 2026

The AI Contributor Group met on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 23:00 UTC. The meeting focused on the upcoming WordPress 7.0 BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 2 release, the development of the new Connector screen, and initial planning for WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what theyโ€™ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asiaโ€™s Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/.

๐Ÿš€ WordPress 7.0 & CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. AI Updates

Beta 2 and Abilities APIAbilities API A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system.

Beta 2 is on track for Feb 26th . The team discussed the status of several core tracks:

  • Nested Namespaces: These are now officially in Beta, resolving previous concerns about track thread inactivity.
  • Abilities on Hold: Work on new core abilities is currently paused as the team shifts focus toward the Connector screen and the AI client to meet RCRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. (Release CandidateRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge.) deadlines.
  • Timeline: While most priority items are on track for 7.0, deeper exploration of abilityAbility A registered, self-documenting unit of WordPress functionality that can be discovered and invoked through multiple contexts (REST API, Command Palette, MCP). Includes authorization and input/output specifications. shapes will likely resume after the current release cycle stabilizes.

The New Connector Screen

@jorgecosta provided a status update on the new UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think โ€˜how are they doing thatโ€™ and less about what they are doing. requested to simplify AI providerProvider An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI). connections:

  • Scope: The goal is a simplified interface to install and connect the three main providers (Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic/Claude) with a single button and an APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. key.
  • Experimental API: There is ongoing debate regarding how extensibleExtensible This is the ability to add additional functionality to the code. Plugins extend the WordPress core software. this screen should be. For Beta 2, the screen will likely include an experimental API allowing third-party providers to register their own connectors, preventing a fragmented settings experience across the ecosystem.
  • Review: The development is moving quickly in the Gutenberg repository. Contributors are encouraged to test against the latest trunk to ensure no fatal errors occur during provider instantiation.

๐Ÿงช AI Experiments PluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment. & Client

@dkotter raised concerns regarding the โ€œdouble testingโ€ currently required because the Experiments pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. often pulls in older versions of the AI client compared to what is now in Core.

  • Dependency Management: A new PR is up to update the Experiments plugin to the latest WordPress AI client. This serves as a โ€œstop-gapโ€ to maintain compatibility for users on WordPress 6.9 while preparing for 7.0 to become the new minimum version.
  • Image Editing: Current providers in the Experiments plugin do not yet support image editing. Upstream changes to the PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php AI client will be required to enable this โ€œimpressive featureโ€ target.
  • Backwards Compatibility: @jasonadams confirmed he is working on a core prompt function update to the AI client to ensure a graceful rollover to 7.0 without breaking existing third-party implementations.

๐Ÿ”— Model Context Protocol (MCP) Update

  • Progress: @neillmcshea noted that movement on MCP has been slow over the last three weeks due to contributor availability.
  • Milestones: Questions remain regarding the milestones for version 0.5.0. The team will continue to push for clarity on these open requests to ensure MCP remains a priority for upcoming sprints.

๐ŸŒ WordCamp Asia Contributor Day

The team began discussing logistics for the AI table at WordCamp Asia (April 9, 2026).

  • Task Identification: The group agreed that the priority should be defining actionable tasks (testing, handbook updates, and adapter development) rather than just badge distribution. @neillmcshea will create an async doc that we can use to begin planning for WC Asia
  • Handbook Updates: An action item was set to create a โ€œContributor Dayโ€ section in the handbook to empower new contributors to get started without high-touch onboarding.
  • Remote Support: @justlevine will provide remote comms support from SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ to assist @deepakgupta and others physically present at the table.

๐Ÿ“š Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

  • Glossary & Lexicon: A proposal is under review to standardize AI terminology within the WordPress ecosystem.
  • Knowledge Base: The team is moving toward a regular โ€œcall for experimentsโ€ to encourage community members to share what they are building with the new Core primitives.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Team Logistics & Availability

  • Contributor Time: @justlevine announced that starting March 1st, his sponsored contribution time will double from 5 to 10 hours per week.
  • Absences: @jasonadams will be largely unavailable during March due to travel and speaking engagements. @jorgecosta and @gziolo will be the primary points of contact for technical reviews during this period.

๐Ÿ“… Next Steps

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 23:00 UTC in the #core-ai Slack channel.

#check-in, #meeting, #summary

neillmcshea 9:09 pm on 18 February 2026
Tags: , , meeting,   

AI Contributor Weekly Summary โ€“ 18 February 2026

The AI Contributor group met on February 18, 2026, to discuss the upcoming WordPress 7.0 release, the evolution of the AI Client, and architectural decisions regarding Abilities.

WordPress 7.0 and the AI Client

The meeting opened with a heavy focus on the uncertainty surrounding the inclusion of the AI Client in WordPress 7.0. @isotropic shared insights from a recent conversation with @matt, noting a shift in focus toward how credentials and APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. keys are managed globally in WordPress, rather than just for AI.

  • Credential Management: There is interest from leadership in a unified โ€œConnectorsโ€ screen in coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. for various services (AI, Google Maps, etc.).
  • Release Timing: With the BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 1 deadline looming, the team expressed concern that there is insufficient time to implement a complex credential system. If clarity isnโ€™t reached immediately, the AI Client may be pushed to 7.1 or remain a canonical pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. for the time being.
  • Developer Impact: The team discussed the friction of making the AI Client a plugin dependency versus a core feature, noting that core inclusion is vital for widespread developer adoption and a seamless โ€œunder-the-hoodโ€ experience.

Abilities: Deciding on Nested Namespaces

A significant portion of the technical discussion centered on how Abilities (aka, tools that AI can call) should be named and registered (see #64596).

  • The Decision: The team reached a consensus to support nested namespaces (e.g., core/settings/get or core/post-type/update).
  • Rationale: @justlevine and @jorgefilipecosta argued that nesting is an existing WordPress pattern (similar to REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think โ€œphone appโ€ or โ€œwebsiteโ€) can communicate with the data store (think โ€œdatabaseโ€ or โ€œfile systemโ€) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/) and allows for better progressive disclosure and organization as the number of available abilities grows into the hundreds or thousands.
  • Path Forward: Existing single-level abilities (like get_settings) may be reverted or updated to follow the new nested convention to maintain consistency.

Experiments and MCP Updates

  • AI Experiments PluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment.: Version 0.3.1 was released today with a fix for image generation. Plans for 0.4.0 are underway, though some features (like DataViews) are on hold until the core AI Client direction is finalized.
  • Model Context Protocol (MCP): @neillmcshea will be diving back into MCP support next week to coordinate with ongoing PRs from the community.

Evolution of Bi-Weekly AI Team Chat (aka SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ Meeting)

The nature of the bi-weekly Thursday Slack meetings is shifting toward a more community-centric, interactive format. Moving away from rigid agendas, these sessions will now serve as an โ€œOffice Hoursโ€ and โ€œShow-and-Tellโ€ space.

The goal is to foster a dynamic environment where:

  • Community Experiments: Developers can highlight local experiments, like the recently mentioned โ€œAbilities Scoutโ€ or MCP integrations, to get immediate feedback.
  • Visual Demos: Contributors are encouraged to share videos or screenshots of AI implementations that might otherwise stay hidden on X (formerly Twitter) or private repositories.
  • Low-Barrier Entry: By removing the formal meeting structure, the group aims to make it easier for new contributors to join the conversation, ask questions, and understand the โ€œbuilding blocksโ€ of the project in real-time.

Upcoming Events: WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what theyโ€™ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia and Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/

The team is preparing for WordCamp Asia in March.

  • @raftaar1191 (in-person) and @justlevine (virtually) will lead AI table efforts.
  • The group aims to overhaul the AI Contributor Handbook by the end of March to provide a lower barrier to entry for new contributors.

Next Steps

  • Community Discussion: All contributors are encouraged to share their thoughts on the Merge Proposal for the AI Client to ensure diverse voices are heard by leadership.
  • Bi-Weekly Slack Meeting: Tomorrowโ€™s Slack chat will pivot toward an โ€œOffice Hoursโ€ format, focusing on community show-and-tell and engagement rather than a formal agenda.
  • Handbook Audit: Volunteers are needed to review and update specific sections of the AI handbook.

Upcoming meetings

Folks are welcome to join on Wednesdayโ€™s at 1700 UTC via Google Meet with in-meeting notes captured in a Slack Canvas and then paired with Gemini meeting notes to help generate this meeting summary post. All team meetings are published to https://make.wordpress.org/meetings/#ai.

  • The next bi-weekly AI Team Slack discussion is scheduled for 19 February 2026.
  • The next weekly AI Contributor weekly Google Meet video call is scheduled for 25 February 2026.

Props to @jeffpaul for pre-publish review.

#check-in, #core-ai, #meeting, #summary

neillmcshea 6:58 pm on 21 January 2026
Tags: , , meeting,   

Core-AI Contributor Check-in: October 29th, 2025

Editorโ€™s note (@jeffpaul): These notes were sitting in draft, and while dated do capture prior discussions, decisions, and other updates so Iโ€™m publishing this meeting summary (in a condensed format) for transparency purposes.

TLDR; The team met to review progress across the coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. AI initiatives, primarily focusing on the integration of the Abilities APIAbilities API A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system. into WordPress core, the immediate feature development for the AI Experiments pluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment., and the strategic prioritization of the WordPress AI client. Key updates included reaffirming the Abilities APIโ€™s presence in the WordPress 6.9 betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process., plans to ship an initial 0.1 version of the AI Experiments plugin with core functionality, and a concentrated effort to release a foundational version of the WordPress AI Client to unblock feature development.

Key Highlights

Abilities API in WordPress 6.9 Beta

The server-side Abilities API has successfully landed in the latest WordPress 6.9 Beta 2 release, with the teamโ€™s immediate focus shifting to encouraging extensive testing and iteration based on community feedback.

  • Development Homing: Future development and iteration of the APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. will happen within WordPress Core, and the original Abilities API repository is likely to be archived following the 6.9 release.
  • Client-Side Move: The JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a userโ€™s browser. https://www.javascript.com abilityAbility A registered, self-documenting unit of WordPress functionality that can be discovered and invoked through multiple contexts (REST API, Command Palette, MCP). Includes authorization and input/output specifications. registration (front-end component) did not make the core merge deadline and will be moved to the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses โ€˜blocksโ€™ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ repository. It will be released as a standalone NPM package to allow developers to easily incorporate it into their projects.

AI Experiments Plugin Progress

The pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. is moving past the scaffolding phase and is nearing its first feature release, which is expected to prompt broader community testing.

  • First Feature Release Target: The team plans to ship a 0.1.0 release once the admin settings screen PR and the first experimental feature, title generation, are merged.
  • Post-Release Testing: The 0.1.0 release will be accompanied by a call for testing to ensure the pluginโ€™s architecture is sound across varied WordPress environments before more experimental features are built.
  • Technical Cleanup: Verbose documentation PRs (some possibly AI-generated) were merged with a plan to simplify them later. GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the โ€˜pull requestโ€™ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ Actions for linting/coding standards and a playground link for PR testing were merged to streamline the development process.

WordPress AI Client Update

The team is focusing development resources on releasing the first version of the WordPress-specific client to support the new features being built.

  • PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php AI Client Release: Version 0.2.0 of the core PHP AI client was released about a week and a half ago, including various fixes and enhancements.
  • WP AI Client Focus: The priority is now a rapid release of the WordPress AI Client (WP AI client) to prevent it from blocking the AI Experiments plugin development.
  • Initial Feature Set (0.1.0): The proposed WP AI client 0.1.0 release will include the WordPress-specific Prompt Builder, the credentials management settings screen, and the WordPress HTTPHTTP HTTP is an acronym for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web and this protocol defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. client/transporter.
  • Server-Side Only MVPMinimum Viable Product "A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers, and to provide feedback for future product development." - WikiPedia: The initial WP AI client release will only support LLM querying on the server side. The REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think โ€œphone appโ€ or โ€œwebsiteโ€) can communicate with the data store (think โ€œdatabaseโ€ or โ€œfile systemโ€) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/ endpoint, which enables client-side querying, will be deferred to a subsequent release.

MCP AdapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. Milestones

Following a major refactor, the focus is on resolving immediate follow-up issues to unblock internal adoption.

  • Major Refactor Merged: The large Major Refactor PR was merged, moving the MCP Adapter into its 0.3.0 series.
  • Immediate Fixes: Small, subsequent PRs were opened to address remaining technical feedback, as the priority was to merge the large refactor and allow work on smaller, more manageable fixes.
  • Release Priority: The team plans to quickly review remaining issues and release version 0.3.0 immediately, as the older version (0.1.0) is now unusable due to changes in the shape of the abilities. The adapter is actively being used on internal Automattic projects, making a quick release essential.

#check-in, #core-ai, #meeting, #summary

neillmcshea 2:42 am on 25 October 2025
Tags: , , meeting,   

Core-AI Contributor Check-in โ€“ Oct 22nd, 2025

The CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. AI team celebrated a major milestone this week: the Abilities APIAbilities API A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system. successfully merged into the WordPress 6.9 BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. release. This achievement marks the culmination of intense, last-minute work, and the team recognized the extraordinary effort required to meet the core feature freeze deadline.

With the foundational server-side APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. now in core, the teamโ€™s focus is immediately shifting to the future, specifically managing the client-side (JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a userโ€™s browser. https://www.javascript.com) portion of the Abilities API and planning the next phases for the AI Experiments pluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment.. A major decision surfaced regarding the destination of the client-side code, with a consensus leaning toward moving it into the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses โ€˜blocksโ€™ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ repository to leverage existing infrastructure and streamline future development.

The team is also cleaning up post-merge tasks, including resolving follow-up issues in the MCP AdapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. and starting to define long-term maintenance and communication strategies for the new components now living in the WordPress core.

Key Highlights

๐Ÿš€ Abilities API Shipped in WordPress 6.9 Beta

The server-side implementation of the Abilities API has successfully landed in the core WordPress beta, marking the projectโ€™s most significant milestone to date.

  • Core Integration Complete: The underlying server-side code for registering and retrieving abilities is now part of the WordPress 6.9 beta.
  • Team Recognition: The team gave a huge shout-out to Greg Ziรณล‚kowski for his โ€œunyielding effortsโ€ in finalizing the merge before the code freeze deadline.
  • Post-Merge Cleanup: Several related issues and documentation tasks in the Abilities API repository are being closed or moved, as the source of truth for the API now resides in the core WordPress develop repository.

๐Ÿ’ป Client-Side Abilities and Future Development

The front-end portion of the Abilities API did not make the 6.9 beta deadline, prompting a major strategic discussion on its future home.

  • Client-Side Deferred: The JavaScript client-side code for abilities did not ship with 6.9, primarily due to the tight deadline and complexity, confirming that none of the client-side registration made it into the beta.
  • Strategic Move to Gutenberg: There is a strong consensus among the team and core contributorsCore Contributors Core contributors are those who have worked on a release of WordPress, by creating the functions or finding and patching bugs. These contributions are done through Trac. https://core.trac.wordpress.org to move the client-side code to the Gutenberg repository.
    • Reasoning: This location offers the best โ€œtesting groundโ€ and development environment, simplifying integration with the BlockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. Editor and command palette, and aligns with the strategy of centralizing JavaScript development.
  • Repo Fate: The long-term plan is to archive the original Abilities API repository once the feature stabilizes in core, officially making the WordPress develop repository the source of truth for the server-side API.
  • Maintaining Compatibility: The team will continue to explore methods (like Composer packages) to ship polyfills for WordPress 6.8 and older, ensuring continuity for developers who need to support previous versions.

๐Ÿงช AI Experiments Plugin Progress

Development is continuing on the pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. designed to host experimental AI features.

  • Unblocking Contributors: The team is focused on merging final scaffolding PRs to unblock more contributors who are eager to start building experimental features.
  • Design North Star: A preliminary design discussion considered using a card format for enabling/disabling features (similar to the Add Plugin screen) to provide a familiar user interface.
  • Prioritizing Credentials: The most immediate need is the basic service providerProvider An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI). settings screen to allow users to enter API credentials and start experimenting.
  • Design Contribution: Product design work and mockups are being pulled from Fueled resources to initiate discussions and provide a conceptual starting point, inviting broader community feedback on the Needs Design tasks.

๐Ÿ“ฆ PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php Client and MCP Adapter Milestones

Work is progressing on the core developer tools that power the AI features.

  • PHP AI Client (0.2) Released: The core PHP client SDK had its 0.2 version released.
  • Native API Support De-prioritized: Work to use native provider APIs (e.g., for Google Gemini) was deemed not urgent, as the current OpenAI-centric API format is sufficient for initial experimentation.
  • MCP Adapter Major Merge: The significant Major Refactor PR (#48) in the MCP Adapter has been merged, though the resulting codebase requires immediate follow-up testing and small fixes before it can be tagged as version 0.3.
  • MCP Follow-up: Ovidiu Galatan is currently tackling several small, technical follow-up issues stemming from the large merge, with a plan to prioritize and organize them for community pickup before he goes on vacation.

๐Ÿš€ Testing and Next Steps

The team emphasized the need for immediate, widespread testing to flush out bugs during the beta phase.

  • External Testing Commitment: David Levine plans to actively engage external parties, including the Elementor team, for migrationMigration Moving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies. and testing next week to provide a crucial influx of real-world feedback.
  • Real-World Validation: The successful independent integration of 11 abilities into the GatherPress plugin provides valuable evidence of the APIโ€™s immediate utility.
  • Process Documentation: The current process of moving features from a feature repository into core is noted as a necessary step, and the team plans to document this handover process to create a clear path for future feature incubation.

#check-in, #core-ai, #meeting, #summary

Jonathan Bossenger 9:46 am on 21 October 2025
Tags: , meeting,   

AI Chat Summary โ€“ 16 October 2025

Location: #core-ai Slack Channelย 

The bi-weekly CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. AI meeting was held on October 16th, 2025:

  • Abilities APIAbilities API A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system. Progress and Inclusion in WordPress 6.9
    • @isotropic and @jason_the_adams led a discussion focused on the urgent need to finalize the Abilities API for inclusion in the upcoming WordPress 6.9 betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. release, scheduled for the following week.
  • Abilities API HooksHooks In WordPress theme and development, hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and actions look the same. and Extensibility
    • @jason_the_adams raised a discussion around the hooks needed to maintain an Abilities API pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. that can provide more bleeding edge features between core releases. @justlevine and @jason_the_adams agreed the current MVPMinimum Viable Product "A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers, and to provide feedback for future product development." - WikiPedia hooks, like the *_args filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. and unshaped metaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress., should allow for experimentation and future improvements.
  • Abilities API Categories and Filtering
    • @isotropic discussed the need for robust filtering of abilities, particularly for AI agents, but the group concluded the current categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. and meta system provides sufficient flexibility for now, with the responsibility of filtering abilities falling more on systems like MCP AdapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. rather than the core Abilities API.
  • Abilities API and AI Experiments
    • @isotropic and @justlevine highlighted the need for abilities to support AI use cases, such as handling dates and inserting blocks, and encouraged @jmarx75 to create issues in the AI Experiments repo to propose new abilities. The group agreed these could start in experiments before potentially flowing into core.
  • Abilities API Documentation and Terminology
    • @karmatosed suggested adding a terms/glossary section to the Abilities API handbook to help provide clarity, and @justlevine referenced Tanstackโ€™s โ€œPhilosophyโ€ approach as a potential model for documenting the projectโ€™s beliefs and principles.

#core-ai, #meeting, #summary

neillmcshea 2:49 pm on 16 October 2025
Tags: , meeting,   

Core-AI Contributor Check-in โ€“ Oct 16th, 2025

This weekโ€™s meeting was characterized by an urgent focus on hitting the Friday milestone for the Abilities APIAbilities API A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system. to ensure inclusion in the upcoming WordPress 6.9 betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. release (scheduled for the following week). The team quickly made a decision to formally extend the internal milestone deadline to Friday to allow time for critical reviews and merges.

The discussion revolved around which in-progress features (like categories, coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. abilities, and filtering) could realistically be finalized without introducing complexity or technical debt. The team prioritized confirming that the core functionalityโ€”registering and retrieving abilitiesโ€”was done, while tabling or deferring more complex โ€œicing on the cakeโ€ features like filtering. Jason Adams was tasked with raising an immediate decision point to leadership on whether to pull an in-progress feature if it could not be finalized quickly.

Finally, the team received exciting external validation as Jeff Marx shared that he had successfully implemented 11 abilities using the Abilities API in the GatherPress pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party., demonstrating the APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.โ€™s readiness for real-world plugin development.

Key Highlights

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Abilities API Deadline and Scope

The team established a firm internal deadline to complete all necessary work for the Abilities API to make it into the core WordPress 6.9 beta.

  • Milestone Reset: The internal milestone deadline was formally moved from Thursday to Friday to allow critical work to be completed without unnecessary panic.
  • Core Deadline: The target for core integration is tied to the WordPress 6.9 Beta 1 release, which is scheduled for the beginning of the following week (the 21st).
  • Core Functionality Complete: The essential goal for 6.9โ€”the abilityAbility A registered, self-documenting unit of WordPress functionality that can be discovered and invoked through multiple contexts (REST API, Command Palette, MCP). Includes authorization and input/output specifications. to register and retrieve abilitiesโ€”is already complete.
  • Focus on Core, Defer โ€œIcingโ€: The team prioritized shipping the core API and deferring optional features like filtering to avoid introducing complexity or missing the deadline. Filtering was deemed non-essential, as developers can always retrieve all abilities and filterFilter Filters are one of the two types of Hooks https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output. them manually.
  • Urgent Decision Point (Cherry on the Cake):
    • An in-progress feature (the โ€œhalf cherry,โ€ likely a complex required field like categories) was noted as partially merged on the PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php side but lacking JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a userโ€™s browser. https://www.javascript.com/client-side completion.
    • Action: Jason Adams was tasked with getting an immediate decision from core leadership (James and Greg) by end of play the following day (Friday) on whether to pull the unfinished feature entirely or push for its completion by the new deadline.

Abilities API Core Features Status

The team reviewed the status of key features intended for the 6.9 core merge:

  • Categories (Grouping Mechanism):
    • Status: Work is in progress and is now required due to a prior decision.
    • Plan: Ovidiu Galatan committed to completing the implementation and aligning the MCP AdapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. with the required categories today, provided the filtering work is paused.
  • Core Abilities:
    • Status: A draft PR exists but is unlikely to be fully reviewed, approved, and merged in time.
    • Decision: The team decided to defer most initial built-in core abilities (excluding the ability fetching ability) for now to avoid slowing down the overall 6.9 timeline.
  • Filtering:
    • Status: Work is in progress but is highly complex.
    • Decision: The team agreed to pause/punt the formal filtering feature as it is not a blocker for using the Abilities API.

Client and Experiments Update

The focus shifts to completing client tools now that the Abilities API is nearing its core deadline.

  • PHP AI Client (0.2): Jason Adams is finalizing PRs to prepare for the 0.2 release of the PHP client.
    • New Feature: A preferred model feature is being added, allowing developers to provide a prioritized list of models, with the client automatically falling back to the next available model that fits the prompt criteria.
  • WordPress AI Client (0.1): Development will ramp up on the WordPress AI client wrapper (0.1 release) in the coming weeks, especially once Jason Adams shifts to full-time work on the project.
  • Experiments Plugin: Work is continuing on design mockups and product definition for future features (V2/V3). The pluginโ€™s release is not coupled to the WordPress 6.9 release, allowing the team to iterate on it until December 2nd and beyond.

External Validation and Testing

The project received positive external validation for the Abilities API.

  • GatherPress Integration: Jeff Marx reported successfully implementing 11 abilities in the GatherPress plugin over the weekend, demonstrating the APIโ€™s effectiveness for managing events and venues.
  • Actionable Feedback: David Levine offered to review Jeffโ€™s code and potentially create a demo video, ensuring the new code serves as valuable prior art for future API refinement before the 6.9 core deadline.

MCP Adapter Status

Focus is shifting back to the adapter now that Abilities API is nearing completion.

  • Major Refactor PR: The largest outstanding piece of work, Oviโ€™s Major Refactor PR, needs final review.
  • Next Steps: Ovi will align the adapterโ€™s code with the newly required categories from the Abilities API. Once this is done and reviews are complete, the team plans to merge the PR and bump the version to the next major iteration (e.g., 0.3) to move past this stalled point.
  • Issue Cleanup: The team closed an old, ambiguous issue related to version numbering (issue 40) to reduce confusion.

#core-ai, #meeting, #summary

neillmcshea 3:52 am on 9 October 2025
Tags: , meeting,   

Core-AI Contributor Check-in โ€“ Oct 8th, 2025

This weekโ€™s meeting focused on updating the team on various component progress, including the Abilities APIAbilities API A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system., AI Experiments pluginAI Experiments Plugin WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment., and PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php/WordPress AI Clients. A major announcement was the deployment of the MCP adapterMCP Adapter Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts. on WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/, marking a significant step in dogfooding the new technology.

The primary discussion points centered on scope and definitions for the Abilities API, particularly what constitutes a required vs. optional parameter, and how to define โ€œmetaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress..โ€ The team also had an in-depth conversation about the user experience for AI settings, specifically managing providerProvider An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI). credentials and feature toggles, acknowledging the high friction point this represents for users.

Key Highlights

Announcements & Overall Progress

  • MCP Adapter on WordPress.com: The MCP (Modular Capabilities Package) adapter has been deployedDeploy Launching code from a local development environment to the production web server, so that it's available to visitors. and is actively being used on WordPress.com, confirming its real-world application.
  • Roadmap Review: Tammie Lister proposed wrapping up the roadmap discussion issue to maintain flow and actionability.
  • Abilities Repo Health: The Abilities Repository has 11 PRs and 1 draft, with five issues in the current milestone, signaling good progress.
  • MCP Repo Structure: Neill McShea and David Levine have scheduled a meeting to clarify and structure the MCP repository information, allowing for more detailed updates in the future.

Abilities API & Scope Management

  • Categories Requirement: The team agreed that a grouping mechanism (like โ€œcategoriesโ€) needs to be a required parameter from the first iteration of the Abilities API.
    • Reasoning: This is crucial for future-proofing, ensuring order in a potential โ€œwild westโ€ of abilities, and allowing for filtering when there are thousands of tools in WordPress.
  • Meta vs. Root-Level Arguments: A long discussion was held to define a clear boundary for placing arguments in the meta object versus at the root level of an abilityAbility A registered, self-documenting unit of WordPress functionality that can be discovered and invoked through multiple contexts (REST API, Command Palette, MCP). Includes authorization and input/output specifications..
    • Proposed Definition: Root-level arguments should be for anything required to execute the action (e.g., input/output schema, callback functions). Meta should be for anything descriptive, optional, or speculative/experimental that is not required for execution (e.g., annotations, show in REST, show in MCP).
    • Action: Jason Adams will work on a clear, concrete definition to be documented.
  • Scope Concern: David Levine raised a concern about โ€œscope creepโ€ and โ€œshipping tech debt,โ€ urging the team to confirm that currently planned speculative features (like annotations) are truly necessary for the first release, given that CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. does not easily remove features once they ship.

AI Client Updates

  • PHP AI Client (0.2): Felix Arntz is prioritizing the release of a 0.2 version of the PHP AI Client, with most work already complete and just a few outstanding PRs.
  • WordPress AI Client (Wrapper): The team needs to make a decision on whether the client wrapper should adjust for WordPress coding standardsWordPress Coding Standards The Accessibility, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, etc. coding standards as published in the WordPress Coding Standards Handbook. May also refer to The collection of PHP_CodeSniffer rules (sniffs) used to format and validate PHP code developed for WordPress according to the PHP coding standards. (e.g., snake_case functions and returning WP_Error) instead of strictly adhering to PHPโ€™s best practices (camelCase functions and throwing exceptions).

AI Experiments Plugin

  • Issues and Mockups: Jeff Paul reported new issues opened, aligning with the roadmap, including the need to wrap up product definition and design mockups for future versions (V0.2 and V0.3).
  • Engineering Starts: Engineering work from the Fueled side is scheduled to begin within the next week or so.
  • Abilities Integration: The key question remains: which Abilities API features (those that will land in 6.9) will be exposed and built upon within the AI Experiments plugin?

Basic Admin Setting Screen UXUX UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think โ€˜what they are doingโ€™ and less about how they do it.

  • Two Settings Concerns: There are two main concerns for the settings screen: 1) Provider Credentials and 2) Feature Toggles (enabling/disabling specific AI experiments).
  • Centralized Provider Settings: The ideal approach is to have a single, central screen to configure one or more AI providers, which all AI plugins (both Core and third-party) could then leverage. This prevents users from having to enter the same credentials multiple times.
  • Component-Based UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think โ€˜how are they doing thatโ€™ and less about what they are doing.: The team discussed the need for reusable UI components that allow individual feature settings pages to either select a pre-configured provider or offer a graceful flow (e.g., a modal) to add a new one without forcing the user to bounce out to the main settings page.
  • Friction Point: Tammy Lister and Jeff Paul emphasized that provider setup is the highest friction point for user adoption, requiring an emphasis on clear, informative design, especially regarding token usage and potential costs.

#core-ai, #meeting, #summary