Dev Chat Agenda – August 18, 2026

The next WordPress Developers Chat will take place on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 15:00 UTC in the core channel on Make WordPress Slack.

The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.

The various curated agenda sections below refer to additional items. If you have ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda or bring them up during the dev chat.

Announcements 📢

Note: Dev Chat has been moved to Tuesdays at 15:00 UTC for the duration of the 7.1 release cycle.

7.1

  • 7.1 RC3 was released on August 12th.
  • The Accessibility Improvements dev notedev note Each important change in WordPress Core is documented in a developers note, (usually called dev note). Good dev notes generally include a description of the change, the decision that led to this change, and a description of how developers are supposed to work with that change. Dev notes are published on Make/Core blog during the beta phase of WordPress release cycle. Publishing dev notes is particularly important when plugin/theme authors and WordPress developers need to be aware of those changes.In general, all dev notes are compiled into a Field Guide at the beginning of the release candidate phase. was published.
  • 7.1 RC4 was released on August 17th.
  • WordPress 7.1 Field Guide
  • As of Aug 10th, 7.1 is branched. Committers: Trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. is open for 7.2 and the 7.1 branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch". requires double sign off.
  • Learn more about WordPress 7.1 Release Day Process.

7.2

General

Discussions 💬

The discussion section of the agenda is for discussing important topics affecting the upcoming release or larger initiatives that impact the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team. To nominate a topic for discussion, please leave a comment on this agenda with a summary of the topic, any relevant links that will help people get context for the discussion, and what kind of feedback you are looking for from others participating in the discussion.

Open floor  🎙️

Any topic can be raised for discussion in the comments, as well as requests for assistance on tickets. Tickets in the milestone for the next major or maintenance release will be prioritized.

Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and indicate whether you intend to be available during the meeting for discussion or will be async.

#7-1, #7-2, #agenda, #core, #dev-chat

WordPress 7.1 Release Day Process

Preparation for the WordPress 7.1 release is underway.

This post shares the release process, including the timeline and how you can help.

Release Timeline Overview

Extended Code Freeze

A mandatory code freeze will be in effect from August 17, 2026 at 14:00 UTC through the General Release on Wednesday, August 19. It begins one hour ahead of the RC4 release at 15:00 UTC, which is followed immediately by the Dry Run. Committing does not reopen once the Dry Run is complete. At the request of the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Committers, the freeze has been extended beyond the usual 24 hours, so everyone has time to verify the release in full before it ships.

What does this mean?

No source code for 7.1.0 (i.e., in the 7.1 branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch".) can be changed during the code freeze.

What happens if a critical bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. is reported during this period?

The release squad will meet with committers and maintainers to determine if the issue is a blockerblocker A bug which is so severe that it blocks a release..

  • If it is, another RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). release happens and the release process restarts,
    meaning the Dry Run repeats and the code freeze starts again.
  • If it is not, the bug is targeted for the 7.1.1 release.

The Release Party

The WordPress 7.1 release party will run in two parts.

Part one is scheduled on August 19, 2026 at 19:45 UTC in the #core Slack channel and covers the release process itself.

Part two will take place live on stage at 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 they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. US in Phoenix and will also be streamed. From August 19, 2026 at 23:10 UTC, WordPress 7.1 will be published from the event. The party in the #core Slack channel continues alongside it, where the remaining release tasks are completed.

The release party walks through the steps in the Major Version Release process if you want to follow along.

Please note: releasing a major version requires more time than releasing a 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. or release candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta).. There are more steps in the process. If any last-minute issues need addressing, those issues will take more time, as well.

How You Can Help

A key part of the release process is checking that the .zip packages work on all server configurations. If you have any less commonly used servers available for testing (IIS, in particular), that would be super helpful. Servers running older versions of PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher and MySQLMySQL MySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com will also need testing.

You can start this early by running the WordPress 7.1 RC packages, which are built using the same method as the final packages.

During the release party, you will be instructed on several ways to help test the release package.

Tips on What to Test

In particular, testing the following types of installs and updates would be much appreciated:

  • Does a new WordPress install work correctly? This includes running through the manual install process, as well as WP-CLIWP-CLI WP-CLI is the Command Line Interface for WordPress, used to do administrative and development tasks in a programmatic way. The project page is http://wp-cli.org/ https://make.wordpress.org/cli/ or one-click installers.
  • Test upgrading from various versions.
  • Remove the wp-config.php file and test a fresh install.
  • Test single site and multisitemultisite Used to describe a WordPress installation with a network of multiple blogs, grouped by sites. This installation type has shared users tables, and creates separate database tables for each blog (wp_posts becomes wp_0_posts). See also network, blog, site/networknetwork (versus site, blog) (both subdirectory and subdomain) installations.
  • Does it upgrade correctly? Are the files listed in $_old_files removed when you upgrade?
  • Does multisite upgrade properly?

Testing the following user flows on both desktop and mobile would be great to validate each function as expected:

  • Publish a post, including a variety of different blocks.
  • Comment on the post.
  • Install a new 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./theme, or upgrade an existing one.
  • Change the site language.
  • If you’re a plugin developer, or if there are complex plugins you depend upon, test that they’re working correctly.

For a more in-depth list of what features to test, make sure to check the Help Test WordPress 7.1

Props to @amykamala, @benjamin_zekavica, @westonruter, @joedolson and @wildworks for help reviewing to this post. 

#7-1, #development, #dry-run, #releases

WordPress 7.1 Release Candidate 4

The fourth Release Candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). (“RC4”) for WordPress 7.1 is ready for download and testing!

This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC4 on a test server and site.

Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for release, testing remains crucial to ensure that everything in WordPress 7.1 is the best it can be.

You can test WordPress 7.1 RC4 in four ways:

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.Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edgebleeding edge The latest revision of the software, generally in development and often unstable. Also known as trunk.” channel and “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./RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). Only” stream).
Direct DownloadDownload the RC4 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.
Command LineUse the following WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.1-RC4
WordPress PlaygroundUse the 7.1 RC4 WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser without the need for a separate site or setup.

The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.1 is August 19, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible.

Please continue checking the Make WordPress Core blog for 7.1-related posts for more updates and information.

What’s in WordPress 7.1 RC4?

WordPress 7.1 RC4 contains more than 26 updates and fixes since the RC3 release, including 8 in the Editor and 18 in CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress..

Want to look deeper into the details and technical notes for this release? Take a look at the WordPress 7.1 Field Guide. For technical information related to issues addressed since WordPress 7.1 RC1 release, you can browse the following links:

How you can contribute

WordPress is 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. software made possible by a passionate community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help the world’s most popular open source web platform, regardless of your technical expertise.

Get involved in testing

Testing for issues is crucial to the development of any software. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute. 

Your help testing the WordPress 7.1 RC4 version is key to ensuring that the final release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This detailed guide will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.1.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. report.  You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs

Curious about testing releases in general?  Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Update your theme or plugin

For plugin and theme authors, your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for all users.

Thanks for continuing to test your themes and plugins with the WordPress 7.1 beta releases. If you haven’t yet, make sure to conclude your testing and update the “Tested up to” version in your plugin’s readme file to 7.1

If you find compatibility issues, please post detailed information to the support forum.

Test on your hosting platforms

Web hosts provide vital infrastructure for supporting WordPress and its users. Testing on hosting systems helps inform the development process while ensuring that WordPress and hosting platforms are fully compatible, free of errors, optimized for the best possible user experience, and that updates roll out to customer sites without issue.

Want to test WordPress on your hosting system? Get started with configuring distributed hosting tests here

Help translate WordPress

Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Русский? 日本語? हिन्दी? বাংলা? मराठी? ಕನ್ನಡ?  You can help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages. This release milestone (RC4) also marks the hard string freeze point of the 7.1 release cycle.

An RC4 haiku

The code goes quiet,
we run it through once for real—
Phoenix waits ahead.

Props to @amykamala, @krupajnanda, @wildworks and @annezazu for proofreading and review.

#7-1, #development, #release

WordPress Contributor Toolkit 1.0: A smoother workflow for your first Core contribution

First introduced in April as the WordPress Core Dev Environment Toolkit, the WordPress Contributor Toolkit is an experimental desktop app that guides first-time contributors through setting up a full wordpress-develop environment. GitGit Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Git is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance. Most modern plugin and theme development is being done with this version control system. https://git-scm.com/, Node.js, and npm are still involved under the hood, but the app provides and runs them for you. You do not have to install Git, Node.js, npm, or Docker on your machine.

WordPress Contributor Toolkit 1.0 is now available for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon) and Linux.

The first releases concentrated on getting a newcomer from a fresh computer to a running WordPress development siteDevelopment Site You can keep a copy of your live site in a separate environment. Maintaining a development site is a good practice that can let you make any changes and test them without affecting the live/production environment.. Version 1.0 carries that work through the contribution itself: link a TRACTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. and see its details, pull requests, and patches; apply existing work and test it on the running site; create a diff or open a pull request directly from the app; and keep that first site current with the latest trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision., fetching only what changed instead of repeating a full clone and install.

A first CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. contribution, from start to finish

Here is what the workflow looks like now.

1. Create the development environment

Click Create WordPress Core site and choose a folder. The app clones wordpress-develop, installs the dependencies, and runs the first build as one continuous setup. When setup finishes, click Start dev server and finish the wizard to complete the WordPress installation wizard that opens in your browser, and you are ready to start contributing.

The interface draws attention to the next action with a yellow outline, and completed actions produce an accessible confirmation.

The setup wizard running the initial setup as one chain

2. Link the site to a Trac ticket

You can link a Trac ticket when creating the site or at any time afterwards. Enter its ticket number or paste its Core Trac URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org to bring its details, related pull requests, and attached patches into the Toolkit.

The app reads the ticket’s details: summary, status and resolution, type, milestone, component, keywords, and age. These details help you understand the ticket before you start working: how long ago it was opened, whether it is still open or has already been resolved, and which part of WordPress Core it belongs to.

If you do not have a ticket yet, the app links to the good first bugs report on Trac.

3. Check the work that already exists

A linked ticket shows the work that already exists:

  • Pull requests on WordPress/wordpress-develop that reference the ticket, including their open, closed, or merged state.
  • Patchpatch A special text file that describes changes to code, by identifying the files and lines which are added, removed, and altered. It may also be referred to as a diff. A patch can be applied to a codebase for testing. files attached directly to Trac.

The newest work is marked Latest, based on the date of the newest commit. You can preview and apply a pull request or Trac patch from the same screen.

A linked Trac ticket with its details and related pull requests

4. Apply and test an existing patch

Before applying a patch or a PR, the Toolkit previews the files a patch will touch, warns about collisions with your edits, identifies binary files it cannot apply, and checks whether a dependency install will be needed. “Apply and rebuild” then adds the changes and runs any required install or rebuild steps.

If a patch cannot be applied, the app leaves the checkout unchanged and explains what failed so you can decide what to do next.

Applied work keeps the patch or pull request’s identity attached to it. You can make your own changes on top and later remove that layer, but the app will not let you submit somebody else’s patch as if you wrote it.

Previewing a patch before applying it

5. Edit and debug the change

The site can be opened in a detected editor, another application of your choice, or the system file manager. The build watcher now has its own control, status, and log. Starting the development server starts the watcher too, but stopping the server leaves compile-on-save running if you still need it.

The Toolkit also exposes the parts of a development environment that are useful in Core testing and development:

  • A direct link to wp-admin beside the site URL.
  • A live debug.log tab with PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher notices, warnings, deprecations, stack traces, and fatal errors.
  • An embedded terminal for the supported install, build, test, watch, and Grunt commands, using the Node.js runtime bundled with the app.
  • Adminer for inspecting the site’s SQLite database while the development server is running.

The development server can remain up while a patch is applied or trunk is updated. The app pauses and resumes the build watcher only when an operation needs exclusive access to the build or dependencies.

6. Review and send the contribution

Click Review & submit changes to inspect the complete diff, then choose who will send it:

  • Open a 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 ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ pull request. The app uses GitHub’s device sign-in, creates the fork, commit, and pull request through 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., and forgets the token when the app quits. No push credential is written to disk. The pull request form asks for a title and optional notes for reviewers: what the change does and why, how to see it working, and anything you are unsure about. The app adds the Trac ticket and your 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/ username to the description, then points you back to Trac because Core pull requests are not monitored on GitHub alone.
  • Attach a patch to Trac. The app saves the patch locally and opens the attachment page for the site’s linked ticket. From there, you’ll need to sign in and upload the saved file to the TRAC ticket yourself.
  • Hand the patch to a mentor. This path needs no GitHub or Trac account. The saved patch carries the contributor’s WordPress.org handle, event, ticket, base revision, and date so the authorship can follow the work when a mentor submits it.

The diff comes first on this screen. The destinations sit beside it, grouped by whether you or a mentor will do the sending.

The submission destinations for opening a GitHub pull request, attaching a patch to Trac, or handing the patch to a mentor

One site can hold work for many tickets

Creating a site is the expensive part: cloning wordpress-develop, installing its dependencies, and running the first build. Starting another ticket should not repeat all of that.

In 1.0, every linked ticket gets its own branch inside the site. Unlinking a ticket parks its changes, and linking another swaps the files in seconds. The site shows the tickets that have work stored in it, so returning to one does not depend on remembering its number. Each ticket contains only that ticket’s changes.

Keep the environment without keeping an old copy of trunk

A site no longer has to stay on the snapshot of trunk it cloned. Update to latest trunk fetches current Core code, installs dependencies only if they changed, and rebuilds the site. Sites more than 14 days old show a warning that patches created from them may no longer apply cleanly.

The Toolkit uses its own built-in Git implementation, so Git does not need to be installed on your computer. To keep the initial download small, it creates a depth-one shallow clone. If you do have Git installed and run it inside the site folder, history-based commands will be limited: git log sees only the current snapshot, while git blame and git bisect cannot work normally.

Updating trunk does not silently rebase ticket work. The app parks the active ticket, updates the site, and returns to it on its original base. If trunk has moved since that ticket started, the Toolkit says so and explains the safe path to recreate the ticket on a fresh base.

The three-step progress panel for updating a site to the latest trunk

Made for Contributor Days

Version 1.0 is available just in time for WordCamp US Contributor Day on August 16. If you are a first-time contributor planning to work with the Core team, the Test team, or another 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://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ team working in wordpress-develop, download the app and create your first site before Sunday if you can. The Toolkit can help you find the pull requests and patches linked to a ticket, apply them, and test the result on a running site, even if you are not writing the fix yourself. The installer is self-contained, but the initial clone and dependency installation still need an internet connection and some time.

For Contributor Day facilitators, the Toolkit is a simpler way to introduce people to Core contributions without spending the session on environment setup. Newcomers and testers can get straight to a ticket, try existing work, and contribute feedback with experienced contributors nearby.

Downloads are available for:

  • macOS on Apple Silicon
  • Windows x64
  • Linux x64 as an AppImage

Download WordPress Contributor Toolkit 1.0, then follow the getting started guide for installation and a first contribution walkthrough.

Your feedback shapes the next update

The app has no telemetry. Bug reports, release downloads, and direct feedback are the only signals about where it helps and where contributors still get stuck.

You can share feedback through this form, open an issue in the repository, use the feedback button in the app, comment on this post, or pingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” @JuanMa in the #core channel on WordPress Slack.

Feedback from 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 they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Contributor Days is particularly helpful, especially on whether the Toolkit enabled you to complete a contribution independently, where you still needed a facilitator, and what could have made the process easier.

Resources

Props to @greenshady,@bph and @softglaze for review and feedback

Accessibility Improvements in WordPress 7.1

WordPress 7.1 continues to polish 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 “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) across WordPress CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. and 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 ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/, advancing the goals to meet accessibility standards. In this release, high-impact changes include the new accessible tooltips 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., improved predictability for screen readers, and improved labeling in many places in the adminadmin (and super admin). The editor ships with new Tab and Playlist blocks and extensive improvements to editor navigation and interaction.

Core

Enhancements to WordPress core include 44 accessibility enhancements and bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. fixes. Major changes include enhancements to focus states, improvements to screen reader support in post list tables, and the introduction of a tooltip mechanism for exposing accessible names in WordPress core.

Media

WordPress 7.1 delivers an enhanced media experience including refined labels for caption fields to provide clearer usage guidance (#43178). Navigation within theme and media modals was adjusted to prevent single-key arrow interactions from conflicting with screen reader patterns (#63760). Technical fixes address duplicate ID elements in figcaption elements when reusing images (#65315) and ensure accurate visible labeling for untitled items in the grid view (#65438). In the image editor, the width input label was corrected (#65685). Improvements to the Media grid include resolving unlabeled date filters (#65711), styling fixes for bulk editing toolbars (#65732), and ensuring focus indicators remain fully visible (#65755).

Classic Editor

The editing environment is landing with architectural improvements, such as support for invoker command attributes in KSES (#64576) and the autofocus attribute for dialog elements (#65491). Classic editor users will benefit from layout enhancements to the Publish box visibility controls (#65530) and status dropdown menus (#65532).

List Tables

List table structures were updated to identify the post title cell as the row headerHeader The header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. instead of the selection checkboxes (#32892, #65743). To assist blind users, subpages in page lists now include proper structural indicators (#64932), while untitled posts can display an excerptExcerpt An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox. of the content in post lists (#65022).

Labeling and Accessible Names

Work continues on semantic clarity, addressing missing plural forms for specific strings (#29299) and adding necessary visible text to responsive preview icons in the CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. (#36447). Core now includes a standardized mechanism for accessible tooltips (#51006), which has been applied to metaboxMetabox A post metabox is a draggable box shown on the post editing screen. Its purpose is to allow the user to select or enter information in addition to the main post content. This information should be related to the post in some way. order buttons (#50921) and the “Remember Me” login option (#55343).

Users

The user management flow was improved with better guidance during user deletion (#56914) and clearer identification of links on the login page (#65075). The language switcher now consistently employs visible labels and icons (#65464), and the “Add User” screen no longer forces initial focus onto the password field (#65630).

Administration

Administrative improvements focus on high contrast and consistency. Contrast in admin color schemes was boosted for sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. compatibility 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 (#65382), and active states for buttons and tabs are now properly identified in Windows High Contrast Mode (#65153, #65419). UIUI User interface inconsistencies during tagtag A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) management (#63372), Quick Draft error handling (#64952), and Settings API section titles (#65027) have been resolved. Further enhancements include toolbar visibility in the Site Editor (#65091), standardized focus indicators of at least 2 CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets. pixels (#65645), and labeling improvements for data export requests (#65246).

Focus states on the admin bar and the admin menu have been improved (#65765, #65726), enhancing the usability of the now-universal toolbar. Mouse cursor interaction inconsistencies when the admin menu is collapsed have been fixed (#65250). Route-based admin pages now all render appropriate feedback when 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 user’s browser. https://www.javascript.com rendering is not available or fails (#65690).

The theme browser now has consistent navigation behavior when navigating from the first theme (#65715), and the scrollbar is no longer partially hidden in 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. installer modal (#65334). When performing setup or installation, the language of the page is made available (#65454).

Front-end

On the front end, password-protected content receives styling and usability upgrades (#64569). The RSS widgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. was updated to prevent accessibility issues when multiple instances are present (#47670), and the comment reply link no longer triggers unexpectedly on touch interactions (#46713).

Editor

The editor includes 43 accessibility enhancements and bug fixes covering screen reader, forced colors, and keyboard navigation improvements, as well as shipping two new front-end blocks for post content. The editor changes in 7.1 greatly improve consistency on a number of fundamental components that should lead to a better experience for all.

Editing Experience

Refinements to the editing interface include fixing keyboard activation for template action previews (#78641) and resolving focus loss issues when dismissing the pattern creation dialog (#78957). Localized aria-live regions were replaced with the more robust speak() function to improve auditory feedback (#79600). The DataForm panel layout now correctly exposes accessible names via tooltips on edit buttons (#77024), and tooltips now also display keyboard shortcuts for block movement (#76992). 

Visual and interaction fixes address cursor instability in the color picker (#80205) and prevent layout shifts by relocating contrast warnings within the color popover (#79512). Advanced contrast checking now extends to viewport and pseudo-states (#80223), while note selections are now preserved across browser tab transitions (#75955).

Additional refinements include adding word-break support to screen reader classes (#75539) to prevent inconsistencies, and an error in spoken messages announced during block insertion was fixed (#79004).

Blocks

Block-level improvements focus on semantic accuracy and control. The Breadcrumbs block now hides decorative separators from assistive technologyAssistive technology Assistive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology (#78524), while the icon browser provides full labels for better identification (#80256). The Image block introduces a dedicated toggle for marking media as decorative (#78064), and the Cover block gains attributes to restrict video providers, helping prevent inaccessible embeds (#80092). 

In Accordion blocks, navigation shortcuts using arrows and the “home” and “end” keys were removed (#75891) due to conflicting behaviors, and a focus loss in settings was fixed in the Stretchy Text block (#75092).

Admin Screens

Updates to admin screens emphasize readability and standard compliance. Centered text is removed from Connectors to improve scanning (#78125), and Page component headers are promoted to h1 by default to align with core semantic structures (#77617). Focus issues in the Font Library (#78671) and labeling mismatches in the NavigableRegion (#75899) have been addressed.

Admin Components

The component library received numerous technical fixes. Focus traps broken by specific display properties were resolved (#77381), and invalidinvalid A resolution on the bug tracker (and generally common in software development, sometimes also notabug) that indicates the ticket is not a bug, is a support request, or is generally invalid. object-based labels in ValidatedRangeControl were corrected (#77042). Help text associations were improved for ComboboxControl (#76761) and ToggleGroupControl (#76740). RadioControl fieldsets now properly employ the radiogroup role (#76745).

For users in High Contrast mode, focus rings are now consistently rendered on Tab panels and CollapsibleCard headers (#77469, #77468). 

Button states were also refined, addressing focusable defaults when disabled (#78526), loading indicator visibility in forced colors (#78820), and click feedback styling (#76833). Furthermore, label associations in ContentEditableControl were fixed (#80344), Dialog components now prioritize focusing content over the close button (#76910), and screen reader text for DataForm card toggles was standardized (#76039).

Visual RevisionsRevisions The WordPress revisions system stores a record of each saved draft or published update. The revision system allows you to see what changes were made in each revision by dragging a slider (or using the Next/Previous buttons). The display indicates what has changed in each revision.

The Visual Revisions experience received significant updates. Contrast for difference position marker stripes was increased (#78473), and title attributes were replaced with aria-describedby for better annotation support (#80440). The timeline now includes specific labels for autosaves (#79950). Navigation was improved by auto-focusing the revisions slider (#79691) when the editor is activated.

Non-color indicators were added using CSS outlines as secondary indicators for document changes (#78393), and proper pluralization for revision count labels (#78382) was added. The Post Summary sidebar now includes an aria-label for the revisions trigger (#78140) to provide better context for screen reader users.

New blocks

WordPress introduces new interactive elements, including a Playlist Block (#80203) and a Tabs Block (#80163). Both blocks have been tested for accessibility concerns, although feedback is always welcome.

Known Accessibility Regressionregression A software bug that breaks or degrades something that previously worked. Regressions are often treated as critical bugs or blockers. Recent regressions may be given higher priorities. A "3.6 regression" would be a bug in 3.6 that worked as intended in 3.5.

In WordPress 7.1, the default behavior of the media library is being changed from including a load more button to having infinite scroll, a known inaccessible pattern. 

To compensate for this, there is an option in the User Profile allowing individual users to turn it off. You can also use the existing filter media_library_infinite_scrolling to disable it by default, returning the value false.

A feature has been added in the WP Accessibility plugin that inverts the logic, switching the default value to ‘false’ and altering the User Profile option to allow users to turn it on.

You can also try the Gutenberg Experiment to replace the media library. This feature is still in development, and has not had a full accessibility review. The infinite scroll in the updated media library will be governed by an in-modal toggle, and is not currently enabled.

There is also work continuing to try to add a similar toggle to the existing media library in #65775. That work is progressing, but the implementation did not reach consensus in time to land in WordPress 7.1

Reviewed by @annezazu, @amykamala, @sabernhardt

#7-1, #accessibility, #dev-notes, #dev-notes-7-1

WordPress 7.2 Call for Volunteers

Planning is underway for WordPress 7.2!  This post outlines the proposed schedule along with a call for volunteers to support the release process.

Following the typical cadence, the proposed final release date for 7.2 is Wednesday, December 9, 2026.  This proposed timeline remains flexible for the resulting Release Squad and adjustments can be made if necessary as they determine what timeline works best for their schedule as well as adjustments in coordination with State of the WordState of the Word This is the annual report given by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress at WordCamp US. It looks at what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and the future of WordPress. https://wordpress.tv/tag/state-of-the-word/..

Proposed Schedule

MilestoneDate
Alpha BeginsImmediately (7.2-alpha began in trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. on August 10th with [63167])
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. 1October 20-22
Beta 2October 27-29
Beta 3November 3-5
Beta 4November 10-12
Release Candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). 1November 17-19
Release Candidate 2November 24-26
Release Candidate 3December 1-3
Dry RunDecember 7-9
Final ReleaseDecember 8-10

As always, all dates are subject to change based on development progress.


Call for Volunteers

Each WordPress release depends on contributors from across the project coming together to make it a success. 

As with the 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 7.0, and 7.1 release cycles, WordPress 7.2 will continue the approach of forming a smaller, focused Release Squad based on feedback received.  This streamlined structure places more emphasis on collaboration with the various Make Team Reps, who are encouraged to help coordinate efforts from within their respective teams.  The goals are to reduce the overhead on the Release Squad while still ensuring each team’s contributions and priorities are represented throughout the cycle, and to reduce overlap between a Make Team RepTeam Rep A Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. and that team’s Release Squad Leads.  Noteworthy Contributors will be captured from Team Reps towards the end of the release cycle.

While the end goal is to publish the final release of WordPress 7.2 at State of the Word (aka SotW), traveling to or attending SotW is not a requirement to serve on the release squad.  All communication related to the release process will continue to take place in the #core 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/ channel.

If you are interested in helping lead WordPress 7.2 in one of the following roles, please comment below or reach out in the #7-2-release-leads Slack channel:

  • Release LeadRelease Lead The community member ultimately responsible for the Release. – sets overall goals, makes final decisions on merging, gives final reviews where needed
  • Release Coordination – helps manage timelines, cross-team collaboration, and status updates
  • Tech Leads – oversees coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. development (including 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 ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/), triagetriage The act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors., and critical issues
  • Triage Lead – help monitor issues, shepherd patches, and guide contributors
  • Test Lead – coordinates testing efforts across the community and test reports

Whether you have led a release before or are looking to get involved for the first time, there are many ways to contribute.  Volunteers of all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome!

If you are interested in volunteering, please leave a comment below noting your preferred area(s) by Friday, August 28th. @4thhubbard (or a designee), will review the nominations shortly after to confirm and announce the release squad as soon as possible.

Together we can make WordPress 7.2 the best one yet!

Props to @4thhubbard @annezazu @jorbin @desrosj for reviewing this post.

#7-2

WordPress 7.1 Release Candidate 3

Note: This post has been published on Make/CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. in light of the WordPress 7.0.4 security release. You can read more about the security release.
WordPress 7.1 RC2 was released on August 6, 2026, as part of the WordPress 7.0.3 security release.

The third Release Candidaterelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). (“RC3”) for WordPress 7.1 is ready for download and testing!

This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it’s recommended that you evaluate RC3 on a test server and site.

Reaching this phase of the release cycle is an important milestone. While release candidates are considered ready for release, testing remains crucial to ensure that everything in WordPress 7.1 is the best it can be.

You can test WordPress 7.1 RC3 in four ways:

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.Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin on a WordPress install. (Select the “Bleeding edgebleeding edge The latest revision of the software, generally in development and often unstable. Also known as trunk.” channel and “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./RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). Only” stream).
Direct DownloadDownload the RC3 version (zip) and install it on a WordPress website.
Command LineUse the following WP-CLI command: wp core update --version=7.1-RC3
WordPress PlaygroundUse the 7.1 RC3 WordPress Playground instance to test the software directly in your browser without the need for a separate site or setup.

The scheduled final release date for WordPress 7.1 is August 19, 2026. The full release schedule can be found here. Your help testing RC versions is vital to making this release as stable and powerful as possible.

Please continue checking the Make WordPress Core blog for 7.1-related posts for more updates and information.

What’s in WordPress 7.1 RC3?

WordPress 7.1 RC3 contains more than 90 updates and fixes since the RC1 release, including 37 in the Editor and 57 in Core.

Want to look deeper into the details and technical notes for this release? Take a look at the WordPress 7.1 Field Guide. For technical information related to issues addressed since WordPress 7.1 RC1 release, you can browse the following links:

How you can contribute

WordPress is 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. software made possible by a passionate community of people collaborating on and contributing to its development. The resources below outline various ways you can help the world’s most popular open source web platform, regardless of your technical expertise.

Get involved in testing

Testing for issues is crucial to the development of any software. It’s also a meaningful way for anyone to contribute. 

Your help testing the WordPress 7.1 RC3 version is key to ensuring that the final release is the best it can be. While testing the upgrade process is essential, trying out new features is equally important. This detailed guide will walk you through testing features in WordPress 7.1.

If you encounter an issue, please report it to the Alpha/Beta area of the support forums or directly to WordPress Trac if you are comfortable writing a reproducible bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. report.  You can also check your issue against a list of known bugs

Curious about testing releases in general?  Follow along with the testing initiatives in Make Core and join the #core-test channel on Making WordPress Slack.

Update your theme or plugin

For plugin and theme authors, your products play an integral role in extending the functionality and value of WordPress for all users.

Thanks for continuing to test your themes and plugins with the WordPress 7.1 beta releases. If you haven’t yet, make sure to conclude your testing and update the “Tested up to” version in your plugin’s readme file to 7.1

If you find compatibility issues, please post detailed information to the support forum.

Test on your hosting platforms

Web hosts provide vital infrastructure for supporting WordPress and its users. Testing on hosting systems helps inform the development process while ensuring that WordPress and hosting platforms are fully compatible, free of errors, optimized for the best possible user experience, and that updates roll out to customer sites without issue.

Want to test WordPress on your hosting system? Get started with configuring distributed hosting tests here

Help translate WordPress

Do you speak a language other than English? ¿Español? Français? Русский? 日本語? हिन्दी? বাংলা? मराठी? ಕನ್ನಡ?  You can help translate WordPress into more than 100 languages. This release milestone (RC3) also marks the hard string freeze point of the 7.1 release cycle.

An RC3 haiku

Small cracks catch the light,
We polish, not propose—
Almost ready now.

Props to @benjamin_zekavica, @amykamala, @wildworks and @annezazu for proofreading and review.

#7-1, #development, #release

Performance Chat Summary: 11 August 2026

The full chat log is available beginning here on Slack.

WordPress Performance TracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. tickets

  • @b1ink0 asked whether there was anything the team would like to focus on for the WordPress 7.2 release, referencing the performance-focused Core Trac tickets.
    • @westonruter said he would love to get script/style concatenation ripped out in favor of using preloads, which would be a big improvement to CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., especially from a tech debt perspective.

Performance Lab 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 other performance plugins)

  • @westonruter shared that he pushed out a security fix for Optimization Detective the previous week. That process brought to light a deficiency in the deployDeploy Launching code from a local development environment to the production web server, so that it's available to visitors. script where it could inadvertently try to publish a release for an older version, so he opened PR #2620.

Open Floor

Our next chat will be held on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 16:00 UTC in the #core-performance channel in Slack.

#core-performance, #hosting, #performance, #performance-chat, #summary

Dev Chat Agenda – August 11, 2026

The next WordPress Developers Chat will take place on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 15:00 UTC in the core channel on Make WordPress Slack.

The live meeting will focus on the discussion for upcoming releases, and have an open floor section.

The various curated agenda sections below refer to additional items. If you have ticketticket Created for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. requests for help, please continue to post details in the comments section at the end of this agenda or bring them up during the dev chat.

Announcements 📢

Note: Dev Chat has been moved to Tuesdays at 15:00 UTC for the duration of the 7.1 release cycle.

7.1

  • 7.1 RC1 was released Wed August 5th.
  • A silent RC2 security release was released on August 6th.
  • RC3 scheduled for Wednesday, August 12th.
  • WordPress 7.1 Field Guide
  • 7.1 Release Candidate phase
  • As of Aug 10th, 7.1 is branched. Committers: Trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision. is open for 7.2 and the 7.1 branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch". requires double sign off.

    General

    Discussions 💬

    The discussion section of the agenda is for discussing important topics affecting the upcoming release or larger initiatives that impact the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team. To nominate a topic for discussion, please leave a comment on this agenda with a summary of the topic, any relevant links that will help people get context for the discussion, and what kind of feedback you are looking for from others participating in the discussion.

    Open floor  🎙️

    Any topic can be raised for discussion in the comments, as well as requests for assistance on tickets. Tickets in the milestone for the next major or maintenance release will be prioritized.

    Please include details of tickets / PRs and the links in the comments, and indicate whether you intend to be available during the meeting for discussion or will be async.

    #7-1, #agenda, #core, #dev-chat

    What’s new in Gutenberg 23.7? (05 August)

    “What’s new 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 ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/…” posts (labeled with the #gutenberg-new tag) are posted following every Gutenberg release on a biweekly basis, showcasing new features included in each release. As a reminder, here’s an overview of different ways to keep up with Gutenberg and the Editor.

    What’s New In
    Gutenberg 23.7?

    Gutenberg 23.7 has been released and is available for download!

    Version 23.7 includes many improvements over features added with 23.6, with updates to 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, the new Gallery block’s dynamic mode, user control to enable the Global Styles inheritance UIUI User interface, and a series of smaller visible editor layout fixes.

    Various editor improvements

    Much of the 23.7 cycle has been focused on smaller visual editor improvements. Floated blocks no longer overlap sticky blocks, the empty block appender now sits in the right place inside blocks that capture their own toolbars, and the Pullquote block finally honors a custom line height in the editor so it matches the front end. Fixed device preview heights are also restored for the mobile and tablet views.

    Gallery block dynamic mode improvements

    The new Gallery block dynamic mode that shipped in Gutenberg 23.6 had an ambiguous “Convert to images” toolbar button that didn’t describe what it actually did. That button has been renamed to “Detach”, and a modal appears to better explain to the user what happens when detaching images

    Other Notable Highlights

    • Global Styles inheritance UI. This experimental feature is now opt-in, and is enabled from the Gutenberg Experiments settings page (#80815).
    • Math block: LaTeX errors stop interrupting you. Parse errors no longer fire on every keystroke — LaTeX input now uses ValidatedTextareaControl, so feedback is deferred until the field first loses focus and the per-keystroke screen reader announcement is gone (#80500).
    • Grouped options across the form primitives. Combobox, Select, and SelectControl gain Group and GroupLabel subcomponents, so grouped options compose consistently across the item-popup families (#80574).

    Changelog

    Enhancements

    • Base styles: Allow overriding focus ring color in outset-ring__focus. (80587)
    • WidgetWidget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. Dashboard: Measure the headerHeader The header of your site is typically the first thing people will experience. The masthead or header art located across the top of your page is part of the look and feel of your website. It can influence a visitor’s opinion about your content and you/ your organization’s brand. It may also look different on different screen sizes. fit and document the chrome. (80423)
    • Widget Primitives: Ship as a script module. (80149)

    Components

    • Combobox, Select, SelectControl: Add Group and GroupLabel. (80574)
    • DataViews/Font Library: Give search fields a fixed width to stop layout shift. (80315)
    • DataViewsPicker: Add Shift+Click range selection to the picker-table, picker-grid, and picker-activity layouts. (80413)
    • Enhance sandbox component to accept sandbox prop. (69617)
    • Input: Hide native spin controls for type=”number”. (80646)
    • SearchControl: Render the suffix only if there’s one. (80356)
    • UI: Add Autocomplete.Row primitive. (80490)

    Block Library

    • Add Table of Contents end-to-end user story coverage. (80199)
    • Math: Use ValidatedTextareaControl for LaTeX input. (80500)

    Post Editor

    • Add a responsiveEditingEnabled editor setting to hide the Responsive styles option. (80814)

    Font Library

    • Fix navigation page select font size to match DataViews. (80617)

    Collaboration

    • RTC: Disable Quick Edit while a post is being edited. (80016)

    Global Styles

    • Extract shared preset management from shadows and font sizes. (79810)

    Block Editor

    • Reflect inherited Global Styles values in block inspector controls. (77894)

    Bug Fixes

    • Block Editor: Fix floated blocks overlapping sticky blocks. (80749)
    • Update view configuration 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. versioning. (80319)
    • View config: Reject shape-mismatched merges, define empty-array semantics, strip nulls from appended members. (80571)
    • createInterpolateElement: Handle unmatched closing tags gracefully. (80618)

    Block Library

    • Account for non-lowercase VIDEO tagtag A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) in render_block_core_video(). (80537)
    • Cover/Accordion: Exit on Enter. (77301)
    • Dynamic Gallery: Rename toolbar button to Detach and add a modal explaining what will happen. (80727)
    • Fix: Pullquote custom line height in the editor. (80586)
    • Gallery: Make dynamic mode conversion a single undo level. (80665)
    • List Block: Preserve ordered type on indent. (75353)
    • Media Editor: Show a loading state while the cropped file loads. (80460)
    • Media: Remove the redundant __heicUploadSupport flag. (80452)
    • Navigation: Fix missing ‘Add block’ option in Link UI when inside template parts. (78427)
    • Playlist: Shorten track toolbar button label. (80759)
    • Query LoopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop: Add translationtranslation The process (or result) of changing text, words, and display formatting to support another language. Also see localization, internationalization. context to the ‘Offset’ setting label. (80582)
    • Social Link: Fix stray closing tag in Tumblr icon markup. (80257)

    Block Editor

    • Background image control: Remove duplicated focus ring. (80671)
    • Block Tools: Fix empty block appender position inside blocks that capture toolbars. (80592)
    • Fix cursor position during forward delete of empty blocks. (77525)
    • Fix preset round-trip test imports after preset utils consolidation. (80589)
    • Global Styles panels: Fix wrong preset committed and shown when two color presets share a hex. (80497)
    • Global Styles: Resolve link element styles in block inspector controls for blocks that are links. (80607)
    • RTC: Prevent controlled block synchronization from intercepting undo. (80503)
    • Rich text: Remove tabIndex from editable elements again to fix shift+click selection. (80651)
    • Writing flow: Extend block selections with shift+arrow when there is no native selection. (80687)
    • Writing flow: Mark shift+click as a multi-selection gesture. (80286)
    • Writing flow: Stop the page scrolling on caret moves within blocks taller than the viewport. (80708)
    • RichText: Don’t apply input transform when there’s no onReplace. (80978)
    • RichText: Fix paste handler crash when pasting files. (81010)

    Post Editor

    • Editor: Leave undo to the browser in fields that handle their own undo. (80768)
    • Editor: Restore fixed device preview height for mobile and tablet. (80271)
    • 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. boxes: Match heading styles with Gutenberg panels. (80670)
    • Notes: Capture the target block before saving a block-level note. (80690)
    • Notes: Register the inline note format at import time. (80576)
    • Notes: Report save success consistently from note actions. (80748)
    • Notes: Sync the sidebarSidebar A sidebar in WordPress is referred to a widget-ready area used by WordPress themes to display information that is not a part of the main content. It is not always a vertical column on the side. It can be a horizontal rectangle below or above the content area, footer, header, or any where in the theme. selection to the inline marker under the caret. (80610)
    • Post Lock: Fix modal flipping to “Someone else has taken over” for a locked-out viewer. (79997)
    • Wrap notices in ThemeProvider with 0 corner radius. (79523)
    • iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads.: Remove jumping hack, add typewriter. (74596)

    Components

    • DataForm: Stop card and details validation from hijacking focus. (80685)
    • Fix Root .prettierrc.js override issue. (80422)
    • GradientPicker: Select by slug so two presets sharing a gradient keep their identity. (80554)
    • Storybook: Fix Emotion jsxImportSource. (80426)
    • ToolsPanel: Migrate styles to an SCSS Module. (80445)

    Client Side Media

    • Fix upload hang when converting long animated GIFs: Decode only the first frame for still outputs. (80260)
    • Media: Stop forcing crossorigin on IMG tags in media templates. (80532)
    • wp-build: Sync the page template preload field list with coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.-data. (80648)

    Collaboration

    • Notes: Detach core’s mention kses 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. in the baseline strip test. (80656)
    • RTC: Compact during serialization. (80707)

    Media

    • Media 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 “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/: Backportbackport A port is when code from one branch (or trunk) is merged into another branch or trunk. Some changes in WordPress point releases are the result of backporting code from trunk to the release branch. sideload from URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org path upload size check. (80659)

    Global Styles

    • Theme JSONJSON JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML.: Level block-level preset class specificity with :Where(). (80657)

    Data Layer

    • RTC: Preserve collaborators’ unsaved edits when another user saves. (79936)

    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 “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)

    Block Library

    • Improve the various Alignment controls props handling. (63696)
    • Navigation: Fixes aria-expanded not updating on hover submenu inside overlay. (77563)

    Performance

    Block Editor

    • Rich text: Read the contentEditable attribute in ownsSelection to avoid forced layout. (80549)
    • Try to fix typing performance regressionregression A software bug that breaks or degrades something that previously worked. Regressions are often treated as critical bugs or blockers. Recent regressions may be given higher priorities. A "3.6 regression" would be a bug in 3.6 that worked as intended in 3.5.. (80507)

    Post Editor

    • Editor: Avoid unnecessary term re-fetches in FlatTermSelector. (80623)

    Data Layer

    • Core Data: Move EntitiesSavedState component out of editor (rebase of #71948). (80485)

    Experiments

    Dashboard

    • Dashboard Widgets: Harden action href sanitization. (80510)
    • Dashboard Widgets: Sanitize help link hrefs. (80409)

    Block Editor

    • Global Styles: Put the inheritance UI behind a Gutenberg experiment. (80815)

    Documentation

    • Add nvm use instructions to AGENTS.md. (80755)
    • Add progressive-discovery pattern for agent instructions and skills. (80650)
    • Added Missing Global Documentation in table-of-contents/index.php. (80442)
    • Docs: Add missing file-level and class-level docblocks to WP_Icon_Collections_Registry. (80172)
    • Docs: Clarify agent guidance discovery. (80753)
    • Docs: Clarify getBlock behavior with inner block controllers. (80773)
    • Docs: Expand the back-porting to WP Core guide. (80593)
    • Docs: Require view configuration filter callbacks to return the container. (80642)
    • Docs: Update iframeiframe iFrame is an acronym for an inline frame. An iFrame is used inside a webpage to load another HTML document and render it. This HTML document may also contain JavaScript and/or CSS which is loaded at the time when iframe tag is parsed by the user’s browser. guidance for Gutenberg 23.6. (80629)
    • Theme: Update Storybook adminadmin (and super admin) color scheme examples. (80569)
    • UI: Add dialog vs drawer design guidance. (80783)
    • Update documentation for server-side view configuration filters. (80744)
    • Used link for URL in inline documentation. (80716)

    Code Quality

    • ESLint: Add missing not-recommended components to denylist. (80754)
    • Fix: Update webpack-dev-server to ^5.2.1 to help with dep alerts. (80347)
    • 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 ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ workflows: Fix changelog checks for forked PRs. (80538)
    • Interactivity API: Refactor directives into self-registering modules. (79975)
    • RTC: Use array_any() for newer-compaction check in polling sync server. (80522)
    • RTC: Use str_contains() in WP_Sync_Config. (80476)
    • Storybook: Build the resolve specifier as a URL-style string. (80416)
    • Tools: Resolve dependencies independently of the node_modules layout. (80414)

    Components

    • Autocomplete: Reference the suggestions list with aria-controls and aria-haspopup. (80403)
    • ExternalLink: Use shared focus ring mixin. (80573)
    • Make useSelectionProps hook layout agnostic. (80677)
    • Migrate Disabled to SCSS module. (80643)
    • Migrate FormTokenField to SCSS module. (80472)
    • Migrate SearchControl to SCSS module. (80474)
    • Packages: Update date-fns to 4.4.0. (80763)
    • Theme: Update Color.js to 0.7.1. (80762)
    • Theme: Update colorjs.io dependency and drop bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. workaround. (80272)
    • UI: Improve component code readability in Storybook by using arrays for children. (80352)
    • theme: Disallow src in published package. (80213)

    Block Library

    • Guards against error throwing attribute values. (80558)
    • Make editableRoot a private block setting rather than a public support. (80820)
    • Misc fixes for WordPress-Develop 7.0 merges. (75985)
    • Page List: Use null coalescing operator for parentPageID attribute. (80728)
    • Remove redundant @jest-environment jsdom pragma and lint against it. (80676)
    • Remove unnecessary __next40pxDefaultSize props from form controls. (80540)
    • Table of Contents: Use str_contains() instead of strpos() check. (80418)
    • Tabs : Remove default paragraph from tab-panel template. (80565)

    Block Editor

    • Duotone: Dedupe duotone utils into global-styles-engine. (80598)
    • Reduce duplicated preset utility implementations. (80245)
    • Refactor ‘URLInput’ to function component. (80721)

    Post Editor

    • Icons: Validate SVG icons include viewBox. (80273)
    • Notes: Cancel in-flight hover highlight when focus leaves a note thread. (80752)

    Data Layer

    • Packages: Update memize to 2.1.1. (80764)

    Global Styles

    • Rename unit testunit test Code written to test a small piece of code or functionality within a larger application. Everything from themes to WordPress core have a series of unit tests. Also see regression. files and drop .spec.js suffix. (80711)

    Site Editor

    • Edit Site: Replace Theme usage in canvas loader with CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets.. (80688)

    Collaboration

    • Move real-time collaboration code to lib/experimental/collaboration. (80469)

    Tools

    • Docs: Update the release form screenshot for GitHub’s new Release label UI. (80567)
    • Release: Require a working GitHub CLICLI Command Line Interface. Terminal (Bash) in Mac, Command Prompt in Windows, or WP-CLI for WordPress. for cherry-picking. (80568)

    Build Tooling

    • Build: Add independent reactReact React is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to reason about, construct, and maintain stateless and stateful user interfaces. https://reactjs.org-18 vendor package. (80367)
    • Build: Handle project paths containing spaces in dev script. (80519)
    • Components: Skip polymorphism prop typings on intersection. (80364)
    • DependencyExtractionWebpackPlugin: Include extracted styles in the asset version hash. (80601)
    • React 19: Add end-to-end compat test for boolean inert attribute. (80397)
    • Resolve Prettier explicitly for isolated layout. (80529)
    • Storybook: Remove Emotion as JSX import source. (80647)
    • WP Build: Avoid infinite worker build loop. (80361)
    • Improve pre-flight npm access checks. (80334)

    Testing

    • Jest: Fix ignore pattern for TypeScript declaration files. (80737)
    • Jest: Update to v30 (breaking). (80767)
    • Only use Flakiness.io in canonical Gutenberg repo. (80816)
    • Perf Tests: Fix ‘Selecting blocks’ metric reporting 0 ms. (80524)
    • RTC: Fix deleted-user test on multisitemultisite Used to describe a WordPress installation with a network of multiple blogs, grouped by sites. This installation type has shared users tables, and creates separate database tables for each blog (wp_posts becomes wp_0_posts). See also network, blog, site. (80463)
    • Site Editor: Add end-to-end coverage for view configuration extensibility. (80577)

    Various

    Components

    • Base Styles: Remove accent color parameter from input-control. (80595)
    • Remove private Theme component. (80691)

    First-time contributors

    The following PRs were merged by first-time contributors:

    • @dilipom13: Meta boxes: Match heading styles with Gutenberg panels. (80670)
    • @faisalahammad: Editor: Restore fixed device preview height for mobile and tablet. (80271)
    • @nickchomey: Interactivity API: Refactor directives into self-registering modules. (79975)

    Contributors

    The following contributors merged PRs in this release:

    @aaronrobertshaw @adamsilverstein @aduth @andrewserong @chriszarate @ciampo @CookieDarb @DarkMatter-999 @desrosj @dhananjaykuber @dilipom13 @dpmehta @ellatrix @enejb @faisalahammad @getdave @himanshupathak95 @i-am-chitti @im3dabasia @Imran92 @jeryj @jorgefilipecosta @jsnajdr @juanfra @Kgupta62 @MaggieCabrera @Mamaduka @manzoorwanijk @maxschmeling @mirka @Mustafabharmal @nickchomey @noruzzamans @ntsekouras @oandregal @obenland @ocean90 @peterwilsoncc @ramonjd @retrofox @scruffian @shail-mehta @shekharnwagh @shimotmk @simison @sirreal @Soean @t-hamano @westonruter @yashjawale

    Props to @mamaduka for reviewing.

    #block-editor #core-editor #gutenberg #gutenberg-new