The WordPress coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. development team builds WordPress! Follow this site for general updates, status reports, and the occasional code debate. There’s lots of ways to contribute:
Found a bugbugA 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.?Create a ticket in the bug tracker.
The release candidate (RC1) for WordPress 6.8.2 is here! This is your chance to help test and ensure everything runs smoothly before the official release on Tuesday, July 15th. Developers, testers, and contributors are encouraged to get involved — every test helps make WordPress better!
Discussion 💬
Maintenance Mode for Components
The proposal to place under-maintained CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. components into “Maintenance Mode” received broad support. Some contributors found the term unclear and requested transparent roadmaps—especially for components like Bulk Edit, where the future remains uncertain. Frustrations were expressed regarding stalled patches and unclear priorities, highlighting the need for better communication and planning.
Removal of “BetaBetaA 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. Support” Label for PHPPHPThe web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher 8.3
The “Beta Support” label for PHP 8.3 has been officially removed, reflecting its stable support status.
Raising the Minimum PHP Version to 7.4
WordPress 6.9 plans to raise the minimum required PHP version to 7.4. Although not yet finalized, this is likely as less than 5% of users run older versions. The change aims to improve security, performance, and compatibility while reducing maintenance efforts.
Over 15 small pull requests have been submitted under #63268, addressing code quality issues revealed by PHPStan. While a few contributors have been handling most of the reviews and commits, additional committers are invited to help reduce the workload. Coordination has so far been informal, with contributors commenting on tickets and pull requests to avoid overlap.
PHPUnit Test Suite Updates
Ongoing work on #53010 (namespacing test classes) and #62004 (updating for PHPUnit 10–12 compatibility) aims to modernize the test suite. These tasks are considered related to the ongoing PHPStan efforts. A suggestion was made to form a dedicated team to accelerate progress, though the main blockerblockerA bug which is so severe that it blocks a release. remains limited commit time and unresolved technical feedback.
PHPStan Integration into CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
A proposal is in progress to formally integrate PHPStan into the Core test suite. Current efforts are manual and patchpatchA 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.-based. The upcoming proposal will aim to provide a sustainable and automated approach for ongoing code analysis.
MultisitemultisiteUsed 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 Privacy Tools and Feature PluginFeature PluginA plugin that was created with the intention of eventually being proposed for inclusion in WordPress Core. See Features as Plugins. Consideration
#43738 suggests extending personal data export/delete tools to support networknetwork(versus site, blog)-wide functionality. Discussion focused on whether the scope of the enhancementenhancementEnhancements are simple improvements to WordPress, such as the addition of a hook, a new feature, or an improvement to an existing feature. justifies building a feature plugin. While the feature could be useful for multisite operators, it was noted that it does not address a critical GDPR requirement and may not meet the criteria for core inclusion. Prototyping the feature as a pluginPluginA 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 was recommended to assess usage and value.
Handling of .git-blame-ignore-revs
The .git-blame-ignore-revs file, used to exclude formatting-only commits from blame output, was discussed. While a few entries have been added manually, the file is not systematically maintained. Suggestions were made to either update it regularly or de-prioritize it due to limited practical impact.
CustomizerCustomizerTool 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.: Bugfixes Only
The Customizer is no longer under active development. New feature requests will not be considered, though bugfixes are still welcome to ensure compatibility. A manual review of the 78 open tickets is planned—no automatic closures. A proposal to introduce an official “maintenance mode” for legacy components (e.g., Customizer, Widgets, TinyMCE) is in the works.
Unicode Email Addresses PatchpatchA 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.
A patch enabling support for Unicode email addresses was introduced and is under review. Initial feedback is positive. Targeted for WordPress 6.9, not for 6.8.x minor releases.
Custom Error Handling Revisited
The long-standing ticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. on registering custom error and exception handlers (#59282) was brought back into focus. Progress is stalled but will be revisited for a future release.
Improving FSE PluginPluginA 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 Discoverability
A suggestion to improve the visibility of Full Site Editing (FSE) plugins was raised. The idea needs clearer definition—whether it’s a metaMetaMeta 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. issue or an initiative for contributors remains open.
Next Bug Scrubs: June 26 and June 30
A 6.8.2 bugbugA 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. scrub is scheduled for Thursday, June 25 at 3 PM GMT.
A bug scrub is scheduled for Monday, June 30 at 3 PM GMT to help triagetriageThe act of evaluating and sorting bug reports, in order to decide priority, severity, and other factors. and manage open tickets.
#47218 (Update TinyMCE to 5.x or 6.x) and #48277 (Update plupload library) were discussed due to frequent security audit flags. While the pluploadticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker. is closed as WordPress already the last license-compatible version, updating TinyMCE is technically very difficult. Instead, better documentation explaining the current status and reasons for keeping older versions (and how the CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. team ensures their security) is planned, for example as a page in the developer handbook.
PHPStan Integration in Core Development
#61175 covers how to handle PHPStan errors in the core development process. The team is deciding which errors to ignore, baseline, or fix. Help with fixing these errors is welcomed.
Errors from Direct File Execution
#62722 (Fix all ABSPATH direct access errors) and #63316 address warnings caused by direct file execution. Some think this should be handled at the server level, but it was suggested to review and fix security-relevant cases individually.
Improving Testing Processes
The need to revive structured user testing and better use of betaBetaA 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. plugins was discussed. The goal is closer collaboration between Core and Test teams to improve test quality and timing. Ideas include live usability tests at WordCamps and providing easy testing environments like Playgrounds.
WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Europe 2025 Recap
GutenbergGutenbergThe 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/ Release posts are online
The first AI Team chat takes place tomorrow at 16:00 UTC in #core-ai. Open to all – a great opportunity to learn more about ongoing projects, ask questions, and connect with the team.
Forthcoming releases 🚀
WordPress 6.8.2 and beyond
The CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team is putting together a squad for future minor releases. A release squad for 6.8.2 should be announced soon. Follow #6-8-release-leads for updates.
Discussion 💬
Discussion on TicketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.#49442 (parse_blocks() Filter)
Ticket #49442, which proposes adding a filter to the result of parse_blocks(), is currently assigned to the 6.9 milestone. During the discussion, it was noted that the ticket still lacks test coverage (needs-test-info).
Creating a minimal test case was suggested to help move the ticket forward. It was also recommended to raise the topic in the Gutenberg repository for broader feedback and discussion.
Open Floor 🎙️
Improvements to the Docker Environment
@westonruter is working on several enhancements to the built-in Docker environment for wordpress-develop. The goal is to address various minor issues and “paper cuts” encountered during development. The first pull request with initial changes is ready for review, with more substantial improvements to follow in separate PRs. Feedback and reviews are welcomed to help improve the development environment for everyone involved.
PHPStan Code Quality
@justlevine has submitted several small pull requests aimed at improving code quality using PHPStan for version 6.9. The PRs are intentionally kept small to minimize conflicts and speed up integration. Support from reviewers and committers is appreciated to help keep the codebase cleaner and more maintainable. See #63268
WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Europe is today!
The CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team is putting together a squad for future minor releases. A release squad for 6.8.2 should be announced soon. Follow #6-8-release-leads for updates.
As a follow-up to this post, he asked the following to be discussed:
After a couple of weeks, I’m almost done on reviewing the Workflow Keywords sequence. I only need some extra info in the committing part as is the part I’m less knowledgeable, so I would need some committers to help me out on the review
[I] need committers to help with the revision of the Workflow Keywords (specially the committercommitterA developer with commit access. WordPress has five lead developers and four permanent core developers with commit access. Additionally, the project usually has a few guest or component committers - a developer receiving commit access, generally for a single release cycle (sometimes renewed) and/or for a specific component. and backportbackportA 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. part where I have more doubts). First I’m willing to publish an article explaining the new ideas with the first revision of the revised diagram and it could serve as an attention call for anyone willing to make an opinion or add anything else before the final proposal.
Some discussion happened in the Core Slack channel about this post/proposal.
To sum-up, some committers pointed out that:
@jorbin: This post seems to make the assumption that just because there is a patchpatchA 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. and the patch has no flaws, that it should be committed, but if something should be committed isn’t just a question of if there is a patch ready, it’s also things such as: Does this fit within the current priorities? Is this going to cause issues with future backwards compatibility? Are there alternative solutions that haven’t been considered that should be? How risky is this to commit? What other teams would be affected by this change? Have they been given a chance to chime in?
@desrosj: The crux of the post seems to suggest we can’t create a report for tickets that need a code review with the current keywords. Wouldn’t a report that shows tickets with has-testing and has-patch but does not have commit accomplish the same thing?
@sirlouen pointed out that the post is not completely assuming that every patch perfectly reviewed must be committed, but every patch perfectly reviewed should be considered by committers with more priority than patches from scratch.
The discussion then switched to patches that are reviewed and tested, and waiting for a committer review and commit:
@jorbin: Bringing those tickets up during bugbugA 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. scrubs can be a great way to get attention on them, [but] just because it fits [someone’s] definition of 100% baked doesn’t mean that a committer is going to agree.
@audrasjb: The best way to help these tickets is to ask to move them into the current milestone.
@jorbin: There are about 75 bug gardenersBug GardenerA contributor who has been given advanced privileges in Trac. who can modify milestones in addition to all of the committers. In addition, there is nothing that would prevent at the end of the bug scrub a post along the lines of: “After this scrub, we think that the following tickets should be included in 6.8.2 and the following ones in 6.9”. Once someone has demonstrated enough good judgement, they will likely be given bug gardenerBug GardenerA contributor who has been given advanced privileges in Trac. status so that they can do it themselves.
@justlevine wanted to bring attention to ticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.#61175: “Beyond the usual i could use a bit of help from people better skilled at WP CI/CD (PHPStan passes locally, but isn’t discovering certain symbols when run on CI)”. See the related GitHub PR.
WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Europe is one week away!
@benjamin_zekavica facilitated the organization of the CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team tables. If you plan to attend, check the Core Team at WCEU 25 | Contributor Day article.
GutenbergGutenbergThe 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/ 20.9 is now available
The new version of the Gutenberg pluginPluginA 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 now available in our plugin directory.
Forthcoming releases 🚀
WordPress 6.8.2 and beyond
The Core Team is putting together a squad for future minor releases.
In preparation for the WordCamp Europe 2025 Contributor Day, @benjamin_zekavica called for important Core bugbugA 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. tickets to be submitted for planning.
@realloc will lead the MultisitemultisiteUsed 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 table and is working with maintainers to identify good first bugs.
Core committers are encouraged to actively participate and make at least one commit — with @mamaduka offering remote support.
Where do bugs go if they are introduced in a point releaseMinor ReleaseA set of releases or versions having the same minor version number may be collectively referred to as .x , for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, and all other versions in the 5.2 (five dot two) branch of that software. Minor Releases often make improvements to existing features and functionality.?
There was a discussion about how to handle bugs found during a point release. Usually, these bugs should be included in the next point release, especially if there is a patchpatchA 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. or if it is a regressionregressionA 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..
Whether a fix is backported depends on factors such as the bug’s age, severityseverityThe seriousness of the ticket in the eyes of the reporter. Generally, severity is a judgment of how bad a bug is, while priority is its relationship to other bugs., and the risk of the fix. Since clear guidelines are lacking, decisions are made case by case by release leads. More documentation on this process was recommended.
There are no major announcements from the past week.
Forthcoming releases 🚀
WordPress 6.8.2 and beyond
The CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team is putting together a squad for future minor releases.
Next GutenbergGutenbergThe 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/ version: 20.9
Gutenberg 20.9 is scheduled for release on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Discussion 💬
Refreshing Workflow Documentation
@SirLouen suggested updating the TracTracAn open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress. workflow keyword documentation, noting that some terms are outdated, misused, or conflicting. He plans to draft a revised version to provide clearer guidance for contributors and aims to publish it on the blogblog(versus network, site). The goal is to support future discussion and improve overall understanding of keyword use.
Improving the Local Development Environment
The current local development environment for WordPress is minimal and does not include all tools needed for comprehensive testing. Since different approaches are used, the documentation should be updated and improved to reflect the latest state.
Reducing Redundant Test Reports
@krupajnanda suggests limiting the number of test reports on simple tickets (e.g., UIUIUser interface/UXUXUser experience, accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (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)) to around 5 and adding a message to guide contributors to more important tickets, to reduce redundant testing. @jorbin and others agree but emphasize that this shouldn’t be automated, as a person needs to verify the validity of test reports.
Additionally, once enough test reports are received, the needs-testing label should be removed to focus efforts on tickets still requiring testing.
Open floor 🎙️
Review Needed: Unicode Email Addresses
@agulbra is requesting a review for ticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.#31992. The code was written last year, but it’s now ready to be merged since PHPMailer has released the required dependencies. @ironprogrammer has already reviewed it and suggested asking for further feedback here. It would be great if someone could take a look. Thanks!
Call for Core Bug Tickets for the WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Europe 2025 | Contributor DayContributor DayContributor 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/.
@benjamin_zekavica mentioned that preparation for the WordCamp Europe Contributor Day in Basel should begin. To support this, suitable tickets need to be collected. If anyone finds higher-priority tickets that could be worked on during the event, they are encouraged to add them as comments in this article. This would help streamline the preparation process.
A Month in CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. – April 2025
In case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a statistical report from the month of April published by the Core Team. You can find more details in the article.
GutenbergGutenbergThe 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/ 20.8 is now available
The new version of the Gutenberg pluginPluginA 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 now available in our plugin directory.
AccessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (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) Focused Bug Scrub
@jorbin is hosting an Accessibility-Focused Bug Scrub tomorrow at 15:30 UTC in #core to help move tickets forward. More detailed information you can find here.
Forthcoming releases 🚀
WordPress 6.8.2 and beyond
The Core Team need to set up a release squad, a plan/scope and a schedule for 6.8.2 (and beyond)
Discussion 💬
Call for Topics for the Dev Chat agenda
@sirlouen suggested to publish the “Call for Topics for the Dev Chat agenda” earlier to give contributors more time to suggest topics. @benjamin_zekavica, speaking for the Team Reps, noted that while it can be challenging due to time constraints, they will aim to publish the Call for agenda 1–2 days in advance and update it as needed.
He supports the idea of raising topics early and will discuss improvements with the other reps. Further updates on this will follow.
PHPCSPHP Code SnifferPHP Code Sniffer, a popular tool for analyzing code quality. The WordPress Coding Standards rely on PHPCS. for Class FTPFTPFTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol which is a way of moving computer files from one computer to another via the Internet. You can use software, known as a FTP client, to upload files to a server for a WordPress website. https://codex.wordpress.org/FTP_Clients. files
In the discussion on ticketticketCreated for both bug reports and feature development on the bug tracker.#63436, it was agreed that PHPCS should not be applied to the FTP class files. These files come from an old external library, and applying coding standards would only make sense if WordPress fully adopts the code. There was also agreement on the need for clearer rules and improved documentation.
The CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team need to set up a release squad, a plan/scope and a schedule for 6.8.2 (and beyond)
@luminuu reported regressions in several third-party plugins caused by bugfixes introduced in WordPress 6.8 (PR #64770). Affected projects include Jetpack and WooCommerce. One key issue—buttons stretching full width—was tracked in Trac ticket #63373 and is scheduled to be fixed in version 6.8.2.
The group discussed how to prevent similar issues in the future. Suggestions included:
Introducing a Dev Notedev noteEach 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. format to track frontend CSS changes per release
Improving visibility of such changes before they ship
Investing in visual regressionregressionA 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. testing
Collecting and surfacing CSS-related changes in “What’s new in GutenbergGutenbergThe 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
Better communication, testing, and transparency are needed to reduce the risk of regressions in future releases.
