Triage Theme Check Issues and PRs

Function: Organize
Type: Task
Level: Intermediate

The Theme Check 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. validates themes against WordPress directory requirements, and every theme reviewer depends on it. Help keep it healthy by triaging open issues and pull requests: confirm bugs, test fixes, categorize enhancement requests, and flag stale items.

Before you start

Complete the common setup first, then:

Complete: You should be comfortable with WordPress themes, familiar with how the Theme Check plugin works, and able to read PHPPHP PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/index.php code well enough to evaluate whether an issue is valid
Setup: Set up WordPress Playground and install the Theme Check plugin for testing
Read: Read through the Themes triage handbook page to understand the team’s triage workflow, priorities, and how champions are assigned
Connect: Join #themes on 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/ and introduce yourself. Check the meetings calendar for upcoming team meetings

Steps

Browse the open issues. Go to the Theme Check issues on 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/ and read through the open issues to get a sense of what’s been reported and what’s outstanding.
Confirm or reproduce bugs. Pick an issue that reports a bug. Install Theme Check in Playground, follow the steps described in the issue, and try to reproduce the problem. Comment on the issue with your findings, including your environment, what you tested, and whether you could reproduce it.
Test open pull requests. Check the open PRs and test whether the proposed changes work as intended and don’t introduce new problems. Comment with your test results.
Categorize and prioritize. As you work through issues, note which ones are bugs, enhancement requests, duplicates, or no longer relevant. If an issue hasn’t had activity in a long time, flag it as potentially stale. If you’re unsure about priority, ask in #themes.
Flag items for the team. If you find issues that need a decision or a champion, bring them up in #themes or during a team meeting. The triage sheet can be used as a reference for tracking.

Contribution checklist

Reviewed the open issues and PRs in the Theme Check repo
Confirmed or tested at least one issue or PR with documented findings
Commented on the issue or PR with your results
Flagged stale or high-priority items for the team

What happens next

A Themes team member or maintainer may respond to your comments, adjust labels, or assign a champion to the issue. Don’t worry if your assessment gets corrected — that’s part of learning the triage process.

As you get comfortable, attend team meetings to participate in triage discussions. Consistent triage work is one of the most valuable contributions you can make to keep the plugin moving forward.