📅 Mark your calendars! WordPress 6.9 is scheduled for release on December 2, 2025. As the final major releaseMajor Release A set of releases or versions having the same major version number may be collectively referred to as “X.Y” -- for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, and all other versions in the 5.2. (five dot two dot) branch of that software. Major Releases often are the introduction of new major features and functionality. of 2025, 6.9 will deliver key improvements to site editing, new developer tools, and performance refinements, all aimed at making WordPress more powerful and delightful to use.

Why test early? The sooner bugs are caught, the smoother the upgrade will be for millions of users. Whether you can spare five minutes or an afternoon, your efforts in testing 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. and RCRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. builds make a direct impact. Every report helps polish WordPress before launch, and every contribution makes a difference!

💪 Let’s shape WordPress 6.9 together!

Stay up to date with milestones on the WordPress 6.9 Release Schedule. For real-time updates and discussions, join the #core-test Slack channel. Engage in the testing community by participating in weekly scheduled team meetings and test scrubs.

Release focus:  WordPress 6.9 turns its attention to more intuitive template management, enabling collaborative content creation through notes(formerly “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. level comment” / inline comments), new blocks, extending developer capabilities with updates to the Interactivity 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 the introduction of the Abilities API, and improving performance with faster page transitions and smarter resource handling. 

📝 Notably, there will not be a new default theme in 6.9; a decision shaped by the pace of this release and the maturity of block themes over recent years.

Testing Tips

WordPress doesn’t require you to be a certified software tester or professional QA to contribute to testing. Simply use WordPress as you normally would for your own needs. If you encounter any issues or feel that something isn’t working as expected, you can report them. 

Not sure about the expected behaviour? No worries! Join the conversation on WordPress Slack, or create a ticket on Trac, where a helpful global WordPress community is always ready to assist.

Recommendations for Testing WordPress Beta/RC Versions:

• Test CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Features that Matter to You:  Use your site for the purpose it was created. For instance, if you’re a blogger, running a social platform, or managing an e-commerce store, set up a staging site (ask your hosting provider if you’re unfamiliar with the staging site). Update WordPress in the staging environmentStaging Environment A staging environment is a non-production copy of your site. This is a private place to build the site -- design, copy, and code -- until your client approves it for production or live. Sometimes used in addition to, or as a Development Environment. and continue using your site as usual. This will help you identify any issues that may affect your regular workflow. Take note of any issues or troubles you experience after the update. 

🚫 Do not test or update your live site with a beta/rc version for testing purposes.

• Use the General Checklist provided in the post below to verify everything functions as expected after the update. ✅

Ways to Test WordPress Beta Versions

There are multiple ways to test WordPress development or beta versions, as explained below. There is no right or wrong way; feel free to choose the method you are most comfortable with or that is most convenient for you.

Playground

Playground is the easiest and fastest way to test beta or release candidateRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. versions of WordPress without setting up a full environment. 

Local Hosted Site

You can make use of software like Local or wp-env to create a local WordPress site. Once the site is ready, you can install the Beta Tester plugin to switch to the beta version of WordPress.

Setup Steps:

1. Download and install Local.
2. Create a new WordPress site.
3. Once your site is up and running, you can use the WordPress Beta Tester 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 to switch it to the development or beta version of WordPress. This plugin makes it easy to install pre-release versions of WordPress. To use the plugin:
   1. Install and activate the WordPress Beta Tester plugin.
   2. Navigate to Tools > Beta Testing.
   3. Choose the Bleeding Edge or Point releaseMinor Release A 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. with Nightlies option, depending on what you want to test.
   4. Click on Save Changes
   5. After the changes are saved, you should receive the update notification. Kindly update your WordPress version.

For more detailed instructions, follow this guide.

Via 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/

If you prefer working with command-line tools, use WP-CLI to install a WordPress beta version quickly. 

Steps:

1. Create a local WordPress site using your preferred method.
2. Once the site is set up, open your terminal and navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation.
3. Run the following command to update to the latest beta version:

wp core update --version=6.9-beta1 Or wp core update --version=6.9-RC1

(Keep updating the version number as needed.)

The Pros of this method are that it helps you to switch between different versions quickly, making it easier to test specific builds.

Using a Staging Site

Create a staging site for your live production siteProduction Site A production site is a live site online meant to be viewed by your visitors, as opposed to a site that is staged for development or testing. and update it to the WordPress beta or release candidate (RC) version. This allows you to safely test the new version without affecting your live site. Verify that everything functions as expected before applying the updates to your production environment.

Testing Patches

If you plan to test patches, follow these instructions to set up a WordPress development version locally.

Using Playground – with Playground, you can also easily test individual Core tickets without installing any software in your system, and this is the fastest way to test any PRs.

If there is a specific PR in the wordpress-develop or gutenberg repo that you’d like to test in the browser, you can do so using the following links. Simply enter the PR number, and the rest will be taken care of.

• https://playground.wordpress.net/wordpress.html 
• https://playground.wordpress.net/gutenberg.html 

General Testing Checklist

If you want to quickly test the updated WordPress version’s compatibility with your site, please verify the following important checks. Enable debugging in wp-config.php to capture the warnings, errors or notices.

1. Update your theme and plugins to the latest versions.
2. Switch to the Beta/RC/Night build you want to test.
3. Check Site Health to see if there are any new errors or warnings.
4. Confirm there are no layout breaks or misaligned elements.
5. Test links and permalinks to ensure there are no 404 errors.
6. Verify that posts, images, and media are displayed correctly.
7. Ensure the sitemap and robots.txt files are functioning properly.
8. Ensure full access to the admin dashboard without errors.
9. If your site has custom blocks, create content in a new block and edit existing content.
10. Create a new post: 
    1. Add content
    2. Copy-paste text
    3. Manually add media files. 
    4. Save the post
    5. Observe the console for any issues.
11. Create a new page:
    1. Add content
    2. Verify its display in different browsers.
    3. Verify its display in responsive mode.
    4. Verify the functional part is working as expected, regardless of any browser or device type.
12. Keep the browser’s developer console open and check for any errors, warnings, or notices.
13. Open the error log file and check for notices, warnings, and fatal errors.
14. Review user roles and permissions to ensure they remain intact.
15. Verify that any scheduled posts or automated tasks (like backups) still function as intended.
16. Ensure all integrated services (like payment gateways or analytics) are operational.
17. Open your site in different browsers and verify that all functionalities work as expected.

👀 What to Notice While Testing?

• Was everything intuitive and easy to use?
• Did you notice any performance issues, such as slow loading or lag?
• Were there any visual inconsistencies or layout issues across different browsers or devices?
• Did the drag-and-drop functionality work as expected, especially in patterns?
• Did the preview mode accurately reflect how the content appeared once published?
• Did what you created in the editor match what you saw on your site?
• Did you observe any other 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) issues, like –
  • Colour contrast or focus management?
  • Did it work properly using only a keyboard?
  • Did it work with a screen reader?
• Did it function smoothly on a mobile device?
• What aspects of the experience did you find confusing or frustrating?
• What did you especially enjoy or appreciate?
• What would have made site building and content creation easier?

Key Features to test

Notes

The Notes feature (formerly “block level comment” / inline comments) allows users to attach feedback directly to individual blocks in the editor. Initially introduced as an experiment 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/ 19.6, it now includes indicators, a 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. for managing threads, and support for published posts, with ongoing refinements for usability and accessibility.

🌟Bonus point: Aki has built a plugin called Block Notes Data Generator. This plugin adds test users and test block comments to make it easier to test the Notes feature.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Open to page/post.
3. Insert any block.
4. Click on the block settings dropdown from the block toolbar.
5. Click the Add Note from the toolbar settings, and observe that the note modal is opening in the sidebar.
6. Add the note.
7. Confirm that the note is added successfully.
8. Verify the additional scenarios
   1. Note on empty block: Notes should not be allowed on an empty block.
   2. Editing and deleting notes:
      • Edit an existing note and confirm the changes are saved and displayed correctly.
      • Delete a note and ensure it’s removed from the sidebar and block indicator.
   3. Resolve and Reopen the notes: 
      • Resolve note: Confirm that when the note is marked as resolved, it shows the resolved state.
      • Reopen the resolved note (if the option exists) and confirm it restores correctly.
   4. Threaded notes: Add a follow up reply to an existing note to confirm threading works properly.
   5. Indicator visibility: Check that the note indicator appears only on blocks that have comments.
   6. Switching blocks: Move focus to a block without notes and verify the sidebar updates accordingly.
   7. Saving the post: Save or update the post and confirm that all notes persist after reload.
   8. Published Post: Publish the post, and notes should remain accessible.
   9. Accessibility: Navigate via keyboard and screen reader to verify the note sidebar and indicators are usable.

Testing Instructions

If you encounter any issues or unexpected behaviour while testing, please log them here. Follow #66377 for more details.

Expanded template management

A major improvement to template handling is coming in core. You can now duplicate templates, set which one is active, and disable theme templates while keeping your own versions. A new “Active templates” view makes it clear which templates are currently in use. This gives editors more flexibility and safer experimentation.
Please check this separate Call for testing template changes for more insight and testing instructions.

Ability to hide the blocks

WordPress 6.9 introduces the option to hide individual blocks from the site’s public view while keeping them editable in the editor. This gives creators more flexibility when preparing content or layout. For example, testing alternate designs, saving space for future sections, or holding back pieces of content that aren’t finalised yet.

Unlike deleting or removing a block, hiding it is a non-destructive action: the block remains in place, can be edited at any time, and can be quickly shown again when needed. This approach makes content editing safer and better suited for collaborative workflows.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to the post, page, or template.
2. Select the block and click on the “Hide” control from the toolbar settings.
3. Observe that the block is no longer visible and the “Show” control should be toggled on.
4. Check the front, and the block should be hidden .
5. Now, turn off the hide setting.
6. The block should reappear in the editor and the front end.
7. Nested blocks: Place a few blocks inside a Group/Columns block and hide the parent.
   1. Confirm that all inner blocks are hidden.
8. Multiple instances: Hide different blocks across the page and verify that only the chosen ones are excluded from the frontend.

Testing Instructions

Follow #71203 PR for more details. If you observe any related issues, please feel free to report them here.

📈Performance / Asset Check:

Hidden blocks should not appear on the frontend, and their related CSSCSS CSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site./JS should no longer be actively used. Optionally, you can verify this via the Network tab or CSS Coverage in DevTools. Visible blocks must continue loading normally. On small pages, coverage differences may be subtle; the key point is that hidden blocks do not add frontend markup or assets. Check #9213 PR for more details. If you like to verify the same, follow this comment for the steps.

allowedBlocks support & UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing.

This enhancement enables users to visually control which child blocks can be inserted within a group block, something previously possible only through code. The update adds a Manage allowed blocks option in the Advanced panel of the block inspector, allowing users to enable or disable block types through a modal interface. This helps streamline content control, prevent unwanted block insertions, and sets the foundation for broader use across other container blocks.

Testing Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Open a Post/Page.
3. Insert a Group block.
4. With the Group block selected, open the block inspector.
5. Expand the Advanced panel of the Group block.
6. Locate the Manage allowed blocks button.
7. Click on it. Observe that a new modal appears listing different types of blocks.
8. In that modal:
   1. Confirm you can search the blocks.
   2. Deselect some blocks e.g. disable “Paragraph”, “Image”.
   3. Click on the Apply button and the modal should be closed.
9. Now, Inside the Group block’s container area, attempt to insert child blocks:
   1. Try to insert blocks that are allowed and they should appear and work properly.
   2. Try to insert blocks that are disabled and they should not appear in the inserter.

Testing Instructions

If you observe any related issues, please feel free to report them here.

Command Palette everywhere

WordPress 6.9 introduces an expanded Command Palette, which is available across both the Editor and the Dashboard. It provides a fast, universal way to navigate different areas of your site and perform actions without relying on sidebar menus or multiple clicks. Simply type in the Command Palette to search, jump to specific screens, or trigger actions directly.

The Command Palette is enabled by default, so no additional configuration is required.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Open the Command Palette.
   1. Use the keyboard shortcut (Cmd + K on Mac / Ctrl + K on Windows).
   2. Confirm it opens regardless of which screen you’re on (Dashboard, Posts, Pages, Site Editor, Templates, etc.).

Various Use Cases 

1. Search for Navigation Targets
   • Start typing e.g. “Posts”, “Pages”, “Plugins”, “Templates”.
   • Confirm you can directly navigate to those areas.
2. Trigger Actions
   • Type commands such as “Add new post”, “Add new page”, or “Editor”.
   • Confirm the action executes without going through sidebar navigation.
3. Context Awareness
   • From the Site Editor: check commands relevant to template editing.
   • From a post editing screen: check commands like “Preview in new tab”
   • Confirm results adapt based on any different context.
4. Role and Permission
   • The Administrator-only command should not appear in the search results for the Editor(other) role(s) to ensure the Command Palette respects WordPress capabilities/permissions filtering.
5. UI & Usability
   • Confirm the palette is responsive and visually consistent with other WordPress UI.

Testing Instructions

If you observe any related issues, please feel free to report them here.

Refining content creation

Drag and drop – Move block instead of drag chip

This enhancement replaces the “drag chip” (ghost placeholder) with direct movement of the actual block during drag-and-drop. While dragging, the actual block shrinks slightly (scaled down) and moves smoothly with your cursor, and animates while being dragged, providing a smoother, more intuitive visual experience.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Open a post/page.
3. Add a combination of Paragraph, Heading, Image, Quote block, etc.
4. Now, drag a block using its drag handle to a new position in the main editor canvas.
5. Release the block to a different position.
6. Observe that :
   1. The block moves smoothly with animation.
   2. While dragging the block gets slightly scalded down.
   3. Visual styles and animation preserved.
   4. No flicker or jump effect.
7. Verify Undo/Redo functionality after the block(s) move.
8. Verify that drag functions smoothly with nested blocks as well.

Testing Instructions

The goal is to create a more natural, accurate, and modern drag-and-drop experience, improving overall usability and aligning with WordPress’s effort to refine the editing flowFlow Flow is the path of screens and interactions taken to accomplish a task. It’s an experience vector. Flow is also a feeling. It’s being unselfconscious and in the zone. Flow is what happens when difficulties are removed and you are freed to pursue an activity without forming intentions. You just do it.. Follow #67470 PR for more details, and if you notice any visual glitches, misalignment, or unexpected behaviour while dragging blocks, you are encouraged to report the issue with steps to reproduce here.

New Blocks

To broaden design possibilities and strengthen customisation options, WordPress 6.9 introduces several new blocks, such as Accordion, Terms Query, Stretchy Type, Math Block etc. These additions aim to give users richer ways to structure content and align layouts with modern design needs, making it easier to create expressive and flexible sites without relying on third-party solutions.

Accordion Block

The Accordion block allows users to organise content into collapsible sections, making it easier to present FAQs, lists, or grouped information compactly.

When added, the Accordion block creates two Accordion Items by default. Each item contains an Accordion Heading and an Accordion Panel where any block can be inserted. Users can add, remove, reorder, and style items, as well as nest different blocks within the content. On the frontend, items can be expanded or collapsed for interactive display.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Post/Page
2. Insert an Accordion block
3. Confirm that the Accordion Item is added with an Accordion Heading and an Accordion Panel.
4. Edit item placeholders and add content inside the Accordion Panel
5. Save and confirm items expand/collapse as expected
6. Verify Reordering
   1. Move Accordion Items up or down.
   2. Confirm the order updates correctly in both the editor and the frontend.
7. Styling & Settings
   1. Apply block-level style settings (colors, typography, background, etc).
   2. Confirm styles are reflected in all items consistently.
8. Verify the duplicate of the accordion block.
9. Remove an existing item and ensure the block continues to function as expected.

Testing Instructions

If you encounter any related issues, please report them here.

Terms Query Block

This new Terms Query Block is similar to the Query block, but for terms rather than posts. It is designed to contain a new Terms Template block, which holds inner blocks with term data for displaying each term. Unlike the simpler Terms List block, it enables advanced layouts, nested content, and dynamic term rendering. 

Term Name Block

This block is mainly developed for use in the Terms Query block to display the term name and allows for more layout flexibility. This also provides an option to add a link to the term.

Term Count Block

This block is primarily for use in the Terms Query block to display the term count.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Insert the Terms Query block in a template.
3. Observe Term Name and Term count are added by default.
4. Verify that the inspector controls render correctly.
5. Configure different taxonomyTaxonomy A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format. https://codex.wordpress.org/Taxonomies#Default_Taxonomies. selections (E.g. Categories, tags, custom taxonomy)
6. Terms Query
   1. Verify that the Make term name a link setting is present and works as expected.
7. Term Count
   1. Verify that the correct term count is displayed.
   2. Verify that you can change the bracket type.
   3. Make sure the count and bracket type show in the editor and on the front end.
8. Ensure the template can be saved successfully with the block.
9. Verify the additional scenarios to ensure it works as expected.
   1. Test Nested Layouts.
   2. Test empty terms toggle.
   3. Test different styling options for both Term Name and Term Count.

Testing Instructions 

If you encounter any related issues, please report them here.

Math Block with Inline Math format

WordPress 6.9 introduces native math support through a new Math block and inline math format. This feature lets users add accessible mathematical formulas either as standalone blocks or embedded within text. Formulas are stored in MathML for better accessibility and compatibility, while preserving the original LaTeX input for easy editing. It provides a built-in solution for educational or technical content without needing third-party plugins. Although it slightly increases the editor’s bundle size, it greatly improves flexibility and accessibility for authors working with mathematical expressions.

Testing Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Open a Page/Post.
3. Add a new Math block.
4. Type the LaTeX-style expression: \frac{d}{dx}(x^3 + 2x^2 - 5x + 7) and click outside the block.
5. Observe: the editor should render the expression as a formatted formula. Also, the front end should render the formula correctly.
6. Try editing the expression with a new one and confirm that it renders correctly both in the editor and the front end.
7. Verify Inline math rich-text format
   1. In the same post, insert a Paragraph block.
   2. Type: The Euler identity is then apply the inline math format (select the inline math option from the format toolbar) and enter e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0.
   3. Click outside to confirm inline rendering within the sentence.
   4. Save and preview on the front-end. Confirm the inline math displays in-line and does not break the surrounding text flow.

Testing Instructions 

If you find any issues while testing, please report them here.

Paragraph and Heading blocks with Fit Text

The Paragraph and Heading blocks now support Fit Text, enabling text to dynamically scale and fit within its container. This provides a flexible way to create attention-grabbing headings or stylized paragraphs without manually adjusting font size.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Open the Page/Post.
3. Insert a Paragraph block.
4. From the Inspector settings, tap on the Typography panel.
5. Confirm that a Fit Text toggle or control is available.
6. Enable Fit Text and add some text in the block.
7. Observe that the text automatically resizes to fill the available width of the container.
8. Resize the browser window or adjust the block width and verify that the text continues to adapt dynamically.
9. Repeat the same steps for a Heading block and confirm identical behavior.
10. Also confirm that on the front end text scaling persists correctly.

Testing Instructions

If you find any issues while testing, please report them here.

Time to read block

The time to read block was first introduced with the Gutenberg 15.3 release, and this block is now stabilised. This stabilization ensures that the Time to Read block behaves predictably in both the editor and the frontend, providing a reliable estimated reading time for posts and pages.

Test Steps

1. Navigate to Dashboard.
2. Add a new Page/Post.
3. Insert Time to read block.
4. Observe that the time is displayed as a range by default.
5. Confirm that you can switch between a time block, a word count block using the settings provided in the sidebar.
6. Preview or publish the post.
7. Confirm that the same value appears on the frontend.
8. Verify Updates When Editing:
   1. Add or remove paragraphs.
   2. Watch as the block updates in real-time.
   3. Save and reload the editor.
   4. The displayed time/words updates dynamically when content changes and remains accurate after reload.

Testing Instructions

If you find any issues while testing this new block, report them here.

Border radius size presets

WordPress 6.9 introduces border radius size presets (added in Gutenberg 21.5), a theme tool that lets developers define a set of named radius values that users can apply to blocks supporting border radius. 

For full details and examples, refer to Border radius size presets in WordPress 6.9 on the WordPress Developer Blog.

This feature enables theme authors to define reusable border-radius presets via 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., which show up in the block editor and can be applied per corner. Be aware of the notable limitation stated in the blog post. Check this ticket for more details about the same.

Social Links: Custom Icon extensibility

This enhancement allows developers to register custom social icons in the Social Icons block using block variations. Previously, adding custom social icons required custom code or third-party plugins. With WordPress 6.9:

• Developers can easily register new social icons like Ko-fi, IMDb, Letterboxd, Signal, YouTube Music, Dropbox, etc.
• Users can select and display these custom icons in the Social Icons block.
• This reduces the effort of writing custom blocks or relying on plugins while ensuring consistent styling and behaviour across icons.

For a detailed implementation guide, see the WordPress Developer Blog on registering custom social icons.

Test Steps:

1. Register the custom Social Link variation. Follow this article.
2. Create a post.
3. Add Social Links and your custom variation that you registered.
4. Save the post and preview it.
5. Confirm that the custom variation is rendered correctly both in the editor and in the front end.

Testing Instructions

If you observe any related issues, please feel free to report them here

Developer updates

Updates to DataViews and DataForm

Updates to the DataViews and DataForm components include new field types and new 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. operators.

While these are foundational changes that do not expose specific breaking changes, they may have impacted screens that already use these components, specifically the Site Editor’s Pages, Patterns, and Templates screens. 
If you test the functionality of these screens and encounter any issues, please log them to the Gutenberg repository. It will also be helpful to link them to the DataViews & DataForm iteration for WordPress 6.9 tracking issue.

Introducing the Abilities API

The Abilities API provides a registry of callable Abilities with defined descriptions, inputs, and outputs. It’s designed to make WordPress functionality accessible to AI systems, particularly developers alike, through a unified registry of resources.
As this is a developer API, testing can be done using a custom plugin like this one: https://github.com/wptrainingteam/wp-abilities-test.

Test Steps

Test Custom Abilities in 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/preface.php.

1. Create a custom ability using wp_register_ability (docs)
2. Fetch all registered abilities using wp_get_abilities (docs)
3. Fetching a custom ability using wp_get_ability (docs)
4. Execute the custom ability using the ability’s execute method (docs)

Testing Abilities REST endpoints (docs)

The Abilities API routes all require an authenticated user. For local tests, we suggest using an application password with an admin user.

1. List all Abilities (docs)
2. Retrieve an Ability (docs)
3. Execute an Ability(docs)

For testers who use Postman, here is a Postman collection that can be used for local testing. Replace the {{baseURL}} variable in the request URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org field with the URL of your local WordPress installation, and the {{applicationUsername}} and {{applicationPassword}} variables in the Authorization tab with your username and application password.

Test the core Abilities shipping with 6.9

• core/get-site-info – Returns site information configured in WordPress. By default returns all fields, or optionally a filtered subset.
• core/get-user-info – Returns basic profile details for the current authenticated user to support personalization, auditing, and access-aware behavior.
• core/get-environment-info – Returns core details about the site\’s runtime context for diagnostics and compatibility (environment, PHP runtime, database server info, WordPress version).

Test listing, fetching, and executing the three core abilities in PHP (docs) and using the REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/. (docs).

Interactivity API Improvements

Support new styles and script modules on client-side navigation.

This update enhances Interactivity API client-side navigation with a new stylesheet manager, a script module manager supporting multiple importmaps, and restored full-page navigation sharing logic with region-based nav. It also fixes missing styles during navigation between pages with different blocks.

Testing Instructions

1. In the site editor, go to the home template.
2. Ensure the “Force page reload” setting is disabled in the Query block.
3. Add an image block inside the Post Template.
4. Change its style and make the image rounded.
5. Visit a page of the home that doesn’t exist (e.g., page 2) so it shows the “No Results” block.
6. Click on the Previous Page link.
7. Images should appear rounded.

Interactivity API iterations for WordPress 6.9

This tracking issue contains a series of smaller bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements to the Interactivity API. 

Testing instructions

1. Open the tracking issue, and select one of the linked issues marked as completed or pull requests marked as merged.
2. Follow the testing instructions in the issue/pull request to test the fix.

Updates to Block Bindings

The key features that will be ready for 6.9 are the following:

• New EditorUI API: This allows you to add your own sources to the bindings editor. 
• Date block now has Block Bindings support
• Image block allows binding of the caption

To test each of these updates, follow the testing instructions in each of the linked 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 be the repository owner. https://github.com/ Pull Requests. 

Updates to HTMLHTML HTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a markup language that is used in the development of web pages and websites. API

These updates include internal updates to HTML API as well as improvements to how WordPress Core handles and processes HTML, by implementing the HTML API.

This affects the following WordPress Core functions:

• wp_kses_hair
• wp_html_split
• wp_strip_all_tags
• get_url_in_content

It is therefore useful to test these functions before and after the HTML API updates, to ensure they still work as expected.

WordPress 6.9 also includes a new WP_Block_Processor, which navigates through block markup in a similar way to how the WP_HTML_Tag_Processor navigates through HTML. See the related PR for the WP_Block_Processor class inline documentation.

Where to Report Feedback

If you find any issues but aren’t sure if it’s a bug or where best to report the problem, share them on the alpha/beta forums of WordPress. If you are confident that you found a bug in WordPress Alpha/Beta/RC, report it on Core Trac for rollback auto-updates and the Gutenberg GitHub repo for every other feature. 

For helpful reporting guidelines, refer to the Test Reports section of the Test Handbook and review the Core Team guidelines for Reporting Bugs.

Change log

1.0.0 – Initial Post

Props to @wildworks, @bph, @annezazu, @ellatrix, @akshayar @muddassirnasim, and @mobarak for pre-publish review and @psykro for collaborating on this post.

#call-for-testing, #core-test