Next week, I will be on my way to Mumbai. The next weekend edition will arrive in your inbox after WordCamp Asia, on April 17th, 2026. <\/p>\n
Yours, PS: Should you be in Mumbai, grab a coffee of lunch spot from my public calendar<\/a>, I\u2019d love to meet you! <\/p>\n WordPress 7.0 <\/strong>Release candidate 1 was moved to this week<\/a>. The WordPress 7.0 RC2<\/a> was still on schedule for Thursday, though. Meanwhile, more Dev Notes were published.<\/p>\n Pattern Overrides in WP 7.0<\/strong><\/a> is your heads-up to act before the release lands. WordPress 7.0 lifts the old restriction \u2014 Pattern Overrides now work with any block attribute that supports Block Bindings, not just a hardcoded Core block list. You opt in via the Pattern Editing in WordPress 7.0<\/strong><\/a> explains that ContentOnly mode for unsynced patterns is now the default, meaning block structure and style controls are hidden from editors by default. Block authors need to audit \n Block Visibility in WordPress 7.0<\/strong><\/a> dev note is relevant if your theme or plugin touches block markup server-side. The new Anne McCarthy<\/strong> walks through one of WordPress 7.0\u2019s most-requested features<\/a>: viewport-based block visibility. You\u2019ll see exactly how showing or hiding any block by screen size works in practice \u2014 no extra plugins or CSS workarounds needed \u2014 and why it is relevant for responsive design. If you\u2019ve been waiting for a native way to tailor content for mobile, tablet, and desktop separately, this is your preview before the April 9th release.<\/p>\n The Dimensions Support Enhancements in WordPress 7.0<\/a> <\/strong>comprise width and height as first-class block supports. Block builders and theme designer opt in with a single line in A long-requested feature finally lands in WordPress 7.0. The dev note on Custom CSS for Individual Block Instances<\/a> <\/strong>hold all the details. The new A typography feature requested since 2021 finally arrives in WordPress 7.0, the dev note on the new WordPress 7.0 ships a new Connectors API<\/a> <\/strong>\u2014 and if you build AI-adjacent plugins, this dev note belongs on your reading list. The new framework standardizes how WordPress registers and manages connections to external services \u2014 starting with AI providers \u2014 giving you a consistent admin UI, API key management, and auto-discovery via the WP AI Client. Three providers ship out of the box: Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. The Felix Arntz <\/strong>details the new AI Client landing in WordPress 7.0<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 a provider-agnostic PHP API that lets your plugin send prompts for text, images, speech, or video without touching credentials or provider logic. You chain methods on Jorge Costa<\/strong> details the client-side Abilities API arriving in WordPress 7.0<\/strong><\/a>, the JavaScript counterpart to the PHP Abilities API introduced in 6.9. Two new packages handle it: Gutenberg 22.8 release lead Dean Sas<\/strong> highlighted in his post What\u2019s new in Gutenberg 22.8? (25 March)<\/strong><\/a> the following features: <\/p>\n The real-time collaboration improvements and the Connectors extensibility will make it into the WordPress 7.0 release.<\/p>\n I had a blast chatting with Beth Soderberg from Bethink Studio on the recording of Gutenberg changelog 129. We dove into some cool stuff like using AI, WordPress 7.0, and Gutenberg 22.8. It was such a fun convo, and we even touched on that little mental block some users might hit when they see the fresh new look of the wp-admin screens and try to wrap their heads around the change. The episode will drop into your favorite podcast app over the weekend. The 130th episode will be recorded after I return from WordCamp Asia. <\/p>\n Courtney Robertson<\/strong> at GoDaddy breaks down what WordPress 7.0 brings when it ships April 9 at WordCamp Asia<\/strong><\/a>. Your editor finally gets real-time multi-user collaboration powered by Yjs, alongside visual block-level revisions, a Breadcrumbs block, Icon block, and customizable navigation overlays. Developers gain a provider-agnostic WP AI Client with a Connectors UI, PHP-only block registration, and Interactivity API improvements. The minimum PHP requirement bumps to 7.4 \u2014 worth flagging for clients on older hosting now.<\/p>\n A little over a month ago, Johanne Courtright<\/strong>, founder of Groundworx, launched r\/WordPressBlocks<\/a><\/strong>, a dedicated Reddit community for developers and builders working with the block editor. A longtime block developer and free plugin author, Courtright created the space because scattered conversations about custom blocks, theme.json, full site editing, and Gutenberg\u2019s direction deserved a proper home. All skill levels welcome \u2014 come share tips, tools, wins, and frustrations.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re finding it a drag to edit You can now generate a block theme with Telex<\/strong><\/a>, Automattic\u2019s experimental AI theme builder. You describe your site, hit \u201cEnhance Prompt\u201d to let Telex flesh out the design brief, optionally upload a reference image, then pick from four generated variations. From there you build out additional page templates, refine typography and colors conversationally, and download a ready-to-install ZIP containing your templates, styles, and theme.json \u2014 no PHP or CSS knowledge required.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cKeeping up with Gutenberg \u2013 Index 2026\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong> The previous years are also available: Troy Chaplin<\/strong> launched Veils of Fate<\/a>, a choose-your-own-adventure game built in WordPress using the Interactivity API, post types, and taxonomies. Spanning 3 acts, 18 quests, and 112 scenes, the story was co-written with Claude AI. If you love interactive storytelling, this one\u2019s for you. Nano banana handled the pixel art, Miles created the theme, and Kinsta provides the hosting. A family-inspired project: Troy\u2019s kids are avid readers and his wife is a librarian.<\/p>\n WordPress Studio<\/strong> is a free, open-source local development tool powered by WordPress Playground that has been around for two years now. The team has now published wp-studio<\/a> the CLI installer you can use to spin up local sites instantly \u2014 no Docker, NGINX, Apache, or MySQL required \u2014 sync them with WordPress.com or Pressable, share live preview links with clients, and tap into a built-in AI assistant that runs WP-CLI commands natively. It\u2019s only early access to there might be dragons. Carlo Daniele<\/strong> at Kinsta walks you through building PHP-only Gutenberg blocks<\/a>,<\/strong> a feature introduced in Gutenberg 21.8 that lets you register blocks entirely in PHP\u2014no React, Node.js, or build steps required. Using the new If you\u2019d rather watch a video for education, Brian Coords<\/strong> demonstrates how PHP-only block registration in WordPress 7.0 <\/strong>removes the build-tool barrier entirely<\/a> You\u2019ll see a Hello World block built with custom fields, a WooCommerce integration using the Store API, and how to handle frontend JavaScript when backend JS has limitations. The real payoff comes when you combine PHP-only blocks with Claude Code skills, letting you generate blocks through conversation rather than scaffolding. The code is on GitHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n On this episode of The WP Minute+<\/em>, Eric Karkovack<\/strong> sits down with WordPress contributors Alex Kirk<\/strong> and Brandon Payton<\/strong> to explore my.WordPress.net<\/a>,<\/strong> a browser-based WordPress sandbox built around privacy, portability, and AI. Think personal CRM, private family blogging, chat-to-blog workflows, and an AI playground \u2014 all running in your browser without a server. The demo shows how plugins become app-like modules, how messaging apps like Beeper can feed content in, and how AI can modify plugins live. Your data stays yours, portable across devices.<\/p>\n Fellyph Cintra<\/strong> announces that AI coding agents can now connect directly to WordPress Playground via MCP<\/strong><\/a>, thanks to the new Gary Pendergast<\/strong>, long-time core committer, introduces claudaborative-editing<\/a>, an MCP server \u2014 written by Claude Code, fittingly \u2014 that lets Claude edit WordPress posts live alongside you in Gutenberg. Built on WordPress 7.0\u2019s Yjs-powered collaborative editing protocol, your changes and Claude\u2019s sync in real time with no conflicts. A single Darin Koster<\/strong>, developer at Fueled, walks you through how AI featured image generation works<\/strong><\/a> inside the WordPress AI plugin<\/a>. One button click kicks off a five-step chain built on the Abilities API: gather post context, generate an image prompt via an LLM, generate the image, optionally create alt text, then import and set it as the featured image \u2014 all in about 30 seconds. The post doubles as a practical demonstration of how WordPress\u2019s AI building blocks can be composed into real editor workflows.<\/p>\n In this lively WP Builds debate on AI, content, and the future of WordPress<\/a>,<\/strong> Jamie Marsland <\/strong>\u2014 Automattic\u2019s head of YouTube and prolific WordPress educator \u2014 squares off against a gleefully curmudgeonly Nathan Wrigley<\/strong>. Marsland champions the new Claude\u2013WordPress.com integration, which gives AI full context of your site for content, branding, and SEO. Wrigley<\/strong> pushes back on authenticity, AI slop, and eroding community skills. You\u2019ll find both sides genuinely persuasive \u2014 and probably switch teams more than once.<\/p>\n As an example of how AI might change how you use WordPress, Jamie Marsland<\/strong> demonstrates that You can now Vibe Code with WordPress.com<\/strong><\/a>. on YouTube. He shows what\u2019s possible once Claude is connected to your site via MCP, from building full landing pages and wiring up contact forms with a single prompt to running promotions across multiple sites, generating downloadable SEO reports, auditing for accessibility, and tracking activity with visual dashboards. Think of it as your WordPress workflow, but driven entirely by conversation.<\/p>\n You can learn more about the official WordPress.com connector for Claude in below blog post and video. <\/p>\n Need a plugin .zip from Gutenberg\u2019s master branch?<\/a><\/strong> Now also available via WordPress Playground<\/a>. There is no need for a test site locally or on a server. Have you been using it? Email me <\/a>with your experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? <\/em> For questions to be answered on the Gutenberg Changelog<\/a>, ![\"\ud83d\udc95\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f495.png\")
Birgit<\/em><\/p>\nWordPress 7.0 <\/h2>\n
![\"Highlight](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7-0_highlight-grid-2026-03-26.png?resize=652%2C375&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n
\nblock_bindings_supported_attributes<\/code> filter, and the post walks you through edge cases for static blocks where a render_callback<\/code> may still be needed.<\/p>\n
\n\"role\": \"content\"<\/code> attributes in block.json<\/code>, theme authors should test their patterns, and plugin developers should verify UI components still render correctly under the new, more broadly applied editing modes.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>viewport<\/code> key inside blockVisibility<\/code> metadata lets users show or hide blocks per device \u2014 mobile, tablet, desktop \u2014 via CSS, not DOM removal. If your code assumes blockVisibility<\/code> is always a boolean, you\u2019ll need to update it to handle an object too. No changes are needed if your blocks don\u2019t interact with markup server-side.<\/p>\n
\nblock.json<\/code>, set defaults in theme.json<\/code>, and the sidebar UI comes for free. Themes can also define named dimensionSizes<\/code> presets, giving users a consistent palette rather than free-form inputs. If your block has custom width\/height attributes today, this is a good moment to consider migrating.<\/p>\n
\ncustomCSS<\/code> block support \u2014 enabled by default for all blocks \u2014 adds a Custom CSS field in the Advanced panel of the block inspector, scoped automatically to that instance via a generated class. Block authors whose blocks wrap raw or opaque content should explicitly opt out via block.json<\/code>. If your render_callback<\/code> is in play, make sure your block\u2019s outermost element is a standard HTML tag.<\/p>\n
\ntextIndent<\/code> block support<\/a> <\/strong>has all the details for developers working on blocks or themes. Opt in with a single line in block.json<\/code>, and a Line Indent control appears automatically in the Typography panel. Theme authors get theme.json<\/code> configuration too, including a thoughtful subsequent<\/code> vs all<\/code> toggle that respects both LTR and RTL typographic conventions. No breaking changes \u2014 purely additive.\/<\/p>\n
\nwp_connectors_init<\/code> action is your hook for registering additional connectors or overriding existing metadata.<\/p>\n
\nwp_ai_client_prompt()<\/code>, declare model preferences, and WordPress routes to whatever the site owner has configured. Three official provider plugins cover Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. Client-side JS exists but remains admin-only for now.<\/p>\n
\n@wordpress\/abilities<\/code> for pure state management and @wordpress\/core-abilities<\/code> for the WordPress integration layer that auto-fetches server-registered abilities via REST. You can register abilities with input\/output schemas, permission callbacks, and annotations \u2014 laying the groundwork for browser agents and WebMCP integration.<\/p>\nGutenberg 22.8<\/h2>\n
\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-28-at-12.00.17.png?resize=652%2C185&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n
\n![\"\ud83c\udf99\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f399.png\")
The latest episode is Gutenberg Changelog #128 \u2013 Gutenberg 22.7 Version and Dev Notes for 7.0<\/a> with special guest Maggie Cabrera <\/p>\n![\"Recording](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-13-at-17.41.45-1.png?resize=652%2C185&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\nPlugins, Themes, and Tools for #nocode site builders and owners<\/h2>\n
\nTheme Development for Full Site Editing and Blocks<\/h2>\n
theme.json<\/code>, check out S\u00e9rgio Santos<\/strong>\u2018s creation, WP Theme JSON Editor<\/strong><\/a>. It\u2019s a VS Code and Cursor extension that makes dealing with JSON way easier with its cool visual interface. You can easily tweak colors, typography, spacing, and block settings using the official WordPress JSON Schema. Plus, it\u2019s got handy features like CSS variable autocomplete, CodeMirror 6 syntax highlighting, drag-and-drop for palettes and font sizes, and real-time validation, and you even get to play with some experimental WP core properties. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s really easier than writing JSON from scratch, but hey, that\u2019s just a personal choice, right?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-28-at-13.19.14.png?resize=652%2C356&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n
\n
A chronological list of the WordPress Make Blog posts from various teams involved in Gutenberg development: Design, Theme Review Team, Core Editor, Core JS, Core CSS, Test, and Meta team from Jan. 2024 on. Updated by yours truly.\u2002<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/strong>2020<\/a> | 2021<\/a><\/strong> | 2022<\/a><\/strong> | 2023<\/a><\/strong> | 2024<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBuilding Blocks and Tools for the Block editor.<\/h2>\n
\n![\"\ud83d\udc09\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/1f409.png\")
Also available in WordPress Studio you can use phpMyAdmin to access the database and use it dark mode. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-28-at-13.53.48.png?resize=652%2C491&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n
\nauto_register<\/code> support flag, your attributes automatically generate inspector controls in the editor. You\u2019ll build a pricing card block and learn how to wrap legacy shortcodes as proper blocks, finally giving your PHP-side clients and developers a gentler path into the block editor. It will also come to a WordPress instance near you soon with WordPress 7.0. <\/p>\n
\n
\nPlayground News<\/h2>\n
\nAI in WordPress<\/h2>\n
@wp-playground\/mcp<\/code> package built by Berislav Grgicak<\/strong>. One command wires up Claude Code or Gemini CLI to a browser-based Playground instance over WebSocket, letting your agent read and write files, execute PHP, manage sites, and navigate pages \u2014 all locally, without touching WordPress admin. Think plugin testing, live database debugging, and theme scaffolding driven entirely by conversation.<\/p>\n
\nnpx claudaborative-editing setup<\/code> gets you started. Claude appears in the collaborators list, edits at the block level, and even streams text character by character as it types. <\/p>\n
\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WPBuilds462-Nathan-Wrigley-Jamie-Marsland.webp?resize=652%2C342&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n
\n\n
\n
Gutenberg Times provides daily build for testing and review.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gutenbergtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Screenshot-2025-11-15-at-12.06.44.png?resize=196%2C45&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Don\u2019t hesitate to send them via email<\/a> or<\/em>
send me a message on WordPress Slack or Twitter @bph<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\n
send them to changelog@gutenbergtimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n