WordPress 6.9 will arrive on December 2, and we are just one month away from the release of the first beta version, which should already include all the new features.
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Program transcript
Hello, I’m Alicia Ireland, and you’re listening to WPpodcast, bringing the weekly news from the WordPress Community.
In this episode, you’ll find the information from September 15 to 21, 2025.
WordPress 6.9 is moving forward with several key updates as it approaches beta 1, scheduled for October 21.
Among the changes in development are the ability to hide blocks, which is being refined as an experiment within Gutenberg, and the expansion of the command palette, although its use on the frontend has been ruled out for now. Work is also underway on block-level comments, improving the interface, and resolving accessibility issues before graduating the feature from experimental to stable.
Another focus is the new blocks that could be added to this version: accordion, query terms, breadcrumbs for posts, icons, responsive text, tabs, and others in stabilization, such as the table of contents block or the estimated reading time block. All of them are grouped as experiments in Gutenberg and will be individually evaluated to decide their inclusion in the final version of 6.9. The community is encouraged to test them and report issues to polish the experience.
Finally, there is an effort to simplify site editing, exploring two paths: a switched writing and design mode, or an approach where patterns are content only by default. The idea is to offer a simpler experience, without adding unnecessary layers of complexity, allowing users to focus on content and detail patterns only when necessary. Although still in an experimental phase, this direction points to being one of the most important conceptual changes that could shape editing in WordPress 6.9.
The AI team is following the discussion on the future of the Abilities API, key for WordPress 6.9. It was recommended to separate CRUD operations into more specific abilities, create distinct capabilities for each content type, and define a more granular and secure permission system.
The next steps include finalizing the scope of the API in version 6.9, implementing filters by categories and namespaces, and establishing exposure controls in the REST API. The goal is for the system to be scalable and clear both for developers and for its integration with artificial intelligence models.
The WordPress 6.9 beta is scheduled for October 21, at which time the first version of the Abilities API will be integrated into core. This has led to discussions about changing the API package type to a WordPress plugin, expectations around Composer packages, and the possible inclusion of client-side abilities.
It was decided to release a minimum number of initial abilities, including one for “discovering abilities”, and to move forward with the publication of MCP Adapter 0.2.0. In a few days it will be decided which specific abilities will arrive with WordPress 6.9.
The BuddyPress team has released versions 14.4.0, 12.6.0, and 11.5.1 as maintenance and security updates. These versions fix a flaw in the REST API that could expose registration data, including email addresses, and improve the email unsubscribe function. Updating immediately is recommended to ensure site security.
And finally, this podcast is distributed under a Creative Commons license as a derivative version of the podcast in Spanish; you can find all the links for more information, and the podcast in other languages, at WPpodcast .org.
Thanks for listening, and until the next episode!
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