Core Team

WCA26 - Core Team

What Is the Core Team?

The Core Team works on the WordPress software itself — the code that powers more than 40% of the web.

Different teams focus on different aspects of Core, but all these are interconnected:

  • WordPress Core development
  • The Editor (Gutenberg)
  • Testing and quality assurance
  • Performance
  • Accessibility
  • Documentation
  • And increasingly — AI-related initiatives within WordPress

You don’t need to be a senior developer to contribute. You need curiosity, willingness to learn, and a laptop prepared in advance (more on that below). The team table will be led by several table leads who will be there to guide you.

The Test Team will be seated close to Core (at a separate table), and testing is one of the most valuable ways to contribute — especially on this particular day.

A Special Contributor Day

This Contributor Day coincides with the WordPress 7.0 release celebration happening right at the venue.

During the morning, some contributors will participate in final release processes and testing. Others may begin work on tickets that will land in future releases.

If you’re new — this is actually a wonderful opportunity to see how a major release comes together.

What Can You Work On?

Depending on your experience and interests, you may:

  • Review and test open tickets
  • Help triage issues
  • Contribute patches
  • Improve documentation
  • Work on Gutenberg (the Editor)
  • Test WordPress 7.0 on copies of real sites
  • Explore contributions to Core AI initiatives
  • Help other newcomers get started

This day is not about rushing to “finish” something alone. It’s about learning how contribution works and becoming part of the process. 

Still, achieving something during one day is an exciting experience, so we advise you to pick a task that can be finalized in several hours. If you are not sure what it may be, Table leads will be there to help you.

⚠️ Very Important: Come Prepared

Nothing is more frustrating than spending half the day installing tools while everyone else is contributing.

Please prepare your environment before April 9th:

  • Install Docker (or your preferred local development environment)
  • Install Node.js, npm, and Composer
  • Clone the WordPress develop repository
  • Set up a local WordPress installation
  • Make sure you can run tests locally

Follow the instructions: https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/blob/trunk/README.md 

And if something is not working for you, do not wait until the CD, jump to the Core Team Slack channel to ask and get help (outside an ongoing meeting if it is not a New Core Contributor Meeting).

If you plan to help with testing the 7.0 release:

  • Prepare a local copy of a real website (recommended)
  • Or prepare a staging environment
  • Test basic flows: creating posts, categories, publishing, media uploads, etc.

Testing real-world setups is incredibly valuable — a fresh install may not surface edge cases.

If you arrive without a laptop or environment setup, it will be difficult to meaningfully participate. 

Why Contribute in the AI Era?

AI can generate code.
AI can summarize tickets.
AI can suggest solutions.

But AI cannot replace:

  • Judgment
  • Context
  • Collaboration
  • Community trust
  • Real-world testing
  • Human mentorship

WordPress remains human-led. Contribution is not only about code — it’s about stewardship.

And learning to contribute to open source builds skills that no automation can take away.

FAQ

No. Beginners are welcome. You will be guided.

Help review patches, guide newcomers, triage tickets, assist with testing. Teaching others is one of the best ways to deepen your own understanding.

Contributions made during Contributor Day may count toward future releases depending on what you work on. The real value, however, is learning the process and becoming a regular contributor.

Absolutely. You can join online through Slack and follow release activities remotely. Contributor Day is one day — contribution is year-round.

Beyond One Day

The goal of Contributor Day is not just to contribute once, but begin a journey and open new areas of knowledge, experience and possibilities.

Starting is often the hardest step. Doing it together makes it easier. This is what the day is for.

We hope you’ll join us in Mumbai — prepared, curious, and ready to build the future of WordPress.