Welcome to the official home of the WordPress Documentation Team.
This team is responsible for coordinating all documentation initiatives around WordPress, including the handbooks and other general wordsmithing across the WordPress project.
Want to get involved?
Start here to find out more about what we do and how to contribute:
Documentation Issue Tracker on GitHub: Submit any Documentation Team-related issues on GitHubGitHubGitHub 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/
Weekly meetings
Join our discussions of documentation issues here on the blog and on Slack.
WordPress Slack account (wordpress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ account is needed).
Regular meeting with agenda published on our blog.
Issues triage where we discuss issues from the GitHubGitHubGitHub 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/ repository.
Live onboarding sessions
We recorded onboarding sessions for everyone interested in getting started with the Documentation team. We know that our “Getting started” documentation is out of date and getting involved can be very confusing and frustrating so we hope to ease the process with these sessions.
Developer documentation – PluginPluginA 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 handbook
Developer documentation – BlockBlockBlock 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. editor handbook
@milana_cap informed the team that there will be a holiday break and docs team will reinitiate activities on the 13 of January 2026 at 14:00 UTC.
@milana_cap also let the team know that next year, there will be a new gamification contribution system, where contributors can collect points for every single contribution, from attending the meeting to writing articles, documenting releases and leading docs tables at Contributor Days. There will also be special titles, leader board, and points could be deducted. More information will be posted in the Make blog in January.
A new project to overhaul the blocks documentation is starting. The goal is to update the blockBlockBlock 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. articles before WP 7.0 is release and fix any outdated information, broken links, broken images, etc. Instructions will be up in the upcoming weeks. https://github.com/orgs/WordPress/projects/267/views/1
@tobifjellner, a global mentor for the polyglots teamPolyglots TeamPolyglots Team is a group of multilingual translators who work on translating plugins, themes, documentation, and front-facing marketing copy. https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/. joined, he is interested in understanding the documentation workflow to continue the translation project. Docs contributors interested in translating documentation are invited to join the #polyglots-multilingual-community
Previous work has been done in the documentation translation project, read the notes from the last meeting in WCEU 2024 in Torino.
The workflow currently used by the Docs team to update user documentation is likely a key reason why documentation is often not ready by release day.
Current Workflow Overview
The GitHubGitHubGitHub 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/ project template contains 13 status columns, intended to reflect multiple review stages before publishing on WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/. Some columns are used for Dev Notes, while others are for user documentation:
No Status
Unknown
To Do
In Progress
F.G. and Misc.
Needs 1st Review
Needs 1st Review (Peers)
Edits After 1st Review
Needs 2nd Review
Needs 2nd Review (Copy)
Reviewed: To Revise / Migrate
Ready to Publish: Make CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
Done
Problems with the Current Workflow
Currently, once the Source of Truth article is available, contributors begin writing drafts—usually in Google Docs. These drafts often sit more than a week waiting for a first review. After revisionsRevisionsThe WordPress revisions system stores a record of each saved draft or published update. The revision system allows you to see what changes were made in each revision by dragging a slider (or using the Next/Previous buttons). The display indicates what has changed in each revision., they then wait again for a second review.
Sometimes the second reviewer publishes the article in WordPress; other times, articles wait weeks longer, and by the time they are updated, the release has already shipped, forcing additional updates.
This process leads to:
A growing backlog of unfinished documentation,
articles being updated out of release order (e.g., 6.4 → 6.6 → 6.5), resulting in confusion,
inconsistent documentation when users report outdated content
Proposed Workflow Change
For WordPress 6.9, the HelpHub documentation was written directly in WordPress, scheduled for release day, without review waiting time.
To ensure accountability, issues were still created in GitHub to track both new and updated articles, and reviews should occur after publication.
Recommendations
Skip most review stages before release.
Form a small writing team dedicated to each release.
Reviews should be optional before publishing (if a reviewer is available.)
Schedule completed articles to publish on release day.
Perform a second review after publishing, correcting any issues as needed.
Simplify the GitHub project template to remove unnecessary review columns.
When: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 07:30 PM GMT+5:30 Participants and Their Contributions: @milana_cap 1. Facilitated the meeting, welcomed @ritikaroy2830, and shared onboarding resources: Onboarding Sessions for Documentation Team 2. Provided the meeting notes format template: Summary of Docs Team meeting Nov 4, 2025 3. Led project updates, discussed contributor rewards, and explained documentation review roles (First and Second Reviewer). 4. Closed 4 documentation issues for version 6.8, stating only one left: GitHub Issue Tracker. 5. Announced planned GitHubGitHubGitHub 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/ automation for review checklists and notifications. 6. Clarified roles for HelpHub, DevHub, Handbook, and GutenbergGutenbergThe 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/ releases documentation. 7. Guided policy updates for documentation responsibilities on Themes and Plugins handbooks. 8. Summarised action items: updating reviewing roles, renaming review roles, implementing GitHub automations, and updating the CONTRIBUTING documentation. 9. Proposed automating replies for documentation issues outside Docs’ scope. 10. Suggested a triage role for new and open issues classification. @atachibana Shared experience leading the Docs table at WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Kansai and translation work. Confirmed willingness to continue as second reviewer for HelpHub. @Azhar Deraiya Reminded team about submitting contributions via the contributions form on the Docs blog sidebarSidebarA 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.: Make WordPress Documentation Encouraged contributor submissions for badge assignments. @Arslan Led Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/. and Docs Table at WordCamp Islamabad 2025; submitted contributions through the contributions form. @estelaris 1. Discussed project responsibilities and defined roles within Docs projects. 2. Proposed detailed roles for first and second reviewers with checklist requirements. 3. Emphasised task distribution for efficiency. 4. Agreed on policy directing off-scope handbook issues to respective teams. 5. Highlighted the need to update HelpHub and DevHub roles with detailed responsibilities, including issue review and closure. 6. Recommended asking draft writers for changes when necessary. @MosesCursor Supported having experienced reviewers fill roles to maintain consistency.
Main Points Discussed in the Meeting: 1. Documentation roles are clearly defined with reference to team roles: Docs team roles 2. Two-tier review system agreed upon: 3. First Reviewer: Checks grammar, structure, style, screenshots, with guides: Grammar Guide, Writing Tips, Tone and Voice Guide 4. Second Reviewer: Fact-checking and final approval. 5. GitHub automation planned for checklist reminders and review label notifications. 6. Policy updates to clarify the Docs team’s scope and proper handling of documentation issues for Themes and Plugins. 7. Expanded HelpHub and DevHub roles to include issue review, documentation updates, and closure. 8. Proposal for an issues triage role to handle new and open issues. 9. Checklist to be created for reviewers detailing responsibilities. The End 🙂
Contributors to submit their activities every week via the form.
Meeting leads will collect and announce the contributions during the meeting.
Weekly contributor badges will be issued and announced.
Contributions will be gamified: each submission earns points and titles, contributing to a leaderboard.
Action:
Contributors are asked to submit their contributions via the form.
@milana_cap to publish a detailed post explaining the recognition workflow and gamification proposal.
3. Regular vs. Release Contributions (led by @estelaris)
Continuing previous discussions around defining regular and release contributions.
Regular contributions include:
Attending meetings, writing up meeting notes, or leading meetings.
Attending contributor days (e.g., WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more., MeetupMeetupAll local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area., external events).
Submitting issues to update documentation articles.
Note: Fixing typos is important but does not count as a regular meaningful contribution.
Release contributions refer to tasks related to specific WordPress version releases (e.g., the current 6.9 release). These contributions include:
Creating and managing project repositories (e.g., WP 6.9 documentation).
Updating articles, submitting new screenshots, reviewing documentation.
For developer docs, interacting with the release team, ensuring devnotes are documented (though not writing them).
