WordPress 6.9: What’s New for Developers

WordPress 6.9 is a pivotal release that strengthens the foundation for where WordPress is heading next.

The updates to the Abilities API, Interactivity API, Block Bindings, DataViews, and DataForm make the platform more connected and easier to customize.

This release also puts developers in a better position to build interactive and intelligent features as WordPress moves into an AI-assisted future.

Read on to learn about key updates, see what’s possible, and get excited to start building with WordPress 6.9.

1. Register AI‑ready functions with the Abilities API and MCP

One of the most exciting additions to WordPress 6.9 is the new Abilities API. 

When paired with the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the Abilities API opens the door to AI orchestration — intelligent agents that can understand, extend, and act inside WordPress itself.

Abilities API

The Abilities API makes it possible to expose the capabilities of plugins, themes, and WordPress core to AI agents and automation tools in a standardized, machine-readable format.

This lets AI systems such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other assistants understand precisely what a particular WordPress site can do.

For example, users could give an AI assistant a natural language request to complete a range of tasks, such as:

• Create a post: An AI assistant, together with external tools, could generate and schedule content, leveraging the site’s full capabilities. 
• Audit site content: Using a site’s SEO plugin and connected tools, an AI assistant would analyze content and suggest updates.
• Generate sales reports: Using the ecommerce solution, an AI assistant could review sales data and produce reports.

See the Abilities API in WordPress 6.9 post for more information. 

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

The Abilities API works in conjunction with the Model Context Protocol (MCP). 

MCP is an open standard that lets AI assistants and apps, including WordPress, understand each other. 

It allows a WordPress site’s functionality, exposed by the Abilities API, to connect to AI assistants and other servers and tools in the MCP ecosystem.

Developers can install the MCP Adapter plugin to bridge their Abilities API registry with AI providers, paving the way for intelligent agents that can create posts, audit content, or generate reports from within WordPress.

Learn more about the MCP adapter for WordPress.

The AI building blocks vision

The Abilities API and the MCP Adapter are part of the AI Building Blocks initiative to allow users and developers to create powerful AI implementations within WordPress.

While AI features aren’t yet visible in the interface, the foundations being built mean WordPress is now intelligible to AI systems.

It’s still early days, but it’s the start of something meaningful. 

Looking ahead, this could enable AI agents to perform real actions within WordPress, such as generating content, automating workflows, and dynamically connecting to external data sources, all through standardized APIs.

Besides, using MCP future-proofs WordPress for an AI-driven world. It allows for quick adaptation to new AI systems and protocols without requiring a restructuring of core functionality. 

From that perspective, WordPress 6.9 doesn’t just set the stage for 7.0; it begins to redefine what the platform can become.

2. Build custom dashboards with DataViews and DataForm

WordPress 6.9 also strengthens the data‑management infrastructure in WordPress. 

While there are no visible changes for end users, the updates to DataViews, DataForm, and the Fields API give plugin developers more control and flexibility when building custom dashboards or admin interfaces.

DataViews: more robust data displays

The DataViews component has gained several powerful enhancements:

• Infinite scroll
• Locked filters
• Filtering with type-specific operators (e.g., less than, contains)
• Alignment and action column pinning for table layouts

These improvements make it easier for developers to create consistent, flexible interfaces that display data from any source. 

If you’re not yet familiar with DataViews, the component provides a powerful API for plugin developers to create interfaces that display items from a data source. 

For example, an e‑commerce plugin can use it to display orders inside WP Admin. You choose which fields appear, and whether to show them as a table, grid, or list. 

Users can then filter, search, paginate, and act on that data, and WordPress 6.9 adds finer control over those interactions through features like infinite scrolling and locked filters.

If you’re interested in getting started with the DataViews component, read this article on how to display and interact with data in plugins.

DataForm: flexible layouts and real‑time validation

In 6.9, updates to DataForm allow developers to choose from a number of new layout options. 

These new layouts, including a new modal panel and customizable card designs, give developers more control over how complex forms are structured and presented.

Here’s what’s new:

• New card and row layouts: display form fields in cards or side‑by‑side rows, rather than a single long list.
• Modal or dropdown panels: choose how secondary panels open—either as dropdowns or modal dialogs.
• Asynchronous validation: real‑time, rule‑based field validation means you can validate inputs both synchronously and asynchronously.

These updates give developers more control over how forms look and behave, making interfaces cleaner and more intuitive.

DataViewsPicker: easier item selection

A new DataViewsPicker component extends the DataViews API with selection management and action buttons.

It’s ideal for building media pickers or any interface where users need to choose multiple items from a dataset. 

End users can browse, filter, and select items in one place, improving usability.

Fields API enhancements

Finally, the Fields API has been expanded from three to 13 field types, adding support for arrays, booleans, colors, dates, email addresses, media, numbers, passwords, telephones, and URLs.

Validation is now rule‑based and supports both synchronous and asynchronous checks, making it easier to build and verify custom forms. 

Together, these enhancements mean developers can define richer forms with less boilerplate and ensure data quality more easily.

3. Inject dynamic data and interactions with Block Bindings and the Interactivity APIs

Updates to the Block Bindings API and the Interactivity API in WordPress 6.9 give developers more power and flexibility to build dynamic, interactive experiences. 

Block Bindings API improvements 

Another change is that WordPress developers can now control which block attributes are eligible for data binding.

The Block Bindings API introduces a new filter, which lets you specify the bindable attributes of any block:

block_bindings_supported_attributes_{$block_type}

Beyond that, the API has been expanded in three important ways:

• Custom binding sources in the editor: You can now register your own data sources by adding a getFieldsList() method to your source registration. This method returns an array of objects (each with a label, type, and args) to populate the binding dropdown.

• More blocks support binding: Binding can now be enabled for additional core blocks, including the Date block and the Image block caption, extending the range of dynamic data you can inject into content.

• Simpler UI for switching sources: The updated interface in the block editor makes it easy for users to switch between data sources and bind or unbind attributes with a single click.

Interactivity API updates

The Interactivity API has been significantly enhanced in WordPress 6.9, making interactive features faster and more reliable.

Updates include:

• Reusing shared stylesheets: 6.9 speeds up client-side navigation. Loaded stylesheets are reused where possible, with new stylesheets only loaded when needed. 
• Script modules for interactive blocks: JavaScript modules for interactive blocks are dynamically loaded, and dependencies are automatically managed, ensuring blocks stay fast and responsive. 
• Support for router regions: Interactive blocks can now include nested router regions and can dynamically render overlays anywhere on the page. This makes interactive features like modals, pop-ups, and dropdowns more flexible and reliable.
• Improved getServerState and getServerContext functions: These functions now reset properly between page transitions to ensure interactive blocks start with the correct data. 
• New TypeScript helpers: AsyncAction and TypeYield have been introduced to help developers address potential TypeScript issues when working with asynchronous actions.

Want to jump in and start experimenting with 6.9? Try binding a custom field to a caption of an Image block or using the Interactivity API to load comments or search results without reloading the entire page.

4. Style your themes faster with form controls and border-radius presets

Finally, WordPress 6.9 brings a set of practical updates for theme developers.

You get better form styling, button typography that now inherits correctly, and new options for setting border-radius size presets.

Together, these changes give you more flexibility when designing and refining themes.

Theme.json form styling

Theme.json now supports styling for form elements.

With the styles.elements property, you can target inputs and select fields to set colors, borders, and typography.

These styles apply across the entire site — including third-party plugins — giving theme developers much more control and consistency.

For more information on styling these form elements, read this blog post on how WordPress 6.9 gives forms a theme.json makeover. 

Border-radius size presets

Theme creators can now define border-radius presets using human-readable names like Small, Medium, and Large.

Users can then choose these presets from a dropdown in the Block Editor and apply them to supported blocks.

This replaces repeated manual input with simple, reusable options, making designs more consistent.

Explore a step-by-step guide to creating these presets in the WordPress Developer Blog post Border radius size presets in WordPress 6.9.

Button typography inheritance

Buttons can now inherit typography from their parent styles when defined in theme.json, making it easier to maintain a consistent look across a site.

When users adjust typography in Global Styles — such as font style, text transform, letter spacing, or font weight — the wp-element-button class now picks up those changes automatically.

The before-and-after image below demonstrates how the button text has inherited the typography styles:

Try out 6.9 and help shape the future of WordPress

WordPress 6.9 brings a range of useful updates for developers — from the Abilities and Interactivity APIs to improvements in DataViews and more.

The best part: It’s easy to start experimenting with them.

The fastest way to start is with WordPress Playground, a browser-based sandbox with no setup required.

Alternatively, use WordPress Studio to quickly spin up new local sites that can sync with the developer-ready managed hosting from WordPress.com. Business and Commerce plans include staging sites, SFTP/SSH access, WP-CLI, and GitHub Deployments. 

Let us know how you get on and help shape the future of WordPress. 

Original Post https://wordpress.com/blog/2025/12/03/wordpress-6-9-new-for-developers/