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7.1 RC: double sign-off for trunk; string freeze in effect

v7.1

August 5, 2026WordPress Core Dev NotesView original ↗
3 enhancementsThis release3 enhancementsImprovements to existing featuresAI-tallied from the release notes
From the original release noteView original ↗

Now that WordPress 7.1 has entered the Release Candidate phase, the following policies are in place.

These policies mainly cover how and when Core committers can commit. For non-committing contributors, this post may help explain why Core committers make certain decisions.

Committing to Trunk

In order to not interfere with ongoing efforts to improve github actions, branching has been delayed until early next week. This post will be updated after the branch is created.

As a result, all commits to trunk will require double sign-off by two core committers until the 7.1 branch is created.

The dev-feedback keyword should be used to request a second committer’s review, dev-reviewed should be added to indicate a second committer has reviewed and approved the commit to trunk. Commits to the test suite do not require double sign-off. Only committers should add the dev-feedback and dev-reviewed keywords.

String Freeze

RC1 release marks the hard string freeze point of the release cycle. While this normally means the Polyglots team can begin translating strings from the upcoming release into their local language, a version-specific branch is required. As a result, strings will not be available for translation until the 7.1 branch is created.

Despite this, the normal rules for hard string freeze will be followed:

  • No new strings are permitted. Exceptions can be made for critical strings (the About page, for example) provided they are properly tagged with the i18n-change keyword in Trac and the Polyglot team is made aware.
  • Existing strings can be removed and/or duplicated if needed.

Seek guidance from the Polyglots team reps for any strings reported as buggy. A buggy string is one that can not be translated to all languages in its current form.

Tickets on the WordPress 7.1 milestone

Only two types of tickets may be placed on/remain on the 7.1 milestone:

  • Regressions: bugs that have been introduced during the WordPress 7.1 development cycle, either to existing or new features.
  • Test suite expansion: tests can be committed at any time without regard to code or string freezes. This can cover either new or existing features.

Bumping Trunk to WordPress 7.2-alpha

After the 7.1 branch is created, this post will be updated and a @committers announcement will be made in slack informing everyone that trunk is open for commits related to the next version of the software.

Props @joedolson for peer review.

#7-1

Fetched August 5, 2026