A long-term client called me late on the 10th. “Ahmad,” he says, “I see WordPress 6.9 is finally out. My dashboard is begging me to update. Should I just hit the button?” My answer is always the same: Not until I’ve checked the dev chat notes. It’s not about being a luddite; it’s about knowing exactly what’s under the hood before you start the engine on a production site.
The latest WordPress 6.9 release management notes from the December 10, 2025, dev chat are actually quite reassuring. Often, when a major version drops, the core team is already scrambling to fix a “showstopper” bug that slipped through. But this time? The feedback has been quiet. In fact, they’ve already decided that an immediate 6.9.1 maintenance release isn’t necessary. That’s a good sign for stability, but it doesn’t mean you should go in blind.
Why the Dev Chat Dictates Your Update Strategy
If you’re managing a high-traffic WooCommerce store or a complex corporate site, you don’t play guessing games with core updates. According to the summary over at the official Make WordPress Core blog, the planning for 6.9.1 is being pushed into the new year. This tells me the core team is confident in the 6.9 “Gene” release.
I remember a project a few years back—total nightmare. I got cocky and updated a client’s site to a .0 release the hour it launched. I figured, “It’s been in Beta for months, what could go wrong?” Ten minutes later, their custom product configurator was throwing 500 errors because of a subtle change in how the REST API handled certain schema validations. I spent my entire night rolling back and writing a polyfill. Now? I wait for the dev chat to confirm there are no “immediate response” issues. Total game changer for my stress levels.
Gutenberg 22.2 and the Workflow Problem
The dev chat also touched on something that hits home for anyone doing custom block development: the lack of clear labels in the Gutenberg repository. Sometimes you find a bug, you see an issue for it, but you have no idea if it’s actually ready for a patch or if the architects are still arguing over the implementation. This confusion slows us down. If you’re seeing weirdness in your block editor after the Gutenberg 22.2 update, just know that the “Needs Patch” labels are currently a bit of a mess. Trust me on this—don’t start hacking core blocks until you’re sure where the workflow stands.
/**
* A safe way to handle major core updates for enterprise clients.
* This allows minor security patches but forces a manual review for major releases.
*/
add_filter( 'allow_major_auto_core_updates', 'bbioon_manage_major_releases', 10, 1 );
function bbioon_manage_major_releases( $allow ) {
// For production environments, we want to vet major updates like 6.9 first.
if ( defined( 'WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE' ) && 'production' === WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE ) {
return false;
}
return $allow;
}So, What’s the Point?
The takeaway here is simple: 6.9 is looking solid, but your release management process shouldn’t be reactive. Here’s how I’m handling it for my clients this week:
- Wait for the dust to settle: Since 6.9.1 isn’t coming until next year, we have a stable window to test in staging.
- Monitor the Gutenberg Repo: Keep an eye on those workflow discussions if you rely heavily on the block editor.
- Test your custom hooks: Especially anything touching the REST API or block rendering.
Look, this stuff gets complicated fast. If you’re tired of debugging someone else’s mess and just want your site to work through major transitions, drop my team a line. We’ve probably seen it before.
Are you hitting the update button today, or are you waiting for the new year?
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