[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #63735: [Collaboration Inquiry] A Proposal to Discuss Improving Theme Compatibility for the ActivityPub Plugin

Tue Jul 22 05:42:16 UTC 2025

#63735: [Collaboration Inquiry] A Proposal to Discuss Improving Theme Compatibility
for the ActivityPub Plugin
-----------------------------+-----------------------------
 Reporter:  kimjiwoon        |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  feature request  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal           |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins          |    Version:
 Severity:  normal           |   Keywords:  dev-feedback
  Focuses:                   |
-----------------------------+-----------------------------
 > **Goal:** To confirm whether collaboration is possible with the
 WordPress Core Theme Team on improving theme compatibility for the
 `Automattic/wordpress-activitypub` plugin.

 Honestly, I’m aware that this ticket may not be the ideal venue for this
 kind of conversation, and that the way I’m approaching collaboration might
 not follow the usual or most appropriate channels. So I’m proceeding with
 caution.

 That said, I also believe that the line between the broader WordPress
 community and Automattic’s development work is often blurry, and that
 collaboration between the two—while sometimes unfamiliar or ambiguous—is
 both possible and meaningful when done with care.

 The reason I decided to open this ticket is because the Fediverse, like
 AI, represents an area where WordPress should be preparing itself for
 emerging digital ecosystems. Even if our current methods aren’t perfect, I
 feel that raising this issue is justifiable and worthwhile.

 ---

 ### ✅ Contextual Relevance Review

 - **Background**
   → This discussion originated in a GitHub issue
 ([#1975](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/issues/1975))
 regarding the limitations of using the `/author/` page as the federated
 profile endpoint.
   → A suggestion was made that improving theme compatibility for this page
 may require input or collaboration from the Core Theme Team.
   → This is not just a plugin-level concern—it touches on a broader,
 structural question: **how should plugins and themes work together to
 support specific front-end experiences?**

 - **Why This Merits Core Theme Team Involvement**
   → The WCEU 2025 Core Committers meeting included a discussion about the
 evolving role of themes in WordPress.
   → This question—how plugins might define and integrate templates with
 themes—directly connects to that ongoing discussion.

 - **Why Documenting It Here Matters**
   → In line with how decisions are made in the WordPress project,
 documenting issues in a public, asynchronous space like GitHub or the
 Make/Core blog allows for broader participation and visibility.

 - **Short-Term Goal vs. Long-Term Vision**
   → **Short-term goal:** Improve theme compatibility for the federated
 profile page in the ActivityPub plugin.
   → **Long-term vision:** Possibly create a dedicated core theme for
 ActivityPub (inspired by prior efforts like the Friends plugin).

 ---

 Hello, Core Theme Team.

 I am a volunteer from the WordPress community. I’m writing this post to
 initiate a conversation based on a discussion that emerged in a GitHub
 issue for the `Automattic/wordpress-activitypub` plugin
 [issue](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/issues/1975).
 While I am not an engineer on the project, the need for collaboration with
 the Core Theme team was raised during the discussion, and I wanted to help
 facilitate that conversation. In the spirit of how decisions are made in
 the WordPress project, I believe documenting this here is important for
 asynchronous participation.

 ---

 ### The Pain Point We're Trying to Relieve

 Currently, the `ActivityPub` plugin uses WordPress's default `/author/`
 page as the link for a user's federated profile. This approach has clear
 limitations:

 1. **Design Constraints**: On most themes, the `/author/` page is designed
 as a simple post archive. It is not well-suited for displaying the
 elements required for a federated profile, such as a detailed bio,
 follower/following counts, and interaction buttons.
 2. **Lack of Extensibility**: Even if the plugin were to add a new, custom
 profile page, making it fully compatible with the vast ecosystem of
 classic and block themes is a significant challenge. This can lead to
 broken layouts or features that don't display correctly, creating a poor
 user experience.

 The core problem is: **How can a plugin implement a front-end page for a
 specific feature while ensuring maximum compatibility with all themes?**

 ---

 ### Why We Believe the Core Theme Team Is the Right Place for This
 Discussion

 This issue goes beyond a single plugin; it touches on fundamental
 questions about how plugins and themes should interact.

 - **Team Expertise**: An effective solution requires a deep understanding
 of **Full Site Editing (FSE), templates, patterns, and the extensibility
 of block themes**. This is the specific domain of the Core Theme team.
 - **Relevance to Current Discussions**: I saw that the topic **"What role
 themes have in present day WordPress?"** was discussed in the recent `WCEU
 2025 Core Committers Meeting Notes` on the Make/Core blog. This proposal,
 which explores how themes can better support templates required by
 plugins, feels like a natural extension of that conversation.
 - **Scope of Impact**: The ActivityPub plugin provides a vital bridge
 connecting WordPress sites to the Fediverse. Its user base is growing, and
 solving this compatibility issue would enable a better federated
 experience for a significant number of WordPress users.

 ---

 ### Our Goal and Vision

 My long-term vision is the potential for a dedicated core theme for
 ActivityPub, similar to what has been explored for the Friends plugin.
 However, that is a distant goal.

 The immediate, practical goal is much simpler: **to achieve maximum theme
 compatibility for the ActivityPub plugin's federated profile page, across
 both classic and block themes.**

 ---

 ### Questions and a Proposal for a Path Forward

 We are seeking the team's guidance on the best architectural approach to
 solve this problem.

 1. Are there **best practices or recommended patterns** for when a plugin
 needs a specific template to be seamlessly supported and styled by themes?
 2. Could addressing this challenge align with the Core Theme team's
 priorities? If so, what would be the **best venue to continue this
 discussion** (e.g., a new Trac ticket, a dedicated Slack channel, a
 scheduled meeting)?

 We would appreciate any feedback or thoughts the team might have on this
 proposal. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 **Relevant Links:**

 - GitHub Issue: [Proposal: Do not use the /author/ page as the federated
 profile link](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-
 activitypub/issues/1975)
 - Make/Core Post: [WCEU 2025 Core Committers Meeting
 Notes](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/06/13/wceu-2025-core-
 committers-meeting-notes/)

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/63735>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform