[Collaboration Inquiry] A Proposal to Discuss Improving Theme Compatibility for the ActivityPub Plugin

[kimjiwoon]

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/)

[kimjiwoon]

While this may come across as somewhat direct, I believe it's important to be explicit: this ticket was initiated by an independent volunteer contributor in the WordPress community who shares no financial or organizational affiliation with Automattic. By doing so, the intent is not to make a unilateral decision but rather to highlight a genuine need, and to provide legitimacy for seeking collaboration with the Core Team.