Add WordPress 6.9+ Block Notes compatibility to disable comments feature

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file, per [the Keep a Changelog standard](http://keepachangelog.com/).
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Added
+
+- WordPress 6.9+ Block Notes compatibility with disable comments feature.
+- New filter `tenup_experience_disable_comments_allowed_types` to allow specific comment types when comments are disabled.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Block Notes now work correctly when traditional comments are disabled.
+- Comment query filters now properly check comment type before short-circuiting.
+
 ## [1.17.0] - 2025-12-18
 * Make sure user roles are unindexed arrays by @felipeelia in https://github.com/10up/10up-experience/pull/186
 * Bump express from 4.19.2 to 4.22.1 in the npm_and_yarn group across 1 directory by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/10up/10up-experience/pull/188

README.md

@@ -202,6 +202,17 @@ On top of disabling the comment form, this feature removes the following:
 - Comment blocks from the post editor.
 - Comments from the admin bar.
 
+#### WordPress 6.9+ Block Notes Compatibility
+
+As of version 1.17.0, the disable comments feature is fully compatible with Block Notes introduced in WordPress 6.9. Block Notes are a collaborative feedback feature that allows teams to leave contextual comments on blocks within the editor.
+
+When comments are disabled, Block Notes will continue to function normally because they:
+- Use a different comment type (`note` instead of `comment`)
+- Rely on `edit_post` capability rather than comment capabilities
+- Are only visible within the block editor, not on the frontend
+
+This means you can safely disable traditional comments while still using Block Notes for editorial collaboration.
+
 #### Constants
 
 - `TENUP_DISABLE_COMMENTS`
@@ -216,6 +227,19 @@ Setting this constant will disable the UI for enabling/disabling comments in the
 Filters whether to disable comments. Default is `false`.
 Defining this filter will disable the UI for enabling/disabling comments in the admin.
 
+- `tenup_experience_disable_comments_allowed_types`
+
+Filters the list of comment types that should bypass the disable comments feature. By default, this includes `note` for WordPress 6.9+ Block Notes. This allows plugins to extend the list of comment types that should continue to function when traditional comments are disabled.
+
+Example:
+
+```php
+add_filter( 'tenup_experience_disable_comments_allowed_types', function( $allowed_types ) {
+    $allowed_types[] = 'custom_comment_type';
+    return $allowed_types;
+} );
+```
+
 - `tenup_experience_disable_comments_disallowed_blocks`
 
 Filters the list of blocks that should be disallowed when comments are disabled. This is useful when core adds new blocks that aren't covered by the default list.

includes/classes/Comments/Comments.php

@@ -90,6 +90,37 @@ protected function is_ui_disabled() {
 		return defined( 'TENUP_DISABLE_COMMENTS' ) || has_filter( 'tenup_experience_disable_comments' );
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Get the list of comment types that should bypass disable comments filters.
+	 *
+	 * This allows certain comment types (like Block Notes introduced in WordPress 6.9)
+	 * to continue functioning even when traditional comments are disabled.
+	 *
+	 * Block Notes are stored as WP_Comments with a comment_type of 'note' and are used
+	 * for collaborative feedback within the block editor. They rely on edit_post capability
+	 * rather than comment capabilities.
+	 *
+	 * @since 1.12.0
+	 * @see https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/11/15/notes-feature-in-wordpress-6-9/
+	 *
+	 * @return array Array of comment types that should be allowed.
+	 */
+	protected function get_allowed_comment_types() {
+		$allowed_types = array( 'note' );
+
+		/**
+		 * Filter the list of comment types that bypass the disable comments feature.
+		 *
+		 * This allows plugins to extend the list of comment types that should continue
+		 * to function when traditional comments are disabled.
+		 *
+		 * @since 1.12.0
+		 *
+		 * @param array $allowed_types Array of comment type strings.
+		 */
+		return apply_filters( 'tenup_experience_disable_comments_allowed_types', $allowed_types );
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Register restrict REST API setting.
 	 *
@@ -258,35 +289,85 @@ public function remove_comments_admin_bar_links() {
 	/**
 	 * Hide any existing comments on front end
 	 *
-	 * @return array
+	 * This filter preserves certain comment types (like Block Notes) while hiding
+	 * traditional comments from the frontend.
+	 *
+	 * @since 1.11.2
+	 *
+	 * @param array $comments Array of comments.
+	 * @param int   $post_id  Post ID.
+	 *
+	 * @return array Filtered array of comments.
 	 */
-	public function disable_comments_hide_existing_comments() {
-		return [];
+	public function disable_comments_hide_existing_comments( $comments, $post_id ) {
+		$allowed_types = $this->get_allowed_comment_types();
+
+		// If no allowed types, return empty array (original behavior).
+		if ( empty( $allowed_types ) ) {
+			return array();
+		}
+
+		// Filter to only include allowed comment types (e.g., Block Notes).
+		return array_filter(
+			$comments,
+			function ( $comment ) use ( $allowed_types ) {
+				return in_array( $comment->comment_type, $allowed_types, true );
+			}
+		);
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Disable commenting
 	 *
-	 * @return boolean
+	 * Block Notes do not rely on the comments_open or pings_open filters,
+	 * so this can safely return false for all contexts.
+	 *
+	 * @since 1.11.2
+	 *
+	 * @param bool $open    Whether comments are open.
+	 * @param int  $post_id Post ID.
+	 *
+	 * @return bool Always returns false to disable commenting.
 	 */
-	public function disable_comments_status() {
+	public function disable_comments_status( $open, $post_id ) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Short-circuit WP_Comment_Query
 	 *
-	 * @param array $comment_data Comment data.
-	 * @param array $query        Query data.
+	 * This filter prevents traditional comment queries from executing, but allows
+	 * certain comment types (like Block Notes) to pass through by checking the
+	 * query's 'type' parameter.
+	 *
+	 * Block Notes (WordPress 6.9+) are stored as WP_Comments with comment_type='note'
+	 * and must be able to query the database for the Notes feature to work.
+	 *
+	 * @since 1.11.2
+	 * @see https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/11/15/notes-feature-in-wordpress-6-9/
+	 *
+	 * @param array|int|null    $comment_data Comment data (null to allow query to proceed).
+	 * @param \WP_Comment_Query $query        The WP_Comment_Query instance.
 	 *
-	 * @return array|int|null
+	 * @return array|int|null Returns null to allow query, or array/int to short-circuit.
 	 */
 	public function filter_comments_pre_query( $comment_data, $query ) {
 
-		if ( is_a( $query, '\WP_Comment_Query' ) && $query->query_vars['count'] ) {
-			return 0;
+		if ( is_a( $query, '\WP_Comment_Query' ) ) {
+			$comment_type = $query->query_vars['type'] ?? '';
+
+			// Allow certain comment types (like Block Notes) to pass through.
+			if ( in_array( $comment_type, $this->get_allowed_comment_types(), true ) ) {
+				return $comment_data; // Return null to allow the query to proceed.
+			}
+
+			// Short-circuit count queries for traditional comments.
+			if ( $query->query_vars['count'] ) {
+				return 0;
+			}
 		}
 
+		// Short-circuit all other comment queries.
 		return array();
 	}