Gutenberg 23.8 release checklist

[sirreal]

This issue is to provide visibility on the progress of the release process of Gutenberg 23.8 and to centralize any conversations about it. The ultimate goal of this issue is to keep a reference of the steps, resources, work, and conversations about this release so it can be helpful for the next contributors releasing a new Gutenberg version.

• Gutenberg version to release: 23.8 (milestone)
• Release Manager (a.k.a. Release Lead): @sirreal
• Release Date 23.8 RC: 2026-08-12
• Release Date 23.8: 2026-08-19
• Previous version change log (as a reference): 23.7.2

Resources

• 📖 Read: Gutenberg Release Process
• 📽 Watch: Gutenberg Plugin: New Release Workflow
• 📽 Watch: Creating the Gutenberg plugin v12.0 Release Candidate
• 📽 Watch: Gutenberg plugin v12.0.0 Release Party!

Checklist

RC Day - Wednesday, August 12, 2026

• Post a message in #core-editor channel to let folks know you are starting the RC release process
• Organize and Label PRs on the relevant milestone
• Start the release process by triggering the rc workflow
• Update the created Draft Release accordingly
• Curate the changelog before publishing
• Publish Release
• Approve the npm publishing job in the Build Plugin Zip workflow (ask in #core-editor if needed)
• Announce in #core-editor channel that RC1 has been released and is ready for testing
• Ping any other relevant channels announcing that the RC is available
• Create Draft of Release post on Make Core blog (initial draft in Google doc)

Between RC and Release

• Post a reminder in #core-editor for backporting PRs to RC (~Label Backport to Gutenberg RC)
• If there are any PRs marked as Backport to RC, run the cherry-pick command to apply them to the release branch. This needs to be run locally
• Draft Release Post Highlights and Change Log
• Get assets from Design Team for the post if required
• Reach out to Highlight Authors to draft sections (if necessary)

Release Day - Wednesday, August 19, 2026

• Post a message in #core-editor channel to let folks know you are starting the release process
• Start the release process by triggering the stable workflow
• Update the created Draft Release accordingly. Typically by copy/pasting the last RC release notes and add any changes/updates as needed.
• Publish Release
• Trigger the update to the plugin directory. (Get approval from a member of Gutenberg Release team if necessary)
• Announce in #core-editor channel that the plugin has been released
• Reach out to other contributors to help get the post reviewed
• Publish Release post on Make Core blog
• Post in the #core-editor channel requesting a volunteer for the next Gutenberg release.