At every Contributor Day I meet someone who thinks contributing to WordPress means writing PHP for core. It doesn’t. My first contribution, back in 2015, was translating strings. It was years before any of my code went into a release.
If you’ve been wanting to start, here’s the shortest path I know.
Step 1: Get the two accounts
- A WordPress.org account. Everything you contribute is credited to it.
- Make WordPress Slack, linked to that account. That’s where the teams actually talk.
Step 2: Pick a door that suits you
| If you… | Try | First task |
|---|---|---|
| speak another language | Polyglots | Translate 20 strings of a plugin you use |
| like helping people | Support | Answer one unanswered forum thread |
| write PHP or JS | Core | Test a patch on a “good-first-bug” ticket |
| take photos | Photo Directory | Upload one CC0 photo |
| notice what’s confusing | Test | Try a beta and report what surprised you |
Step 3: Testing a patch is a real contribution
Many tickets on Trac already have a patch, and they’re waiting for someone to confirm it works. You don’t need to write the fix to help. With wordpress-develop running locally, apply the patch, follow the steps in the ticket and write what you saw:
Test report
Patch tested: 12345.diff
Environment: WordPress trunk, PHP 8.2, Chrome, Twenty Twenty-Five
Steps: (copied from the ticket)
Before patch: the bug happens
After patch: it doesn't
Result: ✅ works as expectedCommitters really do read these. A clear test report moves a ticket forward more than one more “+1”.
Step 4: Go to a Contributor Day
Most WordCamps hold one the day before the main event. Each team has a table, and someone sits there whose whole job that day is to help newcomers. At WordCamp Rajasthan I spent most of the day doing exactly that, and watching someone make their first contribution never gets old.
A few honest tips
- Read a channel for a week before you post in it. You’ll learn how that team works.
- Small and finished beats big and abandoned.
- Your first patch may get changed or rejected. That’s how it works for everyone, not a judgement on you.
- Contribute on your own time and at your own pace. WordPress will still be here next month.
If you get stuck, message me. I’m happy to help you find your first ticket.
