Retraceur 3.0.0-RC1

Retraceur 3.0.0 first release candidate is now available.

Following the release of 3.0.0-beta1, I continued testing various installation and update scenarios. These tests allowed me to identify two specific issues — now fixed — along with a last-minute adjustment related to the new Open Graph API introduced in this release.

We are now entering the final stabilization phase before the stable 3.0.0 release, scheduled for March 1st (initialy slated to the end of february).

Fixes and Final Adjustment Included in RC1

Proper Reintegration of the `undo-manager` Package During Updates

The undo-manager package had been marked as removed since WP 6.8.
Retraceur 3.0.0 explicitly reintroduces it, and it is fully present in the project’s source code.

However, an unintended side effect occurred during the update process:

The files were correctly added during the file replacement/addition phase.
The cleanup step that removes files marked as “removed since WP 6.8” ran afterward.
As a result, the undo-manager files were deleted immediately after being installed.

The fix consists of removing the undo-manager files from the list of files considered removed since WP 6.8, restoring a coherent and predictable update workflow.

Improved Consistency Between Update Notice and Available Versions

An inconsistent behavior was observed on the latest stable release (2.0.1):

An informational notice warned users to back up their database and wp-content directory before updating… even though no update was actually listed.

Why?

When the installed version is stable, Retraceur only lists higher stable versions.
Since 3.0.0-beta1 is not a stable release, it did not appear in the available updates list.

This created a mismatch between:

The displayed notice,
And the versions effectively available.

The correction ensures:

Strict alignment between update notices and actual available versions.
The secure default behavior (stable versions only) remains unchanged.
Pre-releases can still be listed if the retraceur_enable_prerelease_testing filter returns true.

This preserves safety by default while allowing advanced users to explicitly opt into prerelease testing.

Last-Minute Adjustment to the New Open Graph API

Version 3.0.0 introduces a native Open Graph API.

A final adjustment was made to ensure that when the og:description meta tag uses post content as its source, the full content rendering pipeline is executed.

Concretely, this guarantees that:

Block parsing is triggered.
Block rendering is performed.
All transformations applied to content (hooks, filters, etc.) are taken into account.

The objective is to prevent any divergence between:

The content actually rendered on the page,
And the content used to generate the Open Graph description.

This adjustment strengthens consistency between the rendering engine and the social metadata layer — an important detail to get right before the stable release.

Final Validation Phase Before 3.0.0 Stable

RC1 marks the beginning of the final validation phase:

Features are now frozen.
Identified issues have been resolved.
Critical mechanisms (updates, metadata handling) have been consolidated.

The stable 3.0.0 release is scheduled for March 1st, provided no blocking issues are discovered.

The timeline remains tight — but controlled.
Speed matters, but correctness matters more.

Contributing to an Ethical Alternative

Retraceur is not just a technical fork.

It is an attempt to provide an alternative to WordPress that prioritizes:

Ethics over growth metrics,
Individuals over platform lock-in,
Transparency over ecosystem dependency.

Testing a Release Candidate, reporting an issue, or challenging an implementation choice are meaningful contributions.

If that vision of the web resonates with you, now is the right time to install RC1 in a development environment and put it through its paces.

Test RC1

What’s Next

If no blocking issues are identified, Retraceur 3.0.0 stable will be released on March 1st.

Thank you to everyone following, testing, questioning, and supporting the project.

See you very soon for the 3.0.0 final release.