Roadmap 2026 — Charting the stars of the open social web
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ActivityPub and the Fediverse had a great year in 2025. With that foundation in place, our 2026 roadmap is all about what comes next: better discoverability, richer interactions, and a smoother experience across the open social web.
As always, this roadmap is not set in stone. Priorities may shift based on community feedback, WordPress developments, and changes across the wider Fediverse. But it should give you a clear sense of where we’re heading this year.
Increase Findability and Reach
One of the main themes for 2026 is discoverability. We want WordPress sites to be easier to find, follow, and recommend across the Fediverse.
FASP Support
We plan to implement support for Fediverse Auxiliary Service Providers (FASPs).
FASPs are independent services that enhance Fediverse servers with features such as cross-instance search, recommendations, and spam detection. By integrating with these services, WordPress content can appear in Fediverse discovery tools, making it easier for people to find and follow WordPress blogs.
This work is already in progress, and you can follow the implementation here:
https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/2312
Starter Packs
Starter Packs are shareable collections of recommended accounts designed to help people discover communities more easily.
They address the “empty feed problem” by giving new users curated lists of accounts to follow. This makes it easier to find interesting voices and become part of the network more quickly.
Reader v2
The next phase of the Reader will focus on deeper interaction and a more complete social experience.
Reactions
We plan to show likes, boosts, and comments directly in the Reader view, so users can see how posts are being received across the network.
Interactions
Users will be able to interact with Fediverse content directly from the Reader — including:
- Commenting on posts
- Liking posts
- Boosting posts
This will make the Reader a fully interactive space, not just a passive timeline.
Activity Stream
We’ll introduce an Activity Stream to notify users about important requests and events, such as:
- Follow requests
- Starter Pack invitations
- Other actions that require approval
Users will be able to accept or decline these directly from the interface.
Reply Context Import
We also plan to improve how conversation threads are displayed.
By parsing reply collections and context from incoming posts, the Reader will be able to fill in missing parts of a discussion, even when some replies were created before the post was indexed. This will make threads feel more complete and easier to follow.
Direct Messages
As part of the evolving Reader experience, we’re planning an initial version of Direct Messages.
This will start as a proof of concept, helping us explore the technical challenges while already delivering a useful and frequently requested feature. Over time, we’ll iterate based on real-world usage and feedback.
Client-to-Server API
In addition to server-to-server federation, ActivityPub also defines a Client-to-Server (C2S) API:
This API is primarily intended for mobile apps and other clients, allowing them to publish content directly to a server.
For WordPress, this could:
- Enable mobile or third-party clients
- Allow WordPress to act as a proxy for other publishing tools
- Open new workflows for federated content
The first step will be enabling POST requests to the Outbox endpoint using application passwords.
This is currently being worked on, and you can track the implementation here:
https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/2851
Ongoing Improvements and Interoperability
Alongside these larger initiatives, we’ll continue working on a wide range of improvements across the plugin.
A key focus is better interoperability with the broader WordPress ecosystem. We want it to be easier for other plugins to integrate with the Fediverse, so that features like comments, reactions, events, and other content types can work seamlessly across federated networks.
We’re also continuing to refine the experience for long-form content. WordPress is known for blogging and publishing, and we want to make sure that articles, threads, and conversations feel natural and readable across the Fediverse.
In addition, we’ll experiment with smaller features and fun ideas, such as activity statistics and other lightweight insights, to help site owners better understand their reach and interactions.
These improvements may be smaller in scope than the major roadmap items, but together they play an important role in making WordPress a more capable and enjoyable citizen of the Fediverse.
Staying Informed
We’ll continue to share updates throughout the year.
Each release will include posts about new features and improvements. For larger initiatives, like Reader v2 or Direct Messages, we’ll publish deeper updates as the work evolves.
As always, your feedback helps shape the future of the plugin and the growing WordPress Fediverse community.
If you have thoughts or ideas, we’d love to hear them in the comments. 🚀
-
ActivityPub and the Fediverse had a great year in 2025. With that foundation in place, our 2026 roadmap is all about what comes next: better discoverability, richer interactions, and a smoother experience across the open social web.
As always, this roadmap is not set in stone. Priorities may shift based on community feedback, WordPress developments, and changes across the wider Fediverse. But it should give you a clear sense of where we’re heading this year.
Increase Findability and Reach
One of the main themes for 2026 is discoverability. We want WordPress sites to be easier to find, follow, and recommend across the Fediverse.
FASP Support
We plan to implement support for Fediverse Auxiliary Service Providers (FASPs).
FASPs are independent services that enhance Fediverse servers with features such as cross-instance search, recommendations, and spam detection. By integrating with these services, WordPress content can appear in Fediverse discovery tools, making it easier for people to find and follow WordPress blogs.
This work is already in progress, and you can follow the implementation here:
https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/2312
Starter Packs
Starter Packs are shareable collections of recommended accounts designed to help people discover communities more easily.
They address the “empty feed problem” by giving new users curated lists of accounts to follow. This makes it easier to find interesting voices and become part of the network more quickly.
Reader v2
The next phase of the Reader will focus on deeper interaction and a more complete social experience.
Reactions
We plan to show likes, boosts, and comments directly in the Reader view, so users can see how posts are being received across the network.
Interactions
Users will be able to interact with Fediverse content directly from the Reader — including:
- Commenting on posts
- Liking posts
- Boosting posts
This will make the Reader a fully interactive space, not just a passive timeline.
Activity Stream
We’ll introduce an Activity Stream to notify users about important requests and events, such as:
- Follow requests
- Starter Pack invitations
- Other actions that require approval
Users will be able to accept or decline these directly from the interface.
Reply Context Import
We also plan to improve how conversation threads are displayed.
By parsing reply collections and context from incoming posts, the Reader will be able to fill in missing parts of a discussion, even when some replies were created before the post was indexed. This will make threads feel more complete and easier to follow.
Direct Messages
As part of the evolving Reader experience, we’re planning an initial version of Direct Messages.
This will start as a proof of concept, helping us explore the technical challenges while already delivering a useful and frequently requested feature. Over time, we’ll iterate based on real-world usage and feedback.
Client-to-Server API
In addition to server-to-server federation, ActivityPub also defines a Client-to-Server (C2S) API:
This API is primarily intended for mobile apps and other clients, allowing them to publish content directly to a server.
For WordPress, this could:
- Enable mobile or third-party clients
- Allow WordPress to act as a proxy for other publishing tools
- Open new workflows for federated content
The first step will be enabling POST requests to the Outbox endpoint using application passwords.
This is currently being worked on, and you can track the implementation here:
https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/2851
Ongoing Improvements and Interoperability
Alongside these larger initiatives, we’ll continue working on a wide range of improvements across the plugin.
A key focus is better interoperability with the broader WordPress ecosystem. We want it to be easier for other plugins to integrate with the Fediverse, so that features like comments, reactions, events, and other content types can work seamlessly across federated networks.
We’re also continuing to refine the experience for long-form content. WordPress is known for blogging and publishing, and we want to make sure that articles, threads, and conversations feel natural and readable across the Fediverse.
In addition, we’ll experiment with smaller features and fun ideas, such as activity statistics and other lightweight insights, to help site owners better understand their reach and interactions.
These improvements may be smaller in scope than the major roadmap items, but together they play an important role in making WordPress a more capable and enjoyable citizen of the Fediverse.
Staying Informed
We’ll continue to share updates throughout the year.
Each release will include posts about new features and improvements. For larger initiatives, like Reader v2 or Direct Messages, we’ll publish deeper updates as the work evolves.
As always, your feedback helps shape the future of the plugin and the growing WordPress Fediverse community.
If you have thoughts or ideas, we’d love to hear them in the comments. 🚀
@activitypub.blog AI slop; didn't read.
-
ActivityPub and the Fediverse had a great year in 2025. With that foundation in place, our 2026 roadmap is all about what comes next: better discoverability, richer interactions, and a smoother experience across the open social web.
As always, this roadmap is not set in stone. Priorities may shift based on community feedback, WordPress developments, and changes across the wider Fediverse. But it should give you a clear sense of where we’re heading this year.
Increase Findability and Reach
One of the main themes for 2026 is discoverability. We want WordPress sites to be easier to find, follow, and recommend across the Fediverse.
FASP Support
We plan to implement support for Fediverse Auxiliary Service Providers (FASPs).
FASPs are independent services that enhance Fediverse servers with features such as cross-instance search, recommendations, and spam detection. By integrating with these services, WordPress content can appear in Fediverse discovery tools, making it easier for people to find and follow WordPress blogs.
This work is already in progress, and you can follow the implementation here:
https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/2312
Starter Packs
Starter Packs are shareable collections of recommended accounts designed to help people discover communities more easily.
They address the “empty feed problem” by giving new users curated lists of accounts to follow. This makes it easier to find interesting voices and become part of the network more quickly.
Reader v2
The next phase of the Reader will focus on deeper interaction and a more complete social experience.
Reactions
We plan to show likes, boosts, and comments directly in the Reader view, so users can see how posts are being received across the network.
Interactions
Users will be able to interact with Fediverse content directly from the Reader — including:
- Commenting on posts
- Liking posts
- Boosting posts
This will make the Reader a fully interactive space, not just a passive timeline.
Activity Stream
We’ll introduce an Activity Stream to notify users about important requests and events, such as:
- Follow requests
- Starter Pack invitations
- Other actions that require approval
Users will be able to accept or decline these directly from the interface.
Reply Context Import
We also plan to improve how conversation threads are displayed.
By parsing reply collections and context from incoming posts, the Reader will be able to fill in missing parts of a discussion, even when some replies were created before the post was indexed. This will make threads feel more complete and easier to follow.
Direct Messages
As part of the evolving Reader experience, we’re planning an initial version of Direct Messages.
This will start as a proof of concept, helping us explore the technical challenges while already delivering a useful and frequently requested feature. Over time, we’ll iterate based on real-world usage and feedback.
Client-to-Server API
In addition to server-to-server federation, ActivityPub also defines a Client-to-Server (C2S) API:
This API is primarily intended for mobile apps and other clients, allowing them to publish content directly to a server.
For WordPress, this could:
- Enable mobile or third-party clients
- Allow WordPress to act as a proxy for other publishing tools
- Open new workflows for federated content
The first step will be enabling POST requests to the Outbox endpoint using application passwords.
This is currently being worked on, and you can track the implementation here:
https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/2851
Ongoing Improvements and Interoperability
Alongside these larger initiatives, we’ll continue working on a wide range of improvements across the plugin.
A key focus is better interoperability with the broader WordPress ecosystem. We want it to be easier for other plugins to integrate with the Fediverse, so that features like comments, reactions, events, and other content types can work seamlessly across federated networks.
We’re also continuing to refine the experience for long-form content. WordPress is known for blogging and publishing, and we want to make sure that articles, threads, and conversations feel natural and readable across the Fediverse.
In addition, we’ll experiment with smaller features and fun ideas, such as activity statistics and other lightweight insights, to help site owners better understand their reach and interactions.
These improvements may be smaller in scope than the major roadmap items, but together they play an important role in making WordPress a more capable and enjoyable citizen of the Fediverse.
Staying Informed
We’ll continue to share updates throughout the year.
Each release will include posts about new features and improvements. For larger initiatives, like Reader v2 or Direct Messages, we’ll publish deeper updates as the work evolves.
As always, your feedback helps shape the future of the plugin and the growing WordPress Fediverse community.
If you have thoughts or ideas, we’d love to hear them in the comments. 🚀
@activitypub.blog Nice! Very cool outlook!
I would love to see some action not just on the technical side of ActivityPub in WordPress but also on the promotion side. It woud be great to convince some of the more interesting blog from wordpress.com to activate ActivityPub. -
undefined pfefferle@mastodon.social shared this topic
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Warm up the fire! We're LIVE!
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@afb @firesidefedi Thank you, Antony :)
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Just listened to the most recent episode of @firesidefedi with @haubles – really fun conversation. It's got me feeling pretty positive about #mastodon and the #fediverse more broadly.
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@activitypub.blog @byte found the bug! your comment is now properly added!
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@aburka thanks for the reference. I also saw this post from @merlin
https://infosec.exchange/@merlin/115594956988500138
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Would be cool to host a Mastodon instance totally on solar energy. A bit like what https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/ or https://solarprotocol.net/ does but instead of a static website, a horizontally scaled Mastodon instance.
