Blockwright Workbench

Description

Building or maintaining a block theme means fighting the file-to-database drift: Site Editor edits are saved to the database and silently override your theme files. WordPress can reset those overrides only one item at a time, through buried menus, and some cleanups (rescanning pattern files, flushing the theme.json cache and OPcache) have no button anywhere.

The Workbench puts the whole development loop in one admin-bar menu:

  • Reset Site Editor overrides for the active theme (templates, template parts, global styles) in one click
  • Rescan theme patterns, clearing the pattern-file cache first so newly added pattern files actually appear
  • Flush every cache that hides your changes: object cache, theme.json cache, OPcache
  • Clear all transients

Safe by design: the Workbench is OFF by default and only appears in a development environment (wp_get_environment_type()), or when you opt in with define( 'BLOCKWRIGHT_WORKBENCH', true ); in wp-config. Every tool is capability-gated and nonce-protected; the one destructive tool requires an explicit confirmation.

Pairs well with the official Create Block Theme plugin: use Create Block Theme to save the changes you want INTO your theme files, and the Workbench to clear out the state you do not want.

Works with any block theme.

Installation

  1. In your dashboard, go to Plugins, then Add New, then Upload Plugin.
  2. Upload the Blockwright Workbench zip and click Install Now.
  3. Click Activate.
  4. On a site whose environment type is local or development (wp_get_environment_type()), the Workbench menu appears in the admin bar right away for users who can edit themes. Anywhere else, nothing is shown until you opt in by adding define( 'BLOCKWRIGHT_WORKBENCH', true ); to wp-config.php.

FAQ

I do not see the Workbench menu

That is the safety gate. It appears only when wp_get_environment_type() is local or development, or when wp-config defines BLOCKWRIGHT_WORKBENCH as true, and only for users with the edit_theme_options capability.

Is this destructive?

One tool does, on purpose: Reset Site Editor permanently deletes the database rows that override your theme’s template, template part and global styles files, so the files win again. It bypasses the trash, so anything customised in the Site Editor and never exported to your theme is gone. It is marked destructive, requires a confirmation click, and never runs on a production site unless you explicitly enabled the Workbench there.

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“Blockwright Workbench” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

1.0.0

  • Initial public release: four tools for block-theme development, off by default outside a development environment.
  • Reset Site Editor overrides, rescan theme patterns, flush every cache, and clear all transients.
  • Every tool is capability-gated and nonce-protected; Reset Site Editor requires an explicit confirmation.