WordPress theme rules force developers into companion plugin workarounds

Short summary

A WordPress theme developer argues that strict theme-review rules intended to prevent lock-in have instead forced developers into companion plugin architectures—recreating the exact same dependencies but distributed across three separate installations. While block themes promised simplification and portability, adoption remains slow and users still predominantly choose classic themes. The post questions whether architectural purity delivered at the cost of user friction is actually a win.

• •WordPress.org theme rules forbid functionality, forcing it into companion plugins—recreating lock-in with better optics
• •Block themes promised simplification but traded one dependency for three distributed across the admin
• •Most users still prefer classic themes; block-theme adoption lags despite architectural improvements

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