Active site

Client Review Sandbox

Temporary until saved to browser storage or a local directory.

Current consequence

Importing a zip or applying unsaved runtime settings replaces the current temporary site. Saved sites reload with limited settings.

First stop

Move, save, or resume a Playground

Agency developers can see every portable state first: browser-saved sites, local-directory sites, GitHub exports, Blueprint bundles, and zip imports.

1 Gutenberg branch selected trunk/add-template-preview

2 Choose save destination Browser or local directory

3 Copy progress visible 3,028 / 3,751 files

4 Saved identity created Client Review Sandbox

5 Export or delete with warning GitHub, zip, rename, delete

Playground	State	Origin	Storage	Last activity
Client Review Sandbox /hello-from-playground/	Temporary	Gutenberg branch	Not saved	Active now
Research Browser Playground /research-browser-playground/	Saved	Vanilla WordPress	Browser storage	May 21, 2026
Client Acme Theme QA ~/Sites/acme-playground/	Directory	GitHub import	Local directory	5 minutes ago
WooCommerce Blueprint Audit blueprints/coffee-shop.json	Bundle	Blueprint catalog	Downloadable bundle	Yesterday
Partner Zip Intake incoming/client-site.zip	Pending import	.zip import	Native file picker	Queued

Temporary

Client Review Sandbox

Unsaved changes will be lost on refresh or close until a destination is selected.

Save in this browser

Creates a browser-backed Playground and adds it to Saved Playgrounds.

Saving 3,028 / 3,751 files 81%

Save to a local directory

Pick a writable folder and keep a local directory-backed Playground.

Start routes are not interchangeable

Each card shows the real input and constraint from the current Playground UI.

Vanilla WordPress

Starts immediately with the selected WordPress, PHP, language, network, and multisite settings.

InputNone

WordPress PR

PR number or URL

Builds WordPress core from a pull request.

Gutenberg PR or branch

PR number, URL, or branch

Installs the Gutenberg plugin build for the reference.

From GitHub

Imports public plugins, themes, or wp-content directories after connecting a GitHub account.

Access token is not stored; refresh requires reconnecting.

URL

Blueprint URL

Runs a remote blueprint against the current Playground.

ZIP

Import .zip

Opens the native file chooser and imports the selected zip into the current site.

Importing over the active site can replace current files and database state.

Save destinations

Two destinations, two resulting states

The save UI keeps browser-backed storage separate from directory-backed storage instead of hiding both behind one button.

Temporary input

Save Playground

Playground name

Save in this browser Persists in IndexedDB and appears in Saved Playgrounds. Save to a local directory Uses the browser directory picker and reloads from that folder.

Copying WordPress files 3,028 / 3,751

Local directory result

Directory-backed Playground

Directory: ~/Sites/client-review-sandbox/
Status: Saved in this browser a moment ago
Available actions: Save & Reload, Export to GitHub, Download as .zip

Save & Reload behavior

Stored Playgrounds have limited configuration options. Runtime changes reload the site instead of creating a new temporary reset.

Saved Playgrounds management

Research Browser Playground

Created May 21, 2026 - Browser storage

Rename

Unsaved Playground

Not saved to browser storage - closes on refresh

Site Manager

Tools stay attached to the active WordPress site

Settings, files, blueprints, database, logs, and additional actions are available without leaving the portability workspace.

WordPress version PHP version Language Allow network access Include older WordPress versions Create a multisite network

Apply Settings & Reset Playground

For an unsaved Playground this discards the current site and boots a new one with the selected runtime.

1  <?php define('CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS', false);
2
3  /** Database settings */
4  define('DB_NAME', 'database_name_here');
5  define('DB_USER', 'username_here');
6  define('DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here');
7  define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
8
9  /** WordPress debugging */
10 define('WP_DEBUG', true);

{
  "$schema": "https://playground.wordpress.net/blueprint-schema.json",
  "login": true,
  "landingPage": "/hello-from-playground/",
  "preferredVersions": {
    "php": "8.3",
    "wp": "latest"
  },
  "steps": [
    { "step": "runPHPWithOptions" }
  ]
}

Database management is an early access feature

WordPress Playground emulates MySQL using SQLite. Database tools are improving every week.

Database driver: MySQL emulation backed by SQLite
SQLite database path: /wordpress/wp-content/database/.ht.sqlite
Size: 452 KB

Playground logs

No problems so far.

WordPress logs

No PHP warnings or notices captured.

PHP logs

Empty error log.

Additional actions

Blueprint catalog

Catalog first, bundle actions always visible

Search, category filters, selected details, inspect JSON, copy link, download bundle, and run behavior are all exposed.

Search Blueprints

Showing 12 visible results from 43 indexed blueprints.

Feed Reader with the Friends Plugin

Read feeds from the web in Playground and test social-web workflows.

rsssocial web

Coffee Shop

A WooCommerce storefront with products and custom content.

WooCommerceStore

Art Gallery

Gallery site built with the Vueo theme and curated artwork.

WebsitePersonal

Gaming News

A news site using the Spiel theme with editorial pages.

WebsiteNews

Non-profit Organization

A donation-oriented site using the Koinonia theme.

OrganizationWebsite

Personal Blog

A personal writing site using the Substrata theme.

PersonalBlog

Block Theme Preview

Theme styles and Site Editor demo.

Themes

Pattern Directory

Content patterns loaded for inspection.

Content

Gutenberg Nightly

Plugin preview with experimental blocks.

Gutenberg

Import Media Demo

Uploads and attachment handling.

Experiments

Custom Post Type Lab

Registers sample post types and fields.

Content

Multisite Sample

Network setup for multisite testing.

Experiments