You’ve built, packaged, and tested a block plugin. Last step: getting it to real users. This tutorial walks the wordpress.org submission process — the most common distribution path — plus the alternatives if wp.org doesn’t fit.

Three distribution paths

Path	Reach	Friction	Best for
wordpress.org plugin directory	60M+ active installs across all plugins	Slow review (1-6 weeks), strict policies	Open-source plugins, broad reach
Direct distribution (your own site)	Whoever finds your site	None — your rules	Premium plugins, niche audiences
Block directory (subset of wp.org)	Users browsing blocks from the editor inserter	Same as plugin directory + stricter (single block, no menu items, etc.)	Pure-block plugins

We focus on wp.org because the inertia is real — many WP users only install plugins from the directory.

Step 1 — readme.txt

The plugin directory parses your readme.txt to build the listing page. The format is custom (not Markdown) — WordPress’s own spec:

=== My First Block ===
Contributors: maheshwaghmare
Tags: block, gutenberg, callout, notes
Requires at least: 6.4
Tested up to: 6.5
Stable tag: 1.0.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

A styled callout block for posts and pages.

== Description ==

A polished Gutenberg block for adding callouts to your content. Supports four
types (info, tip, warning, error), inline rich text, nested blocks, and
multiple visual styles.

**Features**

* Four callout types with semantic color coding
* Editable title and body via RichText
* Nested blocks support — drop in lists, images, code
* Four visual styles: Boxed, Plain, Filled, Outlined
* Three preset variations: Tip, Warning, Error
* Accessibility-tested with screen readers

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin folder to wp-content/plugins/
2. Activate from the Plugins screen
3. The Callout block appears in the inserter under "Text"

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does this work with full-site editing? =

Yes. The block is registered with `apiVersion: 3` and supports FSE templates.

= Can I extend it with custom styles? =

Yes — use `registerBlockStyle()` from your theme or another plugin to add styles.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release.

== Screenshots ==

1. The Callout block in the editor
2. Inspector controls for type and dismissibility
3. Front-end rendering of all four callout types
4. Block variations in the inserter

The headers (lines starting with =) become navigation tabs on the plugin page. Three sections matter most:

• Description — the elevator pitch. First 100 words shown in search results.
• Screenshots — referenced by number; actual files in /assets/ (covered below)
• Changelog — every release documented. Plugin reviewers check this.

Step 2 — Screenshots and banner

The plugin directory pulls visual assets from an /assets/ directory in your wp.org SVN repo (NOT inside the plugin zip):

Banner and icon are critical — they’re the first thing users see in the directory. Spend the time making them clean.

Step 3 — Submit for review

1. Sign up at wordpress.org if you don’t have an account
2. Visit Submit a plugin
3. Upload your plugin ZIP (build it first via npm run plugin-zip — @wordpress/scripts bundles it correctly)
4. Wait for the email response

The review process:

• Initial automated check — basic linting, file structure, license validation. Takes minutes.
• Human review — a member of the Plugin Review Team manually audits your code. Takes 1-6 weeks (it’s variable; reviewers are volunteers).
• Approval or revision requests — they’ll email you with either an approval link or a list of issues to fix.

Common revision requests:

Issue	Fix
Missing license header	Add GPL-2.0+ to your main plugin file
wp_unslash() not called on $_POST	Sanitize input properly: sanitize_text_field(wp_unslash($_POST['x']))
Direct $wpdb->query() with interpolation	Use $wpdb->prepare()
External script load	Bundle locally or document why it’s external
eval() or extract()	Don’t use them — replace
Trademark conflict in name	Rename — “WooCommerce Plus”, “Yoast SEO Pro” are all rejected

Step 4 — Post-approval: SVN

wp.org uses SVN, not git, for plugin hosting. You’ll get an SVN URL like: https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/my-first-block/

The structure:

my-first-block/
├── trunk/        ← current development version
├── tags/         ← released versions (tags/1.0.0/, tags/1.1.0/, etc.)
├── branches/     ← optional, rarely used
└── assets/       ← screenshots, banner, icon

Releasing a new version:

Most plugin authors write a release script to automate this. Several open-source examples exist on GitHub — search “wp-plugin-svn-release”.

Step 5 — Submit to the Block Directory (optional)

The Block Directory is a wp.org subset that surfaces blocks from inside the editor’s inserter — users can install your block without leaving wp-admin. To qualify:

• Plugin is a single block (not bundled with other plugins/features)
• No admin menu items, settings pages, or shortcodes
• No external service dependencies (or clearly documented)
• All files under 1MB
• Tested with the latest WordPress

If your plugin fits, the wp.org review team auto-considers it for Block Directory inclusion. You don’t apply separately.

Maintenance after launch

Plugins on wp.org are expected to:

• Update the “Tested up to” header for each new WP release (within ~3 months)
• Respond to forum support questions (wordpress.org/support/plugin/my-first-block)
• Fix security issues promptly (the security team will contact you)
• Use the “Stable tag” field in readme.txt to point at the current release

Plugins that go untouched for 2+ years across multiple WordPress releases may be closed. Plan for at least a yearly “Tested up to” bump.

Wrapping up the series

You’ve gone end-to-end:

1. Part 1 — Block model + architecture
2. Part 2 — Dev environment + scaffold
3. Part 3 — First custom block
4. Part 4 — Attributes + serialization
5. Part 5 — Inspector controls
6. Part 6 — InnerBlocks + composition
7. Part 7 — Styles + variations
8. Part 8 — Block patterns
9. Part 9 — Extending the editor with filters
10. Part 10 — Plugin packaging
11. Part 11 — Testing + debugging
12. Part 12 — Publishing (you are here)

The output: a polished, distributable Gutenberg block plugin available to 60M+ WordPress sites worldwide.

Thanks for following along. If this series helped, sharing it with another WordPress developer is the best support you can give.