From 30414941170b162be62834ab7d54eda1cfd2447a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alec Geatches <alec.geatches@automattic.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:59:26 -0600
Subject: [PATCH 1/6] Add WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION constant and wrapper
 wp_is_collaboration_enabled() function

---
 src/wp-admin/options-writing.php              | 12 ++++++++---
 src/wp-includes/collaboration.php             | 21 ++++++++++++++++++-
 src/wp-includes/post.php                      |  4 ++--
 src/wp-includes/rest-api.php                  |  2 +-
 .../class-wp-rest-autosaves-controller.php    |  2 +-
 5 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
index 1943f42176714..e60f88f3d630e 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
@@ -110,10 +110,16 @@
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
-<th scope="row"><label for="enable_real_time_collaboration"><?php _e( 'Collaboration' ); ?></label></th>
+<th scope="row"><?php _e( 'Collaboration' ); ?></th>
 <td>
-	<input name="enable_real_time_collaboration" type="checkbox" id="enable_real_time_collaboration" value="1" <?php checked( '1', get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' ) ); ?> />
-	<label for="enable_real_time_collaboration"><?php _e( 'Enable real-time collaboration' ); ?></label>
+	<?php if ( defined( 'WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION' ) && WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION ) : ?>
+		<p class="notice notice-warning inline"><?php _e( '<strong>Note:</strong> Real-time collaboration has been disabled.' ); ?></p>
+	<?php else : ?>
+		<label for="enable_real_time_collaboration">
+			<input name="enable_real_time_collaboration" type="checkbox" id="enable_real_time_collaboration" value="1" <?php checked( '1', get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' ) ); ?> />
+			<?php _e( 'Enable real-time collaboration' ); ?>
+		</label>
+	<?php endif; ?>
 </td>
 </tr>
 <?php
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php b/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
index 1da7f2c367140..af53dfd1e7bfa 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
@@ -6,6 +6,25 @@
  * @since 7.0.0
  */
 
+/**
+ * Determines whether real-time collaboration is enabled.
+ *
+ * If the WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION constant is defined and true,
+ * collaboration is always disabled regardless of the database option.
+ * Otherwise, falls back to the 'enable_real_time_collaboration' option.
+ *
+ * @since 7.0.0
+ *
+ * @return bool Whether real-time collaboration is enabled.
+ */
+function wp_is_collaboration_enabled() {
+	if ( defined( 'WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION' ) && WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION ) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	return (bool) get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' );
+}
+
 /**
  * Injects the real-time collaboration setting into a global variable.
  *
@@ -14,7 +33,7 @@
  * @access private
  */
 function wp_collaboration_inject_setting() {
-	if ( get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' ) ) {
+	if ( wp_is_collaboration_enabled() ) {
 		wp_add_inline_script(
 			'wp-core-data',
 			'window._wpCollaborationEnabled = true;',
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/post.php b/src/wp-includes/post.php
index eefdaafb0f10d..93159143091fd 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/post.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/post.php
@@ -657,7 +657,7 @@ function create_initial_post_types() {
 		)
 	);
 
-	if ( get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' ) ) {
+	if ( wp_is_collaboration_enabled() ) {
 		register_post_type(
 			'wp_sync_storage',
 			array(
@@ -8667,7 +8667,7 @@ function wp_create_initial_post_meta() {
 		)
 	);
 
-	if ( get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' ) ) {
+	if ( wp_is_collaboration_enabled() ) {
 		register_meta(
 			'post',
 			'_crdt_document',
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/rest-api.php b/src/wp-includes/rest-api.php
index f144957286d7c..922f8968c5b21 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/rest-api.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/rest-api.php
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ function create_initial_rest_routes() {
 	$icons_controller->register_routes();
 
 	// Collaboration.
-	if ( get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' ) ) {
+	if ( wp_is_collaboration_enabled() ) {
 		$sync_storage = new WP_Sync_Post_Meta_Storage();
 		$sync_server  = new WP_HTTP_Polling_Sync_Server( $sync_storage );
 		$sync_server->register_routes();
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-autosaves-controller.php b/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-autosaves-controller.php
index b47a614c873d6..6e4d8a1f92b1e 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-autosaves-controller.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-autosaves-controller.php
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ public function create_item( $request ) {
 		 *   the saved post. This diff is then applied to the in-memory CRDT
 		 *   document, which can lead to duplicate inserts or deletions.
 		 */
-		$is_collaboration_enabled = get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' );
+		$is_collaboration_enabled = wp_is_collaboration_enabled();
 
 		if ( $is_draft && (int) $post->post_author === $user_id && ! $post_lock && ! $is_collaboration_enabled ) {
 			/*

From 7d114c81b167d9c7674dbff80e0048b3245a6828 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alec Geatches <alec.geatches@automattic.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:06:59 -0600
Subject: [PATCH 2/6] Use `wp_collaboration_enabled` instead of old flag
 `enable_real_time_collaboration`

---
 src/wp-includes/collaboration.php | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php b/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
index 392c357e18220..a59f7b79567f4 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  *
  * If the WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION constant is defined and true,
  * collaboration is always disabled regardless of the database option.
- * Otherwise, falls back to the 'enable_real_time_collaboration' option.
+ * Otherwise, falls back to the 'wp_collaboration_enabled' option.
  *
  * @since 7.0.0
  *
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ function wp_is_collaboration_enabled() {
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	return (bool) get_option( 'enable_real_time_collaboration' );
+	return (bool) get_option( 'wp_collaboration_enabled' );
 }
 
 /**

From c77ced1dd623296d44bfb3fb4a6acdbf8c37faa3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ingeniumed <ingeniumed@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:15:35 +1100
Subject: [PATCH 3/6] Switch the constant to be a positive intent based on
 feedback

---
 src/wp-admin/options-writing.php      |  2 +-
 src/wp-includes/collaboration.php     |  4 ++--
 src/wp-includes/default-constants.php | 15 +++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
index 3e6b3548adc0c..91265f700dc75 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
 <tr>
 <th scope="row"><?php _e( 'Collaboration' ); ?></th>
 <td>
-	<?php if ( defined( 'WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION' ) && WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION ) : ?>
+	<?php if ( ! WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION ) : ?>
 		<p class="notice notice-warning inline"><?php _e( '<strong>Note:</strong> Real-time collaboration has been disabled.' ); ?></p>
 	<?php else : ?>
 		<label for="wp_collaboration_enabled">
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php b/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
index a59f7b79567f4..218f1feda4df7 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/collaboration.php
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 /**
  * Determines whether real-time collaboration is enabled.
  *
- * If the WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION constant is defined and true,
+ * If the WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION constant is false,
  * collaboration is always disabled regardless of the database option.
  * Otherwise, falls back to the 'wp_collaboration_enabled' option.
  *
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * @return bool Whether real-time collaboration is enabled.
  */
 function wp_is_collaboration_enabled() {
-	if ( defined( 'WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION' ) && WP_DISABLE_COLLABORATION ) {
+	if ( ! defined( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' ) || ! WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION ) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php b/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php
index acfc878fb7138..74af5805f7bc4 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php
@@ -398,6 +398,21 @@ function wp_functionality_constants() {
 	if ( ! defined( 'WP_CRON_LOCK_TIMEOUT' ) ) {
 		define( 'WP_CRON_LOCK_TIMEOUT', MINUTE_IN_SECONDS );
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Whether real time collaboration is permitted to be enabled.
+	 *
+	 * @since 7.0.0
+	 */
+	if ( ! defined( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' ) ) {
+		$env_value = getenv( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' );
+		if ( false !== $env_value ) {
+			define( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION', 'true' === $env_value );
+		} else {
+			// Environment variable is not defined, default to true.
+			define( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION', true );
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 /**

From 72f919566dd4b594ec075c0809561357ec8ec2c9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Adam=20Zieli=C5=84ski?= <adam@adamziel.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:58:19 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 4/6] Check if the constant is defined() before using it

---
 src/wp-admin/options-writing.php | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
index 91265f700dc75..2f2f30be7b97f 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
 <tr>
 <th scope="row"><?php _e( 'Collaboration' ); ?></th>
 <td>
-	<?php if ( ! WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION ) : ?>
+	<?php if ( ! defined( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' ) || true === WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION ) : ?>
 		<p class="notice notice-warning inline"><?php _e( '<strong>Note:</strong> Real-time collaboration has been disabled.' ); ?></p>
 	<?php else : ?>
 		<label for="wp_collaboration_enabled">

From be03ad089eae148e2d95e429579022bef69c77c9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Adam=20Zieli=C5=84ski?= <adam@adamziel.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:00:19 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 5/6] Update src/wp-admin/options-writing.php

Co-authored-by: Marin Atanasov <8436925+tyxla@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 src/wp-admin/options-writing.php | 4 +++-
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
index 2f2f30be7b97f..fdd7c50cf0408 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/options-writing.php
@@ -113,7 +113,9 @@
 <th scope="row"><?php _e( 'Collaboration' ); ?></th>
 <td>
 	<?php if ( ! defined( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' ) || true === WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION ) : ?>
-		<p class="notice notice-warning inline"><?php _e( '<strong>Note:</strong> Real-time collaboration has been disabled.' ); ?></p>
+		<div class="notice notice-warning inline">
+			<p><?php _e( '<strong>Note:</strong> Real-time collaboration has been disabled.' ); ?></p>
+		</div>
 	<?php else : ?>
 		<label for="wp_collaboration_enabled">
 			<input name="wp_collaboration_enabled" type="checkbox" id="wp_collaboration_enabled" value="1" <?php checked( '1', (bool) get_option( 'wp_collaboration_enabled' ) ); ?> />

From c76e32b82a47c894107fe44f5dd75dbad7d74148 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: =?UTF-8?q?Adam=20Zieli=C5=84ski?= <adam@adamziel.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:10:58 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 6/6] Clarify the string "false" vs boolean "false" in
 collaboration.php

---
 src/wp-includes/default-constants.php | 13 +++++++++----
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php b/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php
index 74af5805f7bc4..ab0b3d6cceb9f 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/default-constants.php
@@ -406,11 +406,16 @@ function wp_functionality_constants() {
 	 */
 	if ( ! defined( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' ) ) {
 		$env_value = getenv( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION' );
-		if ( false !== $env_value ) {
-			define( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION', 'true' === $env_value );
-		} else {
-			// Environment variable is not defined, default to true.
+		if ( false === $env_value ) {
+			// Environment variable is not defined, default to allowing collaboration.
 			define( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION', true );
+		} else {
+			/*
+			 * Environment variable is defined, let's confirm it is actually set to
+			 * "true" as it may still have a string value "false" – the preceeding
+			 * `if` branch only tests for the boolean `false`.
+			 */
+			define( 'WP_ALLOW_COLLABORATION', 'true' === $env_value );
 		}
 	}
 }