Load Combined Core Block Assets
Workaround for sites experiencing issues with WordPress 6.9's changed default behavior to load block styles on demand in classic themes.
The facts
- Rating
- 5★ from 6
- Active installs
- 1k+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 19 May 2026
- Added
- Dec 2025
- Requires WP
- 6.9
- Tested up to
- WP 7.0.4
- Requires PHP
- 7.2
- Downloads
- 4,930
Our analysis
AI-assistedLoad Combined Core Block Assets is a WordPress plugin designed for sites using classic themes that encounter issues with loading block styles on demand, a feature introduced in WordPress 6.9. It reverts the default behaviour to load combined core block assets instead of separate styles, which can help maintain compatibility for certain site configurations.
The plugin addresses known issues that arose during the 7.0 release cycle, ensuring that classic themes can still function correctly without the need for separate block style loading. It is intended as a temporary solution until the underlying issues are resolved in future WordPress updates.
Best for: This plugin is suitable for users running classic themes that need to maintain compatibility with block styles.
What it does well
- ✓Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
- ✓Fixes compatibility issues for classic themes
- ✓Improves CSS cascade preservation
- ✓Active installation count of 1,000
Where it falls short
- •Considered a temporary workaround
- •May not be necessary for all classic themes
Verdict
Load Combined Core Block Assets provides a specific solution for classic theme users facing compatibility issues, but it should be viewed as a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution.
From the developer
Weston Ruter's own description of Load Combined Core Block Assets, lightly tidied.
This is a workaround for sites experiencing any issues with the ability introduced in WordPress 6.9 to load block styles on demand in classic themes. The known issues have been fixed during the 7.0 release cycle with the following commits:
- r61076: Script Loader: Fall back to hoisting late-printed styles to end of HEAD if wp-block-library is not enqueued.
- r61122: Script Loader: Load block styles on demand in classic themes even when wp-block-styles support is absent.
- r61174: Script Loader: Improve hoisted stylesheet ordering (in classic themes) to preserve CSS cascade.
- r61554: Script Loader: Preserve original CSS cascade for classic themes when hoisting late-printed styles.
- r61945: Script Loader: Refine hoisted stylesheet ordering to preserve original CSS cascade in classic themes.
If running a classic theme (i.e. not a block theme), this plugin filters should_load_separate_core_block_assets to be false. This has the effect of reverting a change introduced in 6.9 where classic themes now load separate core block assets on demand by default.
Note that this plugin should be considered temporary until any issues are resolved in 7.0. At any time, you can test whether any issues remain by adding ?should_load_separate_core_block_assets=true to any frontend URL; this restores the default behavior in WP 6.9.
This workaround should be temporary because there are performance benefits to loading separate core block assets. They can be loaded on demand just when they are used, as opposed to loading the large single combined wp-block-library stylesheet. Loading separate block styles on demand reduces the amount of CSS which should improve page load time. Nevertheless, as explained in the dev note, some sites may be built in a way that fundamentally does not work with loading separate block styles on demand. For these sites, this plugin is available to retain the old behavior.