Ghost Release: 4.0.0-rc.3

TL;DR

Ghost 4.0.0-rc.3: Release Candidate Update

This release candidate for Ghost 4.0 fixes critical issues with complimentary members' content access and contributor invitations. Complimentary members can now properly access paid content, and site owners can invite contributors even when staff limits are reached. This RC brings Ghost 4.0 closer to a stable release with important bug fixes that improve the membership and collaboration experience.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed content gating for complimentary members, allowing them to access paid content
• Enabled contributor invitations even when staff limits are reached
• Added front-end acceptance tests for member access to posts
• Updated ESLint dependency to v7.22.0

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this release candidate. This is an incremental update in the v4.0.0 release candidate series, focusing on bug fixes rather than structural changes requiring migration.

Upgrade Recommendations

If you're already testing Ghost 4.0.0-rc.2, we recommend upgrading to rc.3 to benefit from the important bug fixes for membership and contributor management.

For production sites, we recommend waiting for the final 4.0.0 stable release unless you're specifically affected by the issues fixed in this release candidate.

This is a release candidate and may still contain bugs or incomplete features. Use in production environments at your own risk.

Bug Fixes

Content Access for Complimentary Members

Fixed an issue where complimentary members could not access paid-member content. The content gating system was only checking for member.status === 'paid', which didn't account for members on complimentary plans. The fix updates the content gating logic to properly recognize complimentary members as having access to premium content.

Contributor Invitations with Staff Limits

Resolved a bug that prevented site owners from inviting contributors when staff limits were reached. The system now correctly distinguishes between staff users (who count toward user limits) and contributors (who don't count toward these limits), allowing contributor invitations regardless of staff user count.

New Features

No significant new features were added in this release candidate. This update focuses on bug fixes and improvements to existing functionality as Ghost 4.0 approaches stable release.

Security Updates

No security fixes were included in this release candidate.

Performance Improvements

No specific performance improvements were included in this release candidate.

Impact Summary

This release candidate addresses two significant issues that improve the membership and collaboration experience in Ghost. The fix for complimentary members ensures that all paying members (whether direct or comped) have proper access to premium content, eliminating a frustrating experience for users with complimentary subscriptions.

The contributor invitation fix removes an artificial barrier to collaboration, allowing site owners to bring on contributors regardless of staff limits. This is particularly important for larger publications that may be at their staff limit but still need to onboard occasional contributors.

These fixes, while targeted, represent important quality-of-life improvements that enhance Ghost's core membership and collaboration features as the platform approaches its 4.0 stable release.

Full Release Notes