# Issues uploading Sage-based theme to WordPress.org (504 Gateway Time-out due to SVN/Vendor size)

**URL:** https://discourse.roots.io/t/issues-uploading-sage-based-theme-to-wordpress-org-504-gateway-time-out-due-to-svn-vendor-size/30136
**Category:** sage
**Tags:** sage10
**Created:** 2026-01-30T19:28:56Z
**Posts:** 3

## Post 1 by @nhan.tran — 2026-01-30T19:28:56Z

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a theme built with **Sage 10** and attempting to submit it to the official [WordPress.org](http://WordPress.org) Theme Directory. However, I’ve hit a significant roadblock that I hope the community can help with.

**The Problem:** Every time I upload the theme zip (approx. 7.9MB), I receive a **504 Gateway Time-out**. After discussing this with the WP Meta team (Otto and dd32), they confirmed that the issue isn’t the file size, but the **total number of files** (over 8,000 files in the `vendor` directory). The [WP.org](http://WP.org) SVN process chokes and times out before it can complete the commit.

**What I’ve tried:**

1. **Optimizing `.distignore`** : I’ve excluded `node_modules`, tests, and various documentation files (`README`, `CHANGELOG`, etc.) from the `vendor` folders.

2. **Theme Check** : The theme passes the local `theme-check` plugin perfectly.

3. **Composer** : I used `composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader`.

**The Conflict:** The [WP.org](http://WP.org) reviewers mentioned that themes with massive `vendor` folders are rare and difficult to review. They suggested removing unused files, but as we know, with Sage/Acorn, the dependency tree is essential for the theme to function. Since [WordPress.org](http://WordPress.org) does not run a build process (no `composer install` on their end), all built assets and dependencies must be included in the zip.

**My Questions:**

1. Has anyone successfully submitted a Sage 10 theme to the [WordPress.org](http://WordPress.org) Directory recently?

2. Are there recommended practices for “shaking” or slimming down the `vendor` folder specifically for Sage to make it more “WP-Directory friendly” without breaking Acorn?

3. Is there a way to bundle or prefix the dependencies to reduce the total file count?

I am using:

- **Sage version:** v10

- **Acorn version:** v5

I’ve spent over a week troubleshooting this with the WP team, and it seems like a structural issue between how modern Sage projects are built and how the [WP.org](http://WP.org) SVN handles file counts. Any advice or workarounds would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 ![image](https://discourse.roots.io/uploads/default/original/2X/b/bb346e984d6dacab79c2031eb59070a5b7d637e7.png) ![image](https://discourse.roots.io/uploads/default/original/2X/a/a78d480f108b7be8aa3832af27716f8d90a41b75.png)

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## Post 2 by @RachidBray — 2026-02-15T23:43:57Z

Hi,

You might be fighting a losing battle here.

Most Sage 10 themes are not in the official directory for exactly this reason. The architecture is fundamentally incompatible with the repo’s file count limits and their manual review process.

Your best bet is likely creating a completely separate “Classic” or “Lite” version of the theme.

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## Post 3 by @nhan.tran — 2026-02-16T13:12:43Z

Thanks for your reply. This is pretty weird and unfortunate. We had to move our favorite Sage over to \_tw just to get it deployed on the WP Directory.