squidfunk · Oct 17, 2026 · Oct 14, 2026 · Oct 17, 2026
diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/goodbye-github-discussions.md b/docs/blog/posts/goodbye-github-discussions.md
@@ -28,6 +28,22 @@ _You can subscribe to [our newsletter] to stay in the loop_.
 
 <!-- more -->
 
+!!! info "October 2026 update"
+
+    This article records our November 2025 decision to make Material for MkDocs'
+    GitHub Discussions read-only. Existing answers remain available.
+
+    For Zensical questions and community discussion, our free [Discord] remains
+    open. Bugs and feature requests belong in the [public Zensical issue tracker].
+
+    [Spark](https://zensical.org/spark/) offers focused professional exchange
+    and selected early access, with organization memberships for direct support.
+    Spark Community opens to individuals on **November 5, 2026**. Public
+    discussion, bug reporting, and contributions remain free.
+
+  [public Zensical issue tracker]: https://github.com/zensical/zensical/issues
+  [migration guide]: https://zensical.org/docs/compatibility/mkdocs/migration/
+
   [Our new approach]: https://zensical.org/docs/community/how-we-work/
   [maintenance mode]: https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material/issues/8523
   [Zensical]: https://zensical.org
@@ -102,18 +118,15 @@ With Material for MkDocs in [maintenance mode], __our GitHub Discussion board is
 
 !!! warning "Material for MkDocs is in maintenance mode"
 
-    We want to be transparent about the risks of staying on Material for MkDocs
-    or on forks of both Material for MkDocs and MkDocs. With MkDocs 1.x
-    unmaintained and facing fundamental supply chain concerns, its future is
-    uncertain and we cannot guarantee Material for MkDocs will continue working
-    reliably. MkDocs 2.0 will introduce breaking changes –
-    something we [analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article].
-
-    We're aware that transitioning takes time, which is why we commit to
-    supporting Material for MkDocs for at least the next 12 months, fixing
-    critical bugs and security vulnerabilities as needed. If you have questions
-    about your specific situation or need help planning a migration, don't
-    hesitate to reach out at hello@zensical.org.
+    Feature development has ended. We will continue fixing critical bugs and
+    security vulnerabilities through **May 5, 2027**, when upstream maintenance
+    ends. Existing installations and published sites can still be used afterward.
+
+    The [migration guide] explains how to build your current project with
+    Zensical alongside MkDocs, so you can check that it works as expected
+    before switching. We also recommend reading our article on
+    [what MkDocs 2.0 means for your documentation projects][analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article]
+    to help you plan your next steps.
 
   [analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article]: mkdocs-2.0.md
 

diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md b/docs/blog/posts/insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md
@@ -32,6 +32,22 @@ _You can subscribe to [our newsletter] to stay in the loop_.
 
 <!-- more -->
 
+!!! info "October 2026 update"
+
+    This article records the November 2025 release of all Insiders features.
+    These features are available in the public `mkdocs-material` package,
+    without sponsorship or private-repository access.
+
+    Critical maintenance now continues through **May 5, 2027**. This supersedes
+    the original twelve-month window mentioned below; feature development
+    has ended.
+
+    Zensical now builds supported Material for MkDocs projects with their
+    existing content and `mkdocs.yml`. Our [migration guide] explains how to
+    run it alongside MkDocs and check your site before switching.
+
+  [migration guide]: https://zensical.org/docs/compatibility/mkdocs/migration/
+
   [9.7.0]: ../../changelog/index.md#9.7.0
   [Zensical]: https://zensical.org
   [maintenance mode]: https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material/issues/8523
@@ -151,18 +167,15 @@ Material for MkDocs grew organically like a plant in a pot that eventually becam
 
 !!! warning "Material for MkDocs is in maintenance mode"
 
-    We want to be transparent about the risks of staying on Material for MkDocs
-    or on forks of both Material for MkDocs and MkDocs. With MkDocs 1.x
-    unmaintained and facing fundamental supply chain concerns, its future is
-    uncertain and we cannot guarantee Material for MkDocs will continue working
-    reliably. MkDocs 2.0 will introduce breaking changes –
-    something we [analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article].
-
-    We're aware that transitioning takes time, which is why we commit to
-    supporting Material for MkDocs for at least the next 12 months, fixing
-    critical bugs and security vulnerabilities as needed. If you have questions
-    about your specific situation or need help planning a migration, don't
-    hesitate to reach out at hello@zensical.org.
+    Feature development has ended. We will continue fixing critical bugs and
+    security vulnerabilities through **May 5, 2027**, when upstream maintenance
+    ends. Existing installations and published sites can still be used afterward.
+
+    The [migration guide] explains how to build your current project with
+    Zensical alongside MkDocs, so you can check that it works as expected
+    before switching. We also recommend reading our article on
+    [what MkDocs 2.0 means for your documentation projects][analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article]
+    to help you plan your next steps.
 
   [analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article]: mkdocs-2.0.md
 

diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/mkdocs-2.0.md b/docs/blog/posts/mkdocs-2.0.md
@@ -191,6 +191,12 @@ _If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Kathi at hello@zensical.or
   [licensed under MIT]: https://www.encode.io/mkdocs/license/
   [licensing might change in the future]: https://github.com/encode/mkdocs/issues/58
 
+### September 2026
+
+- __September 16, 2026__: We [announced a six-month extension][upcoming changes article] of Material for MkDocs' critical maintenance through **May 5, 2027**, giving teams more time to evaluate Zensical and plan their transition.
+
+  [upcoming changes article]: https://zensical.org/upcoming-changes/
+
 ### August 2026
 
 - __August 30, 2026__: MkDocs 2.0 was just published as a [pre-release on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/mkdocs/2.0.dev2/). No official release date has been announced yet, but the pre-release hints that it might be coming soon.

diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/the-past-present-and-future.md b/docs/blog/posts/the-past-present-and-future.md
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ Furthermore, a large amount of time was invested into refactoring the code base
 to keep it in good shape. While the `mkdocs-material` package was released
 __55__ times, `mkdocs-material-insiders` was shipped __72__ times.
 
-  [Insiders]: ../../insiders/index.md
+  [Insiders]: insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md
   [Admonition inline blocks]: ../../reference/admonitions.md#inline-blocks
   [Advanced search highlighting]: search-better-faster-smaller.md#accurate-highlighting
   [Anchor tracking]: ../../setup/setting-up-navigation.md#anchor-tracking

diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/transforming-material-for-mkdocs.md b/docs/blog/posts/transforming-material-for-mkdocs.md
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ This article is part of a series where we'll explore how we aim to support our u
 
 <!-- more -->
 
+!!! info "October 2026 update"
+
+    The work outlined in this August 2024 article led to
+    [Zensical](https://zensical.org/), our successor to Material for MkDocs.
+    The article below records our goals and plans at the time.
+
+    Our [roadmap](https://zensical.org/roadmap/) describes the current direction;
+    the [MkDocs compatibility guide](https://zensical.org/docs/compatibility/mkdocs/)
+    covers supported features and plugins.
+
 _Please note that this post includes several technical details in the footnotes, specifically on challenges. Feel free to skip them if you're not interested in the specifics._
 
 ---

diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/zensical.md b/docs/blog/posts/zensical.md
@@ -32,6 +32,29 @@ _You can subscribe to [our newsletter] to stay in the loop_.
 
 <!-- more -->
 
+!!! info "October 2026 update"
+
+    Zensical now builds supported Material for MkDocs projects with their
+    existing content and `mkdocs.yml`. Follow the [migration guide] to run it
+    alongside MkDocs and check your site before switching.
+
+    [Zensical Studio][Studio] brings live preview, diagnostics, and project
+    navigation to Visual Studio Code and similar editors. It works with both
+    Zensical and MkDocs, so you can keep using it throughout the transition.
+
+    On **November 5, 2026**, Zensical 0.1 begins a dependable release line,
+    Studio leaves beta, and Spark Community opens to individuals.
+    [See what changes](https://zensical.org/upcoming-changes/).
+    Material's critical maintenance continues through **May 5, 2027**.
+
+    This article records our November 2025 launch. Some plans have since
+    changed, including the Markdown toolchain: we are now developing a
+    Python Markdown-compatible parser. See the [current roadmap](https://zensical.org/roadmap/)
+    for progress and direction.
+
+  [migration guide]: https://zensical.org/docs/compatibility/mkdocs/migration/
+  [Studio]: https://zensical.org/studio/
+
   [Zensical]: https://zensical.org/
   [compatibility]: #maximum-compatibility
   [Zensical Spark]: #zensical-spark
@@ -216,18 +239,15 @@ Material for MkDocs grew organically like a plant in a pot that eventually becam
 
 !!! warning "Material for MkDocs is in maintenance mode"
 
-    We want to be transparent about the risks of staying on Material for MkDocs
-    or on forks of both Material for MkDocs and MkDocs. With MkDocs 1.x
-    unmaintained and facing fundamental supply chain concerns, its future is
-    uncertain and we cannot guarantee Material for MkDocs will continue working
-    reliably. MkDocs 2.0 will introduce breaking changes –
-    something we [analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article].
-
-    We're aware that transitioning takes time, which is why we commit to
-    supporting Material for MkDocs for at least the next 12 months, fixing
-    critical bugs and security vulnerabilities as needed. If you have questions
-    about your specific situation or need help planning a migration, don't
-    hesitate to reach out at hello@zensical.org.
+    Feature development has ended. We will continue fixing critical bugs and
+    security vulnerabilities through **May 5, 2027**, when upstream maintenance
+    ends. Existing installations and published sites can still be used afterward.
+
+    The [migration guide] explains how to build your current project with
+    Zensical alongside MkDocs, so you can check that it works as expected
+    before switching. We also recommend reading our article on
+    [what MkDocs 2.0 means for your documentation projects][analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article]
+    to help you plan your next steps.
 
   [analyzed thoroughly in our MkDocs 2.0 article]: mkdocs-2.0.md