The bot policy covers the operation of all bots and automated scripts used to provide automation of Wikipedia edits, whether completely automated, ...
Wikipedia:Botpolicy
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia
Jumptonavigation
Jumptosearch
Wikipediapolicypage
Overview
Dictionary
Botpolicy
BotApprovalsGroup
Guide
Noticeboard
Newsletter
BotRequests
RequestsforApproval
Adminbots
{{BAGTools}}
CreatingaBot
Listofbots
Botstatusreport
Botactivitymonitor
ThispagedocumentsaproceduralpolicyofWikipedia.ItdocumentsvariousprocessesbywhichtheEnglishWikipediaoperates.ShortcutWP:BOTPOL
Thispageinanutshell:Automatededitingprocesses,knownas"bots",mustbeharmlessanduseful,haveapproval,useseparateuseraccounts,andbeoperatedresponsibly.Thiswikialsoallowsglobalbotstoberun,subjecttolocalrequirements.
ThebotpolicycoverstheoperationofallbotsandautomatedscriptsusedtoprovideautomationofWikipediaedits,whethercompletelyautomated,higherspeed,orsimplyassistinghumaneditorsintheirownwork.ItalsocoverstheworkoftheBotApprovalsGroup(BAG),whichsupervisesandapprovesallbot-relatedactivityfromatechnicalandquality-controlperspectiveonbehalfoftheEnglishWikipediacommunity.Otherlanguagesmayhavetheirownbotpolicieswhichdifferfromthisone.
Contents
1Definitions
2Botusage
2.1Botaccounts
2.1.1The"bot"flag
2.1.2Activityrequirements
2.1.3Botsdirectedtoeditbyotherusers
2.2Botrequirements
2.2.1Performance
2.3Goodcommunication
2.4Configurationtips
2.5Restrictionsonspecifictasks
2.5.1Categorizationofpeople
2.5.2Context-sensitivechanges
2.5.3Cosmeticchanges
2.5.4Interwikilinks
2.5.5Masspagecreation
3Approvalprocess
3.1Requestsforapproval
3.1.1Validoperationswithoutapproval
3.1.2Botswithadministrativerights
3.2Appealsandreexaminationofapprovals
4Dealingwithissues
4.1Minormalfunctions,complaints,andimprovements
4.2Majormalfunctionsandcomplaints
4.3Bot-likeediting
4.4Blockingabot
5Otherbot-relatedmatters
5.1BotApprovalsGroup
5.2Assistededitingguidelines
5.3Userscripts
6Seealso
Definitions
Mainpage:Wikipedia:Bots/Dictionary
ShortcutWP:BOTDEF
Bots(shortfor"robots")generallymakeautomatedchangesoractions.Afterlaunchingthebot,anassumptioncanbemadethatthereisnofurtherneedforhumandecision-making.
Assistedorsemi-automatededitingcoversspecificallylower-speedtoolsandscriptsthatcanassistuserstomakedecisionsbutleavetheactualdecisionuptotheuser(seeAssistededitingguidelinesbelow).
Scriptsarepersonalizedscripts(typically,butnotalways,writteninJavaScript)thatmayautomateprocesses,ormaymerelyenhancetheexistingMediaWikiinterface.
TheBotApprovalsGroup(BAG)isagroupofuserswithappropriatetechnicalskillsandwiki-experience,whosemembersareapprovedbythecommunitytooverseeandmakedecisionsonbotactivityandon-wikioperationforthecommunity.TheBAGalsodeterminetheclassificationasbotorassistedediting,inambiguouscases.FormalworkbyMediaWikidevelopersisoutsidethescopeofthispolicy.
Botusage
ShortcutWP:BOTUSE
Becausebots
arepotentiallycapableofeditingfarfasterthanhumanscan;and
havealowerlevelofscrutinyoneacheditthanahumaneditor;and
maycauseseveredisruptioniftheymalfunctionoraremisused;
thecommunityexpectsbotstomeethighstandardsbeforetheyareapprovedforuseondesignatedtasks.Theoperationofunapprovedbots,oruseofapprovedbotsinwaysoutsidetheirapprovedconditionsofoperation,isprohibitedandmayinsomecasesleadtoblockingoftheuseraccountandpossiblesanctionsfortheoperator.Notethathigh-speedsemi-automatededitingmayeffectivelybeconsideredbotsinsomecases(seeWP:MEATBOT),evenifperformedbyahumaneditor.Ifindoubt,check.
Botaccounts
ShortcutWP:BOTACC
Seealso:Wikipedia:Usernamepolicy
Contributorsshouldcreateaseparateaccountinordertooperateabot.Theaccount'snameshouldidentifythebotfunction(e.g.Bot),ortheoperator'smainaccount(e.g.Bot).Inallcases,itshouldbeimmediatelyclearthattheeditsaremadebyanautomatedaccount,whichisusuallyachievedbyincludingBotattheendoftheaccountname.Botsmusteditonlywhileloggedintotheiraccount.Toolsnotconsideredtobebotsdonotrequireaseparateaccount,butsomeusersdochoosetomakeseparateaccountsfornon-botbuthigh-speedediting.
Thecontributionsofabotaccountremaintheresponsibilityofitsoperator,whoseaccountmustbeprominentlyidentifiableonitsuserpage.Inparticular,thebotoperatorisresponsiblefortherepairofanydamagecausedbyabotwhichoperatesincorrectly.Allpoliciesapplytoabotaccountinthesamewayastoanyotheruseraccount.Botaccountsareconsideredalternativeaccountsoftheiroperator.ToensurecompliancewithWP:BOTCOMM,IPeditorswishingtooperateabotmustfirstregisteranaccountbeforeoperatingabot.
Botaccountsshouldnotbeusedforcontributionsthatdonotfallwithinthescopeofthebot'sdesignatedtasks.Inparticular,botoperatorsshouldnotuseabotaccounttorespondtomessagesrelatedtothebot.Botoperatorsmaywishtoredirectabotaccount'sdiscussionpagetotheirown.
The"bot"flag
ShortcutWP:BOTFLAG
Botaccountswillbemarkedbyabureaucratasbeinginthe"bot"usergroupuponBAGrequest.ThisflagreducessomeofthetechnicallimitsimposedbytheMediaWikisoftware.Editsbysuchaccountsarehiddenbydefaultwithinrecentchanges.Botaccountsmayalsobeaddedtothe"copyviobot"usergroupuponBAGrequest;thisflagallowsuseoftheAPItoaddmetadatatoeditsforuseinthenewpagesfeed.
Activityrequirements
Botaccountsthathavehadnologgedactionsoreditsfortwoyears,wherethelistedoperatorhasalsohadnologgedactionsoreditsfortwoyears,willbedeauthorized.Followingaone-weeknotificationperiodonthebotsnoticeboard,andtheoperator'stalkpage,priortaskapprovalswillbeconsideredexpiredandbotflagswillberemoved.Shouldtheoperatorreturnandwishtoreactivatethebot,anewrequestforapprovalmustbecompleted.
Botsdirectedtoeditbyotherusers
ShortcutWP:BOTMULTIOP
Somebotsallowothereditorstodirectthebottomakeaneditorotheraction.ItisrecommendedandpreferabletouseOAuthtomaketheeditontheuser'saccountdirectly.However,itcanbepermissibletoinsteadmaketheseeditsviaabotaccount(particularlyifnecessaryduetotheactionsbeingprivileged),providedthefollowingconditionsaremet:
Disclosure:TheidentityoftheWikipediauserdirectingtheedit/actionmustbepubliclydisclosed,typicallybylinkingtheusernameintheeditsummary.
Verification:TheidentityoftheWikipediausermustbereliablyverifiedtothebotinamannernoteasilyfaked,bypassedoravoided.Suitablemethodsincludeanon-trivialpassword,IPrestrictions,wikiloginorIRChostname.Ifthebotisusedtomakesensitiveactionsstrongermethodsofverificationmayberequired.
Competence:Allusersdirectingabotmusthavetherequiredskillandknowledgetoensuretheiractionsarewithincommunityconsensus.
Botrequirements
ShortcutWP:BOTREQUIRE
Inorderforabottobeapproved,itsoperatorshoulddemonstratethatit:
isharmless
isuseful
doesnotconsumeresourcesunnecessarily
performsonlytasksforwhichthereisconsensus
carefullyadherestorelevantpoliciesandguidelines
usesinformativemessages,appropriatelyworded,inanyeditsummariesormessagesleftforusers
Thebotaccount'suserpageshouldidentifythebotassuchusingthe{{bot}}tag.Thefollowinginformationshouldbeprovidedon,orlinkedfrom,boththebotaccount'suserpageandtheapprovalrequest:
Detailsofthebot'stask(ortasks)
Whetherthebotismanuallyassistedorrunsautomatically
Whenitoperates(continuously,intermittently,oratspecifiedintervals),andatwhatrate
Performance
ShortcutWP:BOTPERF
Whileperformanceisnotgenerallyanissue,botoperatorsshouldrecognizethatabotmakingmanyrequestsoreditingatahighspeedhasamuchgreatereffectthantheaveragecontributor.OperatorsshouldbecarefulnottomakeunnecessaryWebrequests,andbeconservativeintheireditingspeed.Sysadminswillinformthecommunityifperformanceissuesofanysignificancedoarise,andinsuchsituations,theirdirectivesmustbefollowed.
Botsintrialperiods,andapprovedbotsperformingallbutthemosturgenttasks,shouldberunataratethatpermitsreviewoftheireditswhennecessary.
Unflaggedbotsshouldeditmoreslowlythanflaggedbots,astheireditsarevisibleinuserwatchlists.
Theurgencyofataskshouldalwaysbeconsidered;tasksthatdonotneedtobecompletedquickly(forexample,renamingcategories)canandshouldbeaccomplishedataslowerratethanthosethatdo(forexample,revertingvandalism).
Bots'editingspeedshouldberegulatedinsomeway;subjecttoapproval,botsdoingnon-urgenttasksmayeditapproximatelyonceeverytenseconds,whilebotsdoingmoreurgenttasksmayeditapproximatelyonceeveryfiveseconds.
Botseditingatahighspeedshouldoperatemoreslowlyduringpeakhours(12:00–04:00UTC),anddays(middleoftheweek,especiallyWednesdaysandThursdays)thanduringthequietesttimes(weekends).
Bots'editingspeedmayalsobeadjustedbasedonreplicadatabaseserverlag;thisallowsbotstoeditmorequicklyduringquietperiodswhileslowingdownconsiderablywhenserverloadishigh.ThiscanbeachievedbyappendinganextraparametertothequerystringofeachrequestedURL;seemw:Manual:Maxlagparameterformoredetails.
BotsthatdownloadsubstantialportionsofWikipedia'scontentbyrequestingmanyindividualpagesarenotpermitted.Whensuchcontentisrequired,downloaddatabasedumpsinstead.BotsthatrequireaccesstorunqueriesonWikipediadatabasesmayberunonWikimediaToolforge;suchprocessesareoutsidethescopeofthispolicy.
Goodcommunication
ShortcutWP:BOTCOMM
Seealso:Generalnoticetobotownersabouteditsummaries
Userswhoreadmessagesoreditsummariesfrombotswillgenerallyexpectahighstandardofcordialityandinformation,backedupbypromptandcivilhelpfromthebot'soperatorifqueriesarise.Botoperatorsshouldtakecareinthedesignofcommunications,andensurethattheywillbeabletomeetanyenquiriesresultingfromthebot'soperationcordially,promptly,andappropriately.IssuesandenquiriesaretypicallyexpectedtobehandledontheEnglishWikipedia.Pagesreachableviaunifiedlogin,likeatalkpageatCommonsoratItalianWikipediacouldalsobeacceptable,solongatitisclearonboththebotpageandthebot'stalkpagethatthisiswherecommentsshouldbedirected,andthatthelandingpageisnotconfusingtoanEnglishspeaker.ExternalsiteslikePhabricatororGitHub(whichrequireseparateregistrationordonotallowforIPcomments)andemail(whichcancompromiseanonymity)cansupplementon-wikicommunication,butdonotreplaceit.Ataminimum,theoperatorshouldensurethatotheruserswillbewillingandabletoaddressanymessagesleftinthiswayiftheycannotbesuretodosothemselves.Thisisaconditionofoperationofbotsingeneral.
Notethatyoucanenableemailnotificationsofpingsandtalkpagemessagesinthenotificationsectionofyourbotaccount'spreferences.
Configurationtips
ShortcutWP:BOTCONFIG
Botoperatorsmaywishtoimplementthefollowingfeatures,dependingonthenatureofthebot'stasks:
Botswhichdelivernoticesandnewslettersareencouragedtoprovideamethodofoptingoutofnon-criticalmessages,especiallywhenpostingonusertalkpages.Instructionsforoptingoutcanthenbeadvertisedbothonthebotuserpage(example)andonthemessagedelivered(example).
Botswhicheditmanypages,butmayneedtobepreventedfromeditingparticularpages,candosobyinterpreting{{Bots}};seethetemplatepageforanexplanationofhowthisworks.
Botswhich"cleanup"inresponsetonon-vandalismusereditsmayhonor{{inuse}}tohelpavoideditconflicts,eitherbycheckingforthepresenceofthattemplate(andredirects)orthecategoryCategory:Pagesactivelyundergoingamajoredit.Thetemplate'sdocumentationstatesthatabotthathonors{{inuse}}mayignorethetemplateifithasbeenmorethan2hourssincethelastedit.
Providingsomemechanismwhichallowscontributorsotherthanthebot'soperatortocontrolthebot'soperationisusefulinsomecircumstances–thebotcanbeenabledordisabledwithoutresortingtoblocks,andcouldalsobeconfiguredinotherways.Forexample,thebotcouldcheckthecontentsofaparticularpageandactuponthevalueitfindsthere.Ifdesired,suchapagecouldthenbeprotectedorsemi-protectedtopreventabuse.Botoperatorsdoingthisshouldbearinmindthattheyretainallresponsibilityfortheirbotaccount'sedits.
Toavoidunnecessaryblocks,thebotmayuseassertiontopreventeditingifitisloggedout.Newbots,andbotswhichhavepreviouslyeditedwhileloggedout,arerequiredtouseassertion.
Authorsofbotprocessesareencouraged,butnotrequired,topublishthesourcecodeoftheirbot.
Restrictionsonspecifictasks
Categorizationofpeople
ShortcutWP:BOTPCAT
Assignmentofpersoncategoriesshouldnotbemadeusingabot.Beforeaddingsensitivecategoriestoarticlesbybot,theinputshouldbemanuallycheckedarticlebyarticle,ratherthanuploadedfromanexistinglistinWikipedia.(SeeWikipedia:Categorizationofpeople.)
Context-sensitivechanges
ShortcutsWP:SPELLBOTWP:CONTEXTBOT
Unsupervisedbotprocessesshouldnotmakecontext-sensitivechangesthatwouldnormallyrequirehumanattention,asaccountingforallpossiblefalsepositivesisgenerallyunfeasible.Exceptionally,suchtasksmaybeallowedif–inadditiontohavingconsensus–theoperatorcandemonstratethatnofalsepositiveswillarise(forexample,aone-timerunwithacompletelistofchangesfromadatabasedump)orthereiscommunityconsensustorunthetaskwithoutsupervision(forexample,vandalismreversionwithacommunity-acceptedfalsepositiverate).
Examplesofcontext-sensitivechangesinclude,butarenotlimitedto:
Correctingspelling,grammar,orpunctuationmistakes.
ConvertingwordsfromoneregionalvariationofEnglishtoanother.
Applyingcontext-sensitivetemplates,suchas{{weaselword}}.
ChangingHTMLentitiestoUnicodecharacterswhenevertheUnicodecharactermightbedifficulttoidentifyvisuallyinedit-mode,pertheManualofStyle.
Cosmeticchanges
ShortcutWP:COSMETICBOT
Cosmeticchangestothewikitextaresometimesthemostcontroversial,eitherinthemselvesorbecausetheyclutterpagehistories,watchlists,and/ortherecentchangesfeedwitheditsthatarenotworththetimespentreviewingthem.Suchchangesshouldnotusuallybedoneontheirown,butmaybeallowedinaneditthatalsoincludesasubstantivechange.
ChangesthataretypicallyconsideredsubstantiveaffectsomethingvisibletoreadersandconsumersofWikipedia,suchas
theoutputtextorHTMLinwaysthatmakeadifferencetotheaudioorvisualrenderingofapageinwebbrowsers,screenreaders,whenprinted,inPDFs,orwhenaccessedthroughotherformsofassistivetechnology(e.g.removingadeletedcategory,updatingatemplateparameter,changingwhitespaceinbulletedverticallists);
the"user-facinginterfaces"ofWikipedia,suchascategorylistingoron-wikiandexternalsearchengineresults(e.g.changingcategorysortkeys,noindexing,searchenginesummaries/snippets,orpageimages);
the"administrationoftheencyclopedia",suchasthemaintenanceofhiddencategoriesusedtotrackmaintenancebacklogs(e.g.changing{{citationneeded}}to{{citationneeded|date=September2016}});or
egregiouslyinvalidHTMLsuchasunclosedtags,evenifitdoesnotaffectbrowsers'displayorisfixedbeforeoutputbyRemexHtml(e.g.changing...to...)
whilechangesthatdonotaretypicallyconsideredcosmetic.Minoreditsarenotusuallyconsideredcosmeticbutstillneedconsensustobedonebybots.
Consensuscan,asalways,createexceptionsforparticularcosmeticedits.Forexample,thecommunityfrequentlydeterminesthataparticulartemplateshouldbesubstitutedsoitcanbedeleted,eventhoughthesubstitutiondoesnotchangetheoutputofthepage.Consensusforabottomakeanyparticularcosmeticchangemustbeformalizedinanapprovedrequestforapproval.
ShortcutWP:COSMETICREVERT
Keepinmindthatrevertingacosmeticeditisalsoacosmeticedit.Ifthechangesmadeinacosmeticeditwouldotherwisebeacceptableaspartofasubstantiveedit,thereisnoreasontorevertthem.Reporttheissuetothebotoperatorinstead.
Whilethispolicyappliesonlytobots,humaneditorsshouldalsofollowthisguidanceifmakingsuchchangesinabot-likemanner.
Interwikilinks
ShortcutWP:INTERWIKIBOT
Seealso:Help:Interlanguagelinks,Wikipedia:Wikidata,andm:Interwikibot
InterwikibotsshouldaddinterwikilinksonWikidata,ratherthanontheEnglishWikipedia,unlessthetaskcannotbeperformedonWikidata(suchaslinkingtoasection).InterwikibotsmayremoveinterwikilinksfromEnglishWikipediaarticlesonlyifalreadypresentonWikidata.Globally-approvedinterwikibotsarepermittedtooperateonEnglishWikipedia,subjecttolocalrequirements.InterwikibotsrunningintheTemplatenamespacemustensurelinksarenottranscludedonallpagesusingthetemplatebyplacingthemintheappropriatedocumentationsubpagesection,ornon-includedportionofthetemplateifnodocumentationsubpageexists.(BotsrunningonWikidataneedtocomplywithWikidata'sbotpolicy.)
Masspagecreation
Seealso:Wikipedia:Bot-createdarticles
ShortcutsWP:MASSCREATIONWP:MASSCREATE
Anylarge-scaleautomatedorsemi-automatedcontentpagecreationtaskmustbeapprovedatWikipedia:Bots/Requestsforapproval.Thisrequirementinitiallyappliedtoarticles,buthassincebeenexpandedtoincludeall"contentpages",broadlymeaningpagesdesignedtobeviewedbyreadersthroughthemainspace.Theseincludearticles,mostvisiblecategories,fileshostedonWikipedia,mainspaceeditnotices,andportals.Whilenospecificdefinitionof"large-scale"wasdecided,asuggestionof"anythingmorethan25or50"wasnotopposed.Itisalsostronglyencouraged(andmayberequiredbyBAG)thatcommunityinputbesolicitedatWP:Villagepump(proposals)andthetalkpagesofanyrelevantWikiProjects.Botoperatorsmustensurethatallcreationsarestrictlywithinthetermsoftheirapproval.
AlternativestosimplycreatingmassquantitiesofcontentpagesincludecreatingthepagesinsmallbatchesorcreatingthecontentpagesassubpagesofarelevantWikiProjecttobeindividuallymovedtopublicfacingspaceaftereachhasbeenreviewedbyhumaneditors.WhileuseofthesealternativesdoesnotremovetheneedforaBRFA,itmaygarnermoresupportfromthecommunityatlarge.
NotethatwhiletheWP:MEATBOT-likecreationofnon-contentpages(suchasredirectsfromsystematicnames,ormaintenancecategories)isnotrequiredtogothroughaformalBRFAbydefault,WP:MEATBOTstillapplies.
Approvalprocess
ShortcutWP:BOTAPPROVAL
Requestsforapproval
“
YoucanmoreorlessthinkofaBRFAasbeingadrivinglicense.Ifyoudrivewithoutone,youcangetintroubleevenifyourdrivingskillsarefine.Andifyouhavealicense,itstilldoesn'tgiveyoutherighttorunoverpeopleordrive200km/hina50km/hzone.BAGgivesoutthesedrivinglicenses.Iftheyareabused,theycanbe(andare)revoked,andbotsareblockedaccordingly.
”
— Headbomb
Allbotsthatmakeanyloggedactions(suchaseditingpages,uploadingfilesorcreatingaccounts)mustbeapprovedforeachofthesetasksbeforetheymayoperate.BotapprovalrequestsshouldbemadeatWikipedia:Bots/Requestsforapproval(BRFA).Requestsshouldstatepreciselywhatthebotwilldo,aswellasanyotherinformationthatmayberelevanttoitsoperation,includinglinkstoanycommunitydiscussionssufficienttodemonstrateconsensusfortheproposedtask(s).Inaddition,prospectivebotoperatorsshouldbeeditorsingoodstanding,andwithdemonstrableexperiencewiththekindoftasksthebotproposestodo.
Duringtherequestforapproval,amemberoftheBotApprovalsGroup(BAG)willtypicallyapproveashorttrialduringwhichthebotismonitoredtoensurethatitoperatescorrectly.ThetermsandextentofsuchatrialperiodmaybedeterminedbytheBAG.Botsshouldbesupervisedduringtrialperiodssothatanyproblemsmaybeaddressedquickly.Thebotoperatorisresponsibleforreviewingtheeditsandrepairinganymistakescausedbythebot.TheBAGmayalsoapproveextendedtrialsshouldproblemsarisewiththeinitialtrialanduntilcommunityisconfidentthebotwillfunctioncorrectly.
TherequestwillgenerallybeopenforsometimeduringwhichthecommunityandBAGmembersmaycommentoraskquestions,andgivefeedbackonthetrial.Thedecisiontoapproveordeclinearequestshouldtakeintoaccounttherequirementsabove,relevantpoliciesandguidelines,anddiscussionsoftherequest.Consensusformedbyasmallgrouponalow-traffictalkpagehasfrequentlyresultedincontroversywhenitcomestotheattentionofthewidercommunity.Botoperatorsareencouragedandoftenaskedtonotifytherelevantnoticeboardswhoseareasmaybeaffectedorwhoseexpertiseintheareacouldprovideusefulcommentsandinsightintotheproposedtask.
Oncetherequesthasdemonstrateditsconformancewiththecommunitystandardsandcorrecttechnicalimplementation,theBAGmayapprovethetask.TheBAGmayalsodeclinearequestwhichfailstodemonstratecommunityconsensustoperformthetask.Occasionally,theoperatormaywishtowithdrawthetaskortheBAGmaymarkastalerequestasexpired.Closedrequestsarearchivedandpreservedforfuturereference.Shouldthetaskbeapproved,the"bot"usergroupflagwillbeassignedbyanybureaucratandtheoperatormayrunthebotasintended.
TheBAGmayalsooccasionallyspeedilyapproveordeclineBRFAswithouthavingatrialperiod.Non-controversial,technically-simpletasksorduplicatesofexistingtasks,especiallyifperformedbytrustedbotoperators,canbespeedilyapproved.Similarly,controversialorcommonlydeclinedtasks,especiallybyneweditors,maybespeedilydeclined.
Validoperationswithoutapproval
ShortcutsWP:BOTUSERSPACEWP:EXEMPTBOT
Operatorsmaycarryoutlimitedtestingofbotprocesseswithoutapproval,providedthattesteditsareverylowinnumberandfrequency,andarerestrictedtotestpagessuchasthesandbox.Suchtesteditsmaybemadefromanyuseraccount.Inaddition,anybotorautomatededitingprocessthataffectsonlytheoperator'sortheirownuserspace(userpages,usertalkpages,user'smodulesandboxpagesandsubpagesthereof),andwhicharenototherwisedisruptive,mayberunwithoutpriorapproval.
Shouldbotoperatorswishtomodifyorextendtheoperationoftheirbots,theyshouldensurethattheydosoincompliancewiththispolicy.Smallchanges,forexampletofixproblemsorimprovetheoperationofaparticulartask,areunlikelytobeanissue,butlargerchangesshouldnotbeimplementedwithoutsomediscussion.Completelynewtasksusuallyrequireaseparateapprovalrequest.Botoperatorsmaywishtocreateaseparatebotaccountforeachtask.
Accountsperformingautomatedtaskswithoutpriorapprovalmaybesummarilyblockedbyanyadministrator.
Botswithadministrativerights
ShortcutWP:ADMINBOT
Botswithadministratorrights(a.k.a."adminbots")arealsoapprovedthroughthegeneralprocess.Thebotoperatormustalreadybeanadministrator.Aswithanybot,theapprovaldiscussionisconductedontwolevels:
Communityapprovalforthebot'stask.Thisdiscussionshouldtakeplaceatanappropriateforum,suchastheAdministrators'noticeboardortheVillagePump,priortotheBRFA.Withoutademonstratedneed/wantforsuchanadminbot,theBRFAwilleitherbeputonholduntilthisisdemonstrated,orthebotwillbedeniedapproval.
Thetechnicalassessmentofthebot'simplementation.Itisrecommendedthatthesourcecodeforadminbotsbeopen,butshouldtheoperatorelecttokeepallorpartofthecodenotpubliclyvisible,theymustpresentsuchcodeforreviewuponrequestfromanyBAGmemberoradministrator.
Todemonstratetheimplementation,adminbotsshouldeitherberun"dry"withouta'sysop'bit(ifpractical),orberunontheoperator'smainaccount,withitseditsclearlymarkedassuch.WhenBAGissatisfiedthatthebotistechnicallysound,theywillapprovethebotandrecommendthatitbegivenboth'bot'and'sysop'rights.Thebureaucratwhorespondstotheflagrequestactsasafinalarbiteroftheprocessandwillensurethatanadequatelevelofcommunityconsensus(includingpublicityofapprovaldiscussion)underliestheapproval.
Asadminbotshavemuchmoredestructivepotentialthanregularbots,theiroperatorsareexpectedtomonitorthemcloselyduringdevelopmentandtrials,includingaftercodeupdates.Adminbotsshouldbeimmediatelyshutdownatthefirstsignofincorrectbehavior.Administratorsareallowedtorunsemi-automatedadmintoolsontheirownaccountsbutwillbeheldresponsibleifthosetoolsgoawry.Neglectwhilerunningadminbotsandtoolsconstitutestoolmisuse.
Ifanadministratorresponsibleforoneormoreadminbotsisdesysopped,theirbotsshouldbeimmediatelydesysoppedatthesametime(exceptiftheadministratorvoluntarilysteppeddowninuncontroversialcircumstances).
Appealsandreexaminationofapprovals
ShortcutWP:BOTAPPEAL
RequestsforreexaminationshouldbediscussedatWikipedia:Bots/Noticeboard.Thismayincludeeitherappealofdeniedbotrequests,orreexaminationofapprovedbots.Insomecases,requestsforcommentmaybewarranted.
Suchanexaminationcanresultin:
Grantingorrevokingapprovalforabottask;
Removingorplacingtheaccountintothebotusergroup;
Imposingfurtheroperationalconditionsonthebottomaintainapprovalstatus.
BAGhasnoauthorityonoperatorbehavior,orontheoperatorsthemselves.Disputeresolutionisthepropervenueforthat.
Dealingwithissues
ShortcutWP:BOTISSUE
Minormalfunctions,complaints,andimprovements
Seealso:Wikipedia:Bots§ Howtohideaspecificbotfromyourwatchlist
Ifyouhavenoticedaproblemwithabot,haveacomplaint,orhaveasuggestiontomake,youshouldcontactthebotoperatordirectlyviatheirusertalkpage(orviathebotaccount'stalkpage).Botoperatorsareexpectedtoberesponsivetothecommunity'sconcernsandsuggestions,butpleaseassumegoodfaithanddon'tpanic.Bugsandmistakeshappen,andwe'reallheretobuildanencyclopedia.
Minorchangesandtweakstothebotbehaviorusuallydonotneedtobereviewedbythecommunityatlarge,solongastheydonotexceedareasonableinterpretationofthebot'soriginalmandate/BRFAandhaveconsensus.Forinstance,abotapprovedtoarchivediscussionsonaspecificWikiProject'spagedoesnotneedanotherBRFAtochangethedetailsofthearchiving(e.g.threadageoractivityrequirements).However,tobeginarchivinganotherprojects'pagetheoperatorshouldprobablysubmitanotherBRFA,whichmightbespeedilyapproved.Asanotherexample,abotoriginallyapprovedtoremovedeletedcategoriesfromarticleswouldneedapprovaltoexpanditsscopetoremovedeletedfiles.
Majormalfunctionsandcomplaints
Ifthebotiscausingasignificantproblem,orthebotoperatorhasnotrespondedandthebotisstillcausingissues,severalmechanismsareavailabletopreventfurtherdisruption.Manybotsprovideastopbuttonormeanstodisabletheproblematictaskontheirbotuserpage.Thisshouldbetriedfirst,followedbyadiscussionoftheissuewiththebotoperator.Ifnosuchmechanismisavailable(orifurgentactionisneeded),leaveamessageattheadministrators'noticeboardrequestingablockforamalfunctioningbot.Perthenoticeboard'sguideline,youarerequiredtonotifythebotoperatorofthediscussiontakingplaceatthenoticeboard.
Ifyouareconcernedthatabotisoperatingoutsidetheestablishedconsensusforitstask,discusstheissuewiththebotoperatorfirst,ortryotherformsofdisputeresolution(BAGmemberscanactasneutralmediatorsonsuchmatters).Ifyouareconcernedthatabotnolongerhasconsensusforitstask,youmayformallyappealoraskforre-examinationofabot'sapproval.
Bot-likeediting
ShortcutWP:MEATBOT
Humaneditorsareexpectedtopayattentiontotheeditstheymake,andensurethattheydonotsacrificequalityinthepursuitofspeedorquantity.Forthepurposeofdisputeresolution,itisirrelevantwhetherhigh-speedorlarge-scaleeditsthata)arecontrarytoconsensusorb)causeerrorsanattentivehumanwouldnotmakeareactuallybeingperformedbyabot,byahumanassistedbyascript,orevenbyahumanwithoutanyprogrammaticassistance.Nomatterthemethod,thedisruptiveeditingmuststoportheusermayendupblocked.However,merelyeditingquickly,particularlyforashorttime,isnotbyitselfdisruptive.
Editorswhochoosetousesemi-automatedtoolstoassisttheireditingshouldbeawarethatprocesseswhichoperateathigherspeeds,withahighervolumeofedits,orwithlesshumaninvolvementaremorelikelytobetreatedasbots.Ifthereisanydoubt,youshouldmakeabotapprovalrequest.Insuchcases,theBotApprovalsGroupwilldeterminewhetherthefullapprovalprocessandaseparatebotaccountarenecessary.
Blockingabot
ShortcutWP:BOTBLOCK
Administratorsmayblockbotaccountsthatoperatewithoutapproval,operateinamannernotspecifiedintheirapprovalrequest,oroperatecountertothetermsoftheirapprovalorthebotpolicy.Ablockmayalsobeissuedifabotoperateswithoutbeingloggedintoanaccount,orisloggedintoanaccountotherthanitsown.Botswhichareknowntoeditwhileloggedoutshouldhaveassertion,orasimilarfunction,addedtothem.Operatorscanbenotifiedwith{{Botblockmessage}}(forapprovedbotsthatarebroken)or{{Uw-botblock}}(afterblockingunapprovedbots).
Administratorsblockingauseraccountsuspectedofoperatinganunapprovedbotoranapprovedbotinunapprovedwaysshouldsoft-blockindefinitely.
Otherbot-relatedmatters
BotApprovalsGroup
Mainpage:Wikipedia:BotApprovalsGroup
ShortcutWP:BAGREQ
Membersofthegroupareexperiencedinwritingandrunningbots,haveprogrammingexperience,understandtheroleoftheBotApprovalsGroup(BAG)intheBRFAprocess,andunderstandWikipedia'sbotpolicy.ThoseinterestedinjoiningthegroupshouldmakeapostatWT:BAGexplainingwhytheywouldbeagoodmemberoftheteamandoutliningpastexperience,andthenshouldadvertisethediscussionatWP:AN,WP:VPM,WT:BOTPOLandWP:BOTN.Aftersevendays,anuninvolvedbureaucratwillclosethediscussion.
Aftertwoyearswithoutanybot-relatedactivity(suchaspostingonbot-relatedpages,postingonabot'stalkpage,oroperatingabot),BAGmemberswillberetiredfromBAGfollowingaone-weeknotice.Retiredmemberscanre-applyforBAGmembershipasnormaliftheywishtorejointheBAG.
Assistededitingguidelines
ShortcutsWP:ASSISTEDWP:SEMIAUTOMATED
Assistedediting,alsoknownassemi-automatedediting,coverstheuseoftoolswhichassistwithrepetitivetasks,butdonotalterWikipedia'scontentwithoutsomehumaninteraction.Examplesofthisincludecorrectingtypographicalerrors,fixinglinkstodisambiguationpages,cleaningupvandalism,andstubsorting.
Contributorsintendingtomakealargenumberofassistededitsareadvisedtofirstensurethatthereisaclearconsensusthatsucheditsaredesired.Editorsmaywishtoindicateconsensusforthetask,ifitisnotalreadyclear,ineditsummariesand/orontheuserortalkpageoftheaccountmakingthecontributions.Contributorsmaywishtocreateaseparateuseraccountinordertodoso;suchaccountsshouldadheretothepolicyonmultipleaccounts.Abotaccountshouldnotbeusedforassistedediting,unlessthetaskhasbeenthroughaBRFA.
Whilesuchcontributionsarenotusuallyconsideredtoconstituteuseofabot,semi-automatedprocessesthatoperateathigherspeeds,withahighervolumeofedits,orwithlesshumaninvolvementaremorelikelytobetreatedasbots.Ifthereisanydoubt,youshouldmakeanapprovalrequest.Insuchcases,theBotApprovalsGroupwilldeterminewhetherthefullapprovalprocessandaseparatebotaccountarenecessary.Notethatanylarge-scalesemi-automatedcontentpagecreationrequiresaBRFA.
Authorsofassistededitingtoolsarepermittedtocreatetheirownapprovalmechanismforthattool;ifbotapprovalisrequiredforuseofthetool,thisisinadditionto,notinsteadof,thenormalapprovalrequestprocess.AutoWikiBrowserisanexampleofatoolwithsuchamechanism.Releaseofthesourcecodeforassistededitingtoolsis,aswithbots,encouragedbutnotrequired.
Userscripts
ShortcutWP:BOTSCRIPT
ThemajorityofuserscriptsareintendedtomerelyimproveorpersonalizetheexistingMediaWikiinterface,ortosimplifyaccesstocommonlyusedfunctionsforeditors.ScriptsofthiskinddonotnormallyrequireBAGapproval.
Seealso
Wikipedia:Globalbotspolicy
meta:User-Agentpolicy
Wikipedia:BotApprovalsGroup
Wikipedia:Botrequests
Wikipedia:Bots/Requestsforapproval
Wikipedia:Bots/Requestsforapproval/Adminbots
Wikipedia:Creatingabot
Wikipedia:HistoryofWikipediabots
Wikipedia:Typesofbots
Wikipedia:Useraccesslevels
meta:Botpolicy(notineffecthere)
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