Wookieepedia:Bots

This page or section is considered an official policy on Wookieepedia. It has wide acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that everyone must follow. Please use the Consensus track to propose changes to this policy.

Bots are automated or semi-automated processes used for editing Wookieepedia. They can be used for repetitive maintenance edits such as changing links, replacing categories, or simply fixing typos. Bots usually consist of software run on a separate user account, controlled by a Wookieepedian, although tools like AutoWikiBrowser do not necessarily require a separate account. If you are interested in using a bot on Wookieepedia, please see below.

Running a bot on Wookieepedia

In order to use a bot on Wookieepedia, it is recommended you create a separate Wikia user account for any bot edits. Bot operators are encouraged to create a user page for the bot, outlining use cases and other important information, such as the username of the operator. The talk page of the bot account should generally be redirected to the talk page of the operator in order to allow the owner to be contacted easily. Before requesting approval, operators should have their bot perform simple tasks at a slow rate to demonstrate that they are capable of managing the bot. If no problems turn up during this "trial period," the bot operator can request a bot flag by posting a request on Forum:Administrators' noticeboard. The request should detail what the bot's intended use cases are, what software it runs on, and whether the bot is manually assisted or if it's scheduled to run at certain times. Finally, the bot account should sign off the request to prove that the operator is in control of the bot account.

Once the request is approved and the bot flag is added to the bot account, edits made by the bot will no longer be visible in the Recent Changes by default, which means that it's up to the bot operator to make sure nothing goes wrong when editing via the bot. The bot operator is responsible for any edits made by the bot. Please note that Administrators can and will block the bot if something goes wrong. With a bot flag, the bot can bypass anti-spam ratelimits and cause large-scale damage in a short time and it's therefore important that the bot operators carefully examines any scripts they might be running before executing them.

Bots should only be used to make edits backed by Consensus, not to enforce the bot operator's personal views on wiki matters. Attempts to use the bot to further the bot operator's personal agenda will be met by sanctions. Manual edits should also not be made through the bot account.

Bot operators are encouraged to monitor Wookieepedia:Bot requests in addition to any maintenance tasks they decide to carry out.

Currently operating bots

See also

• Category:Wookieepedia bots
• Wookieepedia:Bot requests
• List of bot-specific user rights
• Wikipedia:Bots on Wikipedia
• Wikipedia:AutoWikiBrowser on Wikipedia
• Pywikibot