Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval

New to bots on Wikipedia? Read these primers!

• Approval process – How these discussions work
• Overview/Policy – What bots are/What they can (or can't) do
• Dictionary – Explains bot-related jargon

To run a bot on the English Wikipedia, you must first get it approved. Follow the instructions below to add a request. If you are not familiar with programming consider asking someone else to run a bot for you.

Instructions for bot operators

I Before applying for approval Read the bot policy, and check the list of frequently denied bot requests. If your task could be controversial (e.g. most bots making non-maintenance edits to articles and most bots posting messages on user talk pages), seek consensus for the task. Common places to start include WP:Village pump (proposals) and the talk pages of the relevant policies, guidelines, templates, and/or WikiProjects. Link to this discussion in your request for approval. You will need to create an account for your bot if you haven't already done so. Click here when logged in to create the account, linking it to yours. (If you do not create the bot account while logged in, it is likely to be blocked as a possible sockpuppet or unauthorised bot until you verify ownership) Create a userpage for your bot, linking to your userpage (this is commonly done using the {{bot}} template) and describing its functions. You may also include an 'emergency shutoff button'. II Filing the application Enter your bot's user name in the box below and click the button. If this is a request for an additional task, put a task number as well (e.g. BotName 2). Complete the questions on the resulting page and save it. Your request must now be added to the correct section of the main approvals page: Click here and add {{BRFA}} to the top of the list, directly below the comment line. For a first request: use {{BRFA|bot name||Open}} For an additional task request: use {{BRFA|bot name|task number|Open}} III During the approvals process During the process, an approvals group member may approve a trial for your bot (typically after allowing time for community input), and AnomieBOT will move the request to this section. Run the bot for the specified number of edits/time period, then add {{Bot trial complete}} to the request page. It helps if you also link to the bot's contributions, and comment on any errors that may have occurred. AnomieBOT will move the request to the 'trial complete' section by moving the {{BRFA}} template that applies to your bot If you feel that your request is being overlooked (no BAG attention for ~1 week) you can add {{BAG assistance needed}} to the page. However, please do not use it after every comment! At any time during the approvals process, you may withdraw your request by adding {{BotWithdrawn}} to your bot's approval page. IV After the approvals process After the trial edits have been reviewed and enough time has passed for any more discussion, a BAG member will approve or deny the request appropriately. For approved requests: The request will be listed here. If necessary, a bureaucrat will flag the bot within a couple of days and you can then run the task fully (it's best to wait for the flag, to avoid cluttering recent changes). If the bot already has a flag, or is to run without one, you may start the task when ready. For denied/expired/withdrawn requests: The request will be listed at the bottom of the main BRFA page in the relevant section.

Bot Name	Status	Created	Last editor	Date/Time	Last BAG editor	Date/Time
MacaroniPizzaHotDog Bot (T|C|B|F)	On hold	2024-10-28, 20:59:48	Primefac	2024-10-30, 15:46:04	Primefac	2024-10-30, 15:46:04
BunnysBot (T|C|B|F)	Open	2024-10-24, 15:12:05	Primefac	2024-11-11, 16:55:21	Primefac	2024-11-11, 16:55:21
KiranBOT 12 (T|C|B|F)	Open	2024-09-24, 15:59:32	Usernamekiran	2024-11-11, 17:41:53	The Earwig	2024-10-05, 16:10:12
RustyBot 2 (T|C|B|F)	On hold	2024-09-15, 15:17:54	Primefac	2024-11-10, 12:50:19	Primefac	2024-11-10, 12:50:19
PonoRoboT 2 (T|C|B|F)	On hold	2024-07-20, 23:38:17	Primefac	2024-08-04, 23:49:03	Primefac	2024-08-04, 23:49:03
Platybot (T|C|B|F)	In trial	2024-07-08, 08:52:05	Primefac	2024-10-20, 11:46:49	Primefac	2024-10-20, 11:46:49
KiranBOT 10 (T|C|B|F)	On hold	2024-09-07, 13:04:48	Usernamekiran	2024-10-06, 18:19:02	The Earwig	2024-10-05, 15:28:58
SodiumBot 2 (T|C|B|F)	In trial	2024-07-16, 20:03:26	Novem Linguae	2024-08-08, 07:10:31	Primefac	2024-08-04, 23:51:27
DannyS712 bot III 74 (T|C|B|F)	In trial: User response needed!	2024-05-09, 00:02:12	DreamRimmer	2024-10-06, 07:43:48	ProcrastinatingReader	2024-09-29, 10:59:04
AussieBot 1 (T|C|B|F)	Extended trial: User response needed!	2023-03-22, 01:57:36	Hawkeye7	2024-10-02, 03:25:29	ProcrastinatingReader	2024-09-29, 10:54:10

Requests to add a task to an already-approved bot

Meh. The situation was actually the third door, Shep: I got the message, even wrote a bit of code, but I just didn't (and don't) have the time to complete it. I guess I should have withdrawn the BRFA until I had the time to follow it through. Sorry for leaving it in the lurch. Happy‑melon 13:16, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

Bots in a trial period

Legobot II 3

• (BRFA
• Approved BRFAs
• talk
• contribs
• count
• SUL
• logs
• page moves
• block log
• rights log
• flag)

Operator: LegoK^ontribsT^alkM

Automatic or Manually Assisted: Automatic supervised

Programming Language(s): Python

Function Summary: Updating WP:VA

Edit period(s) (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): Whenever I get time

Already has a bot flag (Y/N):

Function Details:

1. Checks talkpage of article and reads class=X
2. Finds article at WP:VA, checks if need updating
3. Updates WP:VA

Discussion

The botreq is here

If the article has more than one class assigned,(say Start and C) will it pick the highest or lowest assessment? §hep • ¡Talk to me! 20:00, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

It currently picks up the higher class, but it won't be that hard to change. LegoK^ontribsT^alkM 06:28, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

The description makes it sound like the bot would make numerous single-article changes to WP:VA. Is that accurate, or does it batch edits? Anomie⚔ 02:18, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Right now it is, but I am finishing the code to make it update in a batch. LegoK^ontribsT^alkM 02:24, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Approved for trial. Please provide a link to the relevant contributions and/or diffs when the trial is complete. Once that's done, go ahead and run one batch just to make sure it's pulling the classes correctly and such. BTW, if you're interested in another suggestion for this task, it would be worth having the bot update the article counts in the headers; for example, "Philosophy and religion" seems to have 78 articles at the moment judging by the number of wikilinks in the section. Anomie⚔ 02:14, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

{{OperatorAssistanceNeeded}} Any progress? Richard⁰⁶¹² 17:02, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I am getting unicode errors on pages like Salvador Dalí. I am still trying to fix that. LegoK^ontribsT^alkM 02:26, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps you could use User:Pyrospirit/metadata? Skomorokh 03:34, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Except that I am using the API to get data, not screen scraping. LegoK^ontribsT^alkM 23:32, 28 February 2009 (UTC)

Bloody unicode errors. If you haven't "fixed" it already, I find it most useful to just suppress the error (try + worthless except:). I don't know how that would fit in the context of your bot though. - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 09:55, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Just be careful that doesn't result in screwing up the page text, Jarry! Anomie⚔ 13:51, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

• {{OperatorAssistanceNeeded}} Have you managed to get anywhere with this? - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 19:19, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

Trial complete. diff after checking the first 100 pages. LegoK^ontribsT^alkM 23:42, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

 Approved. Looks good, although it seems you used the wrong Legobot. Anomie⚔ 03:14, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

The following discussion is an archived debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. The result of the discussion was Revoked.

After discussion at Wikipedia talk:Bots/Requests for approval/Archive 4#Request for deflagging and blocking of Anybot, this bot approval has been revoked. User:Smith609 is free to submit future requests for approval, for this bot or for other bots; however:

1. The source code should be provided for BAG review.
2. Any bots that can be activated in a publicly-accessible manner (e.g. visiting a web page) must be restricted so only User:Smith609 may activate them (e.g. password protection and/or source IP restriction).
3. Tasks creating content must be reviewed by editors experienced in the field before approval, and should be periodically reviewed while the task is running.

Note that these restrictions were suggested by Martin himself,[1] and are generally a good idea for any bot op. Please direct discussion to WT:BRFA. Anomie⚔ 03:04, 27 June 2009 (UTC)