Wikipedia:Bot policy: Difference between revisions
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{{procedural policy|WP:BOTP|WP:BOTPOL}}
{{nutshell|Automated editing processes, known as "bots", must be harmless and useful, have approval, use separate user accounts, and be operated responsibly. This wiki also allows [[m:bot policy#Global bots|global bots]] to be run, subject to [[Wikipedia:Global rights policy#Global bots|local requirements]].}}
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* '''Assisted''' or '''semi-automated editing''' covers specifically lower-speed tools and scripts that can assist users to make decisions but leave the actual decision up to the user (see [[#Assisted editing guidelines|Assisted editing guidelines]] below).
* '''[[Scripting language|Script]]s''' are personalized scripts (typically, but not always, written in JavaScript) that may automate processes, or may merely enhance the existing MediaWiki interface.
* The '''[[Wikipedia:Bot Approvals Group|Bot Approvals Group]] (BAG)''' is a group of users with appropriate technical skills and wiki-experience, whose members are approved by the community to oversee and make decisions on bot activity and on-wiki operation for the community. The BAG also determine the classification as bot or assisted editing, in ambiguous cases. Formal work by MediaWiki [[
==Bot usage==
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====Activity requirements====
{{anchor|activity}}{{Shortcut|WP:BOTINACTIVE}}
Bot accounts that have had no logged actions or edits for two years, where the listed operator has also had no logged actions or edits for two years, will be deauthorized. Following a one-week notification period on the [[Wikipedia:Bots/Noticeboard|bots noticeboard]], and the operator's talk page, prior task approvals will be considered expired and bot flags will be removed. Should the operator return and wish to reactivate the bot, a new [[Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval|request for approval]] (BRFA) must be completed.
====Bots directed to edit by other users====
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# performs only tasks for which there is [[Wikipedia:Consensus|consensus]]
# carefully adheres to relevant [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|policies and guidelines]]
# uses
The bot account's [[Wikipedia:User page|user page]] should identify the bot
* Details of the bot's task
* Whether the bot is manually assisted or runs automatically
*
====Performance====
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* Unflagged bots should edit more slowly than flagged bots, as their edits are visible in user watchlists.
* The urgency of a task should always be considered; tasks that do not need to be completed quickly (for example, renaming [[Wikipedia:Categorization|categories]]) can and should be accomplished at a slower rate than those that do (for example, reverting [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]]).
* Bots' editing speed should be regulated in some way
* Bots' editing speed may also be adjusted based on replica database server lag; this allows bots to edit more quickly during quiet periods while slowing down considerably when server load is high. This can be achieved by appending an extra parameter to the query string of each requested URL; see [[mw:Manual:Maxlag parameter]] for more details.
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====Categorization of people====
{{Shortcut|WP:BOTPCAT}}
Assignment of person categories should not be made using a bot. Before adding sensitive categories to articles using a bot, a human should manually check the list of potentially affected articles
====Context-sensitive changes====
{{shortcut|WP:SPELLBOT|WP:CONTEXTBOT}}
Unsupervised bot processes should not make [[WP:BOTDICT#context-sensitive edit|context-sensitive changes]] that would normally require human attention, as accounting for all possible false positives is generally unfeasible. Exceptionally, such tasks may be allowed if – in addition to having consensus – the operator can demonstrate that no false positives will arise (for example, a one-time run with a complete list of changes from a [[WP:DUMP|database dump]]), or there is community consensus to run the task without supervision (for example, vandalism reversion with a community-accepted false positive rate).
Examples of context-sensitive changes include, but are not limited to:
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Changes that are typically considered ''[[WP:BOTDICT#Substantive edit|substantive]]'' affect something visible to readers and consumers of Wikipedia, such as
* the output text or HTML in ways that {{em|make
* the "user-facing interfaces" of Wikipedia, such as category listing or [[Special:Search|on-wiki]] and [[List of search engines|external]] search engine results (e.g. changing [[WP:SORTKEY|category sort keys]], [[Wikipedia:Controlling search engine indexing|noindexing]], search engine summaries/snippets, or [[mw:Extension:PageImages|page images]]);
* the "administration of the encyclopedia", such as the maintenance of [[WP:HIDDENCAT|hidden categories]] used to track [[WP:BACKLOG|maintenance backlogs]] (e.g. changing {{tlc|citation needed}} to {{tlc|citation needed|2=date=September 2016}}); or
* egregiously invalid HTML such as unclosed tags, even if it does not affect browsers' display or is fixed before output by [[mw:RemexHtml|RemexHtml]] (e.g. changing {{nowrap|<code><nowiki><sup>...</sub></nowiki></code>}} to {{nowrap|<code><nowiki><sup>...</sup></nowiki></code>}})
while changes that do not are typically considered ''[[
[[Wikipedia:Consensus|Consensus]] can, as always, create exceptions for particular cosmetic edits. For example, the community frequently determines that a particular template should be [[Wikipedia:Substitution|substituted]] so it can be deleted, even though the substitution does not change the output of the page. Consensus for a bot to make any particular cosmetic change must be formalized in an approved [[Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval|request for approval]].
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Keep in mind that reverting a cosmetic edit is also a cosmetic edit. If the changes made in a cosmetic edit would otherwise be acceptable as part of a substantive edit, there is no reason to revert them. [[WP:BOTISSUE|Report the issue]] to the bot operator instead.
While this policy applies only to bots, human editors should also follow this guidance if making such changes in a [[
====Interwiki links====
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====<span id="Mass article creation"></span>Mass page creation====
{{
Mass page creation may require approval by the community, in addition to a BRFA if the method of that creation falls under this Bot policy. BAG may require that community approval for any mass content creation exists before considering bot approval.
Approval of a bot for mass creation does not override the need for community consensus for the creation itself, nor does community consensus for a creation override the need for approval of the bot itself. Bot operators must ensure that all creations are strictly within the terms of their approvals.
==<span id="Approval"></span>Approval process==
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Editors who choose to use semi-automated tools to assist their editing should be aware that processes which operate at higher speeds, with a higher volume of edits, or with less human involvement are more likely to be treated as bots. If there is any doubt, you should make a [[WP:BRFA|bot approval request]]. In such cases, the Bot Approvals Group will determine whether the full approval process and a separate bot account are necessary.
[[#Cosmetic changes|Purely cosmetic changes]] performed by a human editor in a bot-like fashion may also be considered disruptive.
===Blocking a bot===
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* [[Wikipedia:Creating a bot]]
* [[Wikipedia:History of Wikipedia bots]]
* [[Wikipedia:Large language models]]
* [[Wikipedia:Types of bots]]
* [[Wikipedia:User access levels]]
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