Wikipedia:Edit filter manager

Edit filter manager is a user group that allows users to view and edit the details and code of edit filters, as well as view the logs of such filters, including private filters. The right may be self-granted by administrators, or granted based upon community consensus at the edit filter noticeboard. This page details the right, the requirements for it, and the processes involved in granting and removing it. There are currently 141 edit filter managers on the English Wikipedia, some of which are administrators, as the right is not built into the administrator toolset by default.

The right

Edit filter managers have the following rights enabled on their accounts:

• changetags which allows adding and removing tags on edits and log entries.
• managechangetags which permits use of the interface at Special:Tags to create and deactivate tags. Documentation can be found here.
• oathauth-enable which allows the enabling and disabling of two-factor authentication on the user's account.
• abusefilter-modify which permits the modification of both public and private filters and viewing of their logs at Special:AbuseFilter. This implicitly includes abusefilter-view-private, which is included in the edit filter helper group, negating the need to grant both groups for access to private filters.

Edit filter managers that are not administrators are unable to set edit filters to block users or to revoke autoconfirmed status.

Granting the right

The edit filter manager right may be granted in the following circumstances:

1. An administrator may self-grant this right to themselves.
2. An administrator, upon closing a request meeting all requirements and evaluating consensus to be in favor of the requester receiving the right as a non-administrator, may grant this right to such a user.
3. On the request of a former edit filter manager who has had the right removed on their own request or for inactivity and the right was removed under uncontroversial circumstances.

Process for requesting

Non-administrators that wish to request the edit filter manager right should create a new section at the edit filter noticeboard. The nominee must provide clear and compelling reasoning for their request. A notification should be made to the administrator's noticeboard in a neutral fashion. The discussion will be open for at least 7 days. The discussion will be closed by an uninvolved administrator, who will grant the right if the request was successful.

Requirements for granting

The candidate must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of edit filter syntax and an understanding of crafting regular expressions
2. No recent blocks or relevant sanctions
3. A comprehensive understanding of account security
4. A demonstrated need for access
5. Trusted by the community to use this right safely and responsibly
6. Sufficient ability with the English language to understand notes and explanations for edit filters

This is a right that can cause severe disruption across the encyclopedia if used carelessly or maliciously. Meeting all the above criteria does not guarantee a request will obtain consensus support to pass. Above all, noticeboard regulars look for indicators that an editor can be trusted. Trust is important because private edit filters reveal the detection strategies for tracking long-term abusers, and also private edit filter logs often contain revision deletable or oversightable information. This is a subjective measurement and the editors participating in a given request will have their own criteria to judge whether an editor is sufficiently trustworthy for this user right.

Criteria for revocation

The user right can be revoked for violating any of the above conduct standards and for other misconduct. Additionally, it can be revoked at any time by an administrator without any process or prior notice in any of the following circumstances:

1. The editor has blatantly misused the tool.
2. The editor has been sanctioned by the Arbitration Committee or the community for actions which make the user no longer suitable for the role.
3. The editor has failed to report to an administrator after noticing unauthorized use of their account or otherwise neglected account security practices.
4. The editor has lost the trust of the community to maintain access to the tool.
5. The editor has been inactive on the English Wikipedia for 12 months.

If your edit filter manager right was revoked and you would like to appeal the decision, first discuss with the revoking administrator. If after such an exchange you still feel the matter is unresolved and requires outside input, you may post at WP:AN or WP:XRV to appeal the decision. Request for the right after a revocation for inactivity or self-requested removal may be made at WP:EFN.

Any user may request the revocation of edit filter manager by posting at the edit filter noticeboard. Such discussions customarily remain open for 7 days, and are then closed by an administrator.

Use of the right

Have a strong password

See also: Wikipedia:User account security

If you have the edit filter manager user right, please ensure you have a strong password and follow appropriate personal security practices. A compromised EFM account will be blocked and have its privileges removed on grounds of site security, as reckless editing of the edit filter can result in sitewide disruption. In the unlikely event that your account is compromised, notify an administrator immediately, so they can block your account and remove any sensitive privileges to prevent damage.

Editing filters

Edits to filters should be thoroughly tested before implementing them. Filters 1 (hist · log) and 2 (hist · log) exist for testing, as well as various tools such as Special:AbuseFilter/test. Testing of edit filter changes is a good best practice to ensure your edits do not cause widespread disruption.

Expect to be held accountable for all changes you make. You are expected to answer, when reasonably possible, the concerns of other editors regarding your use of the right. Ill-considered filter changes may be considered grounds for revocation of the right, based on the wide reach of the edit filter.

When editing filters that use the disallow action in particular, remember that all code in the filter will be checked against edits, and that reckless editing of a filter with the disallow or block-autopromote action configured can disrupt the editing of thousands of editors. This right is considered akin to the administrator right in the responsibility that the bearer has to ensure their actions are justifiable to the community.

See also

• {{User wikipedia/Edit filter manager}}, a userbox for editors with edit filter manager permission.
• {{User edit filter manager since}}, a template to indicate having edit filter helper permissions with period
• {{Edit filter manager topicon}}, a topicon for editors with edit filter helper permission.
• meta:Abuse filter maintainers