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Commons:Bots/Requests

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If you want to run a bot on Commons, you must get permission first. To do so, file a request following the instructions below.

Please read Commons:Bots before making a request for bot permission.

I
Create a user account (while logged in to your normal account) and user page for the bot

On the bot's userpage, add {{Bot}}, which automatically adds the page to Category:Commons bots. Then add the following information to the bot's userpage (all this is mandatory):

  • Operator: Who the creator/operator is and how they can best be contacted
  • Tasks: Details of the bot's task or tasks
  • Operation: Whether the bot is manually assisted or runs automatically
  • When: When it operates (continuously, intermittently, or at specified intervals)
  • Maximum edit rate: The bot's maximum edit rate (eg edits per minute)
  • Language: The language and/or program that it is running
II
Write your program code.

When you put a request at this page, you are expected to be ready for testing. If you are unsure and want to know if your intended bot job will be accepted, please seek community feedback at a suitable venue, e.g. Commons:Village pump.

III
Create your bot request:
  1. Replace "YourBotName" with your bot's username in the box below and click the button.
  2. Complete the questions on the resulting page and save it. Remember that your bot will be allowed to operate only for those tasks that you have specified in your request.

Add your bot request to the list here:
  1. Edit the following request list, adding the following text to the top of the appropriate section (replacing "YourBotName" with your bot's name):
    {{Commons:Bots/Requests/YourBotName}}
IV
Test run

Please make a small test run (5–20 edits) to allow other users to review your bot's tasks. (Please do not put your bot in automatic mode until the request is approved!)

V
Waiting for approval.

You now need to wait for community approval. A bureaucrat will close the request and will also grant a bot flag, where necessary. Closed requests are moved to Commons:Bots/Archive.

Requests made on this page are automatically transcluded in Commons:Requests and votes for wider comment.

Requests for permission to run a bot

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watch

Before making a bot request, please read the new version of the Commons:Bots page. Read Commons:Bots#Information on bots and make sure you have added the required details to the bot's page. A good example can be found here.

When complete, pages listed here should be archived to Commons:Bots/Archive.

Any user may comment on the merits of the request to run a bot. Please give reasons, as that makes it easier for the closing bureaucrat. Read Commons:Bots before commenting.

AuntuBot (talk · contribs)

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Operator: Tausheef Hassan (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought:
1. Under Template:EdictGov-Bangladesh/Gazette, Bangladeshi government gazettes are explicitly covered by a copyright exemption, as they are official publications of the Government of Bangladesh.
I have compiled a dataset of 2,695 weekly and 56,751 extraordinary gazettes, available here and here, spanning from 1968 to the present. The bot’s task will be to upload these PDFs to Commons. Once the backlog is cleared, the bot will upload new gazettes weekly.
Educational value:

  • They provide authoritative, verifiable sources for the exact dates on which ordinances, acts, rules, and statutory orders are issued or enforced.
  • They serve as primary evidence for establishing the creation, dissolution, or restructuring of government institutions, statutory bodies, and public organizations, supporting legal and historical accuracy.
  • The gazettes contain official notifications, appointments, regulations, and policy decisions that can be used to verify and support factual statements in Wikipedia articles.
  • As state-published primary sources, they are frequently cited in legal research, academic studies, journalism, and court proceedings, reinforcing their reliability and educational significance.
  • Uploading these documents to Wikimedia Commons will significantly improve public access to primary legal and administrative sources, supporting education, research, and transparency. The DPP website frequently experiences downtime, and its search function is unreliable.



2. In 2018, the Bangladeshi government attempted to implement a National Open Education Resource Policy draft under which educational resources would have been distributed under a Creative Commons license. As part of this initiative, Bangladesh Open University—the 8th largest university in the world by enrollment Bangladesh Open University has made 377 courses publicly available. These courses range from high school to master’s level and are entirely in Bengali.

All courses are licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 International License. License data can be found here. Each course has 10 to 15 pdfs each. Bot's task be to upload these files under proper category.
Currently these courses are currently not searched by search engines and stored in ip server http://103.103.100.12:8080/jspui/ . I have personally used it's content in high school scattered across various locations. This will consolidate these files in one place and greatly help Bengali students and fulfil Wikimedia common's goal of free inclusive education for all regardless of language.

I have previously wrote all source code and managed 60k uploads of User:PID-Bangladesh-UploadBot. It's images is being used very very widely in wikimedia projects as well as by independent journalists. I have also made Pypan tool which has uploaded 57,256 files, 0.04% of all files on Wikimedia Commons. I am planning on using the same method for uploading.

Trial run:

Test edits

(The bot account is recently created and under Special:AbuseFilter/281 new users cannot upload PDF files. So autopatrol or confirmed rights will be appreciated)

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): One time for backlog, Once a week after backlog

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 12

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): Yes

Programming language(s): Python with pywikibot

Tausheef Hassan (talk) 21:11, 17 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

Does it really make sense to use monthly categories for weekly publications? --EugeneZelenko (talk) 15:46, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@EugeneZelenko: I have not finalized the categorization structure yet. The files are auto-categorized by Module:Bangladesh Gazette, and the existing categories are only a proof of concept. I plan to finalize the categorization with discussion with the community. For now, I have changed the weekly gazettes to be categorized on a yearly basis. Tausheef Hassan (talk) 16:13, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Please make new test run. EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:15, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@EugeneZelenko: Categorization is not performed during the upload process. Running a new test will produce results identical to previous runs. Categorization is handled entirely by the module, and any changes made to the module will affect the categorization of both existing and future files. The current test run files are now categorised yearly without any edits to the files. Tausheef Hassan (talk) 16:30, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
But such categories could be definitely added during uploading. EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:15, 19 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@EugeneZelenko: Yes, technically that could be done, but I do not think it should be.

These categories follow a recurring and consistent structure across a very large number of files. Per COM:T (“recurring messages to pages consistently”), I think, such recurring structures should be implemented via templates or modules

License templates already place files into their primary license categories in Commons. The module I am using only groups files into appropriate subcategories under the parent license category. From my experience with large-scale uploads, any recurring text or categorization logic should be handled by templates or modules. This approach avoids human error and prevents the need for tens of thousands of mass edits later. Main reason of this approach is to fix error without mass editing. I have personally encountered this problem in past uploads.

Module-based categorization provides centralized control over both existing and future files and allows flexible recategorization, refinement, or restructuring if new file types are introduced or if community consensus changes. Automatic categorization can still be overridden manually on individual files when needed.

Based on my experience with large batch uploads, recurring categorization structures should be implemented via templates or modules rather than during the upload process. This keeps bot runs deterministic and avoids embedding provisional or potentially disputed categorization decisions directly into file pages.Tausheef Hassan (talk) 04:27, 20 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Фіксер-бот (talk · contribs)

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Operator: Фіксер (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: The bot updates statistics of good and featured pages in Ukrainian Wikipedia.

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic, supervised.

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): Weekly.

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 3 edits per minute.

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): Yes.

Programming language(s): PHP, Python

Фіксер (talk) 06:09, 13 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

CuratorBot (talk · contribs)

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Operator: DaxServer (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Commons:Batch uploading/IZW-Medienarchiv

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): one-time run

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 45

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): N

Programming language(s): OpenRefine

-- DaxServer (talk) 09:57, 12 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion
I'm not aware of a specific project to refine the categories. I'll try to sort the uploaded files into specific place categories though (if that is not already the case) and let others know in the discussion forums that the files were uploaded, so interested users can work with them. A thorough categorisation will likely take years, as with other batch uploads. --Rosenzweig τ 11:32, 13 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
My point it to avoid such backlogs. Is it possible to notify relevant WikiProjects' participants if media collections are themed? EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:35, 13 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure there is a WikiProject specifically for waterways or transport here at Wikimedia Commons. There is the German-speaking community which is notified easily enough by letting them know at the Commons:Forum and at de.wp. @OhneEisen: You have commented at Commons:Batch uploading/IZW-Medienarchiv and are somewhat active in the subject of transportation. Can you think of additional ways to notify interested people? --Rosenzweig τ 21:30, 13 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

MatrixBot (talk · contribs) 6

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Operator: Matrix (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Add {{Gallery page}} to gallery pages which don't have them. The category will be determined as the P373 on Wikidata linked to the gallery.

Automatic or manually assisted: automatic

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): continuous as new gallery pages are being made

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 20

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): N

Programming language(s): pywikibot

—Matrix(!) ping onewhen replying {user - talk? - uselesscontributions} 12:38, 24 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

Test edits are below, since I don't want to interrupt task 6:

Test edits

Source code at [1]. —Matrix(!) ping onewhen replying {user - talk? - uselesscontributions} 12:38, 24 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Req'd at Commons:Bots/Work_requests#Adding_the_gallery_page_template_to_galleries by @Prototyperspective —Matrix(!) ping onewhen replying {user - talk? - uselesscontributions} 12:39, 24 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Could gallery title be inferred from page name? So duplications will be avoided and page renames will be simpler. EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:06, 24 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@EugeneZelenko: I don't think I understand? Do you mean the category will be inferred from the gallery name? —Matrix(!) ping onewhen replying {user - talk? - uselesscontributions} 11:50, 31 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Gallery page is passed explicitly into {{Gallery page}}. Could this be avoided? EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:21, 31 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@EugeneZelenko: oh, that's the category name. I think it's a good idea, since if the gallery gets moved, then we don't have to update the template (since otherwise it would rely on PAGENAME). Also, sometimes the category name is different to the gallery name because of the language rule, e.g. കൊച്ചി. —Matrix(!) ping onewhen replying {user - talk? - uselesscontributions} 17:39, 2 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Could link be deduced from Wikidata item? If so, Wikidata item should be passed to {{Gallery page}}. EugeneZelenko (talk) 15:18, 3 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm, there probably is using Template:Data, but I'm not familiar enough with the Lua modules yet. I'll have a go when I have time. —Matrix(!) ping onewhen replying {user - talk? - uselesscontributions} 21:20, 4 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for tackling this and happy new year! This is important and the test edits look good.
It would be best if the bot also moved existing {{Gallery page}} templates from the bottom of pages to the top. They should always display at the top.
Many galleries are very outdated and nearly all of them have far fewer files than are available in the category. Most visitors of Commons who aren't active contributors don't immediately know the difference between galleries and categories and know that there also is a category for the subject and how to find it. Often, galleries instead of categories are linked to Wikipedia articles and users may also land there via Web or Commons search. Categories are still not shown on mobile and even if they were, a large fraction of Commons visitors doesn't know that they exist, what they are, and how to find/navigate to them. Prototyperspective (talk) 21:42, 2 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

WaldirBot (talk · contribs)

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This bot had been previously approved for maintenance tasks, but I stopped using it after a while, and eventually its bot flag got removed due to inactivity. Over the years, I've increased my use of semi-automated and automated editing tools, mostly for categorization (Cat-a-lot, QuickCategories) and structured data (WikiCrowd), and I would like to resume using this bot for the fully automated batch edits (i.e. QuickCategories), both to avoid polluting my main account's edit history, and to adhere to proper etiquette regarding mass edits (i.e. have them done by a user with a bot flag).

As a sample of the type of edits I want to start using this bot to perform, see my edit groups, in particular this batch and this one.

Operator: Waldyrious (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Mass categorization of files and addition of depicts statements

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic (supervised)

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): Occasional batch runs, as needed.

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): Up to ~60 edits/minute (as determined by the tools I'll use, namely QuickCategories)

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): Y

Programming language(s): SQL — I'll be mostly using Quarry to obtain page lists to then update with QuickCategories.

Waldyrious (talk) 19:21, 13 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion
  • Semi-automatic edits are commonly done under user accounts. --Prototyperspective (talk) 19:49, 13 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    • +1. Edits from bot accounts should be deterministic and not subject to single human mistakes. Krd 09:02, 14 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    • Are you referring to Cat-a-lot edits I mentioned above? I can continue to perform those with my regular account (in fact, come to think of it, doing them via the bot would be quite cumbersome anyway as it would entail switching accounts in the browser whenever I identified such changes, whose sizes tend to be quite variable and rarely go beyond a few dozen pages at a time). I'll go ahead and remove the references to those edits of from the proposal above, to avoid giving out the wrong impression.
      On the other hand, the edits done with QuickCategories, like these and these, definitely fall into the fully automated (pre-programmed) bot run category, IMHO. For reference, the reason I decided to reactivate my bot was precisely because the latter batch was a test run whose full version will affect roughly 77k pages (and that's just for a single camera model). Waldyrious (talk) 21:24, 14 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
      Please elaborate why edits like "Taken with" are useful, and please point to the community consensus to have them. Krd 07:46, 24 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
      @Waldyrious:  ? --Krd 06:22, 22 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Olafbot (talk · contribs)

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Operator: Olaf (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Maintaining lists of missing audio recordings for Lingua Libre. The bot had been maintaining these lists on the Lingua Libre wiki since 2021 and is now migrating to Commons alongside the rest of the project. Bot will edit only pages prefixed with Commons:Lingua_Libre/ or User:Olafbot/ There are currently about 100 lists to maintain. More info on the bot user page.

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic, supervised

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): Usually once a day, but in the future it may run a few times a day

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 12 edits per minute, but usually it's slower, because it takes time to prepare the data

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): N

Programming language(s): Java, own code using modified version of MER-C library

Test editions: Already done in Commons, you may also take a look at the Lingua Libre contributions.

Olaf (talk) 08:19, 3 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

Please use English in edit summaries. Now new pages are created with Polish edit summary. --EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:15, 3 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, the empty exclusion lists have been created with Polish edit summary. Sorry, I just fixed it in the code. Olaf (talk) 22:03, 3 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
There are also a few lists of Polish words titled in Polish, but they will be used by Polish speakers only, as only Polish speakers are supposed to record Polish pronunciation. I believe that using Polish list titles makes the system more approachable for the target audience. But if it were a problem, I could change it too. Olaf (talk) 22:15, 3 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Sure, using same language for name of page with list of words on same language is fine. EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:19, 4 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It's been a month since this discussion stalled. Some of the lists are now outdated because Lingua Libre users have used them in the test recorder and recorded the entries. I would like to update the lists, but I'm not allowed to run the bot until the discussion is finished. Do you need any further input? May I at least run the bot once to update the lists while the discussion is ongoing? Olaf (talk) 10:30, 5 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Please do. It may help it you could point to where is documented what these lists are used for. Is there anybody using them? Krd 06:22, 22 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

ArystabekBot (talk · contribs)

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Operator: Arystanbek (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Writing a description in Kazakh for the templates Potd/YYYY-MM-DD (kk)

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic

Edit type: Daily

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): One edit per day

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): N

Programming language(s): Python via Toolforge

Arystanbek (talk) 07:02, 15 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

Dragons Bot (talk · contribs) (5)

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This bot is already in service, we here ask additional scope.

Operator: Yug (talk · contributions · Statistics · Recent activity · block log · User rights log · uploads · Global account information)

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Edit pages (userright already available).

Scope: (1) mass wikipage create/update (capability already proven) ; (2) for Commons:Lingua Libre (new thematic scope). About 4,000 project's resources pages are expected.

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic supervised.

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): 4th stage: complete ! API:EDIT: on requests.

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): per community policy of non-urgent tasks (1 per 5 sec).

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): Yes. (Already has bot status)

Programming language(s): Javascript, NodeJS via Wikiapijs.

Discussion
Hello,
This request asks approval for an additional mission scope: to edit pages in support of Wikimedia France's Lingua Libre and its wikimedian contributors. As our stand alone wiki at Lingualibre.org/wiki/ is being phased out, we want to migrate ~100 project page and a 1000+ resources pages on Commons pages which then feed the app. See discussion Commons:Village pump#Migration of Lingua Libre project pages to Commons. We want to have the possibility to wiki-edit those pages.
Code is ready, the bot already has edit rights and awaits approval of this new usage by this bot. Yug (talk) 10:10, 26 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
User:Krd hi. You may have a feeling of « déjà vu » due to this. I formally submit this issue for review today. Yug (talk) 12:16, 26 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Yug: Please provide a link to the latest test edits for this request. Krd 06:02, 23 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Yug: Krd 15:28, 3 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Hello Krd,
I m presently focused on other codes of Lingua Libre and my village has mobile internet disruption preventing me to code and test productively. But i will circle back to the bot within the next 2 weeks. Yug (talk) 12:14, 15 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
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