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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.

FPCArchivistBot (talk · contribs)

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Operator: Aristeas

Bot’s tasks for which permission is being sought:

Add candidate archive categories to closed featured picture nominations and create the respective categories

As described in this discussion (please see there for more details), closed featured picture nominations were traditionally only archived by including them in a monthly log page. Therefore especially unsuccessful or cancelled nominations can only be found with difficulty, namely by analyzing the linear log pages. However, users are often interested in closed nominations in order to study and discuss the development of the featured pictures project, to compile statistics (cf. e.g.), or to verify the authenticity and completeness of our featured picture galleries. To make it easier to find and evaluate all completed nominations for a specific period, type, or subject, the bot reads the old log pages, extracts the nominations and adds three specific archival categories to each nomination:

  1. one for the month and year in which the nomination was closed,
  2. one for the type and final status of the nomination,
  3. and one for the subject of the nominated image(s).

Furthermore the bot checks and creates (if necessary) these categories and links them to each other so that they can be found and browsed by starting from the candidate archive category.

Automatic or manually assisted: The bot is started manually and directed to the FPC log page(s) for a month, then it automatically processes all entries on that page/these pages. If it cannot clearly assign a nomination to a specific type category or subject category, it puts the nomination into a maintenance category so that it can be categorized manually. If the bot detects serious problems with a log page or nomination (e.g., if the inclusion of a nomination is broken), it stops and continues only when the operator has fixed the error.

Edit type: Runs intermittently, only when started by the operator. The bot will gradually process all the old log pages; this will deliberately be spread over a few weeks so that users are not bothered by the changes; after that, this task is complete and the bot will be inactive.

Maximum edit rate: 10 edits per minute.

Bot flag requested: Yes. It would be great if the bot could get the bot flag, so users could hide the changes from their watchlists.

Other flags requested: It would be even more important and really great if sooner or later the bot could get the autopatrolled flag. Of course I will patrol the first 100 edits and will check samples after processing each log page to rule out any errors, but sooner or later it would be great if it would not be necessary to patrol every single edit.

Programming language(s): Python, based on the Pywikibot framework. I have developed the code which analyzes nominations and adds archival categories to them for FPCBot, as part of its official task to close and archive the featured picture nominations, and in discussion with interested featured picture regulars. The new bot uses similar code, but I have expanded it with many additional tests and checks in order to be able to cope with any kind of variations and possible errors in old nominations.

Test run: Please see the bot’s contributions from 17 February. I have instructed the bot to process the first five nominations from the log page for December 2025. Because these were the first nominations from that year which have been processed by the bot, it had to create a lot of candidate archive categories for that year; if the bot would continue it would mostly edit the nomination pages themselves and only create additional categories for other results or subjects as needed.

– Aristeas (talk) 16:01, 17 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

DelphiBOT (talk · contribs)

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

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Uploading a systematic series of SVG locator maps for all Moroccan communes. A more detailed explanation is given on the bot's userpage.

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic, supervised

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): Currently daily, but in the future more rarely.

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 5

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): Y

Programming language(s): Pywikibot

Delpha (talk) 00:50, 10 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

Please fix the bot request page. --Krd 14:52, 16 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I did so. I also launched a small test run of 15 files. DelphiBOT (talk) 15:06, 16 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Templates have to have 2 braces {{...}} when used. --Achim55 (talk) 16:29, 16 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Please use your User:Delpha account for your personal edits. Leave the User:DelphiBOT account exclusively for the bot's edits. --Achim55 (talk) 16:32, 16 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
OpenStreetMap license is {{CC-BY-SA-2.0}}. What about Natural Earth? EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:33, 16 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
→{{Natural Earth}} --Achim55 (talk) 16:54, 16 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I found the error. There were initially two braces in my code but I realized that there should be four braces in f string so the description include section title with two braces. I also added the two source templates for {{OpenStreetMap}} and {{Natural Earth}} in the section License. DelphiBOT (talk) 10:02, 17 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I launched a new limited test with 3+1 uploads this morning. I managed to change the structure of the file title in order to make it look more natural and self-explanatory. I am waiting for your feedbacks DelphiBOT (talk) 10:57, 17 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I think {{CC-BY-SA-2.0}} (from OpenStreetMap tag) should be used. EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:18, 18 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Please confirm that you are not doing manual editing with the bot account, as already asked above. --Krd 15:21, 23 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

GinnyTheCatBot (talk · contribs)

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

Bot's tasks for which permission is being sought: Transforming creator (P170) statements using some values to their appropriate Wikidata entry if one exists. A more detailed explanation is given on the bot's userpage.

Automatic or manually assisted: Automatic, supervised

Edit type (e.g. Continuous, daily, one time run): Currently daily, but in the future more rarely.

Maximum edit rate (e.g. edits per minute): 10

Bot flag requested: (Y/N): Y

Programming language(s): Rust

ginnyTheCat (talk) 00:50, 10 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

I'm currently unable to start the test run since the bots edits get blocked due to AbuseFilter 265 since the bot account is not autoconfirmed. What is the recommended solution for this case? ginnyTheCat (talk) 01:23, 10 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Now confirmed. Krd 07:22, 12 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks a lot! I concluded the test run now. ginnyTheCat (talk) 14:09, 12 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Do such photographers meet Wikidata notability requirements? EugeneZelenko (talk) 16:25, 13 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
That's a good question. The items already exist, the bot doesn't create them, but using them does make it more difficult to delete them in the future due to being in use, I agree. The list of photographers I currently have, I think, all meet the criteria by being people known for other things, being professional photographers, or even having newspaper articles written about them.
Also I'm not sure if It fulfils a structural need, for example: it is needed to make statements made in other items more useful. applies to SDoC as well or only statements directly on Wikidata, since otherwise it would cover this use case as well I think. ginnyTheCat (talk) 18:51, 13 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]

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]

@Tausheef Hassan: Would you mind explaining how you chose the bot's name? I'm a little concerned that it's so similar to my user name. Thanks. -- Auntof6 (talk) 23:12, 4 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Auntof6: My full legal name is Tausheef Hassan Auntu. Most people know me by my nickname "Auntu" (অন্তু) Tausheef Hassan (talk) 04:49, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Tausheef Hassan: OK, thanks. I didn't think you would misuse it, just that it might be confusing. :) -- Auntof6 (talk) 04:56, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Auntof6: I understand your concern, I can apply to change the username if you want. Tausheef Hassan (talk) 05:08, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Tausheef Hassan: Not on my account. If people get confused, it can be explained. -- Auntof6 (talk) 05:39, 5 February 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]
@EugeneZelenko: @Krd: I would love to start uploading soon. Tausheef Hassan (talk) 02:43, 26 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Under current community consensus in Commons:Deletion requests/Template:EdictGov-Bangladesh, I will only be uploading government files published before 2023-09-18. Tausheef Hassan (talk) 19:11, 14 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
The above mentioned test edits are now nominated for deletion. Please elaborate. Krd 15:17, 23 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Krd:
Bangladesh transitioned from a UK-style copyright framework to a US-style fair use system with the enactment of the Copyright Act, 2023. Prior to this, from 2000 to 2023, copyright was governed by the Copyright Act, 2000, and earlier, from 1962 to 2000, by the Copyright Ordinance, 1962. Importantly, none of these laws operate retroactively.
Initially, I relied on COM:Bangladesh and {{EdictGov-Bangladesh}} at face value. However, after the deletion proposal at Commons:Deletion requests/Template:EdictGov-Bangladesh was raised, I conducted a detailed review of both current and historical Bangladeshi copyright law. Based on that review, it is clear that COM:Bangladesh and Bangladeshi license templates are outdated and do not accurately reflect the legal framework. I have updated {{EdictGov-Bangladesh}} after the discussion.
From my understanding, works published before 2023-09-18 fall within the scope of {{EdictGov-Bangladesh}}, and therefore can be reused under that exemption. The legal reasoning and supporting analysis are outlined in the deletion request discussion.
For the trial run, my bot uploaded a small set of recent files from the dataset. Since these files were published after 2023, they do not fall under the exemption and therefore lack the necessary permission. This was an error in selection for testing purposes. However, the dataset still contains approximately 55,000 files published before 2023 that do meet the criteria and can be uploaded.
In parallel, I am working on a comprehensive update of COM:Bangladesh to reflect the current and historical legal framework. My review so far suggests that:
  • Buildings and physical structures are not protected by copyright in Bangladesh (i.e., they are not copyrightable subject matter).
  • The term of copyright under the 1962 Ordinance was 50 years, and the 2000 Act did not introduce a retroactive term extension for works already governed by the earlier law.
I am currently preparing a detailed proposal for the Village Pump to formalize these interpretations and update Commons guidance accordingly.
For the purposes of this bot request, I will follow the current community consensus at Commons:Deletion requests/Template:EdictGov-Bangladesh, which indicates that government works published before 2023-09-18 are acceptable for upload. The bot will therefore be restricted to uploading only those files that clearly meet this criterion. - Tausheef Hassan Auntu (talk) 12:40, 24 February 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]
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