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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lowercase sigmabot III (talk | contribs) at 05:19, 9 August 2018 (Archiving 1 discussion(s) from Wikipedia talk:Unblock Ticket Request System) (bot). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Archive 1Archive 2Archive 3

server

Is unblock hosted on a high availability server? MiszaBot went down for a long time when nightshade went offline. Nobody Ent 01:40, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

No, it's hosted on Willow.--v/r - TP 02:51, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
Is there a back up plan if Willow goes down? Nobody Ent 02:55, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
There is a trigger at Wikipedia:Unblock_Ticket_Request_System/on that if changed to anything but "yes" will change most of the block notices back to the unblock-en-l list.--v/r - TP 03:02, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
Coolness. Nobody Ent 11:34, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

Block template requires updating

Note that when the "notalk=yes" parameter is used on Template:Uw-vblock, the blocked editor is still directed to the unblock-en-l mailing list. Jezebel'sPonyobons mots 16:16, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

Fixed - thanks!--v/r - TP 17:46, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

Publishing data from UTRS

See Wikipedia:Village_pump_(policy)#Making_public_information_from_UTRS. It's about the Roth incident, really, but there are wider issues. Secretlondon (talk) 21:12, 11 September 2012 (UTC)

Move to WMFlabs?

So there appear to be two instances of UTRS at the moment, one on toolserver and one on tools.wmflabs. Which one are we supposed to be using? (I'm assuming the original on toolserver since that's the one WP:UTRS links to...) —Darkwind (talk) 16:18, 24 October 2013 (UTC)

I haven't finished the migration to Labs yet. The OAuth team have some ideas and they've asked me to try them out on UTRS so I want to implement on the Labs version and then migrate folks over.--v/r - TP 00:14, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

Checkuser blocks

A blocked user has posed the question of why they were not informed that checkuser blocks can only be reviewed in a certain way. Apparently anyone editing from the University of Oregon is suspected of being a sock of a blocked user. —Neotarf (talk) 16:30, 17 June 2014 (UTC)

Checkuser blocks must be appealed to a checkuser. All three methods of appeal (onwiki, UTRS, and BASC) are capable of supporting this requirement.--v/r - TP 17:02, 17 June 2014 (UTC)
I think the confusion is that 3 admin reviewed and denied the unblock request but weren't checkusers, thus incapable of accepting an unblock, which is kind of weird. I would think a non-CU should never review a CU block as there is only one possible action they can commit to: nothing. I'm not sure how policy falls on this. I referred the blocked editor to UTRS as I figured it would get to a CU faster and not quite ready for BASC at this point. Dennis Brown | 2¢ | WER 18:53, 17 June 2014 (UTC)
Now reviewed and denied by 4 non-checkusers. This does not look promising for the U of O. Wonder which departments are blocked. —Neotarf (talk) 00:16, 21 June 2014 (UTC)

Canned response for autoblock?

Can someone with appropriate access add a canned response for use in cases where it appears the user is hitting an autoblock, but hasn't provided sufficient information to do anything about it? The closest thing now is "No block found", but it seems more geared toward things like misspelled usernames, etc. Jackmcbarn (talk) 01:47, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

You should be able to use the "Need Block Information" template which asks for all the right info. Alternatively, if you enjoy working with the tool and decide it will be your admin-"niche" then I could give you tool admin rights and you could create your own templates.--v/r - TP 02:35, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

Please modify subject headers

Sadly I'm not sure where the best place to bring this up would be, as I don't believe UTRS has any mailing list, so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong venue. Gmail has the tendency to group messages with the exact subject line together; as a result, we regularly get people responding to unblock appeals from UTRS combined. It makes it difficult to sort through and respond to, and it's doubly hard when you're trying to search previous appeals. Changing the subject field to be more descriptive to the actual appeal would solve both problems. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs(talk) 19:09, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

  • @David Fuchs: I don't understand the issue you're trying to raise. I've responded to thousands of appeals via the UTRS interface and haven't had any issues with the subject field being used more once. Do you have an example ticket you could provide where you've experienced issues? @TParis:, are you aware of this? --Jezebel's Ponyobons mots 20:49, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
Ah, sorry I realized I cut a sentence of some crucial context out! The issue isn't within UTRS but when we are sent messages by those who have gone through the UTRS system and are coming to the Ban Appeals subcommittee for appeal of the UTRS decision. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs(talk) 20:53, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
Would it help if we added the ticket number to the subject?--v/r - TP 21:22, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
Seems it has been added recently according to the changlog.--v/r - TP 21:31, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
Glad to hear it. Hopefully that means greater sanity for incoming arbs who have to deal with it. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs(talk) 23:27, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
Was requested by Tim several days ago, modified two days ago, sent to live yesterday. Relevant request -- DQ mobile (ʞlɐʇ) 03:01, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

RFC which could seriously impact UTRS open

See Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Ban appeals reform 2015. Beeblebrox (talk) 18:36, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

List of UTRS admins

Is there a list of UTRS admins? (I'm betting there is, and that I just don't know where to look)

— Ched :  ?  21:54, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

  • Tool admins probably have access to that. According to in-tool stats:
  1. Number of tool users: 112
  2. Number of tool users approved: 111
  3. Number of tool users active: 104
  4. Number of tool administrators: 8
  5. Number of checkusers: 21
  6. Number of tool developers: 4
☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 00:53, 16 February 2015 (UTC)
  • Oh... well apparently I've become a tool admin at some point! And yes, I can see a list of accounts, which I do not believe is public, and am not sure if there is a specific reason for that. Was there anything specific you wanted to know, Ched? ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 01:40, 16 February 2015 (UTC)
thank you Salvidrim - would it be ok if I emailed you? I have a ticket number I was hoping someone would look at. — Ched :  ?  01:59, 16 February 2015 (UTC)
Of course, I'll help if I can. ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 02:05, 16 February 2015 (UTC)
We currently have 5 active tool admins (besides the redundant ones). I'll post a copy on the main page here, and i'll try and get a live one on the tool soon. -- DQ (ʞlɐʇ) 05:21, 17 February 2015 (UTC)

Importing this system to Portuguese Wikipedia

Hi! I am a sysop of Portuguese Wikipedia. On that project, we use a mailing list to answer unblock requests. However, only a few users answer them. I think the reason is that attending those requests are boring. It is too difficult to follow up, separate new from old requests, discuss each request.

I wonder if we could improve our way of responding by using something like UTRS. I firstly thought on using OTRS for that, but a sysop from that system suggested me to come here an try this. Sounds like a good idea. I think community would approve that, but I would like to hear more details about this system, how it works and how can we bring it to Portuguese Wikipedia.

Thank you very much.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 23:08, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

@Teles: I apologize for the long response time, I haven't been able to access Wikipedia much since you posted this message. Thanks for dropping by. It's definitely an option for a second UTRS instance localized in Portuguese to exist, and very willing and open to supporting such an idea. So with UTRS, there are three different areas that we maintain. A place for people to file appeals, a detailed logging interface for administrators to review, and a light backend administrative platform. An appeal usually follows this path:
  1. Blocked user files an appeal. (The system makes sure that the user is indeed blocked)
  2. Appeals require email validation, so unless they verify email, only developers can see the appeals and they remain in an unverified status and are not presented to reviewing admins.
  3. Once the pass email validation, it goes to new, and admins can review, comment, or defer the appeal (defer is usually to checkusers or another similar process). They can also change the status of the appeal to be on hold, or even have a conversation with the blocked user.
  4. When the admin feels it is appropriate, they close the appeal. Appeals can not be responded to by the blocked user after this point, they must file a new one.
We do have a Beta site which I'd be happy to grant you access to so you can see what the interface does. I'm looking forward to further collaboration on this. -- DQ (ʞlɐʇ) 20:54, 12 April 2015 (UTC)
@DeltaQuad: That sounds perfect. Thanks for describing it! Please, tell me what steps I have to follow to use it ASAP. I would like to have access to the test interface and I am thinking on inviting a few sysops so they can have their opinions too if possible. Thanks again.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 18:44, 14 April 2015 (UTC)
@DeltaQuad: I have a question: Does this system allow unregistered users to open requests? We receive lots of requests from unregistered users blocked due to a range block and they do not have a blocked account.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 01:01, 17 April 2015 (UTC)
@Teles: Absolutely it does. I fixed the link above, so you go to that url and click "Admins: Request an account" and have everyone who wants to test it go that page and fill out the form. Notify me when you have done so and i'll approve the requests. -- DQ (ʞlɐʇ) 20:52, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
@DeltaQuad: Great! I have requested account creation and just invited others to participate. Thanks.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 02:23, 12 May 2015 (UTC)
DQ's pretty busy generally, so I approved your account (along with the two other requests from ptwiki users). :) ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 03:28, 12 May 2015 (UTC)
Thank you, Salvidrim!. Other sysops are listing themselves here.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 22:32, 12 May 2015 (UTC)
I approved the other accounts. DQ is pretty much the only actual developper and will be the one to assist with eventual integration of a ptwiki version if you choose to use it, but in the meantime, for any questions or tests with the tool itself, I can help if DQ is busy. Do the other ptwiki admins have some basic understanding of English, or will you act as a translator (if ever needed)? ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 22:52, 12 May 2015 (UTC)
Teles, I noticed Mwaldeck has an account on the beta (as discussed above), which is fine. However, they also requested on account on the actual enwiki UTRS system, and I cannot approve that request, because he is not an admin on the English Wikipedia. ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 20:53, 30 May 2015 (UTC)
Just to keep you guys up to date, I have started the internationalization of the tool. Sadly, I didn't get as much done in the Lyon hackathon as I would have liked due to being sick. But I'm going to keep putting small dents into it to get it done. Salvidrim!, even with no knowledge of PHP you might be able to help with this one. If your interested, drop a ping in my mail and i'll explain. (It's more find/copy-paste work than anything) -- DQ (ʞlɐʇ) 21:03, 30 May 2015 (UTC)
Salvidrim! and Teles, I'm sorry about this. I tried to enter into the wp:en environment and obviously I couldn't. I imagined that the account had expired (or anything else) and I've done a new record, but then I realized that our access would into the "beta" site. Sorry about the confusion and thanks. Mwaldeck talk 21:46, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

Hi, Salvidrim! I can definitely help them in case of need, but it is unlikely to be necessary as machine translators work fine for Portuguese and English and some of them know English very well. When it becomes available we can start translating interface, which would make things easier.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 01:54, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

Salvidrim! and DeltaQuad, I have been gathering opinions from sysops of pt.wiki and those that commented liked the system. I will start a discussion with others from community soon, so we can be sure that community wants it.
What are the next steps to implement it? I can help by translating system interface is possible. What else has to be done? Regards.—Teles «Talk to me˱M @ C S˲» 06:39, 22 June 2015 (UTC)

Problem?

I think there's an issue with this. Posting from a non-blocked IP, but when I attempted to request unblock from an IP which is definitely blocked, it told me I wasn't blocked. Sorry, that's complicated. But I do think there's an issue with this. 166.170.20.129 (talk) 23:04, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

What is the IP that is blocked? ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 12:14, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

@Salvidrim!: The blocked IP is 2605:A000:1117:809A:FC45:413:1239:BCC1. Man, I hate IPV4 addresses. I'm on a Windows phone, which may be the problem right there. 166.176.249.16 (talk) 13:41, 21 June 2015 (UTC)

The platform you're using shouldn't be a problem; IPv6 might be? I'll run some tests. ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 14:08, 21 June 2015 (UTC)
Update: When I'm editing from the IPv6 mentioned above, I can't edit because it's blocked. But she I try to submit a UTRS, it tells me I'm editing from 65.24.181.61, which is not blocked. 166.170.26.161 (talk) 15:21, 28 June 2015 (UTC)
@Salvidrim!: Also, sorry for confusing IPv4 with IPv6. 166.170.26.161 (talk) 15:25, 28 June 2015 (UTC)

IPv4 address discovery problems leading to failure of the form

I filled in the form (at length) to request unblock for 94.197.0.0/16 (for non logged in user) without changing browser or anything from discovering a block notification, but when I clicked [submit] the form was rejected with a message that 10.68.21.68 is not blocked.
(I would hope that an address private to your network is not blocked, but that has no relevance to my submission of the form!)
Does your form query my browser for it's address? This will present irrelevant & rapidly changing results for anyone (more than 23 million) using Hutchison 3G's mobile network (probably others too) as it's behind NAT & device's addresses change with physical movement. It will also present interesting results for remotely buffered browsers like Opera Mini
The unblock request is not submitted
Alanthehat (talk) 01:45, 4 November 2015 (UTC)

  • There are several issues here:
  1. The address should not be detected as 10.68.21.68. That's an internal IP address reserved by IANA. It's not your IP address. It's not mine either, and the UTRS software also tells me it's what I'm editing from, so that's clearly not right. I've e-mailed our devteam about this.
  2. Blocks and rangeblocks of IPs that are affecting logged-in users cannot currently be appealed through UTRS -- we're working on it. Blocks and rangeblocks of IPs can be appealed as IP blocks (by choosing that you do not have an account), but only if you're filing the appeal from a blocked IP -- if you're not editing from an IP within the rangeblock's range, that you are not blocked from editing.
  3. This specific rangeblock, 94.197.0.0/16, already only affects editors who are not logged in. It is a CheckUser block that can thus only be appealed/reviewed by Checkusers. I recommend contacting Mike V, the latest blocking admin, with regards to the rangeblock. ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 02:01, 4 November 2015 (UTC)

thank you for redirecting the bug report.
I was reporting for non-logged-in users, I have only logged in so that I can bypass the block to report here
I don't think that contacting Mike V is going to be worth my bother. If he's unreasonable enough to block a whole ISP he's not likely to listen to one user from that ISP
Alanthehat (talk) 05:37, 4 November 2015 (UTC)

  • It's not a question of being reasonable or not, but he will be able to try to help you understand why the rangeblock is necessary (or to amend it if justified). ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 06:07, 4 November 2015 (UTC)

BASC reform motion

An arbitration motion proposing a major overhaul of the current BASC system has been proposed. Comments are welcome at that location. Thank you. For the Arbitration Committee, L235 (t / c / ping in reply) 20:21, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

Discuss this at: Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Motions#Community comments (BASC Reform)

Motion to disband BASC proposed

A second arbitration motion has been proposed which would disband the BASC. Comments from the community are welcome. For the Arbitration Committee, Callanecc (talk • contribs • logs) 01:53, 13 November 2015 (UTC)

Discuss this at: Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Motions#Community comments (BASC disbanded)

What to do with CU blocks?

I'm a new user of UTRS, so maybe I'm missing something here: I recently ran across a ticket related to a CU block. The user has the big "don't mess with this block without talking to a checkuser" banner on their talk page. So I referred it to the CU queue. It was bounced back into my queue by a CU without any comment that I can see. As a non-CU cannot effectively review a CU-based block, and risks being desysopped if they dare to overturn it, what is one supposed to do in such a circumstance? Beeblebrox (talk) 02:36, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

@Beeblebrox: First, thank you for helping out at UTRS, it is a somewhat neglected corner of the wiki-world. Note that you can review and decline checkuser blocks, it just needs to be done in consultation with a checkuser (which is why we have the checkuser queue). The only big no-no is reversing a checkuser block without consultation with a CU. I've gone ahead and closed the ticket as this is a typical song and dance for this sockmaster. --Jezebel's Ponyobons mots 17:01, 17 November 2015 (UTC)
Thanks for your replies. Oddly, the comment seems extremely obvious now, not sure how I missed it before. Beeblebrox (talk) 22:02, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Outdated?

Wikipedia:Unblock Ticket Request System's Further information section seems to be outdated, User:Yunshui has declared themselves to be retired and non-active, however, they are still listed as a tool administrator. -Yutah Andrei Marzan Ogawa123|UPage|☺★ (talk) 14:27, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks!  fixed ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 16:51, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Problem case - I want guidance on behalf of another

Hello, could someone give me advice on how to respond?

At WP:OTRS Ticket:2016010610006479 says that they are blocked from editing English Wikipedia while logged-in because they edit from a shared, blocked IP-address. They are requesting permission to edit Wikipedia while logged into a Wikipedia account they created. Should I send them to Wikipedia:Unblock Ticket Request System? The form there seems lengthy for a user who professes to have done nothing wrong, and I think the form is designed for users who had previously been associated with problem edits.

I was anticipating that since they wrote into OTRS, there would be a process where I could resolve their issue, and I am failing to recognize what advice I should give them. I certainly would not want to send them to this long form if that is not the correct place for them to go.

The user is Marinuse. They emailed a screenshot which shows them logged into that account, and shows them getting a "no-open wiki" "cross wiki abuse" block from Billinghurst. What confuses me is that it seems like if an IP is blocked, no block shows up on accounts using that IP, and I expected that if an account is under a block restriction then there would be some notice in the log for that account. Can accounts under an IP block not have any public notification of being blocked?

Thanks to whomever can give me advice on responding to this person. Blue Rasberry (talk) 15:31, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

  • The IP in question, which I won't divulge here because it was only divulged in a private OTRS e-mail, was Globally blocked for months by Billinghurst; interestingly, the local meta IP block is anon.only but I don't know if that is even doable for global blocks. The OTRS ticket doesn't raise any red flags of block evasion so I am willing to AGF; we could in theory unblock the IP locally (which shouldn't be done before finding out why there is a global block) or we could grant Marinuse IPBE (which is questionable at best considering the low age/edit count). But first we need to hear from Billingshurst. I'll forward him the OTRS ticket. ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 19:00, 11 January 2016 (UTC)
Having given up rights that included global block, I cannot check specifics. If I did a global block it would be due to xwiki issues, not particularly an issue at a particular wiki, local matters were left local (by me, anyway). I am presuming that this block is a hard block rather than a soft block. I am presuming that it is an extended block rather than a shorter term block. If it was a block on an individual IP, then it was ongoing abuse xwiki, check the block log, or get a steward to check for you. If it is a range block, then the reason used will always be the best indicator, as I generally put both a primary and secondary reason for what was identified and why it was blocked.

The process for this resolution would be to transfer the OTRS message to the stewards' queue with a note asking for it to be resolved. Stewards can look at the history and determine whether they lift, soften, or grant an exemption. Or for a public place use m:SRG. You can always granted IPBE if you choose, for an account it harms nothing, and just restores basic editing.

Noting that meta soft blocks are the usual practice rather than hard blocks, this allows affected users to contact stewards, so the best that you can read into this is that there was not a large problem on meta.

Re a view. For the user they are only told that they are only blocked (local or global) when they try and edit, not when they view, and then it is only when they are within a restricted IP range, not for their account. — billinghurst sDrewth 11:52, 12 January 2016 (UTC)

The global block only has 5 days left on it, but there is no indication of accounts abusing it recently, so I've changed it to IP-only. That should resolve the issue for now. If the IP needs to be re-blocked with further abuse, Marinuse could be granted a local or global exception. Edit: I just realized how much after-the-fact this was, but just now the ticket appeared in the steward's queue. @Salvidrim! and Bluerasberry: is this now resolved? Ajraddatz (Talk) 00:57, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Interface user guide

I have been a UTRS user for quite some time. I log in to look at the status of appeals, but I never do anything because I'm not sure how to use it and I'm afraid I might screw something up. Is there a document somewhere that explains how to use all the buttons, etc.?--Bbb23 (talk) 01:27, 5 January 2017 (UTC)

  • @Bbb23: No, not particularly. The closest we have is this document from a prerelease that covers privacy features. There are quite a few controls is place to prevent you from screwing anything up. And we have admins on there that can unscrew up things too. But, if you'd like, we can meet on IRC and I can walk you through a ticket.--v/r - TP 01:49, 5 January 2017 (UTC)
  • I'd also be happy to assist if you need any help (it's kinda supposed to be my role I guess? :p), although TParis is probably vastly more available and competent. ;) ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 02:25, 5 January 2017 (UTC)
  • Well, I could look at putting something together. But the scenarios in that file should give you a great idea.--v/r - TP 02:55, 5 January 2017 (UTC)

What I wanted to suggest is whether the folks that use UTRS would like to have a different way then using {{utrs}}. How about a link, similar to ticket:213812 or otrs:123851, but just for UTRS? So utrs:6473 links to the request ID. Ping TParis. Dat GuyTalkContribs 21:40, 7 January 2017 (UTC)

@DatGuy: That seems really handy to have. If it's cheap to have and easy to implement then I don't see why not.--v/r - TP 21:43, 7 January 2017 (UTC)
I don't believe this will have any real opposition, so I'm creating and self-assigning phab:T154858. Dat GuyTalkContribs 21:53, 7 January 2017 (UTC)
It's probably a simple enough edit on MW-wiki to add the utrs: interwiki prefix to the list... mw:Special:Interwiki URL would need to be https://utrs.wmflabs.org/appeal.php?id=$1 Apparently it can simply be requested at meta:Talk:Interwiki map#Proposed additions ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 22:42, 7 January 2017 (UTC)

Fatal error

I've been able to log into UTRS in the past, but now every time I try it, it crashes with a PHP 'fatal error' message. Apparently the cause is because my email address somehow got duplicated in the database. I've written to every address I can find (utrs-admins, utrs-developers, unblock) with no response. Any suggestions? ~Anachronist (talk) 01:19, 13 February 2017 (UTC)

See this discussion and contact DeltaQuad.--Bbb23 (talk) 01:34, 13 February 2017 (UTC)
FWIW we didn't receive an e-mail from you to the utrs-admins mailing list. That being said, I'm pretty sure it is because your UTRS account is associated with Wikimedia user Amatulic, so that when you try to login it might try to check the Amatulic account for admin user rights? Just a guess. But as a tooladmin I lack the database access that would probably be required to manually impact this. I'll let DeltaQuad respond to this when she has time. Apologies for the inconvenience. :) ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 02:13, 13 February 2017 (UTC)
  • Should work now. Wikipedia account renames have never really been handled automatically on many sideprojects like UTRS, OTRS, etc. and the activation of OAuth simply prevented what shouldn't have been happening anyways, which is to say you logging into a UTRS account associated with a non-admin Wikipedia account (Amatulic). Everything should now be fixed manually (thanks to DQ), and better handling of wikipedia renames is on our to-do list, but not a priority due to their rarity amongst admins -- for this they'll require manual intervention from an UTRS tooldev. :) ☺ · Salvidrim! · ✉ 05:46, 13 February 2017 (UTC)
    Yes, thanks, it's working now. Oddly, when my username changed, I went through a procedure to get my credentials transferred to the new name on UTRS, and it worked fine for a while, until recently when I started getting that 'fatal error' message. Anyway, thanks for clearing it up. ~Anachronist (talk) 07:02, 13 February 2017 (UTC)

UTRS shortcut now exists

Hi UTRS team. There was a recent request to create a utrs: interwiki to allow easy links to UTRS block appeals. I am alerting the community to the creation of this ability a few weeks back, and I am unsure whether that information has been provided to you. — billinghurst sDrewth 07:57, 15 February 2017 (UTC)


  • Copying an elsewhere post here to leave it somewhere handy for when I figure out how to integrate this into the main page:

When you discuss a UTRS appeal on-wiki, you might want to use [[utrs:16306]] or {{utrs|16306}} to provide quick, easy to use access to the ticket being referenced.

Note that 16306 is just a ticket previously used for testing from my User:Salvid account. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 20:29, 25 September 2017 (UTC)

Ban Appeals Subcommittee

Please remove the mention of Ban Appeals Subcommittee in https://github.com/UTRS/utrs/blob/master/public_html/index.php. It was desolved long ago.--GZWDer (talk) 11:01, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

  • Just a note GZWDer that this has now been fixed (Oct.14th); I had created a (non-critical) pull request with the requested changes a few months ago but it needed the approval of a tool developper to be merged into the live version and our devs have their plates quite full at the moment. Apologies for the delay, and our eternal thanks for your care and vigilance which helped improve UTRS! :) Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 20:26, 23 October 2017 (UTC)

UTRS on twitter

seems dead. -- Dlohcierekim (talk) 08:31, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

Sure is! The account was created a while ago but ended up never really being needed. :) Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 15:01, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

E-Mail address

Are UTRS administrators able to see the E-Mail address of users, who make use of it? --84.147.38.84 (talk) 18:43, 21 November 2017 (UTC)

Hi, no UTRS tooladmins (three people including myself) are not able to see the e-mail addresses associated with appeals. Only CheckUsers, tooldevs and WMF (in case of emergency) are able to access this information (and other private information asociated with appeals such as IP, etc.). However, the General confidentiality agreement is still required. The only time tooladmins might see the e-mail address used by an appellant is when the appellant e-mails the utrs-admins mailing list (or an UTRS responder directly), or mentions their e-mail address in the appeals text or on-wiki. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 15:07, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

locked out... ‘Lil help?

Tried to login to my UTRS account and can’t get in. Requested temporary password, got the email, and the temp password didn’t work either. I handed in a bunch of my permissions while I was inactive for a while, but don’t remember asking for my UTRS account to be suspended or anything, but maybe it was? Beeblebrox (talk) 20:29, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

@Beeblebrox: It's all oauth based now. You shouldn't need a password.--v/r - TP 20:35, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
I’m so confused right now. How do I do that then, it’s not terrible clear. Beeblebrox (talk) 20:11, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
Go to the login page and click "English Wikipedia". It will send you to mediawiki.org and ask you to login with your SUL. Once you do that, a popup comes up and asks you to "allow". Click that, and you're in.--v/r - TP 20:26, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
Ok that’s weird, that’s totally working for me now, but when I went to the login page before it was still giving me the old interface that requires a password. Thanks! Beeblebrox (talk) 20:31, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
Weird indeed, maybe the "old" user/pass login page was still in your cache... wonder if there's anything to be done on our end to force cache clear. OTOH, the "requesting password" mechanism should be deprecated as no longer useful, and perhaps for some time instead generate an e-mail or message directing users to clear their cache and OAuth login. :) Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 20:49, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

So, I was coming at it through my bookmarks, and the old login page appears to still be live, maybe there is some way to redirect it to the new process? Beeblebrox (talk) 02:02, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

On that page I still see "Please select the Wiki you wish to login with:" and not the userpass old version. :/ Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 02:26, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
Doing that now for me too. I’m so confused, but apparently it’s fine now. Beeblebrox (talk) 23:51, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

Admin discussion

I'm new to handling UTRS requests, and I'm wondering if there's any admin-only discussion venue anywhere? Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 10:12, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

Where would you hold "admin-only discussions" for on-wiki unblock requests? Outside of e-mailing the blocking admin and/or other trusted admins or functionaries, I don't think there exists a specifially admin-only venue. The mailing list is usually more for tooladmin stuff (management of UTRS itself) and may no be the best place if you just want a second pair of admin eyes. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 18:38, 22 April 2018 (UTC)
Well, we don't need admin-only discussions for on-wiki unblock requests, because there's nothing private and discussions tend to go to ANI or AN. (Oh, and by admin-only I really meant those with UTRS access only, which is effectively admins plus others). But if there is no such venue for UTRS request discussion, you have answered my question, thanks. Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 18:59, 22 April 2018 (UTC)
All enwiki admins automatically have UTRS access. CUs get a few extra buttons. We have a few Stewards and two WMF staffers who can login as well. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 19:54, 22 April 2018 (UTC)
Iff there was sufficient interest I’m sure we could set up an email list for UTRS reviewers based off of the same type of lists for arbcom/functionaries/etc. Beeblebrox (talk) 19:05, 22 April 2018 (UTC)
I don't think it's a good idea. We've been getting rid of extraneous mailing lists around enwiki lately. UTRS doesn't usually include much private information, since ticket contents are literally viewable by any enwiki admin. It's about as private as deleted revisions. There aren't many complex UTRS cases, and there should not be. UTRS appeals requiring more than a templated decline usually involve helping mitigate IP block collateral damage and re-enabling talk-page access for badly blocked users wishing to make new appeals on-wiki. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 19:54, 22 April 2018 (UTC)
I have to say I don't buy the "UTRS is for templated declines, fixing IP issues, and rectifying bad blocks" line at all, as it is far more than that - and it's precisely the cases that do not fit that generalization that I thought might warrant some discussion. Still, if nobody has seen the need for such a thing, that's fine by me. If I see cases where I think discussion would help, I guess I'll ask an individual admin for their thoughts - or just leave them for someone else. Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 09:23, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
@Boing! said Zebedee: There is a UTRS-Admins email account for tool admins. As far as WP admins that use the tool, the comment box/message log is an admin-only space. You can leave a comment and the user won't see it. They only see messages you intentionally send to them through the email interface. Those messages get logged in the message log, but not everything in that log is visible to the user. There is also a {{utrs}} template to notify folks that you left a message in there for them to read. To use it, just fill in the text box at the end of the message log and press "Enter" or click "Quick Comment".--v/r - TP 14:31, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
Thanks, I guess the message log is the closest to what I was thinking of - and the {{utrs}} template sounds useful. Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 14:39, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
We used to have an IRC channel with a bot and everything but no one used it...--v/r - TP 14:49, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
Ah, I did wonder if there was one of those (or a mailing list, similar to renamers and the ones mentioned by Beeblebrox). Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 14:54, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

Errors with processing request

There is currently an issue regarding processing unblock requests in UTRS. After filling all the questions, a message pops up saying "There were errors processing your unblock appeal: We need to know which administrator placed your block." After that, I put admin's names (pinging them) in all question boxes, then I proceed. However, the message still appears, therefore it is not allowing the request even though I have basically completed what's required including CAPCHA. I think there is a problem with the processing system. Any way to fix this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.122.70.34 (talk) 22:17, 22 May 2018 (UTC)

I just submitted a test appeal just fine. So, not sure what your problem could be.--v/r - TP 22:48, 22 May 2018 (UTC)
How did you do it? How did you put administrator names in the boxes? Could it be 1) operating on iOS device instead of computer, or 2) location probabley? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.178.48.100 (talk) 01:35, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
Normally, for a while now, you're not supposed to be prompted to even input the name of the blocking administrator. The UTRS tool grabs it automatically when you input YOUR account name which is affected by a block or when you try to file an appeal from an IP address that is currently blocked (but I assume you have an account because if your IP/range was blocked you would not be able to edit this talkpage here). Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 01:49, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
Understood. Perhaps because account was blocked from different IP then I appealed in UTRS from another IP (I moved). Could a different IP be the culprit here? — 159.122.70.34 (talk) 03:05, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
It shouldn't be if your account is blocked. When filing your appeal at https://utrs.wmflabs.org/index.php, choose "Yes" to Do you have an account on Wikipedia?, "My account" to What has been blocked?, and enter your account name in the text box besides What is the name of your account?. If you're prompted to enter the blocking admin's name, make sure you're at the right address I linked here and maybe try clearing your mobile browser's cache? As a last resort you can try e-mailing the detail of your account, its block, etc. to the UTRS-admins mailing list, and if possible include the URL & a screenshot of the page where you're getting the We need to know which administrator placed your block. message. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 03:18, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
Thanks, but no luck. The message still appears. (I find this quite bizarre.) Can you please provide a link of the "UTRS-admins mailing list"? Thanks. — 159.122.70.34 (talk) 04:16, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
I've looked at the code behind the main UTRS "filing an appeal" page and the words "We need to know which administrator placed your block." do not seem to appear. Other than your mobile browser showing you a years-old cached version of https://utrs.wmflabs.org/index.php I don't have any ideas right away. The mailing list is utrs-admins@googlegroups.com. Please include the URL of the page where you are getting that error message and a screenshot of the message, in addition of course to your account name. The UTRS tooladmins and devs will hopefully be able to look deeper into it. In the meantime, if you haven't tried, you might still be able to edit your account's talk page while logged into your account and be able to file a block appeal there. If your talk page access has been removed you won't have a choice but to wait until the UTRS tooladmin team has been able to analyze the situation. Ben · Salvidrim! ✉ 04:25, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
The error message is valid, it shows up in [1]. That said, when I try and file the appeal both in our testing interface and the public interface I get two different errors and neither are the ones you have. So I will attempt to resolve those at least to see if I can reproduce it. But I can't work on this now, I have to head to work, so it will be at least another 13 hours before I have a chance to look at it. -- Amanda (aka DQ) 15:28, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
I just took a quick look at the email you sent us, and I see a discrepancy in the screenshot where it converted the n in your username to the html equivalent for it, so that's likely the issue. I'll also look into that tonight. -- Amanda (aka DQ) 16:33, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
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