# Add a section of hidden SiteSettings to \`app.yml\`/\`web\_only.yml\`

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-section-of-hidden-sitesettings-to-app-yml-web-only-yml/206687
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [October 21, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-section-of-hidden-sitesettings-to-app-yml-web-only-yml/206687 "2021-10-21T15:36:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-section-of-hidden-sitesettings-to-app-yml-web-only-yml/206687/1 "2021-10-21T15:36:58Z")

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Continuing the discussion from [Enable the hidden can\_permanently\_delete site setting](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-the-hidden-can-permanently-delete-site-setting/206678):

I understand why this and some other SiteSettings are hidden, but when someone asked how to enable this hidden setting I wondered just how a Normal Person would know about them. If this one is announced with such fanfare 🎉 there are likely to be others who want it who will be similarly confused.

So my suggestion is to add this and perhaps some other hidden settings to `app.yml` (and `web_only.yml`) commented out, perhaps with a few words of explanation. Things that I might include are;

- `can_permanently_delete`
- perhaps `rate_limit_search_anon_global` and friends?
- `include_s3_uploads_in_backups`

Well, I thought that I’d find more than this, but this is allI could find or think of quickly.

If someone thinks this is a good idea, I’ll submit a PR.

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### Author: ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-section-of-hidden-sitesettings-to-app-yml-web-only-yml/206687/2 "2021-10-21T16:50:41Z")

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+1 and some characters more 🤣

Docs are maybe better hidden than those options. And quite many of us are more or less just selfmade webmasters who needs very strong ironwire as helps, I reckon. Rails or what ever gems here are in use, are actually quite rare systems compared to more common PHP-world. That means one really important thing: when googling one can find texts only from devs to devs. That’s why so many is wondering how to get some strange console to work.

(Same reason why Jekyll etc are so rare out there)

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### Author: ![Falco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/falco/32/179432_2.png) [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-section-of-hidden-sitesettings-to-app-yml-web-only-yml/206687/3 "2021-10-21T16:53:14Z")

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I don’t like adding all those lines to app.yml by default. We _very_ rarely use hidden settings, and it’s usually for things that are either dangerous or in early testing.

Maybe a topic here in Meta listing useful hidden site settings and a small how to is more than enough?

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### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-section-of-hidden-sitesettings-to-app-yml-web-only-yml/206687/4 "2021-10-21T17:28:16Z")

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> [@Falco](#):
>
> Maybe a topic here in Meta listing useful hidden site settings and a small how to is more than enough?

And it requires near zero work!