# Allow a max number of Replies and maintain it automatically

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-a-max-number-of-replies-and-maintain-it-automatically/313027>\
**Category:** Feature\
**Created:** [June 21, 2024, 7:59am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-a-max-number-of-replies-and-maintain-it-automatically/313027 "2024-06-21T07:59:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![merefield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/merefield/32/176214_2.png) [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 7:59am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-a-max-number-of-replies-and-maintain-it-automatically/313027/1 "2024-06-21T07:59:39Z")

</div>

Currently one way we deal with mega-topics is to delete all old replies on a periodical basis.

This seems draconian to me.

Is it possible to set a “number of replies” window and have Discourse delete the first reply once that number of replies has been reached, thereby creating a “rolling window” without resetting the entire topic?

So, once the number is hit, it should delete the first Reply in the Topic for any subsequent Reply.

A couple of examples of where this would be useful:

- Plugin Topics where they tend to get very long, but where recent support history is really important (so you don’t want to delete it unless absolutely necessary)
- when your Posts are a message feed from another system when it’s natural to want recent history, but not necessary to keep everything.

This is imho superior to a time based arbitrary wipe.

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-a-max-number-of-replies-and-maintain-it-automatically/313027)._