# 'Always include topic excerpt' setting
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [January 27, 2026, 9:18am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416 "2026-01-27T09:18:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 9:18am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/1 "2026-01-27T09:18:25Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Horizon: High Context Topic Cards](https://meta.discourse.org/t/horizon-high-context-topic-cards/393470/16):
> [@Horizon: High Context Topic Cards](https://meta.discourse.org/t/horizon-high-context-topic-cards/393470/16):
>
> You can find it (after updating) in all site settings:
>
> 
I am a little confused by this description. I have used the topic list excerpts theme component on my forum without issues before. So, what exactly does the setting change? The description reads as if I can only use excerpts while the setting is enabled and I use a component that shows them, but excerpts seem to work on my forum with the setting disabled and only topic list excerpts enabled. What would be different if I enabled the setting?
Side note: Is there a reason why this setting wasn’t added to an “area” like ‘layout’?
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 11:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/2 "2026-01-27T11:52:44Z")
Looks like I don’t need to understand
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/37326](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/37326)
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### Author:  [@awesomerobot](https://meta.discourse.org/u/awesomerobot)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/3 "2026-01-27T14:34:06Z")
Yes this is related to [Horizon: High Context Topic Cards](https://meta.discourse.org/t/horizon-high-context-topic-cards/393470), the original thought was that we need to expose this setting so people can turn on excerpts in those Horizon topic cards without console access… but it’s a little bit of a dangerous setting to expose because if you enable it you add a lot of data to the topic list even if excerpts aren’t being shown in the current theme.
The follow-up is to instead enable the hidden site setting when the Horizon theme has `topic card high context` enabled… that way the setting is constrained to a situation where it will be used.
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### Author:  [@zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/zogstrip)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/4 "2026-01-27T14:39:51Z")
> [@Moin](#):
>
> but excerpts seem to work on my forum with the setting disabled and only topic list excerpts enabled.
By default, we only serialize excerpts for 📌 pinned topics
>
Unless the `always_include_topic_excerpts` site setting is enabled, or a theme is using a “theme modifier”. Maybe the theme you’re using is using the modifier?
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### Author:  [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/5 "2026-01-27T14:42:10Z")
so what is the rationale for making new features horizon only? making new features limited to an in-core theme that can’t be customized seems to go against the general Discourse ethos? we can’t even use it in foundation? there are lines of code in core for horizon fixes specifically…
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/6 "2026-01-27T14:44:15Z")
> [@awesomerobot](#):
>
> The follow-up is to instead enable the hidden site setting when the Horizon theme has `topic card high context` enabled
So, if I change the setting in Horizon, it will change the hidden site setting? Does that mean that it will also be activated in [safe mode](https://meta.discourse.org/t/53504?silent=true) because it is a site setting? I expected that, similar to what zogstrip just described, the Horizon theme would activate excerpts regardless of the setting, just like you can by adding the topic list excerpts component to Foundation.
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### Author:  [@awesomerobot](https://meta.discourse.org/u/awesomerobot)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/7 "2026-01-27T15:00:13Z")
> [@Lilly](#):
>
> so what is the rationale for making new features horizon only? making new features limited to an in-core theme that can’t be customized seems to go against the general Discourse ethos? we can’t even use it in foundation? there are lines of code in core for horizon fixes specifically…
Time and complexity really, to add a view like this for Foundation we need to update the API to work with more flexible layouts… so we’d need to create new APIs, maintain both for some period, then deprecate old ones.
Horizon is more of a clean slate, has more limits on customization, and by default lacks some information like tags in the topic list… so it was easier to prioritize without worrying about backwards compatibility. Ideally we’ll take what we learn from Horizon and use that to update Foundation too.
> [@Moin](#):
>
> So, if I change the setting in Horizon, it will change the hidden site setting?
Sorry you’re right, that was a bit off… it doesn’t literally enable that site setting… but it does the same thing (serialize excerpts) only for the theme using a [theme modifier](https://meta.discourse.org/t/theme-modifiers-a-brief-introduction/150605)
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/8 "2026-01-27T15:08:48Z")
> [@zogstrip](#):
>
> Maybe the theme you’re using is using the modifier?
I’m not sure what you’re getting at. I said that the topic list excerpts component worked without the setting before:
> [@Moin](#):
>
> I have used the topic list excerpts theme component on my forum without issues before.
So I assume it was using the modifier, but the new description of the site setting said that even after you enabled it, you would need the “topic list excerpts” component to see them.
My question was why I need the site setting if the component seems to enable excerpts without it.
> This excerpt may not be visible unless a theme component like “Topic list excerpts” is enabled
My question was not why it works, but why I would use the setting, because that’s the information I expect from a description. And that’s why I said it seems I don’t need to understand because the description is no longer needed since it was removed.
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### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/9 "2026-01-27T15:26:57Z")
> [@Lilly](#):
>
> making new features horizon only
To be clear: the topic excerpts feature is not horizon-only. Any theme can enable it via the theme-modifier. Many themes do this.
The site setting was the old way to do this, before theme modifiers existed. It was unhidden today because we briefly thought that it was the only way to make it a toggle-able option for users of horizon. But in fact, there is a way to make theme modifiers link to theme settings, which is what we’ve now done in horizon.
We’ve also documented that strategy, so that it’s clear how other themes can do it. (And so we don’t forget about it ourselves 😅)
>
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### Author:  [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/10 "2026-01-27T15:28:40Z")
> [@david](#):
>
> The site setting was the old way to do this, before theme modifiers existed. It was unhidden today because we briefly thought that it was the only way to make it a toggle-able option for users of horizon. But in fact, there is a way to make theme modifiers link to theme settings, which is what we’ve now done in horizon.
oh yea i understand now. i just wasn’t clear because i thought these were different excerpts, not the same being used in a new way in horizon.
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### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2026, 8:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/always-include-topic-excerpt-setting/394416/11 "2026-01-31T08:00:44Z")
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