# Auto Timestamp Title
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420
**Category:** Theme component
**Created:** [July 24, 2026, 7:32am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420 "2026-07-24T07:32:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Andy\_Smith](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andy_Smith)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2026, 7:32am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420/1 "2026-07-24T07:32:45Z")
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| --- | --- | --- |
| ℹ | **Summary** | Auto-fills the title of a new topic with a configurable timestamp (default `YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss`) the moment the composer opens. |
| 👓 | **Preview** | [Theme Creator](https://discourse.theme-creator.io/theme/Andy_Smith/auto-timestamp-title) |
| 🛠 | **Repository** | [GitHub - andysmith-ai/discourse-auto-timestamp-title · GitHub](https://github.com/andysmith-ai/discourse-auto-timestamp-title) |
| ❓ | **Install Guide** | [How to install a theme or theme component](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-i-install-a-theme-or-theme-component/63682) |
| 📖 | **New to Discourse Themes?** | [Beginner’s guide to using Discourse Themes](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-using-discourse-themes/91966) |
Install this theme component
Automatically fills the title field of a new topic with a timestamp as soon as the composer opens, so you never have to invent a name for a quick note. The format is configurable, and by default it only touches an empty title.
It fires only when you start a new topic — replies and edits are left alone. You can still edit or clear the title afterwards.
Settings:
| Setting | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `title_format` | `YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss` | Pattern for the generated title. |
| `overwrite_existing_title` | `false` | Overwrite a title you’ve already typed. When off, the timestamp is only inserted while the title is empty. |
| `use_utc` | `false` | Use UTC instead of the visitor’s local browser time. |
Format tokens (moment-style, case-sensitive): `YYYY` `MM` `DD` `HH` `mm` `ss`. Any other characters are kept literally — e.g. `YYYYMMDDHHmmss` → `20260723153000`.
Note: Discourse’s default `min topic title length` is 15 characters. The default format above is 19 chars, so it works out of the box. If you pick a shorter pattern like `YYYYMMDDHHmmss` (14 chars), lower that site setting to match, otherwise the bare timestamp will fail validation on its own.
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### Author:  [@chapoi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chapoi)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2026, 7:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420/2 "2026-07-24T07:38:38Z")
Thanks for your work!
> [@Andy\_Smith](#):
>
> 👓 **Preview** See the screenshot below (my instance is private).
If you wanted to, or for next time, you can use our Theme Creator instance to demo themes and components:
> [@Get started with Theme Creator and the Theme CLI](https://meta.discourse.org/t/get-started-with-theme-creator-and-the-theme-cli/108444):
>
> This topic will walk you through how to use the [Theme CLI](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-theme-cli-console-app-to-help-you-build-themes/82950) with our [Theme Creator](https://meta.discourse.org/t/theme-creator-create-and-show-themes-without-installing-discourse/84942) site to develop a theme and preview your changes on a live Discourse site. [Sign up for an account here on Meta](https://meta.discourse.org/signup) if you haven’t already [Log in to Theme Creator](https://discourse.theme-creator.io/login) Install the Theme CLI via the [instructions here](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-theme-cli-console-app-to-help-you-build-themes/82950) Create a new theme on Theme Creator by: Visiting [https://discourse.theme-creator.io/my/themes](https://discourse.theme-creator.io/my/themes) Clicking Install, and selecting the “Create New” option. Giving your theme a unique name (you can ignore…
It gives you a shareable preview link.
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### Author:  [@Don](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Don)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2026, 8:47am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420/3 "2026-07-24T08:47:12Z")
This is pretty cool! Thanks ❤ I can see this being super useful for diary-type categories, but it could really use a category restriction setting so it doesn’t run everywhere. Could you add an option for that when you have time?
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420/4 "2026-07-24T16:53:44Z")
Another idea would be to have an option to restrict it to a tag(s) as well. To use with category restriction or on its own
Ie Tag “release-notes”
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### Author:  [@Andy\_Smith](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andy_Smith)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2026, 8:10am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420/5 "2026-07-25T08:10:36Z")
@chapoi thank you for your patience with my inability to read the documentation 😅 I’ve now added a Theme Creator preview link to the top post, as it should have been from the start.
@Don @Heliosurge thanks a lot for the category and tag suggestions — great ideas, and I’ve shipped both in the latest version.
You can now restrict the auto-fill to specific categories, specific tags, or a combination of the two (when both are set, a topic has to match a category and carry one of the tags). Empty settings keep the old “run everywhere” behaviour.
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2026, 8:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-timestamp-title/408420/6 "2026-07-25T08:24:02Z")
You’re very welcome! Very speedy adding those features thank you!
🍻 😎 👍 ✨