Users are reporting significant email issues after upgrading to 3.4.0.beta4-dev, with problems in both receiving reply emails and sending watched category notifications.
LotusJeff noticed increased CPU usage after upgrading to 3.4.0.beta4-dev, particularly with Ruby processes showing higher utilization.
An important discussion about being more welcoming to newcomers’ suggestions was started by bloomexperiment, highlighting the need to better understand new users’ experiences with Discourse read more
A detailed comparison between Discord and Discourse emerged, with community members explaining the fundamental differences between chat and forum platforms read more
LotusJeff reported increased CPU usage after a recent update, which sam quickly identified and fixed as a regression in mini_racer read more
Multiple users experienced database shutdown issues during rebuilds, leading to updated documentation for handling PostgreSQL cleanly read more
A significant chat plugin bug was discovered causing Redis memory issues, affecting installations with large user groups read more
Support – Site offline after rebuild (4th Feb 2025): th21 and others detailed how a rebuild left the instance inaccessible, with users sharing log excerpts and troubleshooting steps that led david to deploy a quick fix.
blog – Unpacking Discourse 3.4: Discourse introduced enhancements in Discourse 3.4 – from a streamlined admin experience to AI-powered spam tools – sparking a lively discussion read more.
Announcementsrelease-notes – 3.4.0: Major Release:
The team celebrated Discourse 3.4’s launch with feature highlights such as one‑click AI spam detection. Additional patch notes were shared further in the discussion read more and here.
#Translations – Suggest better italian translations: StefanoCecere raised points about inconsistent Italian terminology (e.g. “delete” vs. “elimina”) to ensure standardization across the interface read more.
Bug – Users getting Internal Server Error when trying to change email address:
In a detailed troubleshooting thread, Richie and Canapin discussed why reusing an email address led to an error and outlined steps for resolving it read more.
Announcements – PostgreSQL 15 update: mwaniki explained the nuances of the PostgreSQL 15 upgrade—including log outputs and post‑update tasks—to help users optimize performance read more.
Support – Private Plugin installation result in app not coming back online:
After a private plugin installation caused downtime, Jacob_Peebles received guidance from david, ultimately restoring service with a rebuild read more.
Support – Sidekiq is running as user:
Users corradom and Falco discussed nuances of container UID mismatches and why Sidekiq may appear under a regular machine user, reassuring that it’s standard in self‑hosted setups read more.
UX – Topic navigation toggle prevents interactions on the page:
In a quick fix update, Don explained how a CSS tweak (restoring pointer events) resolved issues with unclickable elements in the navigation area read more.
Support – Can’t reach web server after update to 3.4: tomtjes encountered connectivity issues post‑update, and with input from david, the community explored log diagnostics to pinpoint the fault read more.
Support – How to set up the SMTP settings?: jill88 sought advice on configuring SMTP behind a reverse proxy. The thread generated practical suggestions on port selection and authentication troubleshooting read more.
Support – Post 3.5.1 update - CPU maxed out 100%:
Following a surprising CPU spike, agemo and sam discussed how a timely rebuild calmed the system after noticing several PostgreSQL processes overloading the server read more.
UX – User filter “hide my mail” popup:
A quirky pop-up issue on MacOS caught the attention of tvavrda and awesomerobot, who uncovered that certain placeholder texts triggered unwanted autocomplete behavior read more.
Theme component – Custom Lightbox: modern, swipe gestures, fullscreen mode and more: Don announced a merged update to the Custom Lightbox plugin that now supports swipe gestures and toggling zoom – a must‑try for mobile users read more.
Dev – Custom automation - modifications flow for successful integration on Automation plugin: ddsongs shared the resolution of a 500 error in his custom automation setup by adjusting context tagging and reviewing log outputs, providing valuable hints for plugin developers read more.
Saif initiated the rollout for the major update in 3.4.0: Major Release, setting the stage for new features and improvements.
jomaxro enriched the release discussion with added context and additional fixes in the 3.4.0: Major Release discussion, deepening community understanding.
mwaniki outlined essential post‑upgrade tasks and performance tweaks in the PostgreSQL 15 update discussion, guiding admins through the process.
david also chimed in on Sidekiq is running as user, reassuring community moderators that observed process behaviors are expected in containerized environments.
What a ride! Yesterday’s whirlwind of rebuilds, CPU tweaks, and detailed troubleshooting had our team buzzing – here’s to another day of lively fixes and fun challenges!
Sourced from our 24-hour forum activity (more info).
Interesting Topics
#Developer Guides – Beginner’s guide to developing Discourse Themes ddsgad raised concerns about the accuracy of our legacy theme development guide—questioning if it reflects the new Ember-based approach—while NateDhaliwal and david offered insights on updated file structure and component usage. Check out the discussion here and follow-up comments here.
Feature – Update Avatar Image Serving - Remove Proxy Method LotusJeff initiated a conversation to simplify avatar image serving by suggesting a removal of the proxy method. In response, Falco and david detailed alternative configuration options and discussed the implications of a 302 redirect versus proxying. See the initial post here and further insights here.
Bug – Site Offline Since Update - pg15 upgrade failed
Users like Markus_Moenig and eisammy reported issues following a PostgreSQL 15 upgrade, resulting in site downtime and confusing error messages. david recommended following the debugging steps and referring to the PostgreSQL update guide. Read more about the issue here and see additional feedback here.
Praise – Happy 12th birthday Discourse and thank you all @team
In a heartwarming post, RGJ celebrated Discourse’s 12th birthday by sharing a personal journey and thanking the community and @team for their continuous support. Celebrate the milestone here.
Announcements – 3.4.0.beta4: Redesigned emojis, exporting user data, flagging illegal content and more Saif unveiled the new beta release featuring redesigned emojis, improved GDPR compliance through user data exports, and enhanced content flagging. jomaxro added further details on additional plugin improvements. Dive into the release notes here and here.
Announcements – Introducing image grids in posts
A discussion sparked by Richie examined the potential for replicating image grid layouts in email notifications. pmusaraj confirmed that current CSS limitations prevent this feature from being extended to emails. Find out more here.
Support – Email sender does not match notification email and I can’t figure out why pfaffman encountered an issue where email headers did not match the expected values, leading to SMTP failures. With guidance from RGJ and supermathie, the discussion clarified the role of the reply-by-email address. More details can be found here and here.
Announcements – 3.3.4: Security and maintenance release Saif introduced the stable 3.3.4 release, highlighting important security fixes—including protection against XSS and DoS vulnerabilities—which are crucial for safe operations. Learn about the update here.
Bug – Some HTML tags are visible on the delete-user button Richie flagged an issue with HTML markup appearing in the delete-user modal interface. The problem was quickly identified as a duplicate and is being fixed. Get the scoop here.
Migration – Ratelimit Exceeded when migrating threads and posts Klaas_Tammling shared his experience with rate limiting during a forum migration and received tips—such as using import scripts—to streamline the process. Check out the discussion here and see community suggestions here.
#Hosting – Continuing from topic using standard hosting on another topic
An exchange between kyle987 and NateDhaliwal covered cost-saving strategies for hosting and recommendations for free installer options on platforms like Google Cloud. Read the conversation here.
Feature – Permanent route to posts thoka and supermathie debated how to create permanent, unchanging URLs for individual posts using direct post IDs, ensuring that links remain valid over time. Explore the idea here.
Dev – Introducing Discourse developer toolbar
In a much-anticipated post, NateDhaliwal and david introduced the new developer toolbar—designed for quicker debugging on both mobile and desktop environments. Learn about its features here and see additional notes here.
Community – Should Discourse make an effort to become a viable comment platform? angus and sam engaged in a thoughtful debate over whether Discourse should pivot toward serving as a comment platform, weighing the technical challenges against new user engagement opportunities. Read the lively discussion here and follow-up remarks here.
UX – Delete user modal shows HTML for delete and block button fhe drew attention to improper rendering in the delete user modal, sparking conversation about UI consistency and prompting quick community responses. See the issue here.
What a day! Yesterday’s vibrant mix of innovation and troubleshooting made it feel like Discourse was hosting its own mini hackathon—if our forum had a soundtrack, it’d be a techno remix on repeat!
For more details on recent statistics, please see the discussion.
Interesting Topics
UX – New forum settings without menu: Jagster raised a discussion about the new system where the traditional settings menu has been removed, prompting debates on usability and navigation. read more
UX – Full quote button in editor missing:
Members led by Paracelsus and agemo discussed the disappearing full quote button, its impact on usability on both desktop and mobile, and possible workarounds. read more
Theme component – Quote Callouts: Arkshine introduced a theme component that enables Obsidian-style callouts as an alternative to markdown quotes, sparking enthusiastic feedback and suggestions. read more
Announcements – Dark/light mode toggle now available in core: Osama announced that the Dark/Light Mode Toggle has been merged into core with an additional “Auto” option, offering seamless system preference integration. read more
Feature – How do I pass data to an artifact?:
A discussion led by david (with inputs from sam and markschmucker) explored the security and technical implications of sending external data to sandboxed artifacts. read more
Theme component – Discourse Density Toggle:
Users reviewed a new theme component by jordan-vidrine that allows adjusting viewing density, with discussions about minor UX issues on various devices. read more
Theme component – Enable Dev Tools Button: NateDhaliwal showcased a theme component which adds an in-header button to toggle Discourse’s Developer Tools, streamlining access for troubleshooting and development. read more
Support – Still seeing issues. How to use “the fix”?:
Users including jtheletter and pfaffman discussed ongoing rebuild challenges and shared command-line insights to implement the “fix” after the site went offline. read more
Support – How do I update Docker?:
Amid warnings about deprecated Docker versions, Falco and others provided guidance on updating Docker (with references to Ubuntu/Docker docs) to ensure smooth site operations. read more
Bug – Theme component invalid “extend content security policy value”:
In a technical thread, michaeld reported issues caused by extra whitespace in a theme component’s security policy, leading to a forum “Oops” situation. read more
Support – Restored Site – URLs need to be corrected:
After a site restoration, agemo and RGJ discussed a mass find-and-replace workaround to fix internal links that reverted to a test URL domain. read more
Support – AI + Automation Governance: Orchestrating Independent AI Triage Scripts: sam and Cloud_spanner explored a multi-step AI workflow that uses LLMs for triaging posts, assigning tags, and even triggering custom PMs based on detected intent. read more
Theme – Discourse Central Theme — Meta Pre-Release Out Now!:
Feedback poured in on the experimental central theme, with users critiquing its extra step for category selection when posting topics. read more
Support – PostgreSQL update fails from China: mwaniki and others exchanged troubleshooting tips regarding a PostgreSQL upgrade failure often linked to network acceleration issues in China. read more
Support – Update “3.4.0.beta4” failed:
A critical update failure left many scrambling as jtheletter and pfaffman discussed file permissions and rebuild challenges in a frozen update process. read more
nat:
Joined the New forum settings without menu discussion, providing feedback on the new UX and expressing the need for clearer navigation cues.
Falco:
Weighed in on Docker update questions in the How do I update Docker? thread, urging admins to update their Docker version for optimal performance.
awesomerobot:
Reported that the Require Edit Reason theme component no longer worked as expected, prompting further investigation into its stability.
keegan:
Offered insights on the Developer Toolbox discussion, detailing how it could help hide persistent alerts during theming sessions.
What a day! Yesterday’s flurry of updates, troubleshooting, and creative ideas left us buzzing like a room full of excited kittens – here’s to even more tail-wagging solutions today!
• In the past 24 hours, there were 165 new posts across 22 new topics.
• The top users making waves include:
- Osama: 4 posts with 9 likes
- Shauny: 9 posts with 8 likes
- Heliosurge: 11 posts with 8 likes
- alehandrof: 5 posts with 8 likes
- RGJ: 3 posts with 6 likes
- jordan-vidrine: 2 posts with 6 likes
- Arkshine: 3 posts with 6 likes
- Canapin: 2 posts with 6 likes
- pfaffman: 7 posts with 6 likes
- rahim123: 9 posts with 5 likes
Theme component – Quote Callouts alehandrof, Heliosurge, and others debated how callouts would render in email with stylish quote callouts — a discussion that even touched on plugin workarounds.
Announcements – Dark/light mode toggle now available in core
Members questioned why some button texts remained dark in dark mode and Osama asked for screenshots while explaining design decisions in the dark/light mode toggle thread.
Support – How to Change the Avatar Logo Elena sparked a thread about changing the logo in the bottom right of avatars. Suggestions ranged from using image editing tools to removing borders, as seen in this logo change discussion.
Support – Forum Updated, Several Bugs (Sidekiq not running?)
After the forum updated to the February 2025 stable release, members reported notification issues and a stuck Sidekiq process in this bug report that generated lively troubleshooting comments.
Installation – PSA: GUI Upgrade Failed, Rebuild Required rahim123 shared his experience with the upgrade via the GUI failing and the need to rebuild the app via the command line in this PSA.
Theme component – Discourse Density Toggle
In this topic, Canapin and jordan-vidrine discussed the compact view’s impact—where fonts, avatars, and footer buttons don’t always behave as expected.
Feature – FR: Please Enable Emoji Picker in Flag Message Text Boxes
A feature request by dandv and responses from Jagster and Canapin examined whether an emoji picker in flag message text boxes would improve the user experience, detailed in this discussion.
Support – Computer Toolbar Button Order Different for Some Users
Users noted discrepancies in the composer toolbar with some buttons hiding under the gear icon; a solution involving a mobile-specific component was suggested in this thread.
Plugin – Private Topics Plugin Enhancements
While fans of the plugin praised its design, LaptechInfo and RGJ debated features like padded topics for public visibility in this plugin topic.
Support – Quote Bubble in Reply Header Menu Option
A request to bring the quote bubble back on top of the reply menu was raised by fuse and elaborated on by Moin in this support topic.
Support – Inline Links No Longer Fetch the HTML Title
Members noticed that inline pasted URLs no longer generate a onebox with the page title. Shauny and Arkshine discussed possible causes in this thread.
Bug – Ghost Theme Needs Refactoring
Admin warnings about deprecated theme elements in the Ghost Theme prompted a conversation—Heliosurge and david worked on a PR to resolve the issue as seen here.
Plugin – Locations Plugin Update Discussion Roi and nathank examined recent changes affecting the Locations Plugin and discussed compatibility updates in this topic.
Support – Restored Site: URL Remapping Issues
After running the remap command to correct instance URLs, agemo and RGJ dived deep into the error and sequential fixes in this troubleshooting topic.
It’s been a day of vibrant debates and insightful troubleshooting—yesterday’s activity sure kept our virtual forum buzzing like a carnival at midnight! Enjoy the ride and come back for more fun discussions!
PostgreSQL 15 update:henvo, pfaffman, and others dissected the upgrade challenges, sharing solutions and troubleshooting steps. Read more
#Site feedback
Regarding the “don’t mention/PM team members” étiquette:Canapin raised concerns about the unwritten rule and discussed making team interactions more approachable. Read more
Where to find the latest major release:Saif detailed the new process for accessing release notes, linking to related blog posts and notes for recent betas. Read more
How to change the color of the topic list dividers?: Users sought CSS fixes for barely visible dividers with helpful tips and solutions shared by Arkshine and omarfilip. Read more
AI helper does not know the difference between Discourse and Discord: A playful yet pointed discussion unfolded as RGJ and sam debated AI hallucinations and the biases in tokenized prompts. Read more
#Self-Hosting
Troubleshoot email on a new Discourse install:tobiaseigen welcomed newcomers with debugging advice on SMTP and password quirks, sparking useful follow-up comments. Read more
Understanding Discourse Trust Levels:outdzi and Moin explored whether automated promotion applies across different forums, clarifying common misconceptions. Read more
I want to remove the username display here. Where can I adjust this setting?: Users debated theme components and CSS tweaks after wenqin’s initial query sparked community solutions. Read more
FKB Pro - Social theme: After users encountered display issues with badge style boxes, LaptechInfo and Don collaborated on a swift fix via GitHub commits. Read more
Badge-category__name needs a width constraint for long category names:rahim123 and Canapin highlighted mobile display issues and proposed CSS constraints to prevent overflow. Read more
ActivityPub Plugin:Jagster and others dived into the challenges of image handling and Mastodon integrations, outlining plans for improved support. Read more
Discourse Update Error: Your Docker installation is not working correctly:hanisch’s Docker pull rate error galvanized advice from pfaffman on authentication and OS updates. Read more
Isabelle, an Animal Crossing inspired theme:LaptechInfo sought guidance on color palette mismatches post-installation, inviting community insights for aesthetic tweaks. Read more
Saif led the conversation on major releases by posting about Where to find the latest major release. Dive into his update here.
sam contributed to the discussion on AI misinterpretations in AI helper does not know the difference between Discourse and Discord. Check out his insights here.
tobiaseigen offered welcome troubleshooting tips in Troubleshoot email on a new Discourse install, helping new users navigate configuration quirks. Explore his post here.
What a whirlwind day on meta.discourse.org – yesterday’s deep dives into upgrade errors and ingenious CSS fixes left us all buzzing with ideas and ready for another round of community brilliance!
PluginLocations Plugin – merefield introduced updates and discussed troubleshooting for the Locations Plugin (including compatibility with the new Glimmer Topic List) to ensure smoother map integrations. read more
SupportDetermining Whether My VPS Needs Any Upgrades (Generally) – In this thread, Jonathan5, Heliosurge, and others reviewed best practices to check VPS readiness before performing a Discourse update. read more
Theme Component:Topic List Previews Theme Component – Ahmed26 and merefield explored how to achieve an oval image effect by tweaking CSS, guiding users through minor theme customization. read more
UXNew Forum Settings without Menu – Frustrations over the loss of the grouped settings menu sparked discussion; users like michaeld and Canapin appreciated reverting the change until a smoother navigation solution is developed. read more
SupportUpgrade Failed Spectacularly – A lively debate unfolded as Ed_S, Neptune, and Heliosurge dissected a botched upgrade, discussing backup best practices and command-line solutions to avoid future disruptions. read more
Announcements#webinar:Upcoming Webinar: Love Your Community – With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Danielle invited members to join a webinar on community care and success strategies. read more
Dev#plugin-api:Gem::MissingSpecError for Plugin Gem Dependency – When lllukom encountered a missing sub-dependency issue in a plugin’s setup, david quickly clarified that sub-dependencies must be manually installed, sharing an example for reference. read more
AnnouncementsDark/Light Mode Toggle Now Available in Core – Users like patrickemin and Osama weighed in on dark mode behavior as they investigated why the toggle wasn’t always appearing in the sidebar, prompting a discussion on system and personal settings. read more
SupportTrying to Update Docker on DigitalOcean; Stuck on Docker 19.03.13 – pearsonified’s struggle with an outdated Docker version on his DigitalOcean droplet sparked suggestions (notably from pfaffman) to upgrade the OS and clean up APT sources before attempting a rebuild. read more
SupportOld Multisite Domains Still Serving Default Forum After Disabling Multisite – A post by Abdelrahman_MoHamed led to a fruitful discussion on DNS configurations and the proper removal of old A records to prevent unintended forum redirects. read more
SupportHow to Move from /u/ Page to /admin/users/ Page – Jonathan5 raised concerns over mobile navigation, and Moin explained that on desktop the admin button is easily visible while on mobile users might need to scroll to access it. read more
UXDo Auto Margins Still Need to Be Unset on Mobile? – Layout issues on Android tablets prompted nolo and pmusaraj to discuss whether the auto margin unsetting for the main-outlet wrapper should be dropped or adjusted for better tablet display. read more
AnnouncementsPostgreSQL 15 Update – As forum administrators braced for PostgreSQL updates, Jagster and mwaniki explained how to address “device busy” errors when moving database directories during the rebuild process. read more
FeatureMissing Indexing Settings after v3.4.0.beta4 Update – Concerns over hidden settings in the new admin sidebar (compared to the old menu) led Hugh and Jagster to call for a reversion or improved search functionality for site settings. read more
Theme Component:Require Edit Reason – In a bid to streamline the editing process, awesomerobot presented a refactored component that leverages native composer behavior to enforce the addition of an edit reason before saving changes. read more
tobiaseigen actively supported the Locations Plugin discussion by clarifying compatibility issues and fielding questions. Check out his insightful posts here and here.
david stepped in on the Gem::MissingSpecError for Plugin Gem Dependency thread by offering a quick workaround, and he also shared best practices on secure authentication in Discourse OpenID Connect (OIDC). See his contributions here and here.
Danielle led the charge on community engagement by announcing the Upcoming Webinar: Love Your Community, ensuring members were informed and encouraged to participate. read more
mwaniki lent his technical expertise to assist users encountering PostgreSQL update issues, detailing solutions for mounting and file movement errors. His guidance is available here.
awesomerobot reworked the Require Edit Reason component to better align with Discourse’s native composer, enhancing the editing workflow. His detailed fix can be seen here.
HAWK contributed valuable feedback on internal team liaison practices and helped clarify proper mention etiquette in team-focused discussions. Find his input here.
pmusaraj improved our understanding of mobile layout quirks by sharing his observations on auto margin settings, emphasizing the need for responsive theme adjustments. His corrections are documented here.
hugh provided clear guidance on dark mode configurations during the Dark/Light Mode Toggle discussion, offering tips to troubleshoot system and personal setting mismatches. See his advice here.
sam flagged issues with semantic search and chart scaling; his troubleshooting comments have initiated further investigation into performance optimizations. His feedback is available here and here.
kelv made a brief but appreciated contribution by checking in on system requirement discussions—ensuring compatibility remains top of mind. See his note here.
What a day! Yesterday’s flurry of troubleshooting, insightful fixes, and lively debates has left us energized—time to power up our coffee machines and dive into another round of forum fun!