# Discourse Category Experts
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-category-experts/190814
**Category:** Plugin
**Tags:** official, category-experts
**Created:** [May 18, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-category-experts/190814 "2021-05-18T15:53:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-category-experts/190814/1 "2021-05-18T15:53:46Z")
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| :discourse2: | **Summary** | **Discourse Category Experts** allows users to endorse each other as experts in specific categories. Category expertsโ posts are decorated to highlight their expertise. |
| ๐ | **Repository Link** | [https://github.com/discourse/discourse-category-experts](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-category-experts) |
| ๐ | **Install Guide** | [How to install plugins in Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/install-plugins-in-discourse/19157) |
> [@](#):
>
> :discourse2: As this is an #official plugin maintained by the Discourse team, #Support, #Contribute > Bug, #Contribute > UX, and #Contribute > Feature requests can be made in the respective categories here on Meta, and tagged with the appropriate plugin tag. Click on a link below to get one started. ๐
>
> [โ **Support**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=6&body=%3E%20Before%20asking,%20did%20you%20search%20first%3F%20Press%20%F0%9F%94%8D%20at%20the%20upper%20right%20to%20search.&tags=category-experts "Ask for support on configuring and using Discourse Category Experts") [๐ **Bug**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=1&tags=category-experts "A bug report means something is broken, preventing normal/typical use of the plugin") [๐ **UX**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=9&tags=category-experts "Discussion about the user interface of Discourse Category Experts, and how features are presented (including language and UI elements)") [๐ก **Feature**](https://meta.discourse.org/new-topic?category_id=2&tags=category-experts "Discussion about how existing Discourse Category Experts features can be improved or enhanced, and how proposed new features could work")
### TL;DR
1. Create an expert group for each of the specific categories you want to enable expert endorsements. To learn how to create groups, see: [How to create a group in Discourse - howto / admins - Discourse Meta](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-create-a-group-in-discourse/197220)
2. Enable for each of the categories you want to set this up for and point the category to that group using the `category experts group` category setting. This would open up the category for endorsements to start being tracked.
3. Once all of this is enabled, experts should start coming up for review, and can be added to the groups previously created.
4. If you want to adjust this feature/plugin a bit more to match your preference, be sure to read through the setting documentation below and learn what can be done and how you can use them. If anything is unclear, please reply this post and someone will respond.
## Configure
**Site Settings**
- `category_expert_suggestion_threshold`: Suggest category experts after this many endorsements. This creates an item in the review queue for admin.
- `category_experts_posts_require_approval`: Instead of auto-decorating category expertsโ posts, staff need to manually give posts a thumbs up for them to be decorated. This is not recommended unless you have highly active moderators.
- `send_category_experts_reminder_pms`: Send a weekly PM to category experts with a linked to unanswered questions.
- `send_admin_category_experts_posts_reminder_pm`: Send a weekly PM to staff with a linked to unapproved category expert posts. This only works when `category_experts_posts_require_approval` is enabled.
- `approve_past_posts_on_becoming_category_expert`: When a user is placed into a category experts group, mark all their existing posts in the category(s) as expert posts. When a user is removed from a category expert group, un-mark their existing posts as expert posts.
- `max_category_expert_endorsements_per_day`: Number of endorsements a user can give out in a day
- `tl2_additional_category_expert_endorsements_per_day_multiplier`: Multiplier on top of `max_category_expert_endorsements_per_day` to give tl2 users more daily endorsements
- `tl3_additional_category_expert_endorsements_per_day_multiplier`: Multiplier on top of `max_category_expert_endorsements_per_day` to give tl3 users more daily endorsements
- `tl4_additional_category_expert_endorsements_per_day_multiplier`: Multiplier on top of `max_category_expert_endorsements_per_day` to give tl4 users more daily endorsements
**Category Settings**
- `Category experts group`: Group of category experts for the category.
- `Badge`: Badge given to users when they are approved as a category expert. No badge will be awarded if this is `None`.
- `Currently accepting user endorsements`: Whether or not users can be endorsed as experts for the category. The endorse button shows on user card, and user profile page.
- `Currently accepting questions for category experts`: If enabled, a checkbox will appear in the composer for users to mark a topic is a question for category experts.
* * *
## Topic View
Pills appear on the topic view to indicate whether a topic has a category experts response, or if the topic is a question for category experts.
## Search
There are advanced search filters for category expert fields. The appropriate search fields are shown/hidden based on who the user is. `With expert response` is shown to all users, `Question for expert` and `Without category expert post` are shown to category experts, and `With unapproved post` is only shown for staff.
> :discourse2: **Hosted by us?** This plugin is available on our Enterprise plans.
> Last edited by @JammyDodger 2024-06-18T14:20:06Z
>
> > **Check document**
> >
> > Perform check on document:
---
### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-category-experts/190814/54 "2024-06-10T18:54:34Z")
2 posts were split to a new topic: [Can I differentiate between two expert groups?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/can-i-differentiate-between-two-expert-groups/311436)
---
### Author:  [@tobiaseigen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tobiaseigen)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-category-experts/190814/59 "2025-03-05T17:53:09Z")
3 posts were split to a new topic: [Tag experts plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/tag-experts-plugin/355898)
---
### Author:  [@patrickemin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/patrickemin)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-category-experts/190814/60 "2025-08-17T22:54:26Z")
> [@Discourse](#):
>
> Currently accepting questions for category experts
Hi, what is the effect of checking that check box in the composer, is a PM sent to the expert group? Thanks.