This topic explains how the Discourse trust level system works behind the scenes. It provides an overview of how each level is calculated and describes in more detail what requirements need to be met to progress. While most of these values can be adjusted in your site settings, the information below reflects the default configuration.
Trust level overview
| Level | Name | How to earn |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | New | Default for all new users |
| 1 | Basic | Automatic, based on reading activity |
| 2 | Member | Automatic, based on sustained participation |
| 3 | Regular | Automatic, based on 100-day rolling activity |
| 4 | Leader | Manual promotion by staff only |
Trust level 1, basic
Trust level 1 focuses entirely on reading. You don’t need to post, like, or interact—just spend time exploring the community.
Requirements for trust level 1
| Requirement | Default threshold |
|---|---|
| Topics entered | At least 5 |
| Posts read | At least 30 |
| Time spent reading | At least 10 minutes |
These requirements count your all-time activity and cannot be lost once achieved.
What counts towards trust level 1
- Entering topics: Each unique topic you open counts toward “topics entered”, including PMs.
- Reading posts: Scrolling through posts in regular topics counts toward your “posts read” total.
- Time reading: Time spent with posts visible on screen accumulates toward your reading time, including PMs.
What doesn’t count towards trust level 1
- Personal messages (PMs) do not count towards posts read.
Trust level 2, member
Trust level 2 requires more sustained engagement over multiple days and introduces social interaction requirements.
Requirements for trust level 2
| Requirement | Default threshold |
|---|---|
| Topics entered | At least 20 |
| Posts read | At least 100 |
| Time spent reading | At least 60 minutes |
| Days visited | At least 15 (not necessarily consecutive) |
| Likes given | At least 1 |
| Likes received | At least 1 |
| Topics replied to | At least 3 different topics |
Like trust level 1, these requirements count your all-time activity and cannot be lost once achieved.
What counts towards trust level 2
- Everything of trust level 1
- Days visited: Each unique day you log in and view the forum counts as a visit.
- Topics replied to: Replying to different topics (not just multiple replies in the same topic) counts toward the requirement.
- Likes given and received: Both giving and receiving likes on public posts count toward these requirements.
What doesn’t count towards trust level 2
- Personal messages (PMs) do not count towards posts read, likes, and topics replied to.
- Replies to your own topics do not count towards topics replied to.
Trust level 3, regular
Trust level 3 is fundamentally different from the earlier levels. It evaluates your activity over a rolling 100-day window, meaning the system looks at what you’ve done in the last 100 days specifically. You can both earn and lose this level based on your recent activity.
Requirements for trust level 3
| Requirement | Default threshold |
|---|---|
| Topics entered | 25% of topics created in the last 100 days (capped at 500) |
| Posts read | 25% of posts created in the last 100 days (capped at 20,000) |
| Topics replied to | At least 10 different topics |
| Days visited | Visited and read at least one post on 50% of the last 100 days |
| Likes given | At least 30 |
| Likes received | At least 20 |
| Likes from unique users | At least from 4 unique users |
| Likes on unique days | At least on 7 different days |
| Flagged posts | No more than 5 spam or offensive flags confirmed by moderators |
| Suspensions/silences | None in the last 6 months and not currently |
Additionally, there are all-time minimum requirements for topics viewed and posts read that must be met:
All time viewed topics:200All time read posts: 500
Trust level 3 clarifications
- Days visited with reading: Days where you actually read posts count toward the visit requirement. It’s no longer enough to just log in.
- Unique users and days for likes: The system tracks that your likes come from different people across different days, preventing “like trading” with a single friend.
What doesn’t count towards trust level 3
- Personal messages (PMs): Replies to PMs, likes given in PMs, and likes received in PMs do not count.
- Likes between a small group: If all your likes come from just one or two people, you won’t meet the unique user threshold even if you have enough total likes.
- Likes bunched on a few days: Likes need to be spread across multiple days, not concentrated.
- Replies to your own topic do not count towards topics replied to.
Losing trust level 3
Trust level 3 can be lost if you fall below the requirements. The system checks your activity using a “low-water mark” of approximately 90% of the promotion requirements. However, there is a 14-day grace period after first achieving trust level 3, during which you cannot be demoted.
If you are demoted, you return to trust level 2 and must meet the full requirements again to regain trust level 3.
Trust level 4, leader
Trust level 4 cannot be earned through activity. It must be manually granted by site administrators or moderators. Staff may promote users they trust to help with community moderation tasks.
Summary: Actions that never count
Across all trust levels, certain activities are consistently excluded:
- Reading posts in PMs
- Replying in PMs
- Likes given in PMs
- Likes received in PMs
- Replies to your own topic
- Multiple replies in the same topic
Common questions
Can I lose trust level 1 or 2?
No. Once earned, trust levels 1 and 2 are permanent and cannot be lost through inactivity.
Why doesn’t my PM activity count?
Private messages are excluded to prevent gaming the system and to ensure trust levels reflect genuine public community participation.
How often are trust level metrics checked?
Trust level 3 promotions and demotions are checked daily by a scheduled job, on a 12 hour cycle.
What happens if I’m suspended?
A suspension or silence within the last 6 months disqualifies you from trust level 3. After 6 months without penalties, you become eligible again.
Can an admin manually set my trust level?
Yes. Administrators can manually promote or demote users to any trust level. They can also “lock” a trust level to prevent automatic changes.
We’ve tried to make this as accurate as possible, but this is a large and complex part of the codebase, so mistakes can happen. If something looks wrong, the community will likely spot it quickly — and we’d appreciate you letting us know.
!