# Group User Status **URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/group-user-status/393748 **Category:** Plugin **Tags:** user-status **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/group-user-status/393748 "2026-01-18T18:24:18Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 1
### Author: ![Lilly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/lilly/32/575047_2.png) [@Lilly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Lilly) #### Post date: [January 18, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/group-user-status/393748/1 "2026-01-18T18:24:18Z")
| | | | | --- | --- | --- | | ℹ | **Summary** | Restricts the user status feature to specific groups | | 🛠 | **Repository Link** | [https://github.com/Lillinator/group-user-status](https://github.com/Lillinator/group-user-status) | | 📖 | **Install Guide** | [How to install plugins in Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/install-plugins-in-discourse/19157) | ## 👩🏻‍💻 Overview This simple plugin gives forum administrators the ability to restrict user statuses to specific user groups or trust levels. Currently, the user status in Discourse core can only be enabled for the entire forum. However, this plugin introduces more granular control, allowing admins to designate which groups of users can set and display user statuses, providing more flexibility for tailored community management. ### Features - **Group-based permissions** - Restrict user status setting to selected groups (trust levels, custom groups, or both) - **Admin override** - Admins always retain status permissions regardless of group selection - **Automatic cleanup** - Removes statuses from users when they lose permission (via setting changes or group removal) - **UI integration** - Hides status controls from unauthorized users * * * ## ⚙ Installation & Configuration 1. Follow the [standard plugin installation guide](https://meta.discourse.org/t/install-plugins-on-a-self-hosted-site/19157). 2. Go to `Admin -> All site settings` and search for “user status” to get the relevant admin settings. 3. Make sure the existing admin setting `Enable_user_status` is enabled. 4. Then go to the new admin setting `User_status_allowed_groups` and select the groups that are permitted to use and display the user status feature. 5. Groups not in the `User_status_allowed_groups` setting list will not have access to the user status modal from the tab in the user menu, nor from their `preferences/account` tab. 6. If you have `Enable_user_status` already enabled and some users have their user status set, this plugin will clear their status unless they are added to the new setting right away. 7. It will also remove an existing status if a user is removed from an allowed group either via the `/admin/users/` or `/admin/groups/` path (or if they are allowed to leave the group on their own and do so). 8. Selecting the pseudo-group `everyone` is no different than leaving it default empty or not even installing the component! 9. Admins can always set and change their status regardless of which groups are selected; thus, just selecting the `admins` group will restrict user status usage to the forum admins. * * * ## 🔧 Settings There is one new admin setting added by the plugin - `User_status_allowed_groups`, which is a dropdown list of the forum’s groups. It can be found by searching `user status` in All site settings, and it is listed under the `Group permissions` section of the admin sidebar. ![Screenshot 2026-01-18 at 9.49.05 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/7/0/2/7022e8f2be82b30a52916ec5dfc777442e340241.jpeg) * * * ## 💼 Example Use Cases - If the user status functionality is only relevant to forum staff, and they may want to show a user status for the rest of the forum. - Let only category moderators set their status. - Can be used to prevent abuse (or other misuse) of the user status feature by less trusted groups of users. - Only special groups should be able to show their user status - for example, tech support team, product sellers, category experts, patrons, master yo-yo tricksters, etc. - Only admins are allowed to go for coffee 😉 ☕. * * * ## 💡 Notes: Notifcations and Calendar Integration This plugin only affects user status, not notification settings: - The “pause notifications” option in the status modal is a separate feature. - If a user’s status is cleared by this plugin, their paused notifications remain active. - The paused notification indicator stays on their avatar until the duration expires or they manually unpause. If you have the [Discourse Calendar plugin](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-calendar) installed: - Holiday statuses set by the Calendar plugin are NOT affected by this plugin. - **Very rare edge case:** If a user manually overwrites their holiday status and an admin removes their group from `user_status_allowed_groups` during their scheduled holiday, the manual status will be cleared. - The Calendar plugin automatically resets holiday statuses every 10 minutes, so any cleared status is restored at the next scheduled run. - Users cannot manually set or edit statuses if they’re not in an allowed group but currently have a scheduled holiday status. ## 📸 More Screenshots > **Screenshots of setting effect on user status** > > Permission to use the user-status feature is granted in the `User_status_allowed_groups` setting. For example, a `test-pilot` user is `TL_2` and in the `purple` group; here they are allowed to set and display a user status, along with `Staff` and `TL_4`: > > ![Screenshot 2026-01-18 at 9.41.55 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/c/3/0/c30b08c4398792cfe40b90c8d1a85c63c9913a1e.jpeg) > ![Screenshot 2026-01-18 at 9.43.00 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/f/5/5/f55f6ce9a3749742e3cdddd325eb788f4c018aa1.jpeg) > > > > As soon as the `User_status_allowed_groups` setting is changed and the `purple` group is removed from the setting, the `test-pilot` user’s ability to use the user status feature is removed from the user menu and their `preferences/account` page, and if they have an existing user status set, it is cleared on their next page refresh. The same effect happens when a user is removed from the group (or leaves, if allowed to do so). > > ![Screenshot 2026-01-18 at 9.39.54 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/2/d/b/2dbf5a73319f799faf14b5eb5ca6098c9c4d5f18.jpeg) > > ![Screenshot 2026-01-18 at 9.41.32 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/c/6/f/c6f6d49bc4a1e3b7d7f704058f286acbcf4ba382.jpeg) * * * **[Check out my other Discourse stuff](https://meta.discourse.org/filter?q=category%3Acustomization%20created-by%3ALilly%20order%3Acreated)** --- _[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/group-user-status/393748)._