This is a guide for describing all available hidden site settings on Discourse hosted sites, how to request them, and why you might want to adjust them.
Required user level: Administrator
Hidden settings on Discourse hosted sites
In Discourse, hidden site settings are configuration options not available in the standard admin interface. These settings provide additional customization capabilities for your Discourse instance but are hidden because they:
- Require technical expertise to implement properly
- Could impact stability and security if misconfigured
- Are infrequently needed by most Discourse sites
Available hidden settings
The table below lists hidden site settings that the Discourse team can adjust for hosted customers, along with which plans support each setting:
| Site Setting | Available On | Description |
|---|---|---|
allow_anonymous_mode |
All plans except Free | Enable the option for users to switch to anonymous mode to reply or create topics. |
watched_words_regular_expressions |
All plans except Free | Allows admins to use regex with watched words. |
can_permanently_delete |
All plans except Free | Allows permanent deletion of posts, topics, and post history (complete removal from the database, rather than the typical soft-delete mechanism). |
enable_badge_sql |
Enterprise Only | Allows admins to create custom triggered SQL badge queries. |
max_category_nesting |
Enterprise Only | The maximum number of nested levels allowed for categories. The default is 2, and it can be adjusted according to your needs but typically doesn’t exceed 3 to maintain structure clarity. |
secure_uploads |
Enterprise Only | Limits access to ALL uploads (images, video, audio, text, pdfs, zips, and others). If “login required” is enabled, only logged-in users can access uploads. Otherwise, access will be limited only for media uploads in private messages and private categories. |
prevent anons from downloading files |
All plans except Free | This setting will now prevent anonymous (non-logged-in) users from downloading attachments posted on your forum. When enabled, only authenticated users will be able to download files. |
enable staged users |
All plans except Free | Automatically create staged users when processing incoming emails. |
Requesting changes
To request changes to any of the above site settings, contact the Discourse support team at team@discourse.org. To help us better understand your needs, please include the following information in your request:
- Site setting name
- Desired value or change
- The context surrounding the request
FAQs
Q: Why are some settings not available on my plan?
A: Some settings require advanced configurations and are only available on plans that offer more extensive support.
We do not support any hidden settings on our Free hosting plan.
Q: How long does it take for changes to take effect?
A: After the Discourse team adjusts a setting, changes typically take effect immediately, but some might require a brief period to propagate.
Q: I need to adjust a setting that isn’t listed here. What should I do?
A: If you need to change a setting that isn’t listed above, please reach out to the Discourse support team.
Last edited by @southpaw 2026-03-10T17:07:52Z
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