# How does auto-close topics work?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 22, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122 "2022-02-22T23:54:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Noah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Noah)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/1 "2022-02-22T23:54:21Z")
When I made this post:
It was automatically locked for no reason, the channel does not auto lock topics usually & the user broke none of the rules, they never changed categories either.
Can someone tell me the story behind this please?
---
### Author:  [@supermathie](https://meta.discourse.org/u/supermathie)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/2 "2022-02-23T00:57:40Z")
It says in the screenshot:
> automatically closed 1 minute after the last reply
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### Author:  [@IAmGav](https://meta.discourse.org/u/IAmGav)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/3 "2022-02-23T00:58:00Z")
You would need to contact the admins of that site.
If you click on the profile pic next to the lock, you will see who closed the topic.
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### Author:  [@Noah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Noah)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2022, 6:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/4 "2022-02-23T18:27:55Z")
The system closed the post, I am an admin of the site.
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/5 "2022-02-23T18:37:56Z")
It was closed ‘one minute after the last reply’, which sounds like a topic timer? Is there anything special about the category they posted in?
I was thinking maybe a mistyped timer in the category settings tab. Something like this:
Or maybe just one on that topic?
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### Author:  [@Noah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Noah)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/6 "2022-02-26T13:55:01Z")
It’s not on and it was never put on, it hasn’t had any timers, it never had any effects on it either.
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### Author:  [@IAmGav](https://meta.discourse.org/u/IAmGav)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/7 "2022-02-26T14:06:40Z")
All I can suggest is checking the `/logs`
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/8 "2022-02-26T16:03:43Z")
I don’t know of another way that message appears? I think it’s specifically an Auto-Close one that’s based on last reply. It seems that the topic had a timer put on it somehow, and by the system rather than by a mod or admin.
If you have access to the [data explorer](https://meta.discourse.org/t/data-explorer-plugin/32566) you could check the `topic_timers` table for clues, but I don’t know how much that will give away? If there’s no record of one for that topic that might help rule it out at least.
```plaintext
SELECT *
FROM topic_timers
ORDER BY created_at DESC
```
Has it happened to any other topics?
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### Author:  [@IAmGav](https://meta.discourse.org/u/IAmGav)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/9 "2022-02-26T16:15:00Z")
@JammyDodger, he just needs to go check the `/admin/logs/`
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/10 "2022-02-26T16:18:11Z")
I didn’t think ~~system~~ timer closed topic appeared in the admin logs? I’ll have another play.
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### Author:  [@IAmGav](https://meta.discourse.org/u/IAmGav)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/11 "2022-02-26T16:20:37Z")
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/12 "2022-02-26T16:24:42Z")
The last ‘topic closed’ admin log on my test site is from 4 days ago. The two I’ve just been playing with with the Timers do not show up there. I will investigate further. 🙂
Update:
I’ve just run it again, and if I set an Auto-Close timer for 1 minute after the last reply, the topic closes but no admin log is created. 🤷♂️ The only related thing in there is the record of the category settings change to add the timer (when I add one through the topic wrench, it leaves no record).
* * *
By the look of it, the only place to find a record of a topic timer (other than the close message itself) is through using the [Data Explorer](https://meta.discourse.org/t/32566?silent=true) and checking the `topic_timers` table.
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### Author:  [@Noah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Noah)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/13 "2022-02-27T13:06:12Z")
It doesn’t show on the logs.
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### Author:  [@Noah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Noah)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-does-auto-close-topics-work/219122/14 "2022-04-26T20:59:51Z")
I had another case of this happening:
No topic timer or anything.