# Is there any workaround to let topic starters reopen their own closed topics?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [November 26, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771 "2025-11-26T22:46:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tealk](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Tealk)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/1 "2025-11-26T22:46:47Z")
Hello,
I understand that currently, only moderators, admins, or users with the Leader (TL4) trust level can reopen closed topics. For my forum, I would like to allow the original topic starter to reopen their topics after they’ve been closed.
I already checked the documentation and some feature request topics, but as far as I can tell, this feature isn’t available by default. Is there any possible workaround, perhaps with plugins, permissions tweaks that would make this possible? Alternatively, are there existing third-party solutions or recommended approaches for this use case?
Thanks for any advice or suggestions!
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### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2025, 3:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/2 "2025-11-27T03:48:22Z")
You’re right that there isn’t such a feature in core. A workaround is to flag the topic to let the staff know, but that may take a while if the staff aren’t online all the time. Another workaround is to use Category Moderators.
A plugin will likely be able to do the trick here. \[1\]
After digging around a bit, I found this plugin that might suit your needs:
> [@Topic OP moderation Plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/topic-op-moderation-plugin/256222):
>
> Continuing the discussion from [Ability for users to act as moderators on their own topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ability-for-users-to-act-as-moderators-on-their-own-topic/117526/46): This plugin has basically been developed and tested now. Features I don’t really like to explain its functions, so I decided to use pictures to illustrate what it can do. Users It adds a button appears just after topic-admin-button for public topic’s creator PM is not supported since I don’t think it’s necessary. Everyone should apply before gain moderation permissions, but the application c…
But note that there are [some problems](https://meta.discourse.org/t/topic-op-moderation-plugin/256222/12) with it.
* * *
1. Maybe a Theme Component too? Let me take a look.
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### Author:  [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2025, 5:32am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/3 "2025-11-27T05:32:44Z")
The Topic OP Moderation Plugin looks like a pretty full solution, and it’s hard to guess whether that last reported error will happen to anyone else. If you try it out, please share your experience in that topic.
> **(EDIT: irrelevant references)**
>
> (I misread OP and went on this tangent…)
>
> If the plugin doesn’t work out, there are several old feature requests still open for this. As of this writing, none have any votes – probably because topic voting was only enabled in May 2024 – but you could be the first:
>
> 2020-11-04 [The topic creator should be able to close it - Feature](https://meta.discourse.org/t/the-topic-creator-should-be-able-to-close-it/169267)
>
> 2019-05-12 [Ability for users to act as moderators on their own topic - Feature](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ability-for-users-to-act-as-moderators-on-their-own-topic/117526)
>
> 2019-01-31 [Allow Users to Close Their Own Topics - Feature](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-users-to-close-their-own-topics/108060)
>
> 2018-11-16 [Ability to close a topic you started - Feature](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ability-to-close-a-topic-you-started/102205)
>
> 2014-06-12 [Allow regular user to archive (or close) their own topic? - Feature](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-regular-user-to-archive-or-close-their-own-topic/16498)
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### Author:  [@NateDhaliwal](https://meta.discourse.org/u/NateDhaliwal)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2025, 5:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/4 "2025-11-27T05:58:11Z")
Funnily enough, almost all (if not all) of those requests are pertaining to the ability of _closing_, not reopening. This seems like one of the first about reopening.
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### Author:  [@sb56637](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sb56637)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2025, 6:26am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/5 "2025-11-27T06:26:27Z")
I would also find it useful if the topic starter could edit their own first post even if the topic is locked. I really would prefer to not have to use a plugin for the functionality.
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### Author:  [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2025, 6:29am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/6 "2025-11-27T06:29:05Z")
Doh! 😳 I got trigger-happy and related this question to my notes on users _closing_ topics. Amending my reply.
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### Author:  [@Tealk](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Tealk)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2025, 9:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-there-any-workaround-to-let-topic-starters-reopen-their-own-closed-topics/389771/7 "2025-11-27T09:00:56Z")
> [@NateDhaliwal](#):
>
> flag the topic
That would only work once; I already had this problem with a wrong moderation decision. You can’t flag the same contribution multiple times.