# More flexible category-level topic and reply approvals

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/more-flexible-category-level-topic-and-reply-approvals/401132
**Category:** Announcements
**Created:** [April 21, 2026, 12:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/more-flexible-category-level-topic-and-reply-approvals/401132 "2026-04-21T12:09:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![lindsey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/lindsey/32/318210_2.png) [@lindsey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lindsey)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2026, 12:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/more-flexible-category-level-topic-and-reply-approvals/401132/1 "2026-04-21T12:09:09Z")

</div>

We’ve made it easier to setup category approval requirements which control who needs to get staff approval before their topic and / or reply can be posted. By making this system more flexible, we hope to reduce any unnecessary work for your community team while keeping desired safeguards in place.

Previously, this was an all-or-nothing setting — you had to require approval for everyone or no one. Now, you can also require approval for new topics or new replies for:

- Everyone _except_ users in certain groups
- No one _except_ users in certain groups

So you can really fine-tune who does (or does not) need approval to post in a particular category!

These settings and others related to category moderation are now shown on a special **Moderation** tab in the category editing area:

 ![The settings that control who needs moderator approval before posting new topics or new replies in the category.](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/f/a/c/fac247ba04264e6939a18c855976c831a06f797d.png)