# Request ESR backport: Allow granular API keys access to about.json

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-esr-backport-allow-granular-api-keys-access-to-about-json/408619
**Category:** Development
**Tags:** mcp
**Created:** [July 27, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-esr-backport-allow-granular-api-keys-access-to-about-json/408619 "2026-07-27T15:38:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![bdfl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@bdfl](https://meta.discourse.org/u/bdfl)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-esr-backport-allow-granular-api-keys-access-to-about-json/408619/1 "2026-07-27T15:38:28Z")

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@supermathie @awesomerobot

Following up on the closed topic [API user with granular access cannot read about.json | Discourse MCP](https://meta.discourse.org/t/api-user-with-granular-access-cannot-read-about-json-discourse-mcp/398792)

ESR users who want to use the Discourse MCP server with least-privilege security on login-required sites are currently blocked. The fix allows granular API keys to access `/about.json` and is in main/stable (v2026.4.0+) but not in ESR.

Could PR #38948 be backported to ESR?

PR #38948: [DEV: allow granular api keys access to about.json - Pull Request #38948 - discourse/discourse - GitHub](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/38948)

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### Author: ![merefield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/merefield/32/176214_2.png) [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-esr-backport-allow-granular-api-keys-access-to-about-json/408619/2 "2026-07-27T16:33:03Z")

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FYI esr is about to get a release I think?

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### Author: ![bdfl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@bdfl](https://meta.discourse.org/u/bdfl)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-esr-backport-allow-granular-api-keys-access-to-about-json/408619/4 "2026-07-28T18:14:05Z")

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Yes, I see it now, thanks!

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### Author: ![j.jaffeux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/j.jaffeux/32/60297_2.png) [@j.jaffeux](https://meta.discourse.org/u/j.jaffeux)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-esr-backport-allow-granular-api-keys-access-to-about-json/408619/8 "2026-07-28T19:56:50Z")

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