# Request: Topic Pruning
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-topic-pruning/33170
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [September 12, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-topic-pruning/33170 "2015-09-12T19:15:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@KazWolfe](https://meta.discourse.org/u/KazWolfe)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-topic-pruning/33170/1 "2015-09-12T19:15:30Z")
After reading [this topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/purge-old-topics/33159) and realizing that Discourse had no built-in pruning system, I came to make this post.
* * *
This would be a system where Discourse would automatically delete threads older than _ **x** _. It should be configured on a per-category basis, much like the autolock methods.
This would be especially useful for categories or topics that are relevant for only a very short amount of time, at which point they’ll never be looked at or heard from again. I personally would use this to provide my forum with a sandbox where they can test Discourse’s features and formatting. Within about an hour or two, the topic would be deleted and everything will return to normal.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-topic-pruning/33170/2 "2015-09-12T23:39:26Z")
I would rather build a same category archiving ability as previously discussed.
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### Author:  [@chapoi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chapoi)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/request-topic-pruning/33170/4 "2025-12-04T11:36:59Z")