# Understanding "helpful flags" on user profiles

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-helpful-flags-on-user-profiles/25385
**Category:** Site Management
**Tags:** explanation, users
**Created:** [February 19, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-helpful-flags-on-user-profiles/25385 "2015-02-19T03:30:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Discourse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/discourse/32/148734_2.png) [@Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Discourse)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/understanding-helpful-flags-on-user-profiles/25385/1 "2015-02-19T03:30:14Z")

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> 🔖 This topic explains what “helpful flags” means on a user’s profile page and how this metric is calculated.
> 
> 🙋 Required user level: Moderators and Admin

When you view a user’s profile on Discourse, you might notice a metric called “helpful flags”. This number represents the user’s contribution to community moderation through the effective use of the flagging system.

![Helpful flags on user profile](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/a/d/ad502bfc46dc2d64bdab6f7102bf1e506223267b.png)

## How are helpful flags calculated?

The helpful flags count represents the number of flags a user has submitted that have **not been disagreed with** by a moderator. Specifically, it includes:

- Flags that a moderator **agreed** with
- Flags that a moderator **ignored** (deferred)
- Flags that are still **pending** review

If a moderator **disagrees** with a flag, it is excluded from the count.

## Why are helpful flags important?

Helpful flags are a measure of a user’s positive contributions to community moderation. They indicate that the user is actively helping to maintain the quality and appropriateness of content on the forum.

## FAQs

**Q: Do all flags count towards helpful flags?**  
A: All flags count initially. A flag is only removed from the count if a moderator explicitly disagrees with it.

**Q: Can I see details of my helpful flags?**  
A: This information is only visible to staff (moderators and admins) when viewing a user’s profile, so is not visible to most users.

> Last edited by @JammyDodger 2024-07-09T11:50:37Z
> 
> Last checked by @hugh 2024-07-09T11:39:22Z
> 
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