If an admin can do everything that a mod can do, what’s the thought process behind these automatically created accounts being set to both? If there’s something that mod can do that admin cannot, maybe an article needs to more clearly state that, 'cause I searched before posting and could not find this info.

Admins are not notified about messages in the inbox of the moderators group. I think one of the reasons the first admin is now a moderator by default was this option [image]Automatic silencing for "typing too fast" doesn't notify administrator If a user is automatically silenced, send a message to all moderators” Moderators are also notified about unhandled flags and users in the review queue, as well as users who are ignored by other users. And I think even though admins can read all messages, Discourse behaves differently when you reply to a message that was sent to a group as a member of that group. Then the individual user isn’t added to the conversation. When an admin visits the moderator inbox and replies to a message, the individual admin is added. Example from Meta: as you can see, the users who are admin and moderator were not added, but the admin was added when he handled the flag which has sent an automatic reply. [Screenshot_20250609_234730_Firefox] [Screenshot_20250609_233845_Firefox] [Screenshot_20250609_233954_Firefox] If an account is later removed from a group, they lose access to the conversations they had access to because of being a group member, but not to those where their account was added because they were not a member of the group. So pmusaraj will still be able to look at our conversation even without admin permissions, while the others will lose access once they are no longer admin or moderator.

Hey tknospdr :waving_hand: Not sure what you’re referring to when you say ‘super admin’. Discourses’ nomenclature only uses ‘admin’ and ‘moderator’ together they are referred to as ‘staff’ I’ve taken your question to mean: why are prebuilt accounts, system and discobot granted admin. [image] tknospdr: what’s the thought process behind these automatically created accounts being set to both? Here’s what :robot: Discourses’ AI had to say about this. Why System and Discobot Have Elevated Privileges AI Here’s why both the prebuilt ‘system’ and ‘discobot’ accounts in Discourse have admin and moderator roles: 1. system account The system account is a special, built-in user that acts automatically on behalf of the platform. It performs automated tasks such as: Sending critical system notifications and digests. Posting default pinned topics. Running background moderation (e.g., automatic closing, flagged post actions). It must have both admin and moderator privileges to access the full system, perform actions on any Topic, and override all category or user restrictions. Most core platform automation relies on these elevated powers. There is no supported way to remove its privileges, as this could break essential Discourse features. Changing the username of the system account is not recommended, as it may cause confusion or be reverted on update; see the discussion here: Is it recommended to change Discobot and System username?. 2. discobot account discobot is the built-in onboarding “narrative bot”. It guides new users through tutorials, sends automated messages, and can interact programmatically with most features to assist users. Admin rights are required because discobot needs to: Send messages or perform actions regardless of category restrictions or user trust level. Access inboxes, send private messages, and replicate all staff behaviors needed for onboarding. According to the documentation: “Discobot must remain an administrator; this role cannot be removed.” (see the official guide) Discobot is not a moderator by default, but always has admin rights. Security Considerations Both accounts are designed to run in a trusted, automated capacity and are protected by platform constraints. Do not use these accounts for regular staff activity or modify their privileges, as this may impact core Discourse automation. References: Understanding user statuses, roles, and permissions Customizing Discobot for your site Is it recommended to change Discobot and System username? If you have further questions about customizing these accounts or concerned about their scope, please let me know!

[image] tknospdr: If there’s something that mod can do that admin cannot, maybe an article needs to more clearly state that, 'cause I searched before posting and could not find this info. there are differences in permissions between mods and admins [image] Trust Level Permissions Reference Using Discourse bookmark This reference aims to be a comprehensive list of Discourse features, marked by Trust Level, and including the relevant admin settings which influence them. Trust level names TL0: New (newuser) TL1: Basic TL2: Member TL3: Regular TL4: Inner Circle Trust Level Grid - Defaults TL = Trust Level dependant gear = Can be enabled or adjusted by an admin setting gear TL0 TL1 TL2 TL3 TL4 Category Moderator Moderator [1] Post Replies white_check_mark …

[image] ondrej: Not sure what you’re referring to when you say ‘super admin’. Discourses’ nomenclature only uses ‘admin’ and ‘moderator’ together they are referred to as ‘staff’ There is a ‘special admin’ role as well who can do a couple of extra tricks. In the guide it’s referred to as Developer: [image]Understanding user statuses, roles, and permissions Developer Special account used to install Discourse View rack-mini-profiler showing timings on the page Impersonate any account including admins Automatically becomes admin and has all admin rights I’m not sure why system is both. An admin should be able to do everything a moderator can. Maybe it’s just to cover all the bases and make double sure they can really do everything. :person_shrugging: But for the ‘special’ admin/first admin created along with the site - I think that used to only be granted the admin role, but this was changed to add the mod role too. I believe it was something to do with sites more likely to have only one person running the place in the beginning and auto-adding the mod role makes sure they don’t miss any of the mod notifications.

[image] ondrej: I’ve taken your question to mean: why are prebuilt accounts, system and discobot granted admin. Incorrect assumption. The question is why are they both mod AND admin? [image] Lilly: there are differences in permissions between mods and admins Trust Level Permissions Reference I checked that grid. It doesn’t show admin perms. But again, the question wasn’t are there differences, the question is, “Can a mod do something that an admin cannot?” [image] JammyDodger: auto-adding the mod role makes sure they don’t miss any of the mod notifications. Maybe this is the answer, are there notifications that mods get that admins do not?

Thanks, that was very concise and perfectly answers my question. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle… Alright old dudes! GI JOE!!

Why are system and super admin both mod and admin?

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Lilly (Lillian ) June 9, 2025, 7:55pm 3

there are differences in permissions between mods and admins

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Why are system and super admin both mod and admin?

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