GlobalSettings.php: Farm-Wide Settings and Extension Loading

GlobalSettings.php is included near the end of the LocalSettings.php include chain, after ManageWikiSettings.php has already applied the per-wiki configuration extracted from the database. This ordering is intentional: by the time GlobalSettings.php runs, the $wi object is fully initialised, $cwPrivate and $cwClosed flags are set, and $wmgSharedDomainPathPrefix reflects whether the current request is coming through the shared CentralAuth domain. GlobalSettings can therefore make real decisions rather than just set static values.

Hooks Registered

Three hooks wired in GlobalSettings.php connect MediaWiki’s extension events to MirahezeFunctions methods:

Hook	Handler	Purpose
`CreateWikiGenerateDatabaseLists`	`MirahezeFunctions::onGenerateDatabaseLists`	Populates per-wiki `databases.php` cache with version (`v`), domain (`d`), and cluster (`c`) data
`ManageWikiCoreAddFormFields`	`MirahezeFunctions::onManageWikiCoreAddFormFields`	Adds custom fields (primary domain, article path, version channel) to the ManageWiki core form
`ManageWikiCoreFormSubmission`	`MirahezeFunctions::onManageWikiCoreFormSubmission`	Persists those fields on save, calling `setWikiVersion` from `MultiVersion.php`

MultiVersion.php is also loaded here via require_once '/srv/mediawiki/config/MultiVersion.php', making the version-setting helper available.

Global Extensions

Four extensions are loaded unconditionally on every wiki, regardless of ManageWiki settings:

wfLoadExtensions( [
    'CentralAuth',
    'GlobalPreferences',
    'GlobalBlocking',
    'RemovePII',
] );

These extensions provide farm-level identity, preference synchronisation, global IP blocking, and GDPR/PII removal capabilities that must be uniformly available across the entire farm.

CentralAuth & SUL3 Configuration

$wgCentralAuthStrict       = true;
$wgCentralAuthEnableSul3   = true;

$wgCentralAuthStrict = true means users must have a global CentralAuth account to log in — local-only accounts cannot authenticate. The local password provider is set to loginOnly mode so it cannot be used to create new accounts. The shared domain callback builds per-wiki SSO URLs from the accounts.wikioasis.org domain:

$wgCentralAuthSharedDomainCallback = static fn ( $dbname ) =>
    "https://{$wi->getSharedDomain()}/$dbname";

Shared Domain Overrides

When a request arrives at accounts.wikioasis.org ($wmgSharedDomainPathPrefix is set), GlobalSettings applies additional overrides on top of those set in LocalSettings.php:

$wgCentralAuthCookieDomain = '.' . MirahezeFunctions::getDefaultServer();
$wgCookiePrefix            = 'auth';
$wgSessionName             = 'authSession';
$wgWebAuthnNewCredsDisabled = false;   // WebAuthn allowed on shared domain
$wgCheckUserClientHintsEnabled = true;
$wgCheckUserAlwaysSetClientHintHeaders = true;

This means the cookie domain is broadened to .wikioasis.org for cross-wiki SSO, WebAuthn passkey registration is enabled on the shared domain (it is disabled everywhere else via $wgWebAuthnNewCredsDisabled = true), and CheckUser client hints headers are collected for every request through the shared domain.

Conditional Extension Loading

Optional extensions are loaded at runtime based on whether they are active for the current wiki (as tracked by ManageWiki). This avoids loading unused PHP for extensions the wiki has not enabled.

Bootstrap (Chameleon dependency)

if ( $wi->isExtensionActive( 'chameleon' ) ) {
    wfLoadExtension( 'Bootstrap' );
}

Bootstrap is not independently selectable; it is a dependency of the Chameleon skin and is loaded automatically when Chameleon is active.

Chameleon and SnapWikiSkin are currently listed as disabled extensions in LocalSettings.php due to incompatibility with MediaWiki 1.45.

Elastica + CirrusSearch (Full-Text Search)

if ($wi->isExtensionActive('CirrusSearch')) {
    wfLoadExtension('Elastica');
    $wgSearchType = 'CirrusSearch';
    $wgCirrusSearchServers = [
        'opensearch-us-east-011.ovvin.wonet',
        'opensearch-us-east-012.ovvin.wonet',
    ];
}

When CirrusSearch is active, Elastica is loaded automatically and the search backend is pointed at two OpenSearch nodes in the US-East region. If RelatedArticles is also active, $wgRelatedArticlesUseCirrusSearch is set to true to use the search index for related article suggestions rather than a database query.

SocialProfile (Avatar / Award backend)

if ($wi->isExtensionActive('SocialProfile')) {
    require_once "$IP/extensions/SocialProfile/SocialProfile.php";
    $wgSocialProfileFileBackend = 'AmazonS3';
}

SocialProfile is loaded via a direct require_once (not wfLoadExtension) because of how its entry point is structured. The file backend is set to AmazonS3 so avatars and awards are stored in the R2 bucket under the global avatars and awards containers.

UserProfileV2 (R2 backend + CDN URL)

if ($wi->isExtensionActive('UserProfileV2')) {
    $wgUserProfileV2Backend = 'AmazonS3';
    $wgUserProfileGlobalUploadBaseUrl = "https://cdn.wikioasis.org/{$wgDBname}";
}

UserProfileV2 avatars are stored in the per-wiki upv2avatars zone within the R2 bucket, served through cdn.wikioasis.org with the wiki’s database name as the path prefix.

JsonConfig (Map & Tabular data)

When JsonConfig is active, two content models are configured in the Data: namespace (namespace 486):

Model	Pattern	Remote Source
`Map.JsonConfig`	`/.\\.map$/`	`https://commons.miraheze.org/w/api.php`
`Tabular.JsonConfig`	`/.\\.tab$/`	`https://commons.miraheze.org/w/api.php`

Both models use 'isLocal' => false (data is not stored locally) and fetch from Miraheze Commons as the remote repository. The interwiki prefix is commons, matching wgJsonConfigInterwikiPrefix set in LocalSettings.php.

Wikibase

if ( $wi->isAnyOfExtensionsActive( 'WikibaseClient', 'WikibaseRepository' ) ) {
    require_once "$IP/config/Wikibase.php";
}

Either the client or repository component being active triggers loading the dedicated Wikibase.php configuration file, which handles the more complex Wikibase-specific settings including federated properties, entity namespaces, and repo/client cross-wiki linking.

OOJSPlus (Dialog & Upload dependency)

if ( $wi->isAnyOfExtensionsActive( 'StandardDialogs', 'EnhancedUpload' ) ) {
    wfLoadExtension( 'OOJSPlus' );
}

OOJSPlus is a shared UI library required by both StandardDialogs and EnhancedUpload. It is not independently listed in ManageWiki; instead it is auto-loaded whenever either dependent extension is active.

PortableInfobox (Parsoid disabled)

if ( $wi->isExtensionActive( 'PortableInfobox' ) ) {
    $wgParserMigrationEnableParsoidDiscussionTools = false;
    $wgParserMigrationEnableParsoidArticlePages    = false;
}

PortableInfobox is incompatible with Parsoid’s article-page migration mode (tracked internally as T89). When PortableInfobox is active, both Parsoid migration flags are forced off to prevent rendering breakage. These flags are set to false by default in LocalSettings.php anyway, but this block acts as an explicit guard.

Discord Notifications

The wiki URL for Discord notification embeds is constructed from $wi->server and the wiki’s article path, stripping the $1 placeholder:

$articlePath = str_replace( '$1', '', $wgArticlePath );
$wgDiscordNotificationWikiUrl = $wi->server . $articlePath;

For public wikis only (!$cwPrivate), the global Discord webhook URL is assigned:

if ( !$cwPrivate ) {
    $wgDiscordIncomingWebhookUrl = $wmgGlobalDiscordWebhookUrl;
}

Private wikis do not receive a webhook URL and therefore do not post to any Discord channel. The $wmgGlobalDiscordWebhookUrl variable originates from PrivateSettings.php.

Closed Wiki Handling

When $cwClosed is true (set by CreateWiki), all write permissions are revoked from the * group:

$wgRevokePermissions = [
    '*' => [
        'block'         => true,
        'createaccount' => true,
        'delete'        => true,
        'edit'          => true,
        'protect'       => true,
        'import'        => true,
        'upload'        => true,
        'undelete'      => true,
    ],
];

If the Comments extension is also active on the closed wiki, comment permission is revoked as well. This ensures closed wikis are read-only even if a user somehow retains other local group memberships.

DataDump Configuration

The DataDump extension is configured with three dump types: XML, ZIP, and ManageWiki backup.

XML Dump

Setting	Value
`file_ending`	`.xml.gz`
`generate.type`	`mwscript`
`generate.script`	`$IP/maintenance/dumpBackup.php`
`generate.options`	`--full --logs --uploads --output gzip:/tmp/${filename}`
`$wgDataDumpDirectory`	`/var/www/dumps/`
`limit`	`1` concurrent generation

Permissions:

Action	Required right
View dump	`view-dump`
Generate dump	`generate-dump`
Delete dump	`delete-dump`

The XML dump uses useBackendTempStore: true, meaning it is generated in /tmp first and then moved to the dump directory, avoiding partial-file exposure. A namespace selector is shown in the UI (htmlform.type: namespaceselect) to allow namespace-scoped dumps.

ZIP Dump

The ZIP dump type packages the wiki’s image directory (private wikis use /var/www/images/{$wgDBname}; public wikis use $IP/images/{$wgDBname}) into a ZIP archive stored in $wgDataDumpDirectory. The same view/generate/delete permission set applies.

ManageWiki Backup

A JSON backup of the wiki’s ManageWiki configuration is generated via the generateManageWikiBackup.php maintenance script from the MirahezeMagic extension. This backup captures extensions, settings, namespaces, and permissions in a restorable format.

Overview

Setup & Configuration

Multi-Wiki Management

Extensions & Skins

Infrastructure

Reference

GlobalSettings.php: Farm-Wide Settings and Extension Loading

Hooks Registered

Global Extensions

CentralAuth & SUL3 Configuration

Shared Domain Overrides

Conditional Extension Loading

Discord Notifications

Closed Wiki Handling

DataDump Configuration

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Setup & Configuration

Multi-Wiki Management

Extensions & Skins

Infrastructure

Reference

Documentation Index

​Hooks Registered

​Global Extensions

​CentralAuth & SUL3 Configuration

​Shared Domain Overrides

​Conditional Extension Loading

​Discord Notifications

​Closed Wiki Handling

​DataDump Configuration

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Hooks Registered

Global Extensions

CentralAuth & SUL3 Configuration

Shared Domain Overrides

Conditional Extension Loading

Discord Notifications

Closed Wiki Handling

DataDump Configuration