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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/wikioasis/mw-config/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Every wiki on WikiOasis passes through a defined lifecycle governed by the CreateWiki extension and enforced by MirahezeFunctions at request time. State information is stored in the cw_wikis database table, propagated into the per-wiki PHP cache under cw_cache/{dbname}.php, and exposed as boolean globals ($cwClosed, $cwDeleted, $cwInactive, etc.) that LocalSettings.php and GlobalSettings.php use to apply the correct permission restrictions. Understanding these states is essential for wiki administrators, stewards, and anyone operating on the farm — a wiki that has been closed for 30 days or removed for 245 days will automatically advance to the next state unless action is taken.

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State Durations

The thresholds for each automatic state transition are defined in wgCreateWikiStateDays in LocalSettings.php:
StateDurationTrigger
inactive90 daysNo edits recorded for 90+ days
closed30 daysWiki has been closed for 30+ days without re-opening
removed245 daysWiki has been in the removed state for 245+ days
deleted30 daysWiki in deleted state; permanent removal after 30 days
State transitions are managed by the ManageInactiveWikis maintenance script, which is enabled via wgCreateWikiEnableManageInactiveWikis = true. Stewards and tech staff can manually override a wiki’s state at any time through Special:ManageWiki or the CreateWiki management interface on metawiki. The managewiki-restricted right is required to change a wiki’s state.

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What Each State Means

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Active

A wiki is active when it has received at least one edit within the last 90 days and has not been explicitly closed. All normal permissions apply. Active wikis appear in cw_cache/databases.php under the main databases key and are fully served by the farm.

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Inactive

A wiki becomes inactive after 90 consecutive days without any recorded edits. The cwInactive global is set to true (or 'exempt' if the wiki has an approved inactivity exemption). Inactive wikis are still publicly readable and writable — inactivity is a signal, not a restriction. Stewards will contact the wiki’s bureaucrats before advancing the state further. Exemption reasons available to stewards include: Wiki completed and made to be read, Wiki made for time-based gathering, Wiki made to be read, Temporary exemption for exceptional hardship, see DPE, and Other, see DPE.

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Closed

A closed wiki has had its edit rights explicitly revoked — either by a steward action or by a bureaucrat requesting closure. The cwClosed global is set to true. GlobalSettings.php applies a wgRevokePermissions entry that strips block, edit, delete, upload, and related destructive rights from all user groups including administrators, preventing any further content changes. The wiki remains publicly readable. A wiki may be re-opened by a steward. If it remains closed for 30 days, it advances to the removed state.

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Removed

A removed wiki is no longer accessible to the public — its content exists in the database but the wiki is not served. The cwDeleted global remains false at this stage; removal is a pre-deletion hold. Data is preserved for the full 245-day removed period, giving wiki administrators time to request restoration or export their content.

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Deleted

A deleted wiki has cwDeleted set to true in its cache. When LocalSettings.php detects this flag during a web request, it registers wfHandleDeletedWiki as the MW_FINAL_SETUP_CALLBACK and serves DeletedWiki.php instead of the wiki. The wiki’s database entry moves to cw_cache/deleted.php, which getLocalDatabases() still includes in $wgLocalDatabases so CLI maintenance scripts can access deleted wikis when needed. After 30 days in the deleted state, the wiki’s database is permanently dropped.

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Error Pages

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DeletedWiki.php

Served for any wiki where $cwDeleted is true. It returns HTTP 410 Gone with full WikiOasis branding, displaying the message “This wiki has been marked as deleted.” alongside links to meta.wikioasis.org and the WikiOasis Discord. The page uses animated gradient blobs for visual consistency with the rest of the WikiOasis error page suite.

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MissingWiki.php

Served when MirahezeFunctions::isMissing() returns true — meaning the resolved database name is not present in $wgConf->wikis at all. This happens for subdomains that have never been registered. It also returns HTTP 410 Gone and displays “We couldn’t find this wiki, double check that you’ve typed the URL correctly.” Critically, after rendering the page, MissingWiki.php calls: 
$dataStore = MediaWikiServices::getInstance()->get('CreateWikiDataStore');
$dataStore->syncCache();
This forces a cache refresh so that a legitimately created wiki that appears missing due to a stale databases.php cache will self-heal on the next request — no operator intervention required.

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MissingSkyWiki.php

A specialised variant of the missing-wiki page served exclusively for *.skywiki.org hostnames when the requested wiki is not found. Rather than a generic “wiki missing” message, it directs bureaucrats to email stewards@wikioasis.org to request migration of their SkyWiki to the WikiOasis farm infrastructure. The routing logic in LocalSettings.php: 
if (preg_match('/(^|\.)skywiki\.org$/', $host)) {
    require_once '/srv/mediawiki/config/MissingSkyWiki.php';
} else {
    require_once '/srv/mediawiki/config/MissingWiki.php';
}

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State Flow Diagram

Active ──(90 days no edits)──▶ Inactive
                                    │
                          (steward closes)
                                    ▼
                                 Closed ──(30 days closed)──▶ Removed
                                                                   │
                                                        (245 days removed)
                                                                   ▼
                                                               Deleted
                                                                   │
                                                         (30 days deleted)
                                                                   ▼
                                                        Database permanently dropped
Restoration from the removed or deleted state requires steward action and must be requested before the retention window expires. After the database is permanently dropped, content cannot be recovered unless a prior data dump was made.

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