Halopedia:Bots

A bot is an automated or semi-automated account for performing repetitive tasks that would be extremely tedious to do manually. A bot is capable of making edits at an extremely rapid rate, and can cause damage to the wiki if incorrectly designed or operated. For these reasons, a bot policy has been developed.

Bot policy
Unauthorized bots are not permitted on Halopedia. A bot must be approved by the community and bear a bot flag in order to run. Unauthorized bots will be blocked if caught editing.

Since a bot is capable of making several edits per minute, it may clog up recent changes. For this reason, any authorized bot for Halopedia is required to have a bot flag. A bot flag is a user group right, and may be set on any account. Edits made by such accounts are hidden from the recent changes page by default. Accounts with a bot flag are listed here.

Bot requirements
Approvals for bots may be requested on the talk page. If a community consensus is reached, a bureaucrat will set the bot flag. Users are advised to review the requirements for a bot:
 * It has no malicious intentions.
 * It is to be used preferably for a task not currently handled by another bot.
 * It carefully adheres to relevant policies and guidelines.

The editing speed of a bot should be regulated. Recently-approved bots or bots in trial period should have an edit rate which allows their edits to be monitored and reviewed as necessary.

How to set up a bot
In the case you have been allowed to set up a bot, here is a list of trusted places that have been previously used by administrators in the past for their own bots.
 * AutoWikiBrowser: A semi-automated MediaWiki editor designed to make tedious or repetitive editing tasks quicker and easier.

Using bot-like tools
It is not allowed to use tools throughout the wiki like a bot without passing a request on the talk page. This includes grammar tools and automated file uploaders. When used carelessly, they can cause serious issues on pages and the wiki. If you want to use a tool like a bot, you need to submit a request on the talk page.

This does not ban the use of tools, but if staff members think you are overusing one, you may be requested to stop using it and go though the request process.