FAQ

Welcome to SkyWiki; we're glad you're here! This page answers some frequently asked questions users may have. If you have any further questions, please ask on the community board.

General

Where am I?

Welcome to SkyWiki! We are a wiki farm hosting various wikis on different subjects. While we provide the platform, we do not directly manage individual wikis. For inquiries about a specific wiki’s policies, please contact a local administrator.

What powers these wikis, and what technology do they run on?

SkyWiki operates on MediaWiki, the same software that runs Wikipedia. This enables multiple users to collaboratively edit pages, supports formatting, images, and special effects, and keeps a history of every page version, allowing past revisions to be viewed, copied, or restored.

Why choose SkyWiki instead of big wiki farms like Fandom or Miraheze?

SkyWiki is perfect for those seeking greater control over their wikis, without ads, enforced changes, or slow support. Unlike Fandom, which includes ads and restricts customization, SkyWiki offers an ad-free experience with extensive customization tools. On Miraheze, users must request a wiki and wait, which can be frustrating—at SkyWiki, wikis can be created instantly, hassle-free.

Do you sell my personal information?

Never have, never will. SkyWiki exists because we want to give people a space to express themselves, not to squeeze every penny out of our userbase.

About wikis

How do I create a wiki?

First, create an account and confirm your email. Then, while logged in, visit Special:CreateNewWiki and complete the form.

How do I confirm that my wiki has been created?

You will receive an email at your registered email address confirming your wiki's creation. Additionally, you will get an on-wiki notification.

What is the initial state of my new wiki?

When your wiki is created, a Main Page will be automatically generated with welcoming text in your chosen language. You can edit this to include the content you want visitors to see first.

You can also configure skins and extensions for your wiki by going to Special:ManageWiki on your newly created wiki.

What if something goes wrong when creating or accessing my wiki?

While rare, issues can occur. Stay calm! Check your request in the farmer log to ensure it was logged and processed. The fastest ways to report an issue are via Discord or Phorge. You can also leave a message on the community board or contact a system administrator. If you encounter an error message, copy and include it in your report.

How do I transfer my wiki to SkyWiki?

We have an entire page explaining how to transfer your wiki to SkyWiki. Generally, you will need to send us an XML dump. Please check the page for more details.

How do I edit my wiki?

See Help:Editing on MediaWiki.
A more accessible guide is available at Wikibooks:Help:Editing.
An interactive one-hour tutorial, The Wikipedia Adventure, is available on Wikipedia.

Is there a limit on my wiki’s storage?

There are no strict limits beyond "be reasonable." Uploaded files must contribute meaningfully to your wiki’s content. Wikis cannot primarily function as file hosts.

Private wikis

How private is a private wiki?

A private wiki can only be viewed and edited by its members. To grant someone access, go to Special:UserRights on your wiki (not SkyWiki Meta, which only local administrators can manage) and add them to the member group.

In rare cases, stewards and system administrators may access private wikis to ensure compliance with global policies or to troubleshoot technical issues. Such access is uncommon, but they reserve the right to do so if necessary.

How do I add a user to a private wiki?

If the person you want to add does not appear in the user list, they likely do not have a local account. Ask them to visit the wiki so the system can create one.

Go to Special:UserRights
Enter their username
Add them to the member group

Why is the Main Page of my private wiki visible to everyone?

The Main Page is always public. To bypass this, place your main content on another page (e.g., "Home") and edit the Main Page to redirect there:

#REDIRECT [[Home]]

Wiki editing and personalization

How do I change my logo or favicon?

See the ManageWiki help page for details on making these changes.

How do I customize my wiki’s appearance?

Wiki appearance (skinning) is mainly changed in two ways:

1. Select a skin in Sidebar → Manage this wiki's additional settings → Styling → Default Skin ($wgDefaultSkin). 2. For advanced styling, edit the style sheet at MediaWiki:<skinname>.css. MediaWiki:Common.css applies to all skins. Learn more about CSS at W3Schools.

What are templates, and how do I add them to my wiki?

Do not import templates from Wikipedia, as they are more complex than necessary.

Templates are pages designed to be transcluded (embedded) within other pages. They are located in the "Template:" namespace and are created like any other wiki page.

Templates often rely on multiple dependencies and cannot simply be copied from another wiki. Miraheze’s most used templates are listed at Category:Templates These include documentation and dependencies.

Wiki management requests

How do I manage who can edit my wiki?

Extensions

Moderating edits

Enable the Moderation extension in Special:ManageWiki/extensions.

Locking pages

To allow page authors to lock pages from editing, enable either AuthorProtect or LockAuthor in Special:ManageWiki/extensions.

To make your wiki fully read-only (even for yourself) temporarily, enable the Protect Site extension.

Managing permissions

To restrict editing to specific users or groups, go to Special:ManageWiki/permissions. Remove the Edit permission from the "(everyone)" group, allowing only "Users" or a custom group to edit.

What are user groups?

User groups are sets of users with defined permissions. Miraheze wikis include default groups, but these can be customized. See Manual:User rights for details.

Where is LocalSettings.php?

Wikis do not have access to LocalSettings.php. Instead, all configurations are managed via Special:ManageWiki.

What is ManageWiki?

ManageWiki allows wiki bureaucrats to configure their wiki locally without needing a system administrator.

What is Phorge?

Phorge is a system for reporting technical issues to system administrators. It is not for general support like CSS help—use the community board for that.

Phorge is separate from MediaWiki but still managed by SkyWiki.

To log in, visit the Phorge page and click the MediaWiki logo.

How do I get a backup of my wiki?

Local administrators can request backups at Special:DataDump on their wiki.

How can I remove a bureaucrat from my wiki?

To remove a bureaucrat, request it on the steward requests page. A valid reason (e.g., abuse, resignation, or community consensus) is required.

I changed a setting or enabled an extension, but it’s not working. What should I do?

Try disabling and re-enabling the extension or re-saving the setting. If the issue persists, report it on Phorge.

How do I change my wiki’s license?

Visit Special:ManageWiki/settings, navigate to Content Licensing, and select the desired license from the dropdown menu.

Closed Wikis

How does a wiki close?

A wiki becomes inactive (closed) when you navigate to Special:ManageWiki and select the "Closed" option. It can be reopened by returning to Special:ManageWiki and unchecking this option.

Wikis are also automatically closed due to inactivity, as outlined in the Dormancy Policy. Refer to the actual policy document for precise details rather than relying on this summary. The Dormancy Policy applies to all wikis unless specifically exempted by stewards. If you need an exemption for your wiki, please use Steward requests.

If you come across a closed wiki and believe you can contribute to its development, please submit a request on Steward requests.

Can I delete my wiki?

If your wiki has multiple active contributors, you must hold a local discussion before requesting deletion, and a consensus must support closing the wiki. However, if you are the sole contributor of a small or personal wiki, no discussion is required. To request deletion, please submit a request via Steward requests.

How do I move my wiki?

Moving a wiki involves exporting its pages, whether to a mirror site or a hosting platform other than SkyWiki. This process is the reverse of importing pages from another wiki into your SkyWiki wiki.

For smaller wikis, you can list all pages via Special:AllPages, copy this list, and paste it into Special:Export to generate an XML content dump.

For larger wikis, SkyWiki can assist with the migration process. To request assistance, open a ticket on Phorge.

If the destination platform does not use MediaWiki software, the exported pages may require conversion into a compatible format. SkyWiki does not provide support for such conversions

Miscellaneous

Dealing with Issues Involving a User or Wiki

If you're experiencing issues with a user or wiki, there are steps you can take to resolve the situation. Always remain civil and calm—everyone is expected to follow the Conduct policy, including wiki administrators and the stewards. Incivility will not be tolerated.

If the Issue Involves a User

Talk to them: A direct discussion may resolve the issue.
Contact a local administrator: If the problem persists, reach out to a local wiki administrator. On SkyMeta, you can use the Administrators' noticeboard.
Escalate if necessary: If there is no resolution and the issue involves a violation of the Code of Conduct, email stewardsskywiki.org. Stewards will review the case and take appropriate action.

If the Issue Involves a Wiki

Start locally: Raise any concerns with the wiki's administrators first.
Seek Steward assistance: If the issue remains unresolved or involves a serious violation of global policies, and you’re unable or unwilling to contact local administrators, you can request help from a Steward through the Steward requests board or by emailing stewardsskywiki.org. Be sure to provide sufficient evidence when reporting violations of the Content Policy or other global policies.
Editorial disputes: Stewards do not intervene in editorial conflicts. These matters are handled by local administrators, and Stewards will never override local decisions, however they reserve the right to do so.

FAQ