User:Merge bot
 | This user account is a bot that uses PHP, operated by Wbm1058 (talk). It is used to make repetitive automated or semi-automated edits that would be extremely tedious to do manually, in accordance with the bot policy. The bot is approved and currently active – the relevant request for approval can be seen here. Administrators: if this bot is malfunctioning or causing harm, please block it. |
 | Bots by wbm1058: RMCD bot • Merge bot • Bot1058 |
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
Tasks
| Bot Task | Status | Description | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task 1 |  Approved. |
Maintains Wikipedia:Proposed mergers/Log and its subpages | -Active |
| Task 2 | Approved. |
History-merge categories which were moved by User:Cydebot between April 2006 and March 2015 | -Active |
Task 1
[edit]This bot account is responsible for maintaining Wikipedia:Proposed mergers/Log and its subpages, which are derived from Category:Articles proposed for merging, for the benefit of Wikipedia:Proposed mergers and Wikipedia:WikiProject Merge.
It is a revived fork of RFC bot's automated list of proposed mergers, which stopped working after August 2011. The log files created by that bot operation were proposed for deletion in March 2012. Fortunately they weren't deleted as a result of that proposal, enabling me to find them and then revive the operation under a new bot. Normally these logs are deleted after being emptied via resolving all merge proposals for a given month, and then tagging them with {{db-g6|rationale=maintenance page for a previous month only intended to have outstanding entries; none remain}}. For example, see the deleted Wikipedia:Proposed mergers/Log/June 2008.
Merge bot task 1 generally runs twice daily (every 12 hours). When this task was approved in May 2013, a typical run took 1 hr, 22 min. By February 2017, it typically ran within just 20 minutes. The work queue is somewhat shorter now, but I'm guessing improved back-end hardware and/or software performance is also responsible for the shorter processing times. In May 2019 I increased the frequency to twice daily.
As of June 2026, the bot supports new discussions started at "Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/", and runs in a just a minute or two.
Below is discussion from my talk archive, regarding the history of article merging on Wikipedia, which eventually led to "Wikipedia "Merge" becoming like WP:AFD".
Wikipedia "Merge" like WP:RM or WP:AFD
[edit]There are a lot of tumbleweeds rolling over at Wikipedia:Proposed mergers... the last edit added a {{backlog}} template. Now that I'm an administrator, I've decided to focus on clearing the Wikipedia:WikiProject History Merge and Category:Possible cut-and-paste moves backlogs first. If Proposed mergers were busier, I'd make this a higher priority.
- Older discussions are at /Automating proposed mergers. Wbm1058 (talk) 03:40, 21 November 2015 (UTC)
Proposed Mergers
[edit]Since you run MergeBot and RMCDBot, I was wondering, if it were possible to create an auto generated list like WP:RM has but for WP:PM, that links to the centralized discussion area, and lists the topics to be merged (from/to/with) ? As the current MergeBot already generates arrows indicated from/to/with, it would seem a modification of template:requested move/dated/multi would do to handle such an automated listing based on a standardized talk section header.
-- 65.94.43.89 (talk) 04:42, 12 May 2015 (UTC)
- See § Wikipedia "Merge" like WP:RM or WP:AFD above. Still on my back-burner. Wbm1058 (talk) 16:37, 21 May 2015 (UTC)
- - -
It's been a decade since my last update here, with only incremental change to the dynamics of how mergers are proposed and completed. This has been a relatively low priority for me, as I prefer focusing on matters where making significant progress is easier to accomplish. I've recently been pinged into two discussions, as relative newcomers to the project have been boldly tweaking the project –
- User talk:Merge bot#Merge bot not editing & possible use for pending mergers
- Wikipedia talk:Proposed article mergers#Should we transclude the automated list of proposals? – wbm1058 (talk) 18:12, 8 December 2025 (UTC)
- Hi wbm1058, there is currently a (very large) village pump discussion going on about the effectiveness of the merge process and proposed major alterations to it. As you are a longtime member of WP:WPMERGE and operator of User:Merge bot, the discussion may be particularly pertinent to you: Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)#RfC: Merging merge discussions with AfD
- It has already long passed an overwhelming level of messages, so I understand it may be PITA to go through, but I am surprised no one courtesy notified you earlier. Thank you for all of your work and best wishes. ~ oklopfer (💬) 18:07, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
- @Oklopfer: thanks. Back in 2014, I wrote an analysis of merging processes on Wikipedia, which went as far as 2009. I got as far as reserving a template for future use. After that tiptoe towards creating the requested new process was reverted and I was lectured about it, I basically decided the project wasn't worth my trouble. Still trudging through the newest discussion to see whether anything's changed since a dozen years ago. Hmm, yes, the effectiveness of the merge process hasn't improved in 16 years! I think it's probably been taking backward steps recently which are only making it worse. – wbm1058 (talk) 23:13, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
- The discussion grew so long it needed to be moved to its own sub-page: Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Merging merge discussions with AfD – wbm1058 (talk) 23:50, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
- The discussion was closed today with consensus to merge PAM into AfD (notably keeping the target titled for Deletion instead of renaming to for Discussion); but this seems to have merely concluded whether the decision was a yes or no. There remains the major question of how this will all be implemented; no next steps were recommended by the reviewer. ~ oklopfer (💬) 17:43, 24 March 2026 (UTC)
- A discussion on moving forward has now been opened: WT:AfD#Follow up from RfC ~ oklopfer (💬) 21:35, 24 March 2026 (UTC)
- @Oklopfer: I just noticed (because the merge template was flagged as a misspelling) Criticism of Apple Inc. and Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Criticism of Apple Inc. (2nd nomination) how this is being implemented in practice. So I suppose they have made Wikipedia "Merge" like WP:AFD, rather than like WP:RM. I will update my bot's code to make it transclude the entire Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/ subpage which is hosting the discussion, rather than transcluding a section of the talk page of one of the pages which has been proposed for merging. – wbm1058 (talk) 18:43, 4 April 2026 (UTC)
- A discussion on moving forward has now been opened: WT:AfD#Follow up from RfC ~ oklopfer (💬) 21:35, 24 March 2026 (UTC)
- The discussion was closed today with consensus to merge PAM into AfD (notably keeping the target titled for Deletion instead of renaming to for Discussion); but this seems to have merely concluded whether the decision was a yes or no. There remains the major question of how this will all be implemented; no next steps were recommended by the reviewer. ~ oklopfer (💬) 17:43, 24 March 2026 (UTC)
- Wikipedia:Templates for discussion/Log/2026 April 4#Merge templates:
The result of the discussion was keep. But it's complicated.
No kidding. – wbm1058 (talk) 15:58, 20 April 2026 (UTC)
@Oklopfer: I've just installed version 3.0 of my bot, which supports the new discussions now started at "Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/". Below are links to the months with open discussions. You will observe that a lot of editors are not removing the {{merge-from}} templates when they close the discussions, and apparently any tool they may be using to close discussions isn't automatically removing the templates either. I'm looking forward to archiving this section of my talk soon. Finally done, after all these years. Thanks for being the only editor to care enough to keep me updated here. – wbm1058 (talk) 09:58, 5 June 2026 (UTC)
- Of course, thanks for the update! I may try to do some housekeeping on those leftovers.
- It boggles my mind when APIs make mass changes and completely botch informing those who have systems built around them. I am glad I have been able to keep you in the loop. ~ oklopfer (💬) 12:41, 5 June 2026 (UTC)