Interface administrators

Interface administrators are users with the ability to edit sitewide CSS and JS pages (such as MediaWiki:Common.js, MediaWiki:Vector.css, interface messages which are interpreted as raw HTML, or the gadget pages listed on Special:Gadgets), and other users' personal CSS/JS pages. JS and CSS pages are executed by the browser of wiki editors and readers as code, which can be used to change how content is styled, change the behavior of pages or even create highly complex tools such as wikEd.

Editing CSS/JS that gets executed in other users' browsers is very powerful and potentially dangerous in the hands of a malicious user; interface administrators should be users who are highly trusted, have at least a basic understanding of CSS and JS, are aware of the privacy expectations of Wikimedia wikis, and have a decent understanding of account security (choosing strong unique passwords, not getting infected by malware and using two-factor authentication ). It is recommended to remove the interface administrator rights of inactive users, to reduce the attack surface. Small wikis might also want to make sure they have at least two people who can read JavaScript so they can vet each other's edits (a bit like checkusers).

Interface administrators can also edit other users' personal JSON pages and all pages in the MediaWiki namespace. These abilities are less dangerous and shared with other user groups.

Requests

• You can see the list of current interface administrators by going to Special:ListUsers/interface-admin on your wiki.
• If your wiki does not have bureaucrats, requests for interface administrator permissions should be made on Steward requests/Permissions.
• If your wiki does not have interface administrators, requests for interface administrator help, such as editing a CSS/JS page, should be made on Steward requests/Miscellaneous.

See also

• Interface editors, Global sysops – global groups including similar permissions