NixOS Wiki:Deletion process
This page serves as a guideline for how an editor can propose an article for deletion, and how the community can handle such proposals, such that the deletion is carried out with fairness and efficiency.
Motivation
As of June 2025, the wiki has been amassing a growing number of deletion candidates, some inherited from the import. These pages are cluttering the wiki, sometimes leading to confusion regarding which information is reliable, which templates are in use, etc.
It is important we handle housekeeping efficiently, so that we minimise the risk of confusion, and that we keep to the standards laid down in the Manual of Style.
This document serves as the guideline for how such a process could exist.
The deletion process
When an editor notices a page that may not be relevant to the wiki, may be in violation of the wiki's policies, or may not be up to the standards in the manual of style, there are two possible avenues to take.
The first avenue, which is preferred is to mark the page with one of the templates that signal significant issues with the article (listed in the related section below). This gives the editors the chance to rectify the issues without requiring a more destructive solution to the situation.
The second avenue, reserved for significant violations of the standard, is to mark the article for deletion directly. This would start the deletion process right away. This shouldn't be used as a panacea, rather it should be for the most obvious, direct and damaging edits on the wiki.
An overview of the process is laid in the table below, where T0 marks the moment an editor notices issues with an article, T1 marks the moment the article is proposed for deletion and T2 marks the time an article qualifies for deletion.
| Earliest time | Step | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| before T0 | A page is created that is not up to the wiki's standards, or such an edit takes place on an existing article | - |
| T0 | The article's issues are marked for rectification, with the appropriate template | 30 days |
| after T0 | Editors of the wiki may contribute by fixing the article, removing the notice, thus ending this process. | - |
| T0 + 30 days | If no editors have contributed by fixing the article, and the issues are severe enough, the article may now be proposed for deletion | - |
| T1 | The article is proposed for deletion by an editor | 14 days |
| T1 + 7 days | If no statements for or against the deletion have been made on the related discussion page, the link to the article should be posted on the Matrix channel. | 7 days |
| T1 + 14 days | If 7 days after posting on the Matrix channel, there are no comments on the discussion page against the deletion, the page may be deleted. | 30 days |
| T1 + 14 days | If 7 days after posting on the Matrix channel, there are only comments against the deletion, the process is concluded and the proposal does not pass. The notice should be removed right away | - |
| T1 + 14 days | If 7 days after posting on the Matrix channel, there are comments both for and against, we enter a debate period of 30 days, on which the users may add arguments for or against. | 30 days |
| T1 + 45 days | If the majority of the users involved in the conversation are against the deletion, the proposal does not pass, and the notice is removed. If the majority are for the deletion, the article may now be deleted. | 30 days |
| T2 + 30 days | If 30 days since the article qualifies for deletion pass, and the article is still not deleted, the editor(s) may prompt the admins for expedited deletion. |
Marking for rectification =
It is always preferrable to mark the issues of the article and allow the editors the time to rectify them. The wiki is a collaborative environment, and user error is always a possibility. Thus, use one of the templates below to mark the article accordingly.