The Tool Desk
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A MediaWiki “internal error” while saving is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The fastest fix is to reproduce it with a one-character edit, capture the exact request and server exception, then test whether the failure is caused by permissions, sessions, editor JavaScript, request filtering, or an upgrade. Do not start by changing PHP settings at random.
Start with a controlled reproduction
Use a sandbox or a private test page and make the smallest possible change, such as adding one character. Record the result before editing the real article again. A minimal edit separates a general write-path failure from a problem triggered by particular wikitext, templates, files, or request size.
- Write down the exact message. Copy the complete text, including any request ID, “Problematic modules” list, token warning, or HTTP status. A blank page is also a symptom worth recording.
- Capture the request context. Note the page title, action URL, whether you used the source editor or VisualEditor, the UTC timestamp, your account, browser and version, MediaWiki and PHP versions, and whether another user can reproduce it.
- Preserve the attempted edit. Save a local copy of the wikitext and edit summary. Remove private material before sharing it, but keep enough of the text to correlate a failed request with server logs.
- Repeat once without changing configuration. Compare the minimal edit with the original edit. If only the original fails, the content or a request filter is more likely than a damaged login session.
Do not repeatedly submit a large edit while troubleshooting. Repeated retries can create conflicting revisions, trigger rate limits, or overwrite evidence in a busy log.
Classify the failure before changing anything
The combination of scope, editor, content, and HTTP result usually narrows the cause more effectively than the phrase “internal error.” Use this matrix as a first branch in the investigation.
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| Observed pattern | Most useful first check | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Every page fails for every user | Server exception and web-server error log | Application, database, PHP, or hosting fault |
| Only one account fails | Block status, rights, cookies, session and token logs | Permission, authentication, or account-specific session issue |
| Only one protected page or namespace fails | Protection level, namespace write policy, and API response | Policy or rights restriction rather than a PHP crash |
| Source editor works but VisualEditor fails | Browser Console and Network panels | JavaScript, ResourceLoader, Parsoid, or VisualEditor request problem |
| A one-character edit works but certain markup fails | HTTP status and WAF/mod_security audit entry | Request filtering, size/pattern rule, or an extension hook |
| A tiny edit redirects or vanishes | $wgServer, index.php path, and rewrite rules |
URL construction or web-server routing error |
| Failure began immediately after an upgrade | Version compatibility, database update, and extension list | Incomplete schema update or incompatible code |
| Editor opens with missing toolbar or a startup-module error | ResourceLoader response, temporary directory, and PHP permissions | JavaScript asset or temporary-file failure |
An HTTP 403 points toward authorization or a request filter; HTTP 500 indicates an application or host exception; a redirect often indicates URL or session handling. The status is evidence, not a complete diagnosis, so correlate it with the server-side exception.
Rule out policy and permission errors first
MediaWiki’s Action API distinguishes several conditions that can look like a generic save failure. A protected page or namespace, a blocked or autoblocked account, a rate limit, read-only mode, an invalid edit token, an extension hook that aborts the request, or a disabled write API each requires a different remedy. Check the API response and the wiki’s permission message instead of editing PHP code.
Protected pages and namespaces
Open the page’s protection information and verify that your account has the required right. A namespace can also be configured as non-writable even when the page itself is not protected. Ask an administrator to grant the appropriate right or change protection according to the site’s policy; do not bypass it by posting directly to the database.
Blocks, autoblocks, and rate limits
Check the block log and account status. An autoblock can affect an address or range shared by multiple users. Rate-limit errors normally clear after the documented interval, while a persistent block requires an administrator’s review. Keep the exact API error code when reporting the problem.
Read-only mode and disabled writes
Wikis enter read-only mode during maintenance or emergency recovery. A disabled write API has the same practical result for API-based editors. Confirm the site status and maintenance window before changing configuration. If the wiki is intentionally read-only, a save failure is expected and no editor-side fix will help.
Invalid tokens and aborted hooks
Edit tokens are tied to the current session and page state. A stale form, expired session, or concurrent login can invalidate one. An extension hook can also reject an edit with its own message. Capture the returned code and inspect extension logs rather than treating every token error as a database problem.
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When the API reports unknownerror
The API documentation describes unknownerror as potentially arising from a rare race condition and recommends retrying once for a more informative response. If it recurs, preserve the second response and investigate the server log; do not hide a persistent failure by adding automatic retries.
Expose and capture the real server exception
For a short, controlled diagnostic window, an administrator can make MediaWiki show exception details and write a server-side debug log. Edit LocalSettings.php with a rollback copy available, and restrict access to the machine and administrators who need it.
$wgShowExceptionDetails = true;
$wgDebugLogFile = '/path outside the public web root/mediawiki-debug.log';$wgShowExceptionDetails can reveal the exception class and stack trace in the browser. $wgDebugLogFile records errors for later correlation; the MediaWiki manual states: “To save errors and debugging information to a log, add $wgDebugLogFile to the LocalSettings.php file.” Use an absolute destination that the PHP/web-server account can create and append to.
Protect the diagnostic output
- Keep the log outside the document root, or enforce an explicit deny rule if that is impossible.
- Assume it may contain submitted form values, cookies, credentials, database details, and private page text.
- Restrict file ownership and permissions to the web-server account and administrators.
- Do not paste an unsanitized stack trace into a public ticket.
- Turn off verbose display and logging after the cause is identified, then remove or securely archive the log.
Reproduce the minimal edit once while the settings are active. Search the resulting entry by UTC timestamp and exception type, then follow the first application frame that points to a failing extension, database query, permission check, or filesystem operation. A generic wrapper exception is less useful than the innermost cause and its preceding warning.
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Use browser developer tools for editor and ResourceLoader failures
VisualEditor and the source editor depend on JavaScript modules and HTTP requests in addition to the save endpoint. Open the browser’s developer tools, select Console and Network, clear previous entries, reload the editor, and reproduce the problem once.
Console checks
Record the first JavaScript exception, not only the final cascade of “undefined” errors. Note the script URL, line number, and whether a privacy or ad-blocking extension appears in the message. A module that never initializes can make the toolbar disappear while the server itself remains healthy.
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Network checks
Filter for failed requests and inspect their status, response headers, and response body. A request for load.php that returns HTTP 500, a login page, or injected hosting-provider HTML is not a valid ResourceLoader response. Save the request URL and timing information, but redact cookies and authorization headers before sharing them.
The “Problematic modules: startup” symptom
For an error displayed as Internal error Problematic modules: {"startup":"error"}, verify that PHP can write the system temporary directory (such as /tmp on Unix-like systems or the Windows temporary directory). Check whether open_basedir excludes that location and whether $wgTmpDirectory points to an existing, writable directory. Correct ownership and permissions for the PHP process, then clear generated ResourceLoader caches only as an administrator and retest.
Test web-server filtering and URL rewrites
If a one-character edit succeeds but a particular template, tag, URL, or long body produces HTTP 403, a redirect, or a missing revision, investigate the host layer. Common sources include mod_security, Cloudflare or AWS WAF rules, reverse-proxy limits, and hosting-provider request inspection. Compare the successful and failing requests and ask the host for the matching rule ID or audit entry.
Selective 403 or disappearing content
Preserve the exact failing text and request size, then inspect the WAF audit log. A rule may match a word, markup sequence, encoded URL, or apparent SQL/XML payload. Tune the specific rule for the wiki endpoint, add a narrowly scoped exception with compensating monitoring, or change the content safely; never disable the WAF globally just to make one edit pass.
Redirects and incorrect destinations
If even the tiny edit redirects or the saved page never appears, check $wgServer, the configured index.php path, reverse-proxy scheme and host headers, and web-server rewrite rules. A mismatch between HTTP and HTTPS or between a subdirectory and the root can send the form to a different wiki or strip the POST body. Confirm that the final request reaches the intended MediaWiki installation before changing application code.
Repair sessions, cookies, and edit tokens
Messages about “loss of session data,” repeated login prompts, and invalid tokens often share a session-state problem. Start with a low-risk client test:
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- Clear cookies for the affected wiki only.
- Retry in a private window or a second browser.
- Temporarily disable privacy, script-blocking, and ad-blocking extensions for the wiki.
- Log in again, open a fresh edit form, and submit the minimal edit.
If the second browser works, compare cookie blocking, same-site policy, extension filtering, and clock settings between browsers. Do not ask users to export their cookies.
Server-side session checks
Verify that the configured session backend persists data between the GET that serves the edit form and the POST that saves it. Check filesystem ownership, cache or database connectivity, expiration settings, and load-balancer stickiness where multiple application servers are used. PHP’s session.auto_start should not be enabled for a MediaWiki installation unless the deployment explicitly supports it.
Review the authentication, session, cookie, objectcache, exception, error, and fatal log channels around the UTC failure time. A bug report should include the browser and version, privacy settings, exact timestamp, and affected account or accounts, but never passwords, cookies, tokens, or unredacted submitted content.
Check upgrades, extensions, and deferred work
A failure that begins immediately after a MediaWiki or extension upgrade deserves a deployment review before any browser troubleshooting. Confirm that the MediaWiki version, PHP version, database engine, and every installed extension are within their supported compatibility ranges. Compare the active extension list with the version-control or deployment record and temporarily disable only the suspected extension in a maintenance window, not by deleting its files from a live site.
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Run the release-appropriate MediaWiki database/update maintenance procedure from the wiki host, using the command and PHP binary documented for that release. Back up the database and LocalSettings.php first, and do not run an update concurrently from two web nodes. A database query error after an upgrade or extension change can indicate that the schema update was incomplete or that the new code contains a software bug.
Investigate extension hooks
An extension can reject an edit, alter a token check, throw an exception, or assume a database field that no longer exists. Reproduce with the extension disabled only long enough to confirm causality, then install a compatible release or report the stack trace to its maintainer. Keep the failing page and edit text unchanged so the test remains comparable.
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Deferred updates after a successful response
Some work runs after MediaWiki has sent the response. Recent Changes persistence and other deferred updates can therefore fail without showing an error to the editor. If the page appears saved but related data is missing, search the debug log for error or exception and inspect the stack trace. Check job queues and database health before asking the user to resubmit the edit, because resubmission can create a duplicate revision.
Follow a safe retest loop
Make one targeted change at a time and keep a timestamped record. After each change:
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- Repeat the one-character edit to verify that the basic write path still works.
- Test source editing and VisualEditor separately when both are available.
- Confirm the resulting revision in page history and Recent Changes.
- Compare the server and browser logs before and after the change.
- Revert the configuration change if it did not address the identified cause.
Keep a rollback copy of LocalSettings.php and document who changed it. Once the cause is understood, restore normal exception display, remove sensitive diagnostic logs, and verify that ordinary users cannot download them.
Prepare an escalation that can be acted on
Send administrators, hosting support, or an extension maintainer a concise, sanitized bundle. Include:
- Exact error text and any API error code.
- UTC timestamp, page title, action URL, and HTTP status.
- MediaWiki, PHP, database, web-server, and browser versions.
- Editor mode: source, VisualEditor, or another client.
- Whether a one-character test edit succeeds.
- Whether the issue affects one page, one user, or everyone.
- Recent upgrades, configuration changes, extension installs, or WAF rule changes.
- A sanitized stack trace and the relevant log excerpt.
- Whether the edit appears in page history or Recent Changes despite the visible error.
Redact passwords, session cookies, edit tokens, authorization headers, private page text, email addresses, and other personal data. Preserve line order and timestamps in the redacted excerpt so the investigator can correlate events without receiving secrets.
What a successful diagnosis looks like
The fix is complete when the original edit succeeds for the affected account, the minimal test still saves, the relevant editor modes behave as expected, and the revision is visible in history and Recent Changes. The server log should show no new exception for the request, and temporary diagnostic settings and files should be removed or protected. If only a policy restriction remains, document that restriction explicitly instead of labeling it a server fault.
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