I modified featured.py in my codes so now it adds badge to wikidata directly. We can push this change to repo too, or we can have a featured.py and featured_new.py

We can import the bot to bots/misc including history (takes a bit of git magic, but it's not impossible).

Changing it in such a way that it keeps wikidata up to date also makes sense.

It's the RfC task, we should agree on something and then I would be happy to implement the result. As I said we have two options: either we change the featured.py to a complete brand-new script to handle wikidata or we make two scripts. I like the former but I'm not sure it would be okay to abandon compatibility (since Wiktionary is not connected to Wikidata + we have non-WMF wikis which might want the old script too, but in the second case we can just send an email to pywikibot).

I used the following google query to find sites which might be using this: intitle:"link fa" intitle:template -wikipedia -wikisource -incubator -gerrit
That wont find non-English use of the feature, and it wont find cases where users have modified featured.py to work with a different template name.
There are several hits where the template exists, but it doesnt appear to be used, like http://en.wikishia.net.

I manually checked WOWwiki page source, and MediaWiki:Common.js, and it doesnt highlight featured pages in other languages.

Some of the Wookiepedia/Starwars wikis do have a similar functionality, but it doesnt appear to be powered by a template currently supported by featured.py. Wikia Starwars are using a new template http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Template:Interlang . German Starwars is using a different system. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Bane / http://www.jedipedia.net/wiki/Darth_Bane . I am not sure how this is working on jedipedia.net , as the raw HTML contains the GA/FA classes on the links, so it looks like some extension is doing it but I dont see any relevant extension on http://www.jedipedia.net/wiki/Spezial:Version . IMO this is worth exploring, because if there is another extension that provides this functionality (easier than Wikibase), we have an even greater justification for decommissioning featured.py.

I think moving "lesser used"/unmaintained scripts into a subdirectory like scripts/archive makes sense. It would still need to automatically be runnable using pwb.py featured, and tests/script_tests.py would need to also find and test it so that it doesnt break in an obvious manner.

If we are going to move/remove featured.py, the mailing list should be notified.

Change 267410 had a related patch set uploaded (by Ladsgroup):
Archive features.py

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/267410

Change 267410 merged by jenkins-bot:
Archive features.py

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/267410

Thank you everyone and John for your research.

I noticed that we didn't do any analysis of the Wikimedia projects not connected to Wikidata yet, and whether this data has been migrated to badges for all Wikimedia sites. That is concerning as the patch in T123150 is based on the assumption that the current wikitext on any page on all wikis will not contain the {{Link FA}} template or equivalent.
My earlier analysis was mostly of non-Wikimedia sites.

I havent been able to find the Link X concept being implemented on Wiktionary. They use Word of the Day instead of Featured articles. It would be good if someone highly active in Wiktionary can confirm they dont have any 'Link FA' / 'Link GA' like functionality.

I've {{delete}} tagged many of the templates on https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16467 , unless they were marked as {{historical}}.

https://it.wikiversity.org/wiki/Template:Vetrina still exists, but is unused, so it needs to be tagged {{historical}}.

https://sv.wikiversity.org/wiki/Mall:Utm%C3%A4rkt are a {{featured}} template currently used on several pages, and those pages havent been migrated to Wikidata yet. However that project isnt using Link FA.

It looks like Wikiversity is mostly clean.

Looking on Incubator, I found Link FA was used a few times.

https://incubator.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wp/loz/Tutwa&diff=3828000&oldid=1158910
https://incubator.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wp/ng/Helsinki&diff=3828119&oldid=1159618
https://incubator.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wp/enm/Taekwondo&diff=3828120&oldid=1153574

On Wikipedias, I am still seeing it occasionally. The following are where I have removed it.

GA:

https://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E9%A3%8E%E5%88%87%E5%8F%98&diff=39663697&oldid=38713816
https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alhaur%C3%ADn_de_la_Torre&diff=125166388&oldid=123496030
https://ar.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%8A_%D9%86%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%85&diff=19325934&oldid=19319392
https://vi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chuy%E1%BA%BFn_bay_007_c%E1%BB%A7a_Korean_Air_Lines&diff=23487400&oldid=22466325

FA:

https://bg.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BC%D1%82%D0%B5_%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8&diff=7249588&oldid=7161172

https://bn.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC&diff=2070013&oldid=1843611

(and that was after the bot removed a GA link :/)
https://bn.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0:%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%80&diff=2070014&oldid=1354625 and more on bn.wikipedia.org, but still more to do https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:Link_FA

https://fo.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kurvab%C3%B3ltur&diff=334596&oldid=320984
https://fo.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amerikanska_Borgarakr%C3%ADggi%C3%B0&diff=334595&oldid=319143

https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AF%E3%82%BB%E3%83%9F&diff=59298807&oldid=58694126

https://uk.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8E%D1%86%D1%96%D1%8F_%D0%B2_%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%97&diff=17907659&oldid=17562852
https://uk.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D0%A5%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8E%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8F_%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C&diff=17907663&oldid=17622663

https://ka.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E1%83%93%E1%83%90%E1%83%A3%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1_%E1%83%A1%E1%83%98%E1%83%9C%E1%83%93%E1%83%A0%E1%83%9D%E1%83%9B%E1%83%98&diff=3085066&oldid=2970414
https://vi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Incubus&diff=23487340&oldid=23132185
https://vi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T%C3%B4n_Th%E1%BA%A5t_%C4%90%C3%ADnh&diff=23487339&oldid=22801829
https://zh-classical.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%A4%A9%E6%BC%94&diff=252537&oldid=217267
https://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E6%8A%97%E4%BD%93&diff=39662897&oldid=39226408

https://mk.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0&diff=3483065&oldid=3482844
https://mk.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE&diff=3483066&oldid=3472035

https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Honda_NSX&diff=90373810&oldid=87177296

https://nl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alkaan&diff=46490540&oldid=46466959
https://nl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Battle_for_Middle-earth_II&diff=46490541&oldid=45432031

https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luigi_IX_di_Francia&diff=80073430&oldid=79868636
https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Infinito_(matematica)&diff=80073431&oldid=79394906
https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edgar_Degas&diff=80073433&oldid=79547335

And there are some sites that still have a 'lot' of pages with the template on them that I havent fixed. (less than 50, but still more than should exist, and suggests the wiki hasnt migrated, or finished migrating).

GA:

https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A9:%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B2/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A:Link_GA (5)
https://id.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Istimewa%3APranala+balik&target=Templat%3ALink+GA&namespace=0 (8)

FA:

https://myv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Whatlinkshere/template:LigoElstara (38)
https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berezi:ZerkLotzenDuHona/Txantiloi:NA_lotura (33)
https://th.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A9%3A%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B2&hidelinks=1&target=%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A%3ALink+FA&namespace=0 (5)

Change 350825 had a related patch set uploaded (by Xqt; owner: Xqt):
[pywikibot/core@master] Revert "Remove featured.py out of the script_tests.py"

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/350825

Change 350825 merged by jenkins-bot:
[pywikibot/core@master] Revert "Remove featured.py out of the script_tests.py"

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/350825