Pywikibot should expose its user-agent in version.py
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	jhsoby
	Oct 6 2025, 8:35 AM

Description

Feature summary (what you would like to be able to do and where):
In order to easily check what your bot's user-agent is, it should be added to version.py, which already lists various things that are defined in user-config.py (which you can do with the user-agent too, although of course it has a default – but it would be nice to be able to see what the default is).

Details

Related Changes in Gerrit:

	Subject	Repo	Branch	Lines +/-
	IMPR: Show user-agent with version script	pywikibot/core	master	+19 -2
	Add test case for User-Agent	pywikibot/core	master	+6 -3

Customize query in gerrit

Event Timeline

jhsoby created this task.Oct 6 2025, 8:35 AM

Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptOct 6 2025, 8:35 AM

jhsoby added a project: Pywikibot.Oct 6 2025, 8:35 AM

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Unfortunately this is not trival. There are several placed where UA are used or can be modified:

comms Module

eventstreams uses http.user_agent(site) but the header can be overridden
http.request uses http.user_agent(site) but the format string can be overridden with a string passed to headers dict. http.request calls http.fetch to proceed.
http.fetch may have an UA depending on use_fake_user_agent parameter passed with this function or the config.use_fake_user_agent_exception and config.use_fake_user_agent settings, the direct headers dict settings.

version Script

Uses '{pwb}' as format string for gerrit request which is replaced py 'Pywikibot/' + pywikibot.__version__

Other Scripts

reflinks and weblinkchecker may use a fake user agent if config.fake_user_agent_default is set for the given script

Conclusion

All we can show with version.py is the default UA for the default Site().

>>> import pywikibot
>>> from pywikibot.comms.http import user_agent as ua
>>> site = pywikibot.Site()
>>> ua()
'Pywikibot/10.6.0.dev0 (g19939) requests/2.32.3 Python/3.13.0.final.0'
>>> ua(site)
'(wikipedia:de; User:<username>) Pywikibot/10.6.0.dev0 (g19939) requests/2.32.3 Python/3.13.0.final.0'

Thanks for checking, @Xqt!

For most scripts, the user agent will be the default, but with the script name and site info prepended, right? So maybe add that to version.py with a disclaimer saying that it may be overriden by some scripts. Would that work?

Change #1194032 had a related patch set uploaded (by Xqt; author: Xqt):

[pywikibot/core@master] IMPR: Show user-agent with version script

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1194032

gerritbot added a project: Patch-For-Review.Oct 7 2025, 6:32 AM

Xqt claimed this task.Oct 7 2025, 7:02 AM

Change #1194684 had a related patch set uploaded (by D3r1ck01; author: Derick Alangi):

[pywikibot/core@master] Add test case for User-Agent

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1194684

Change #1194684 abandoned by D3r1ck01:

[pywikibot/core@master] Add test case for User-Agent

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1194684

Xqt closed this task as Resolved.Oct 9 2025, 7:51 AM