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Session inconsistency across Wikimedia wikis after browser restart
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Description

When I close my browser and reopen it, I remain logged into Wikipedia, but I get logged out of other Wikimedia projects.

Steps to reproduce

  • Log into Wikipedia and other Wikimedia sites (e.g. Wikimedia Commons, Wiktionary, etc.)
  • Close the browser completely
  • Reopen the browser
  • Check login across different Wikimedia projects

This is happening since 6 May.

Event Timeline

I have the same with Wikidata on both my personal and work laptop. I'm still logged in on other projects, but almost daily have to log in again on Wikidata.

I can't reproduce. There must be something about your browser or your interactions with the sites that triggers this.

I have some questions which may narrow down the cause of the problems:

  • Do you use the "Keep me logged in" option when logging in?
  • Do you use any login/authentication methods other than a password? (2FA, passkeys, etc.)
  • What browser and operating system do you use, and do you use any privacy-enhancing browser settings or extensions?

If any of you folks who subscribed experience the same problem, answers from you would also be appreciated.

Does there seem to be a time limit to this? E.g. if you log in to Wikipedia, and immediately close and reopen the browser then both Wikipedia and Wikidata work, but if you wait an hour after login before closing and reopening, then only Wikipedia works?

  • Do you use the "Keep me logged in" option when logging in?
  • Do you use any login/authentication methods other than a password? (2FA, passkeys, etc.)
  • What browser and operating system do you use, and do you use any privacy-enhancing browser settings or extensions?

I recently started logging in with a passkey. When logging in, I was not clicking (or could not click) the "Keep me logged in" because I was automatically logged in by clicking the passkey suggested by the password manager in the username field. I no longer have this problem when I click it. I am using Firefox 150 on Fedora 44.

Does there seem to be a time limit to this? E.g. if you log in to Wikipedia, and immediately close and reopen the browser then both Wikipedia and Wikidata work, but if you wait an hour after login before closing and reopening, then only Wikipedia works?

There was no time limit

I recently started logging in with a passkey. When logging in, I was not clicking (or could not click) the "Keep me logged in" because I was automatically logged in by clicking the passkey suggested by the password manager in the username field. I no longer have this problem when I click it. I am using Firefox 150 on Fedora 44.

Thanks, and sorry for late reply. This seems like the expected behavior to me. I'm not sure what we could do differently here.

That seems like an annoying UX problem, it's hard to remember checking the box before you even select the username.

Best filed as a separate task though, different people work on MediaWiki-extensions-OATHAuth and on login in general.