Admin ability to configure Watches for other users #5485

New Issue

OVERLORD · 2026-02-05T10:06:04+03:00

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 10:06:04 +03:00

Originally created by @PhilGeorge359 on GitHub (Nov 7, 2025).

Describe the feature you'd like

Greetings, Dan!

First of all, words can hardly describe the improvements and workflow optimisations within companies and teams that your software has made possible. Thank you! 🫡

We had an idea for a feature that could enhance the watch functionality - giving admins the ability to configure watches on behalf of other users.

Perhaps users with the “Manage users” permission could have an option, when creating or editing a user, to assign which Books, Chapters, or Pages that user watches.

Describe the benefits this would bring to existing BookStack users

For companies with multiple teams, this would be a very useful option to automatically set team members to watch page creations, updates, and comments within their respective team Books.

With this option, when companies integrate BookStack or onboard new team members, admins could easily set them to watch the relevant content for their role or team, ensuring they stay informed with email notifications without requiring manual setup.

Can the goal of this request already be achieved via other means?

Currently, the only way to achieve this, as far as I know, is by directly accessing the application database and manually inserting entries with the respective user_id and watchable_id into the watches table.

Have you searched for an existing open/closed issue?

I have searched for existing issues and none cover my fundamental request

How long have you been using BookStack?

3 months to 1 year

Additional context

Thank you again for the time, care, and heart you put into developing BookStack. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,
Phil

Originally created by @PhilGeorge359 on GitHub (Nov 7, 2025). ### Describe the feature you'd like Greetings, Dan! First of all, words can hardly describe the improvements and workflow optimisations within companies and teams that your software has made possible. Thank you! 🫡 We had an idea for a feature that could enhance the watch functionality - giving admins the ability to configure watches on behalf of other users. Perhaps users with the “Manage users” permission could have an option, when creating or editing a user, to assign which Books, Chapters, or Pages that user watches. ### Describe the benefits this would bring to existing BookStack users For companies with multiple teams, this would be a very useful option to automatically set team members to watch page creations, updates, and comments within their respective team Books. With this option, when companies integrate BookStack or onboard new team members, admins could easily set them to watch the relevant content for their role or team, ensuring they stay informed with email notifications without requiring manual setup. ### Can the goal of this request already be achieved via other means? Currently, the only way to achieve this, as far as I know, is by directly accessing the application database and manually inserting entries with the respective user_id and watchable_id into the watches table. ### Have you searched for an existing open/closed issue? - [x] I have searched for existing issues and none cover my fundamental request ### How long have you been using BookStack? 3 months to 1 year ### Additional context Thank you again for the time, care, and heart you put into developing BookStack. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind Regards, Phil

OVERLORD added the 🔨 Feature Request label 2026-02-05 10:06:04 +03:00

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 10:06:06 +03:00

@balta1980 commented on GitHub (Nov 7, 2025):

Dear Phil, I am a Bookstack user. I think I can say something that may help you.

In order to control what any usar can watch, create and edit I have created a double cross role for users. For example, we have Hierarchical roles from CEO to apprentice and functional roles like HHRR, Sales etc, them in a shelve or a book on permissions you can intersect what a user in a specific position from any department can do over the shelve, book, shelve, chapter or page.

Look at these images:
Create a funtional role:

Adjust permission:

Now only people from sales can edit create and organization's juniors can view.

Best regards.

BJDS

@balta1980 commented on GitHub (Nov 7, 2025): Dear Phil, I am a Bookstack user. I think I can say something that may help you. In order to control what any usar can watch, create and edit I have created a double cross role for users. For example, we have Hierarchical roles from CEO to apprentice and functional roles like HHRR, Sales etc, them in a shelve or a book on permissions you can intersect what a user in a specific position from any department can do over the shelve, book, shelve, chapter or page. Look at these images: Create a funtional role: <img width="1038" height="815" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f046c8e5-43f6-4242-923e-d3913676945a" /> Adjust permission: <img width="1698" height="670" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/918693cc-0cc8-4a7d-93e7-c67a7cd472bc" /> Now only people from sales can edit create and organization's juniors can view. Best regards. BJDS

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 10:06:07 +03:00

@PhilGeorge359 commented on GitHub (Nov 10, 2025):

Hi @balta1980,

I really appreciate that you took the time to assist with my request.

In this case, though, I am referring to something different - the "Watch" button functionality for the Books/Chapters/Pages, which allows users to receive email notifications on new pages, updates and comments.

Please see the Content Notification System section of the August 2023 release notes - https://www.bookstackapp.com/blog/bookstack-release-v23-08/

I think I should have included the following comment from Proposal: Content user notifications #4371 by Joelzzard in my initial message:

I'd also like to see the ability for an admin to control notifications at a group level. For example, we have a style document for working in our CAD package, we have five teams that use that package, all of which should be notified when we change our style guide.

Dan, I noticed your reply to that comment:

you could likely achieve those desired admin controls with a little inventive added logical theme system code to set notification watch preference based upon tags.

Would this mean it’s possible to achieve what we need by using a Book tag together with something in the Custom HTML Head Content section under the admin settings?

@PhilGeorge359 commented on GitHub (Nov 10, 2025): Hi @balta1980, I really appreciate that you took the time to assist with my request. In this case, though, I am referring to something different - the "Watch" button functionality for the Books/Chapters/Pages, which allows users to receive email notifications on new pages, updates and comments. Please see the **Content Notification System** section of the August 2023 release notes - https://www.bookstackapp.com/blog/bookstack-release-v23-08/ ___ I think I should have included the following comment from [Proposal: Content user notifications #4371](https://github.com/BookStackApp/BookStack/issues/4371) by **Joelzzard** in my initial message: > I'd also like to see the ability for an admin to control notifications at a group level. For example, we have a style document for working in our CAD package, we have five teams that use that package, all of which should be notified when we change our style guide. Dan, I noticed your reply to that comment: > you could likely achieve those desired admin controls with a little inventive added logical theme system code to set notification watch preference based upon tags. Would this mean it’s possible to achieve what we need by using a Book tag together with something in the Custom HTML Head Content section under the admin settings?

Sign in to join this conversation.

Branches Tags

1 Participants

Notifications

Due Date

No due date set.

Dependencies

No dependencies set.

Reference: starred/BookStack#5485