Remove unused audit log file rotation settings from docs

[Combs7th]

Remove four unused audit log file rotation settings from documentation to reflect Mattermost server v11.4+ behavior.

Engineering PR mattermost/mattermost#35170 removes these settings from ExperimentalAuditSettings:

• FileMaxSizeMB
• FileMaxAgeDays
• FileMaxBackups
• FileCompress

File rotation for audit logs is now configured via AdvancedLoggingJSON.

Closes #8769

Generated with Claude Code

[Combs7th]

@hanzei - Tagging you for dev review. Do the changes above look accurate? If so, I'll tag Eric for editor review.

[github-actions]

Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA f141ce0

[amyblais]

@Combs7th This is also scheduled for v11.6 (April release).

[hanzei]

Thanks!

[claude]

Claude encountered an error —— View job

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I'll analyze this and get back to you.

[Combs7th]

@claude - Please revise the docs update based on the PR evidence and developer feedback.

Before drafting:

• Treat the engineering PR as the source of truth.
• Note that the PR removes five unused ExperimentalAuditSettings fields, not four:
• FileMaxSizeMB
• FileMaxAgeDays
• FileMaxBackups
• FileCompress
• FileMaxQueueSize
• Do not say that queue size can still be configured separately unless you find explicit docs-repo evidence for that.
• Point admins to AdvancedLoggingJSON for audit log file rotation / advanced audit log output behavior.
• Keep scope focused on correcting inaccurate admin config docs.
• Do not modify changelogs, upgrade notes, version archive, deprecated/removed features, or unsupported releases.
• Do not make a decision to delete the experimental docs file unless you find explicit evidence in the docs repo that it is obsolete.

What to do:

• Identify the existing docs pages/sections that still document these removed ExperimentalAuditSettings fields.
• Update those pages to remove or rewrite the outdated settings.
• Replace any inaccurate wording so it does not imply FileMaxQueueSize is still supported there.
• Add a short admin-facing note pointing readers to AdvancedLoggingJSON for audit log rotation and advanced output configuration.
• Keep the update minimal, accurate, and aligned to Mattermost server v11.6.

[claude]

Claude finished @Combs7th's task in 2m 57s —— View job

---

Revised audit log docs — all 5 removed fields addressed

• Read CLAUDE.md for repo-specific guidelines
• Read changed files to understand current state
• Identify all sections documenting the 5 removed ExperimentalAuditSettings fields
• Update environment-configuration-settings.rst — removed FileMaxQueueSize section, expanded existing note to point to AdvancedLoggingJSON for file rotation and advanced output
• Update experimental-configuration-settings.rst — fixed intro text (was "file name and queue size", now "file name only"), removed FileMaxQueueSize section
• Update logging.rst — removed FileMaxQueueSize: 1000 from cloud defaults list
• Update telemetry.rst — removed enum FileMaxQueueSize from ExperimentalAuditSettings telemetry list
• Commit and push changes

---

Summary of changes (commit 5df6d13):

File	Change
environment-configuration-settings.rst	Removed FileMaxQueueSize section; expanded the audit file name note to include: "To configure file rotation and advanced audit log output, use the AdvancedLoggingJSON setting."
experimental-configuration-settings.rst	Fixed intro text (removed "and queue size"); removed Maximum file queue section
logging.rst	Removed FileMaxQueueSize: 1000 from cloud default values list
telemetry.rst	Removed enum FileMaxQueueSize from ExperimentalAuditSettings telemetry list

The previous PR commit had removed the 4 rotation settings (FileMaxSizeMB, FileMaxAgeDays, FileMaxBackups, FileCompress) but missed FileMaxQueueSize in all locations. All 5 fields are now removed in alignment with mattermost/mattermost#35170.
|

[github-actions]

Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 5df6d13

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Organization UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 3456224a-db90-400f-939d-bfc9d4b70279

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 8d482b4 and 1d0a041.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• source/administration-guide/configure/environment-configuration-settings.rst
• source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst

✅ Files skipped from review due to trivial changes (1)

• source/administration-guide/configure/environment-configuration-settings.rst

---

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Removed deprecated self‑hosted audit log file rotation configuration entries from multiple admin docs and replaced specific rotation/retention guidance with a reference to AdvancedLoggingJSON. Telemetry docs were updated for whitespace and had the deprecated audit settings removed from the listed server settings.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Audit Log — environment config source/administration-guide/configure/environment-configuration-settings.rst	Removed detailed auditlog-filemaxsizemb, auditlog-filemaxagedays, auditlog-filemaxbackups, auditlog-filecompress, and auditlog-filemaxqueuesize config documentation; retained requirement to set audit file name and pointed rotation/advanced output to AdvancedLoggingJSON.
Audit Log — experimental config source/administration-guide/configure/experimental-configuration-settings.rst	Removed max-file-size, max-file-age, maximum-file-backups, file-compression, and maximum-file-queue documented entries; left only file-name guidance and referenced AdvancedLoggingJSON for rotation/advanced output.
Logging reference source/administration-guide/manage/logging.rst	Removed listed default file-related parameters for self‑hosted audit logging in the Cloud reference, leaving only FileEnabled: false and normalized trailing whitespace.
Telemetry guide source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst	Whitespace and formatting normalization plus removal of deprecated FileMaxSizeMB, FileMaxAgeDays, FileMaxBackups, FileCompress, and FileMaxQueueSize from the ExperimentalAuditSettings list.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~20 minutes

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely summarizes the main change: removing unused audit log file rotation settings from documentation.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description is directly related to the changeset, specifying which settings were removed and explaining the reason (Mattermost server v11.4+ behavior change).
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The PR successfully addresses issue #8769 by removing documentation for the five deprecated ExperimentalAuditSettings fields and directing users to AdvancedLoggingJSON, matching the engineering PR mattermost/mattermost#35170.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are within scope: four documentation files were updated to remove references to deprecated audit log rotation settings and point to AdvancedLoggingJSON, with no modifications to excluded pages.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch claude/issue-8769-20260304-2307

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 1

♻️ Duplicate comments (1)

source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst (1)

1-1: ⚠️ Potential issue | 🟡 Minor

Consider broader telemetry documentation strategy.

A previous review comment indicates telemetry is no longer collected ("We don't do telemetry any longer"). Additionally, the changes to this file (removing individual ServiceSettings enumeration fields) appear outside the stated PR scope of removing audit log rotation settings documentation.

Before merging, clarify whether:

1. The entire telemetry file should be deprecated/removed rather than maintained
2. These enum field removals are intentional or accidentally included in this PR

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

In `@source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst` at line 1, The telemetry
docs currently state telemetry is not collected and the diff shows removals from
the ServiceSettings enumeration that fall outside the audit-log-rotation scope;
confirm whether the telemetry page
(source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst) should be fully
deprecated/removed or retained, and if retained revert or remove only the
unrelated enum-field edits (references to ServiceSettings enum fields) so this
PR only contains audit log rotation doc changes; update the PR with either a
removal commit for the telemetry file or a revert/adjustment of the
ServiceSettings field deletions and add a short commit message explaining the
chosen action.

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

Inline comments:
In
`@source/administration-guide/configure/environment-configuration-settings.rst`:
- Line 3592: The sentence that currently reads as an absolute requirement should
be narrowed to apply only when using the FileEnabled/file-output audit logging
path: update the phrasing around the "enable <#auditlog-fileenabled>`__ audit
logging" reference so it explicitly says the file name must be set when using
the FileEnabled (file output) audit logger; leave references to
AdvancedLoggingJSON and ExperimentalAuditSettings.FileName untouched but note
that those targets may not require ExperimentalAuditSettings.FileName. Target
the text around the "enable <#auditlog-fileenabled>" link and mention
"FileEnabled/file-output path" and "ExperimentalAuditSettings.FileName" so
readers understand the requirement is scoped to the file-output configuration
only.

---

Duplicate comments:
In `@source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst`:
- Line 1: The telemetry docs currently state telemetry is not collected and the
diff shows removals from the ServiceSettings enumeration that fall outside the
audit-log-rotation scope; confirm whether the telemetry page
(source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst) should be fully
deprecated/removed or retained, and if retained revert or remove only the
unrelated enum-field edits (references to ServiceSettings enum fields) so this
PR only contains audit log rotation doc changes; update the PR with either a
removal commit for the telemetry file or a revert/adjustment of the
ServiceSettings field deletions and add a short commit message explaining the
chosen action.

🪄 Autofix (Beta)

Fix all unresolved CodeRabbit comments on this PR:

• Push a commit to this branch (recommended)
• Create a new PR with the fixes

---

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Organization UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 2372fab4-159b-42bd-94e7-6267364f6e57

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between a35fec9 and 5df6d13.

📒 Files selected for processing (4)

• source/administration-guide/configure/environment-configuration-settings.rst
• source/administration-guide/configure/experimental-configuration-settings.rst
• source/administration-guide/manage/logging.rst
• source/administration-guide/manage/telemetry.rst

[Combs7th]

@hanzei - Is this looking more accurate now?

[github-actions]

Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 4af6ca7

[Combs7th]

@hanzei @esethna - This one should be good to go.

[github-actions]

Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 8d482b4

[Combs7th]

@esethna - I think this one should be good for merge now?

[github-actions]

Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 403699c

[esethna]

Is it intentional that we are removing this entire page?

I have an 11.6 server and I still see settings for "Error and Diagnostic reporting" and security alerts feature.

I understand that we don't have telemetry in the same way as before, but perhaps this page needs updates, rather than a full removal? @hanzei @Combs7th

[Combs7th]

Good call out here, @esethna! I'm gonna try something on a new comment..

[Combs7th]

@claude - Please review all commits and discussion posted in this PR.

Context:

• We originally removed the whole telemetry docs page after dev feedback suggested “we don't do telemetry any longer.”
• Eric then flagged that on an 11.6 server he still sees Error and Diagnostic Reporting settings and the security alerts feature, so full page removal may be incorrect.
• We need to determine whether the telemetry page should actually be kept and updated, rather than deleted.

Please do this in two passes:

1. Veteran Vince pass
   Review the PR evidence conservatively and decide:

• Should we delete the full telemetry page?
• Or does the PR only justify narrower updates related to removed audit log settings?
• Which parts of the existing telemetry page, if any, still appear product-valid based on PR evidence and the concerns raised by Eric?

2. Editor Evie pass
   Based on that conclusion:

• Recommend the cleanest docs approach
• Suggest better docs organization if the page should be kept
• Suggest concise replacement wording and structure for the affected section(s)
• Avoid over-deleting or over-scoping beyond what the PR supports

Output:

• Draft revised text or any section changes.
• Any follow-up questions or validation needed from Hanzei/Eric before merge

Important constraints:

• Keep the update minimal and admin-facing
• Do not modify changelogs, upgrade notes, version archive, deprecated/removed feature pages, or unsupported releases.

[claude]

Claude finished @Combs7th's task in 5m 14s —— View job

---

Telemetry page decision — two-pass analysis

• Read CLAUDE.md for repo guidelines
• Recover deleted telemetry.rst content via git history
• Read current changed files for context
• Veteran Vince pass — conservative review of deletion decision
• Editor Evie pass — recommend cleanest docs approach
• Implement the fix (restore with minimal changes)
• Commit and push

---

Veteran Vince pass — conservative review

Verdict: Do not delete telemetry.rst. Restore it with only the 5 field removals.

Here's why:

The deletion was triggered by a misread of the dev comment. @hanzei's original note — "We don't do telemetry any longer. Can we just drop the file?" — was made during review of the initial PR, which was removing 4 ExperimentalAuditSettings fields. In context, "telemetry" likely referred to the telemetry for those specific audit log settings, not to Mattermost's broader telemetry system. The comment was made on telemetry.rst while reviewing audit log changes, so the scope was narrow.

Eric's v11.6 evidence is conclusive. The page documents two features that demonstrably still exist in v11.6:

• Security update check (opt-out via System Console > Environment > SMTP > Enable Security Alerts)
• Error and diagnostics reporting (opt-out via System Console > Environment > Logging > Enable Diagnostics and Error Reporting)

Both are distinct from audit logging and both remain product-valid.

The only PR-justified change to telemetry.rst is removing the 5 ExperimentalAuditSettings fields that were removed in mattermost/mattermost#35170 from the server configuration telemetry enumeration list:

Before	After
**ExperimentalAuditSettings**: bool SysLogEnabled, bool SysLogInsecure, enum SysLogMaxQueueSize, bool FileEnabled, enum FileMaxSizeMB, enum FileMaxAgeDays, bool FileMaxBackups, bool FileCompress, enum FileMaxQueueSize;	**ExperimentalAuditSettings**: bool SysLogEnabled, bool SysLogInsecure, enum SysLogMaxQueueSize, bool FileEnabled;

CodeRabbit also flagged this independently as "out of scope."

---

Editor Evie pass — cleanest docs approach

Recommendation: Keep the page, apply the minimal fix, no structural changes needed for this PR.

The page's structure is sound for its purpose — it's a transparency reference that explains what data Mattermost collects and how to opt out. The two main sections (security alerts and error/diagnostic reporting) are clearly written and still accurate.

The one thing that's slightly stale but out of scope for this PR:

• The "Event data" note references mattermost-redux/blob/master/src/client/client4.ts#L3069 — that link may have rotted since most events were disabled. Worth a separate follow-up, not this PR.
• The "Playbooks telemetry" section may need updating if playbooks were folded into core, but again, out of scope.

No wording changes needed beyond the field removals. The page correctly describes opt-out paths and the data collection policy as it still stands.

---

What was done

Restored telemetry.rst and removed only the 5 deprecated fields from the ExperimentalAuditSettings telemetry enumeration (commit 1d0a041). Everything else on the page is unchanged.

---

Follow-up questions for @hanzei / @esethna before merge

1. @hanzei — Did "we don't do telemetry any longer" refer specifically to the audit log rotation fields, or does it mean Mattermost has stopped collecting telemetry data more broadly? If the latter, there is more to document (updated opt-out instructions, policy page updates) — that would be a separate PR.

2. @esethna — Does the restored page look correct from an editor standpoint? Anything on the page that's visibly wrong or stale relative to v11.6 that falls within this PR's scope?
   |

[github-actions]

Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 1d0a041