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Enable or disable personal dashboards

The allow_user_dashboards flag is the master kill-switch for end-user dashboard creation. When off, MyDash hides the + Add dashboard button, blocks POST /api/dashboard, and shows users a localised explainer in the empty state.

Goal​

Toggle the flag on or off and verify the user UI reflects the change.

Prerequisites​

  • You must be a Nextcloud admin.

Steps​

1. Open MyDash admin settings​

Settings menu (avatar) → Administration settings → MyDash in the left nav.

MyDash admin settings page

2. Find the Personal dashboards section​

The section is near the top of the page. The toggle is labelled Allow users to create personal dashboards.

Personal dashboards toggle

3. Flip the toggle​

The change persists immediately — no Save button. The flag is stored in oc_mydash_admin_settings (key allow_user_dashboards).

4. Verify on the user side​

Open MyDash as a non-admin user.

  • Toggle on → + Add dashboard is visible in the sidebar; the empty state shows the standard "Create your first dashboard" CTA.
  • Toggle off → button hidden; empty state shows "Personal dashboards are not enabled by your administrator."

User UI when disabled

Behaviour notes​

  • Existing personal dashboards survive. Disabling doesn't delete user dashboards — they remain accessible. Only creation is blocked.
  • Backend enforcement. Even if a curl request bypasses the UI, the POST /api/dashboard controller calls assertPersonalDashboardsAllowed() and responds with 403 personal_dashboards_disabled when the flag is off.
  • Group-shared dashboards are unaffected. Admin templates and group defaults render regardless.

Common issues​

SymptomFix
Toggle is missingConfirm the user is actually a Nextcloud admin (occ user:info <name>).
Users still see + Add after disableApache apc cache. docker exec nextcloud apache2ctl graceful to refresh.
Newly-created users land on no-dashboardEither the toggle is off, OR no admin template applies — see Create an admin template.

Reference​