Pull Request Checklist

Note to first-time contributors: Please open a discussion post in Discussions to discuss your idea/fix with the community before creating a pull request, and describe your changes before submitting a pull request.

This is to ensure large feature PRs are discussed with the community first, before starting work on it. If the community does not want this feature or it is not relevant for Open WebUI as a project, it can be identified in the discussion before working on the feature and submitting the PR.

Before submitting, make sure you've checked the following:

• Target branch: Verify that the pull request targets the dev branch. Not targeting the dev branch will lead to immediate closure of the PR.
• Description: Provide a concise description of the changes made in this pull request down below.
• Changelog: Ensure a changelog entry following the format of Keep a Changelog is added at the bottom of the PR description.
• Documentation: If necessary, update relevant documentation Open WebUI Docs like environment variables, the tutorials, or other documentation sources.
• Dependencies: Are there any new dependencies? Have you updated the dependency versions in the documentation?
• Testing: Perform manual tests to verify the implemented fix/feature works as intended AND does not break any other functionality. Take this as an opportunity to make screenshots of the feature/fix and include it in the PR description.
• Agentic AI Code: Confirm this Pull Request is not written by any AI Agent or has at least gone through additional human review AND manual testing. If any AI Agent is the co-author of this PR, it may lead to immediate closure of the PR.
• Code review: Have you performed a self-review of your code, addressing any coding standard issues and ensuring adherence to the project's coding standards?
• Title Prefix: To clearly categorize this pull request, prefix the pull request title using one of the following:
  • BREAKING CHANGE: Significant changes that may affect compatibility
  • build: Changes that affect the build system or external dependencies
  • ci: Changes to our continuous integration processes or workflows
  • chore: Refactor, cleanup, or other non-functional code changes
  • docs: Documentation update or addition
  • feat: Introduces a new feature or enhancement to the codebase
  • fix: Bug fix or error correction
  • i18n: Internationalization or localization changes
  • perf: Performance improvement
  • refactor: Code restructuring for better maintainability, readability, or scalability
  • style: Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code (white space, formatting, missing semi-colons, etc.)
  • test: Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests
  • WIP: Work in progress, a temporary label for incomplete or ongoing work

Changelog Entry

Description

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This PR adds environment variables to control visibility of Folders and Interface Settings for normal users.
Related to: #19210 &
#18459 &
#18299

Added

• USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_FOLDERS environment variable (default: True)
• USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_INTERFACE_SETTINGS environment variable (default: True)
• Permission checks in Sidebar for Folders visibility
• Permission checks in Settings modal for Interface tab visibility

Changed

• Normal users can now have Folders hidden when USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_FOLDERS=False
• Normal users can now have Interface Settings tab hidden when USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_INTERFACE_SETTINGS=False
• Admins always retain full access regardless of permission settings

Testing

• Tested with permissions enabled (default behavior)
• Tested with Folders disabled for normal users
• Tested with Interface Settings disabled for normal users
• Verified admin users retain access in all scenarios

Here are screeshots of the interface for the user with the USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_FOLDERS=False and USER_PERMISSIONS_FEATURES_INTERFACE_SETTINGS=False