Guide Let members host their own watch parties on XenForo, with approval and per-source permissions

[Gwendal]

Watch parties take off when members can host them, not only staff. The risk is just as clear: anyone able to create a party can put any video in front of the community, at any time. Watch Party 2.1 and later answer that with an approval queue, host permissions that only reach a member's own parties, and a permission per video source. This guide shows a setup that works for most communities, all with standard XenForo permissions.

The model in one paragraph​

A member submits a dated party. A reviewer approves it or sends it back with a reason, and the host gets an alert either way. Approved parties join the agenda and start on their own at their time. The host then runs their own party (edit, end, moderate its chat) without any power over anyone else's. Trusted hosts can skip the queue.

Step 1: decide who goes through review​

In Admin CP > Groups & permissions > User groups, under Watch Party permissions:

• Start watch parties and Schedule watch parties: who may host at all.
• Publish parties without approval: set it to No for the groups you want to review, Yes for trusted hosts.

Nothing changes on upgrade until you touch this permission: every group that could start parties keeps publishing directly. Members who need approval see a Submit for review button instead of going live, and find their submission in My parties as awaiting review.

Step 2: give reviewers the queue, and nothing more​

Under Watch Party moderator permissions, Approve or reject submitted parties opens the review queue (Watch Parties > Review) without any other moderation power. Reviewers get an alert for each submission and resubmission. Rejecting asks for a reason, so the host knows what to fix; once fixed, the party goes back into the queue.

Step 3: what hosts may do with their own parties​

These only ever apply to parties the member hosts:

• Edit own parties: title, description, category, date and video of their scheduled parties. For members who need approval, changing the date or the video of an approved party sends it back for review; other edits keep it approved.
• End own parties and, separately, Reopen own ended parties. Reopening brings the room back live with its chat, crew and settings.
• Moderate own parties: pin and delete messages, mute, kick and ban, in their own parties only.
• Keep parties open without a host: for long broadcasts that must not close after the idle delay.

Step 4: choose which video sources each group may use​

Each source has its own permission: Use YouTube videos, Use Twitch videos and channels, Use VK Video, Use Vimeo videos, Use Dailymotion videos, Use direct video and audio links, Use HLS streams (.m3u8) and Use forum attachments. They are checked everywhere a video can be added: starting, scheduling and editing a party, and the queue. Sources a member cannot use are left out of the hints in the forms.

A typical split:

• Registered hosts: YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, with approval.
• An "Event organisers" group: everything above plus HLS live streams and Twitch, without approval, with Keep parties open without a host.
• Staff: Manage every party (moderator permission) to review, end or reopen any party.

Step 5: keep a trace​

Admin CP > Watch Party > Content > Action log records submissions, approvals, rejections, edits, cancellations, starts, ends, reopenings, crew and settings changes: who did what, filterable by action, member, room and scheduled party. Content > Scheduled parties shows which parties await review or were sent back.

Test it before announcing it​

Use a second, ordinary account in a group with Publish parties without approval set to No: submit a party, approve it from your reviewer account, then edit its date and check that it went back to review. Ten minutes, and you know exactly what your members will see.

Live streams have their own guide: How to play a live HLS (.m3u8) stream in a XenForo watch party.

Store page: Watch Party. Questions and ideas: the Watch Party forum.