"Apply to be a Moderator" (member mod application) is undocumented

Area: Forums (audit p2) · Surface: POST /forums/apply-mod (ForumController@applyToMod); UI: "Apply to be a Moderator" button in platform/templates/forums/category.php · Dimension: documentation · Severity: minor

Members can apply to become a forum/category moderator via a prominent "Apply to be a Moderator" button, but no wiki article explains the application process, that it is gated by the moderator_role feature, how the pending state works, or what happens after approval. forum-administration covers existing moderators only.

Evidence

Member-facing UI confirmed: platform/templates/forums/category.php:82-87 renders `<form action="/forums/apply-mod" method="POST">` with a button `Apply to be a Moderator`, gated by `$config->get('features.moderator_role', true)`, with a "Application pending" badge when `$hasPendingModApp` and a "Log in to apply" link for anonymous users. Wiki check: index slugs apply-to-moderate / become-a-moderator / moderator-applications all = 0; index body has "apply to be a moderator" / "moderator application" 0 times. Across all 71 articles, no body documents applying to become a mod — the only "apply" matches are JS (CountryData.applyToForm) and "apply moderation actions". forum-administration.html (the existing mod article) has resign=0, become a mod=0, volunteer=0; it documents tools for existing mods, not how a member applies.

Suggested fix. Add a member-facing section/article on becoming a moderator: where the "Apply to be a Moderator" button appears (category/forum pages), the pending-application state, and how applications are reviewed/approved. Cross-link from trust-levels-and-roles and forum-administration.

Filed by the automated tenant-app audit and adversarially evidence-verified. Status: verified. Open — not yet actioned.