Critical Initial Config

• Site URL must be correct from first setup — changing later breaks all internal links, no easy fix
• PostgreSQL over SQLite for any multi-user setup — SQLite locks under concurrent writes
• HTTPS terminates at reverse proxy — Wiki.js runs HTTP internally, don't configure SSL in Wiki.js

Editor Traps

• Visual Editor uses HTML underneath — switching from Markdown loses formatting, can't switch back cleanly
• Markdown editor is the safe default — WYSIWYG has rendering quirks and sync issues
• Internal links require locale prefix — [Link](/en/path/to/page) not just /path/to/page

Permission Pitfalls

• Deny rules take precedence over allow — overlapping patterns cause unexpected lockouts
• Page rules use path patterns — /engineering/* covers subpages, /engineering is exact match only
• Default "Users" group applies to all new accounts — configure before inviting users

Storage and Sync

• Git sync is one-way by default — Wiki.js to Git only, external edits don't sync back
• Asset storage in database bloats backups — use S3/GCS for images on larger wikis
• Database backup IS the complete backup — all content, users, permissions stored there

Search Behavior

• Search respects permissions — users don't find pages they can't access (can cause confusion)
• Search index rebuilds automatically — large imports need patience, no manual trigger helps
• Elasticsearch optional — built-in DB search works but lacks relevance ranking

Troubleshooting Specifics

• Login redirect loops — almost always HTTPS/HTTP mismatch in Site URL config
• Assets not loading — Site URL doesn't match actual access URL
• Page shows 404 after creation — special characters in path, use lowercase alphanumeric
• Slow after import — search reindexing in progress, wait or check Admin > Utilities