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Feature Flags & System Settings

Configure platform-wide system settings on skillSYMS: feature flags, email delivery, regions, OAuth social login, and platform diagnostics.

For: Administrators
On this page(12 sections)

Summary

This guide covers platform-wide system configuration for administrators. You’ll learn how to manage feature flags, configure email delivery and templates, set regional defaults, manage OAuth social login, and use platform-level controls such as cache clearing and diagnostics.

Who This Guide Is For

  • Platform administrators configuring global behaviour
  • Operations staff managing email and regional settings
  • Engineers troubleshooting platform configuration

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Platform administrator credentials with system settings permissions
  • Knowledge of the impact of any flag or setting you intend to change
  • Email provider and OAuth provider credentials where relevant

Step 1: Manage Feature Flags

Navigate to Admin → System → Features.

This screen lists platform feature flags. Toggle a flag to enable or disable a capability across the platform, then save.

Tip: Feature flags affect all tenants. Roll out high-impact changes during low-traffic windows and confirm with stakeholders first.

Step 2: Configure Email Delivery

Navigate to Admin → System → Email.

From the email screen you can:

  • Review delivery statistics and recent activity
  • Manage email templates (open a template to edit its content)
  • Edit email settings (sender, provider configuration)
  • Send a test email to confirm delivery

Tip: Always send a test email after changing settings or a template — broken email config silently blocks invitations and password resets.

Step 3: Configure Regions

Navigate to Admin → System → Regions.

Here you set regional defaults including formats and regulatory settings. These determine date, number, and compliance defaults applied across the platform.

Step 4: Configure OAuth Social Login

Navigate to Admin → System → OAuth.

Note: This feature is rolling out — screens may differ. Social login depends on a separately deployed Auth Broker worker. If the broker is not deployed, the page will show “Auth Broker Not Deployed” and provide deployment instructions; OAuth will not function until it is online.

When the broker is online, use this screen to review broker status and configure the OAuth providers available for social login across tenants.

Step 5: Manage Platform Settings & Diagnostics

Navigate to Admin → Settings.

The platform settings screen exposes global controls including:

  • Editing platform-wide settings
  • Clearing the platform cache
  • Running platform diagnostics
  • Triggering an emergency lockdown

Tip: Emergency lockdown is a break-glass control. Only use it during a confirmed security incident, and follow your incident response runbook.

Step 6: Clear Caches When Settings Don’t Take Effect

If a configuration change doesn’t appear to apply, clear the relevant cache from Admin → System → Email (cache controls) or Admin → Settings, then re-test.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Flipping flags blindly: Feature flags are global — understand the blast radius before toggling
  2. Skipping the email test: A bad email setting blocks all transactional mail without an obvious error
  3. Assuming OAuth works without the broker: Social login requires the Auth Broker worker to be deployed and online
  4. Overusing emergency lockdown: Reserve it strictly for genuine security incidents

Verification Checklist

After changing system settings, verify:

  • Feature flags reflect the intended state
  • A test email was sent and received
  • Regional defaults are correct
  • OAuth broker status is online (if social login is in use)
  • Caches cleared and changes confirmed live

Next Steps

What's new in skillSYMS

  1. MicroQuests in the browser, in the app and by email
    • skillsyms.com/learn: take LearnChat MicroQuests in any browser with buttons instead of chat replies. You get the same quests, wallet, progress and certificates as on WhatsApp
    • Learn by email: anyone can ask for a personal learning link on skillsyms.com/learn. There's no account and no password, and the link keeps you signed in on that device for 30 days
    + 6 more
  2. Schools & Early Learning (alpha): grades, registers, marks, promotion and SA-SAMS import
    • Learners → Schools & ECD: set up a school or ECD centre under its provincial department, with grades, classes and subjects for each academic year
    • Choose your institution type (primary, secondary, combined, independent, ECD centre and more) to switch on the matching pack
    + 12 more
  3. Schools & Early Learning: learner support, behaviour, governance, ECD development and a guardian portal
    • My classes: a teacher's registers still to take today, open assessment tasks and which learners need accommodations
    • Teaching assignments and teaching scope: start by observing captures outside a teacher's classes, then limit teachers to their own classes and subjects
    + 10 more
Full changelog