Frequently asked questions
Setup, rating, how standings are scored, and fixes for the usual hiccups. Not covered here? Send a bug report and we'll figure it out.
What do I need to install?
Two pieces: the addon (records runs and shows the rating prompt in game) and the companion (a small menu-bar/tray app that uploads your ratings and keeps conduct data fresh, since WoW addons can't use the internet). Grab both on the download page. Once the companion is connected it also installs and updates the addon for you.
Why can't I upload ratings yet?
PugProof is in a limited beta. New sign-ins land on a waitlist; an invite code (from an existing tester) activates your account on the account page. After that, connect the companion and uploads count. Browsing and lookups work for everyone either way.
The companion says it's looking for my WoW install.
It checks the usual install locations on its own. If WoW lives somewhere custom, click Locate my WoW folder in the companion window and point it at your World of Warcraft folder. It confirms on the spot, installs the addon, and syncs conduct data immediately.
Windows or macOS blocked the installer.
Normal for a small unsigned app, and fixable in under a minute. The download page has step-by-step fixes for SmartScreen, Smart App Control, and macOS Gatekeeper under "Getting it running".
Do I need to claim my characters?
If you want your ratings to carry real weight, yes. Sign in with Battle.net on the account page and claim your characters from the list it shows you. Claims made from that list are verified against Battle.net automatically. Verified raters count for far more, appeals require a claimed character, and Renown only shows on claimed pages.
Is this against Blizzard's rules?
No. The addon is a normal UI addon: it records who you grouped with, shows a rating window, and reads a data file. Addons can't access the internet, and this one doesn't try; the companion does all uploading and downloading outside the game by reading the addon's saved data. No automation, no gameplay changes.
Can I use PugProof on two computers?
Mostly. Conduct data syncs to every machine the companion runs on. Uploads are different: connecting the companion signs in that machine, and the most recent connection wins. If your other computer starts showing an authorization error, click Connect account there and it takes over.
When do I rate my group?
A prompt appears after each Mythic+ run, including abandoned keys. Tap a tag to select it, tap again to remove it. Nothing is required: Skip / done pushes the run through without rating anyone. You can reopen the latest run any time with /pugproof prompt.
What's the difference between the tag types?
Conduct tags (positive and negative) feed a character's public standing. "Plays well" and "room to grow" notes are display-only feedback about play, and they never move anyone's standing, in either direction.
When do my ratings actually upload?
WoW writes addon data to disk when you /reload or log out; the companion picks it up within seconds after that. The rating window's Sync now (/reload) button does it in one click.
Does rating the same person over and over help them?
No. Only your few strongest ratings count toward any one person, no matter how many you leave. Standing moves when many different people agree, and your own Renown grows from the number of distinct people you've rated, not raw volume.
Who sees the private note?
Moderators only, for context on serious reports. It never appears in public lookups and never leaves the database.
Where do ratings actually show up?
Three places: tooltips when you mouse over a player, party and raid frames during a run, and the Group Finder, where marks show on people applying to your listing and on the leaders of groups you browse. (Blizzard hides non-leader names in listings, so leaders are the only ones an addon can show there.) During the beta there's also a small neutral icon for players with no rating yet, so you can tell the addon is alive.
I rated someone. When does their mark update?
The round trip takes up to about an hour. Your rating leaves the game when you /reload or log out, scores within a couple of minutes, ships in the next data pack (built every 15 minutes), and your companion picks packs up about every 45. The game reads the new data at your next /reload or login. Their mark also only appears once the display rules are met; a single rating from you starts a positive record but can never create a negative one.
What is Renown?
Points your account earns for rating teammates. It grows with the number of distinct people you've rated, so it can't be farmed by spamming one friend. It shows on your claimed character pages and next to your name when you lead a Group Finder listing. It says "this person participates"; it is not a conduct score.
How does a character get a public standing?
One positive rating from a verified account is enough to start a record at the entry tier. Stronger tiers, and anything negative or mixed, need agreement from independent accounts. Nobody gets publicly marked on one person's word.
Why does a character show "No data"?
Nobody with a verified account has rated them yet, or the only signals are ones the system won't publish (for example, a single negative). Any character can still show their in-game profile and recent runs.
Do bad ratings follow someone forever?
No. Negative signals stop counting 60 days after they happen, and they fade continuously before that. "Room to grow" notes fade in 30 days. Positive reputation lasts the full 90. A bad night ages out faster than a good record.
Can a group review-bomb someone?
The scoring is built against it: ratings are weighted by account verification and Blizzard-confirmed group history, each account counts once, severe marks need multiple independent accounts on different days, and accounts that leave almost nothing but negatives quietly lose their influence entirely.
What does the confidence level mean?
How much verified group history sits behind the standing: low under 3 verified runs, medium from 3, high from 8. It rises on its own as more verified groups rate.
I think my standing is wrong.
Use the appeals page. False-report and privacy appeals need the character claimed on your account; harassment reports can reference anyone.
The companion shows an upload error.
If it says your authorization is no longer valid, click Sign out in the companion, then connect your account again (regenerating the upload token on the account page disconnects older authorizations). Rate-limit messages clear on their own within the hour.
In-game conduct data seems stale.
Fresh data ships every 15 minutes and the companion pulls it on its own about every 45. To force it: quit and reopen the companion, then /reload in game. One exception: when the companion updates the addon itself, WoW only loads the new version at launch, so fully quit and restart the game rather than reloading.
The rating prompt didn't appear after my run.
Type /pugproof prompt to open it for your latest run, and /pugproof status to see what the addon has captured. If a run is genuinely missing, send a bug report with that status output.
Where are the logs?
Right-click the PugProof icon in your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows) and choose Open log file. The bug report page explains what to include.
What's public about me?
An aggregate standing (like "Very positive"), anonymous tag counts, and your Blizzard-public profile and runs. No written comments, no reviewer identities, ever. Full details on the privacy page.
Will my alts be linked publicly?
Only if you turn it on. Public alt linking is opt-in from your account page, off by default, and only ever shows your verified claims.
Can someone tell that I rated them?
No. Standings and tag counts are aggregates across everyone who rated a character, with no names, timestamps, or per-rater breakdown anywhere public. The person you rated sees the same anonymous totals everyone else does.