Add threaded commenting and collaborative/inline chat to your Moodle courses and activities with FastComments.
Live comments on course pages. Users can @mention each other and get notified based on their notification preferences. Click the bell to subscribe to all new comments on a course.
The rich text editor supports links, images, GIFs, and more. All of these can be configured or disabled.
With collab chat enabled, users can select pieces of content and discuss it. A top bar prompts "Select some text to start a discussion" and shows online user count and active discussions. Highlighted text is anchored in place so the conversation stays tied to the content.
Comments can also go below course content and pages (modules, books, etc.). The notification bell shows when there are unread notifications.
- Threaded comments with @mentions, upvoting/downvoting, and reply chains
- Rich text editor:bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, code blocks, links, images, and GIFs
- Collaborative chat:select text on any page to start an inline discussion anchored to that content
- Online presence indicator showing who is currently viewing the page
- Users seamlessly logged into the comment area. Secure SSO (HMAC-SHA256) and Simple SSO for seamless Moodle login integration
- Moodle admins are automatically synced as FastComments moderators (with Secure SSO)
- Comments on course pages and/or individual module/activity pages (configurable)
- Notification bell with unread badge:users can subscribe to all new comments on a page
- Per-user notification preferences accessible from the user profile
- EU CDN option for GDPR-friendly deployments
- Three commenting styles: traditional comments, collab chat, or both combined
- Moodle 4.1 or later
- PHP 7.4+ (as required by Moodle 4.1)
- A FastComments account (Tenant ID required; API Secret required for Secure SSO). Free trial allows testing the plugin. Plans start at $0.99/mo.
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Download or clone this repository into your Moodle installation:
git clone https://github.com/FastComments/fastcomments-moodle.git /path/to/moodle/local/fastcomments -
Log in as a site administrator and visit Site Administration > Notifications. Moodle will detect the new plugin and run the install.
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Navigate to Site Administration > Plugins > Local plugins > FastComments to configure.
Go to Site Administration > Plugins > Local plugins > FastComments. The settings are:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Tenant ID | Your FastComments Tenant ID (found in your FastComments dashboard). |
| API Secret | Your FastComments API Secret. Required when using Secure SSO. |
| SSO Mode | Choose Secure, Simple, or None (see SSO Modes below). |
| Page Contexts | Which page types display comments:course pages, module/activity pages, or both. |
| Commenting Style | Select from three modes (see Commenting Styles below). |
| CDN URL | Defaults to https://cdn.fastcomments.com. Change to an EU CDN endpoint if needed. |
| Style | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Comments | A comment widget is rendered below the page content with threaded replies, @mentions, and the notification bell. |
| Collab Chat | A bar appears at the top of the page prompting users to select text and start a discussion. Highlighted text is anchored to the content. Shows online users and active discussion count. No bottom widget. |
| Collab Chat + Comments | Both modes active:users can highlight text for inline discussions and also use the comment widget below the content. |
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Secure (recommended) | User identity is signed server-side with HMAC-SHA256 using your API Secret. Moodle admins are automatically synced as FastComments moderators. User avatars, names, and email addresses are passed securely. |
| Simple | User data (name, email, avatar) is passed client-side without a signature. Quick to set up but less secure. |
| None | No SSO:users comment anonymously. |
Logged-in users can manage their FastComments notification settings from their Moodle profile under the FastComments section. Two preferences are available:
- Reply notifications:receive an email when someone replies to your comment.
- Subscription notifications:receive emails for threads you have subscribed to.
This plugin is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3 or later.