How to set up Discord AutoMod: every rule explained
Discord's own AutoMod settings rule by rule, with starting values that suit most servers and the gaps you still have to cover another way.
By SfwBot Team7 min read
To set up Discord AutoMod, open Server Settings, go to Safety Setup and choose Edit next to AutoMod, then switch on the rules you need and choose a response for each. A good start is the commonly flagged words, mention spam and spam content, one rule with words specific to your server, and an alert channel so your team sees what was blocked. AutoMod is built into Discord and stops a message before anyone sees it.
Where AutoMod is and who it applies to
You need the Manage Server or Administrator permission to change AutoMod. If your app shows no Safety Setup page, look for an AutoMod entry directly in Server Settings.
AutoMod never applies to members who have Manage Server or Administrator, and it ignores bots and webhooks. That is why a new rule often looks broken: the owner tests it and nothing happens. Test with a second account that has neither permission.
A rule checks a message when it is sent and again when it is edited, so editing a blocked word into an old message does not get around it.
The rules and how to set each one
Commonly flagged words
Block Commonly Flagged Words uses three lists that Discord maintains: Insults and Slurs, Sexual Content and Severe Profanity. Switch on the ones that fit your server. The rule has its own allow list for words from those lists that are normal in your community, such as a game term that happens to match.
Your own words, with wildcards
Block Custom Words holds your own list. A server can have up to six of these rules, each with up to 1,000 keywords of 60 characters or less. Matching ignores upper and lower case, and a keyword can be a phrase.
Where you put the asterisk decides what matches:
| Keyword | Matches |
|---|---|
cat | only the word "cat" on its own |
cat* | words that start with it, such as "catch" |
*cat | words that end with it, such as "wildcat" |
*cat* | the letters anywhere, such as "education" |
Start with whole words. An asterisk on both sides of a short keyword hits ordinary words that happen to contain it. Each rule also has an allow list of up to 100 entries, and can hold up to 10 regular expressions for patterns a keyword cannot describe.
Use separate rules when words need different responses: one rule that only blocks, and one for the worst terms that also times the member out.
Spam content
Block Spam Content has nothing to tune beyond responses and exemptions. Discord blocks messages that resemble content widely reported as spam. Switch it on.
Mention spam and raid protection
Block Mention Spam blocks a message that mentions more than a set number of unique users and roles, with a limit of up to 50. Set it low enough to catch a mass ping and high enough that a member greeting a few friends gets through. Also switch on raid protection in the same rule, which lets Discord detect mention raids automatically. Pausing invites and removing the accounts is covered in what to do when your server is raided.
Member profile names
Block Words in Member Profile Names checks profile names against a keyword list, with wildcards and an allow list as above. It catches accounts that join with an insult or an advert as their name. A match keeps the member from writing, speaking and other interaction in your server. There is one of these rules per server.
Responses: block, alert, time out
A rule can have more than one response:
- Block message. The message is never posted. You can add a note of up to 150 characters that the member sees, for example which rule they hit.
- Send an alert. Discord posts the blocked content in a channel you choose. Pick one only moderators can read. Without alerts you cannot tell when a keyword blocks normal chat.
- Time out user. Only keyword rules and mention spam offer this, for up to four weeks. Use it where one hit is clearly deliberate, such as a mass ping.
AutoMod cannot kick or ban. That stays with your moderators.
Exempt roles and channels
Each rule can exempt up to 20 roles and 50 channels. Exempt your moderator role so moderators can quote a blocked message when they explain a removal, and exempt channels where the words are expected, such as a staff channel for reports.
Do not exempt a role that every member gets on joining, because then the rule applies to nobody.
What AutoMod cannot see
AutoMod reads text. It does not look at images, GIFs or videos, so a picture with nudity goes straight through. Discord's explicit image filter, also in Safety Setup, is the first thing to switch on for that.
It does not understand context. A slur quoted in a member's report is blocked the same as the insult itself, which is one more reason to read the alert channel.
Links only match when you write them into a keyword rule. A scam page on a new domain looks like any other link, and AutoMod has no list of known bad websites. The post on scam links explains how they spread.
AutoMod also does not count messages over time. Discord says the spam content rule can miss copy and paste spam and repeated messages.
How SfwBot works with AutoMod
SfwBot can create and maintain AutoMod rules from its dashboard. Open AutoMod, switch on Manage AutoMod rules and choose an Alert channel. Its rules have names starting with [SfwBot], and it never changes rules you made yourself. That has one consequence if you followed the steps above: Discord allows only one rule each for commonly flagged words, spam content, mention spam and member profile names. Where your server already has its own rule of one of these kinds, SfwBot cannot add its version, and the dashboard names the rule that is in the way. Delete your rule in Discord if you want SfwBot to manage that one; its other rules are not affected. The AutoMod guide covers setup and the sync status.
On every plan you get Profanity, the Custom keyword block and the curated packs Discord Nitro scams and Self-promotion and DM bait. Plus and Pro add the slurs and sexual content filters, Mention spam with raid protection, Spam detection, the Username and nickname filter, regex patterns, more packs and a higher keyword limit.
When one of its rules fires, SfwBot posts an entry in your log channel and, if you use trust and strikes, deducts trust, so repeated hits end in a strike. AutoMod uses no credits.
The gaps above are covered by other parts of the bot. Link protection compares links with maintained lists of scam and adult websites, the spam filter counts messages over time and catches flooding, and nudity detection scans images, GIFs and videos for nudity. SfwBot does not detect other kinds of content in images.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Discord AutoMod not block my own messages?
Members with the Administrator or Manage Server permission are always exempt from AutoMod. Test your rules with an account that has neither.
Does Discord AutoMod check images?
No. AutoMod reads text in messages and member profile names. Discord's explicit image filter in Safety Setup, or a bot that scans images, handles pictures.
How many AutoMod rules can a server have?
Up to six rules with your own keywords, plus one each for commonly flagged words, spam content, mention spam and member profile names.
Can AutoMod ban members?
No. A rule can block the message, send an alert and, for keyword and mention spam rules, time the member out for up to four weeks. Kicks and bans are done by moderators or a bot.
