Guide
How credits work
Credits pay for AI scans and nothing else. A scan of an image, GIF or video uses credits; list matches and all text filters do not. The balance fills up again every month, and scanning pauses when it is empty.
How it works
Each server has its own credit balance. When nudity detection sends an image, GIF or video to the model, that scan uses credits from the balance of the server it was posted in.
Many things SfwBot does never reach the model, and those cost nothing:
| Action | Uses credits |
|---|---|
| AI scan of an image, GIF or video | Yes |
| Image that matches your allow list or block list | No |
| Media in an exempt or age-restricted channel, or from an exempt role | No |
| Media that was already scanned in the last 24 hours | No |
| A scan that failed | No, the credits are refunded at once |
| Invite filter, spam filter, link protection, AutoMod | No |
| Trust and strikes, logging | No |
The 24 hour rule means identical media is not scanned or charged twice. Editing a message, or a link preview that loads a moment later, does not cost a second time.
This guide states no prices or amounts. They are on the pricing page.
Three kinds of credits
Monthly credits are used first, so the credits you bought are only touched when the monthly ones are gone. Plus and Pro come with more monthly credits than the free plan. A plan without a monthly limit is not charged for scans at all.
Monthly credits
Come with your plan and reset at the start of each month. Unused monthly credits do not carry over.
Top-up credits
Bought as a one-time pack. They are kept across the monthly reset and do not expire.
Vote credits
Earned by voting for SfwBot on Top.gg. They are kept across the monthly reset as well.
Check and top up in the dashboard
Anyone with the Manage Server permission can open these pages.
Open Credits
In the dashboard, open your server and go to Credits. You see the balance, how much of the month's credits is used and when the next reset is.
Read the history
The history lists purchases, top-ups, votes, resets and adjustments one by one. Scans are summarised per day.
Top up or change plan
Buy a one-time pack on the Credits page, or open Premium to move to Plus or Pro. Payment is handled by Stripe.
The `/credits` command
/credits shows the server's balance, the plan, the date of the next reset and the usage so far. Every member can run it. The panel has buttons to vote on Top.gg, to refresh the numbers and to open the Credits page.
A member who votes through the button earns vote credits for the server the command was used in. Members who opted in with /dms get a confirmation by direct message and can ask to be reminded when they can vote again.
/status includes the balance in its check. See the command reference.
Low and empty balance
SfwBot warns you before the balance is empty:
- A low-credit notice is posted to your log channel when most of the month's credits are used.
- An out-of-credit notice is posted to your log channel when the balance reaches zero.
- The dashboard overview and the Nudity page show a warning with a link to get credits.
The first time a server has used most of its monthly credits, it receives a one-time bonus of credits and a free 7-day Plus trial. Both are added automatically.
The notices need a log channel. If none is set, you only see the warning in the dashboard. See logging.
What pauses when credits run out
Scanning starts again by itself as soon as credits are available: after a top-up, a vote, a plan change or the monthly reset. Media posted in the meantime is not scanned afterwards.
Pauses: AI scans
New media is no longer rated by the model, so nudity that is not on a list is not removed.
Keeps working: image lists
Media that matches your block list is still removed, and your allow list still applies.
Keeps working: text filters
The invite filter, the spam filter, link protection and AutoMod use no credits.
Keeps working: trust and logging
Violations from the modules that still run are logged and cost trust as before.
Using fewer credits
- Exempt channels where checking is not needed, such as a staff channel.
- Leave Check stickers, Check custom emojis and Check bot content off unless you need them.
- Add images that are posted again and again to your allow list or block list. A list match needs no scan.
The options are described in the settings reference.
Troubleshooting
- Explicit media is no longer removed. Check the balance with
/credits. At zero, AI scans are paused. - You received no warning. The notices go to the log channel, and none is set or the bot cannot post there.
- Credits dropped faster than expected. Every image, GIF and video in a busy channel is a scan. Checking stickers, emojis and bot content adds more. See the list above.
- A vote brought no credits. Start the vote with the button in
/credits, so the bot knows which server it is for. - The balance did not reset. Only monthly credits reset, at the start of the month. Top-up and vote credits stay as they are.
Common questions
Does every message cost credits?
No. Only a scan of an image, GIF or video by the model uses credits. Text messages and all text filters are free.
Do unused monthly credits carry over?
No. Monthly credits reset at the start of the month. Top-up credits and vote credits are kept.
Am I charged when a scan fails?
No. Credits for a failed scan are refunded at once.
Where do I find prices?
On the pricing page.