Guide
Set up trust and strikes
Trust and strikes turn single removals into consequences for members who keep breaking the rules. Every violation costs trust, and at zero the member gets a strike with the action you chose. The system is off on a new server.
How it works
Every member starts with a trust of 100. Each violation belongs to a severity tier, and the tier decides how much trust it costs.
When a member's trust reaches 0, three things happen: the member gets a strike, their trust goes back to 100, and the strike action you set for that strike number is carried out. Trust comes back slowly over time, so an occasional slip is forgiven, while repeated violations add up.
| Violation | Default tier |
|---|---|
| Spam checks, invite links, AutoMod rules | Low |
| Image on your block list, manual deduction | Medium |
| Link to an adult website | High |
| Link to a scam website | Critical |
| Image removed by the AI scan | Low, and off until you switch it on |
What each tier costs is yours to set; see the settings reference. For an overview of the feature see trust and strikes.
Before you start: strike actions need the bot to have the permission to time out, kick or ban members, and its role must be above the roles of the members it acts on.
Set it up in the dashboard
Set the consequences before you switch the system on, so the first strike does what you expect.
Open Trust and strikes, Settings
In the dashboard, open your server and go to Trust and strikes, then Settings.
Check the strike actions first
Under Strike actions, decide what happens at each strike: nothing, a warning, a timeout, a kick or a ban. A new server starts with built-in timeouts that get longer with each strike. Strikes beyond the last one you set repeat the last action.
Adjust the severity tiers
Under Severity tiers, set how much trust each tier costs.
Review the violations
Under Violations, choose for each violation whether it costs trust and at which tier. This is where you switch on the AI detection violation if you want it.
Set regeneration and notices
Trust regained per hour controls how fast trust comes back. Tell members about trust changes controls whether members hear about it.
Switch the system on
Turn on Use the trust system and save. Members only lose trust for violations from this point on.
Commands
The dashboard page Trust and strikes, Members offers the same member actions. See the [command reference](/docs/commands).
`/member`
For moderators with the Moderate Members permission. Pick a member to see their trust, strikes and history, set or reset their trust, deduct trust by hand, take back a violation, and add, remove or clear strikes. A strike added by hand counts like any other, and its action is applied at once.
`/settings`
For members with the Manage Server permission. The page Trust and strikes holds the system settings. Switching the system on or off needs Administrator.
`/standing`
For every member. Shows their own trust, strikes, how fast trust comes back and what the next strike would mean.
What happens on a violation
- Trust is deducted by the amount of the violation's tier.
- A log entry is posted to your log channel with a Take back button. See logging.
- At 0 trust, a strike is added and its action runs: warn, timeout, kick or ban.
- The member is told, if Tell members about trust changes is on. Members who opted in with
/dmsget a direct message. Others get a short channel notice that deletes itself when their message was removed, unless you switched the notice off in General settings.
A warning as a strike action is a message to the member, so it only reaches members who opted in with /dms.
Reverting a violation
Mistakes can be undone. Use Take back on the log entry, the member's history in the dashboard or /member.
SfwBot then replays the member's remaining history as if the violation had never happened. You see a preview of the result before you confirm. If a strike no longer stands, it is removed and its timeout or ban is lifted. A kick cannot be undone.
Exemptions
The trust system has no exempt list of its own. A member who is exempt from a module, for example through an exempt role in the spam filter, causes no violation there and so loses no trust.
To leave one kind of violation out, switch it off under Violations. The module still removes the message; it just costs no trust.
Options on Plus and Pro
- More strike actions. The free plan allows up to 3 strike actions, Plus and Pro up to 10.
- Strike decay. With Forgive strikes over time, a member loses one strike after a period without violations.
See pricing.
Troubleshooting
- Violations cost no trust. The system is off, or that violation is switched off. Removals by the AI scan cost no trust by default.
- A strike action was not carried out. The bot lacks the permission to time out, kick or ban, or the member's role is above the bot's role. The server owner cannot be punished.
- Members are not told. Direct messages need the member's opt-in with
/dms. Check Tell members about trust changes and the notice setting under General. - A member got a strike from one message. A critical violation, such as a scam link, can use up all trust at once. See link protection.
- No log entries. No log channel is set, or the bot cannot post there.
Common questions
Do members see their own trust?
Yes. /standing shows a member their trust, strikes and recently removed images.
Does trust carry over between servers?
No. Trust and strikes are counted for each server separately.
What happens to old violations when I switch the system on?
Nothing. Only violations that happen while the system is on cost trust.
Can I use strikes without automatic penalties?
Yes. Set every strike action to none or warn, and use the strike count as a record for your moderators.