Moderation - AutoMod Rules

The AutoMod tab is an editor for Discord's own AutoMod rules, the same rules you find under Server Settings > AutoMod. Discord runs them, so they block messages before anyone sees them, even while the bot is offline. The dashboard adds one thing Discord does not have: infraction points per rule.

The bot needs the Manage Server permission to list, create, edit or delete rules.

A keyword rule open in the AutoMod editor: blocked words, the block message and alert responses, exempt roles and 5 infraction points — Moderation > AutoMod: editing a keyword rule

Rule types

Discord limits how many rules of each type a server can have; the Create Rule cards show the count, and a type that is full cannot be added.

Type	What it catches	Per server
Keyword	Messages containing your words or phrases, optional regex patterns, with an optional allow list	6
Spam	Messages Discord's own filter thinks are spam	1
Keyword Preset	Discord's built-in lists: Profanity, Sexual Content, Slurs (with an optional allow list)	1
Mention Spam	Messages with more than a set number of mentions (1 to 50), with optional Mention Raid Protection	1
Member Profile	Member names and profiles containing your words	1

Creating a rule

Open Moderation > AutoMod and click a card under Create Rule.
Give the rule a name and set its trigger (Choose your words, Choose your preset filters or Configure mention limits). In a keyword list, * at the start, end or both matches part of a word: steamgift* also catches steamgifts.
Under Choose a response, tick one or more:
- Block Message, with an optional Custom block message (up to 150 characters) shown to the member.
- Send Alert, which posts the flagged message to the Alert channel you choose.
- Timeout Member, for a Timeout duration (seconds) of up to 28 days.
- Block Interactions (member profile rules). Discord accepts only some responses for some rule types; if it refuses a combination, the dashboard shows Discord's error.
Under Allow certain roles or channels (optional), exempt up to 20 roles and up to 50 channels and categories. Members with Administrator or Manage Server are always exempt.
Under Infraction points (optional), set how many points the rule adds each time it acts. Leave it at 0 to only record a case.
Click Save. Use the switch on a rule to turn it on or off, the pencil to edit it and the trash icon to delete it.

What happens when a rule acts

Discord carries out the responses. The bot then records an AutoMod case for the member (reason AutoMod: <rule type>, with the matched text) and adds the rule's infraction points, if the infraction system is on. Those points count toward your thresholds like any other. AutoMod cases send no DM.

Cases are only recorded while the Moderation module is on. Discord fires one event per response, so a rule with three responses still produces one case.

AutoMod, Anti-Spam or Automations?

Tool	Runs where	Best for
AutoMod (this page)	Discord, before the message is posted	Blocking words, links, invite spam and mention floods outright
Anti-Spam	The bot, after the message	Detecting floods over time (messages, links, emoji, lines, joins, new threads)
Automations	The bot, after the event	Custom responses: delete, warn, time out, post a log, raise the raid level