Guides
Automations
Make the bot do things on its own with no code. Pick what starts it, add checks, then the actions.
An automation is a small flow the bot runs by itself. You build it on a canvas, block by block:
- When: what starts it. For example, a member joins.
- If: optional checks. For example, the account is older than 7 days.
- Do: what the bot does. For example, give a role and send a message.
No code is needed. Open Automations on the dashboard.
Note
Automations is a premium feature and is in beta. On the free plan you can see the page, but you can't build or run automations.
Tip
The fastest start is a template. Open Templates, pick one, press Use template, then fill in the role or channel it asks for.
Build one#
- Open Automations and press New automation.
- Pick a template, or Start blank and choose a trigger.
- Add blocks. Press the + under a block to add the next one, or drag one in from the left panel.
- Click a block to change its settings on the right.
- Press Test run to see the path it would take, without doing anything for real.
- Press Publish. The automation is now live.
Your edits save on their own as a draft. The bot only runs the published version, so a half-finished change never runs. Discard goes back to what is live.
Triggers#
Each automation has one trigger.
| Group | Triggers |
|---|---|
| Members | Joins, leaves, gets a role, loses a role, changes nickname, boosts the server, levels up, fills in a form |
| Messages | Sends, edits or deletes a message, mentions the bot, creates a thread |
| Reactions | Adds or removes a reaction |
| Buttons | Clicks a button, picks from a menu, sends a form |
| Voice | Joins, leaves or moves voice channel |
| Other | On a schedule, votes for the bot |
Most triggers can be limited to some channels. Buttons, menus and forms match by their custom ID.
Cooldown#
A trigger can have a cooldown, so it runs at most once in a while. Pick per member, per channel or whole server, and a time. For example, an auto-reply with a 60-second cooldown per channel answers once a minute, however many people ask.
Checks (If blocks)#
An If block checks rules, then goes down Yes or No.
- All of these: every rule must be true.
- Any of these: one rule is enough.
- None of these: no rule may be true.
Groups can go inside groups, up to 4 deep. Each rule can also be flipped to is not.
Rules include: channel or category, roles (any, all or none), specific users, bots, account age, time in the server, boosting, message text (contains, is exactly, starts with, matches a pattern), attachments (image, video, audio, file), replies, mentions, links, message length, the reaction emoji, time of day, day of the week, comparing a value, and random chance.
Actions#
| Group | Blocks |
|---|---|
| Messages | Send a message, send a DM, reply, react, delete, pin, create a thread |
| Members | Give a role (for good or for a while), take a role, set nickname, time out, kick, ban, move or disconnect from voice |
| Channels | Set slowmode, lock, unlock |
| Data | Set a value, do math, save a server or member value |
Messages use the same editor as the rest of the dashboard, with embeds and buttons.
Note
Give a role can't give a role with staff permissions, like Administrator or Ban Members. That stops anyone from handing themselves power through an automation.
Flow blocks#
| Block | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wait | Pauses, then carries on. For example, remove a role after 1 day. Waits survive bot restarts. |
| Wait for… | Pauses until the member replies, clicks a button or reacts. It has a Timeout exit for when they don't. The answer is saved, for example as {var.answer}. |
| Random split | Picks one of 2 to 4 paths at random, by percent. |
| Stop | Ends the automation. |
| Code | Runs Python with the trigger's data, like an Event. Premium. |
Watch out
Discord only lets the bot answer a button click for 15 minutes. In a flow started by a click, a menu or a form, use Send a message instead of Reply after a long wait.
Variables#
Any text can use variables:
| Variable | Gives |
|---|---|
{user.mention}, {user.name}, {user.id} | The member |
{server.name} | The server |
{channel.mention}, {channel.name} | The channel |
{message.content} | The message text |
{var.name} | A value set earlier in this run |
{server_var.name}, {member_var.name} | Values saved on the server or member |
{var.choice}, {var.choices} | What was picked in a menu (first pick, or all of them) |
{var.field} | A form field, by the field's custom ID |
Text checks ignore capital letters: "Hello" matches "hello".
Form answers#
The Fills in a form trigger gives you the form and what the member sent:
| Variable | Gives |
|---|---|
{form.answer.1}, {form.answer.2}, … | The answer to question 1, 2, … |
{form.question.1}, {form.question.2}, … | The text of question 1, 2, … |
{form.answers} | Every answer, one per line |
{form.name} or {form.title}, {form.description} | The form's title and description |
{form.url}, {form.code} | The form's public link and its short code |
{form.responses_url} | The dashboard page with the form's answers |
{form.source} | Where it was sent: web or discord |
{form.submitted_at} | When it was sent, in each reader's own time |
{form.answer_count}, {form.question_count} | How many questions were answered, and how many the form has |
{form.id}, {form.submission} | The form's ID and the answer's ID |
Numbers follow the form's order, counting only questions: page breaks and info text are skipped. If you move questions around in the form, their numbers change too, so check your automation after.
Pick a form in the trigger and the menu lists each question by number. With Any form, type the numbers yourself.
For a tidy post with one field per answer, add an embed with a field for each question:
| Field name | Field value |
|---|---|
{form.question.1} | {form.answer.1} |
{form.question.2} | {form.answer.2} |
{form.question.3} | {form.answer.3} |
If a member skips a question, its answer is empty and that field is left out of the post. A number past the last question is empty too.
Role, channel and member answers show as mentions, like @Admin, @Mod. In a message's text, a role mention only pings when the message allows role pings. {form.answers} shows names instead.
They work in checks as well. For example, Compare values with {form.answer.2} equals Nord lets you send members down a different path by what they picked.
History and errors#
History lists the last runs: when, who, and how it went. A run where only the checks ran and one said no shows as Checks said no; on a busy server, one of those is kept a minute per automation, so History stays useful. Click a run to see the path it took on the canvas. A failed step shows in red with the reason, such as a missing permission.
If an action fails, the run stops there. The automation shows the last error on the Automations page until you publish again.
Limits#
| Starter | Basic | Advanced | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automations | 15 | 50 | 200 |
| Longest wait | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Code block | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Every plan: up to 50 steps per run, and loops are not allowed (lines only go forward).
Automations that set each other off#
Messages, reactions and threads the bot makes never start an automation. Changes it makes to a member (a role, nickname, timeout or voice move) can, so two automations could keep answering each other. Two guards stop that:
- Chain depth. A run started by another automation's change counts one step deeper. Past 3 steps it doesn't start, and History shows "Stopped: automations keep starting each other".
- Loop breaker. If one automation is started that way for the same member more than 5 times in 10 seconds, it is turned off and the reason shows on the Automations page. Fix it, then turn it back on.
A member's own activity never counts: someone sending many messages doesn't turn anything off.
Save your own templates#
Open the ⋯ menu in the builder and pick Save as template. It appears under Templates in every server you manage.