How to Write Discord Server Rules and a Welcome Message (With Templates)

Your #rules and #welcome channels are the first things a new member reads. Good ones set the tone in thirty seconds. Bad ones are a wall of legal text nobody scrolls through.

This guide shows how to write both, with templates you can copy and adapt.

Part 1: Server rules

What makes rules work

• Short. Five to ten rules. If you need twenty, some of them are really guidelines.
• Specific. "Be respectful" is a start. "No insults, slurs or personal attacks" is a rule.
• Numbered. So people can say "that's rule 3" instead of arguing about it.
• Clear about consequences. Say what happens when someone breaks a rule.

Rules template: general community

Welcome to the server! Please read these before you post.

1. Be kind. No insults, harassment, slurs or personal attacks.

2. Keep it safe for work. No adult, gory or shocking content.

3. No spam. No repeated messages, mass mentions or unsolicited ads, including in DMs.

4. Use the right channel. Check channel descriptions before posting.

5. No self-promotion outside #self-promo.

6. Respect privacy. Don't share anyone's personal information, including your own.

7. Follow Discord's rules. The Discord Community Guidelines and Terms of Service apply here too.

8. Staff have the final say. If you disagree with a decision, message a moderator privately.

Breaking the rules can lead to a warning, a timeout or a ban, depending on how serious it is.

Adapting the template

Server type	Add or change
Gaming	No cheating, exploits or account selling; no spoilers outside #spoilers
Study or class	No sharing answers to graded work; keep homework help to #homework-help
Creator community	No asking for free shoutouts; respect the creator's boundaries
Business or support	Keep support questions in #support; don't share order numbers publicly
Open source	Follow the project's code of conduct; report security issues privately

Where to put rules

• A read-only #rules channel near the top. See how to make a read-only channel.
• On Community servers, Discord asks you to choose a rules channel in Server Settings → Community.
• Optionally, pin the rules message so it's easy to find.

Part 2: The welcome message

The welcome message has a different job from the rules: make people feel they've arrived somewhere friendly, and tell them what to do first.

What a good welcome message includes

1. A one-line hello in your server's voice.
2. What this server is for, in one sentence.
3. Two or three first steps: read the rules, pick roles, say hi.
4. Where to get help if they're stuck.

Welcome template

Welcome to [Server Name]! 👋

We're a community for [who it's for and what you do together].

Start here:

• Read the rules in #rules
• Pick your roles in Channels & Roles
• Say hi in #introductions

Questions? Ask in #help or message any @Moderator.

Welcome template: casual

Hey, you made it! 🎉 This is where we [hang out / play / share]. Grab your roles, drop a hello in #general, and make yourself at home.

Discord's own welcome features

You don't have to do everything with posts. Discord also has:

• System welcome messages: Discord's own "X just joined" messages. Turn them on or off and choose their channel in Server Settings → Overview. They can also show a wave to say hi button.
• The Welcome Screen (Community servers): a card new members see first, with up to five recommended channels.
• Onboarding and the Server Guide (Community servers): questions and new-member to-dos. See our Onboarding guide.

These work well together: the Welcome Screen or Onboarding points people to #rules and #welcome, and your posts there do the talking.

Keep them current

Update your rules when you see the same problem twice, and your welcome message whenever your channels change. Old instructions pointing to channels that no longer exist are worse than none.

Let Cordary post them

Cordary can write and post your rules, welcome and info messages as part of a server plan, in a voice that fits your community. You review the exact text before anything is posted, and Cordary can edit its own posts later. It can even post them under its own name and photo for your server.