How to Set Up Discord AutoMod: Rules, Keywords and Exceptions

Discord has a built-in AutoMod that stops common problems before anyone sees them: spam links, mass pings and words you don't want in your server. It works around the clock, and it's free.

This guide shows which rules to switch on, how to write keyword lists that don't catch innocent messages, and how to set exceptions.

Where to find it

Open Server Settings → AutoMod (on some versions it's under Safety Setup). You need Manage Server to change it.

The rule types

Rule	What it catches	Good for
Mention spam	Messages that mention too many people or roles at once	Every server
Suspected spam	Messages Discord's own systems see as spam	Every server
Commonly flagged words	Discord's ready-made lists (profanity, sexual content, slurs)	Most public servers
Custom keywords	Your own words and phrases	Your server's specific problems

You can have several custom keyword rules, so you can treat different lists differently: one that blocks, one that only alerts your team.

What a rule can do

Each rule has one or more actions:

• Block message: the message never posts. You can show the sender a short custom explanation.
• Send alert: a report goes to a channel you choose, usually a private staff channel.
• Time out member: the sender is muted for a set time. Available on some rule types.

A good default is Block + Alert: the problem is stopped, and your team sees what happened.

Step 1: Turn on the basics

1. Mention spam: block messages that mention more than a sensible number of users or roles. Start around 5 to 10 for a small server, more for a big one. Turn on the timeout too, since mass-mentioning is almost always a raid or a compromised account.
2. Suspected spam: switch it on with Block message.
3. Commonly flagged words: choose the lists that fit your community, with Block message.

Step 2: Write a custom keyword list

Custom keywords cover what the presets don't: scam phrases you keep seeing, your server's specific no-go topics, or competitor invite spam.

How matching works:

• scam matches the word scam on its own.
• scam* matches words that start with it (scammer, scams).
• *scam matches words that end with it.
• *scam* matches it anywhere, even inside other words. Use this carefully.

Avoid false positives

The most common AutoMod mistake is a pattern that catches innocent words. *ass* blocks "class", "pass" and "assist". Before saving a wildcard, think of ordinary words that contain it.

Each keyword rule also has an allow list: words that should never trigger it. Use it for the innocent words your patterns would otherwise catch.

Useful lists to start with

• Scam phrases: "free nitro", "steam gift", "claim your prize"
• Invite spam: other servers' invite links, if self-promotion isn't allowed
• Your server's rules: topics you've decided are off-limits

Step 3: Set exceptions

Every rule can exempt roles and channels:

• Exempt your staff roles so they can quote rule-breaking messages when discussing them.
• Exempt channels where the rule doesn't fit: a self-promotion channel for invite spam, or an age-restricted channel for the language lists.

Keep exemptions narrow. Exempting a big role like "Member" turns the rule off for almost everyone.

Step 4: Choose an alert channel

Create a private channel for your staff, like #automod-log, and send every rule's alerts there. It shows you what AutoMod is catching, so you can spot patterns that misfire and loosen them.

Step 5: Review after a week

Read the alert channel after the first week:

• Lots of innocent messages blocked? Narrow the wildcard or add allow-list words.
• Problems getting through? Add the phrases you're seeing to a keyword list.
• Nothing at all? Check the rules are switched on and the alert channel is right.

AutoMod checklist

• Mention spam is on, with a sensible limit and a timeout.
• Suspected spam is on.
• The preset word lists that fit your community are on.
• Custom keywords cover scams and your own no-go topics.
• Wildcards have been checked for innocent matches.
• Staff roles are exempt; regular members aren't.
• Alerts go to a private staff channel.

Let Cordary set it up

Cordary can draft AutoMod rules as part of a server plan: say "block mass mentions and the common scam phrases, alert #staff-log, and exempt Moderators", and you'll see each rule, its keywords, actions and exemptions before anything is applied. You can also edit rules by hand in the Cordary workspace.