Help Center / Getting started / How Discord permissions and role order work for bots

How Discord permissions and role order work for bots

Almost every "the bot did nothing" is one of two things: a missing permission, or the bot's role sitting too low. Here is how both work.

1. Give the bot the permissions it needs

A bot can only do what its role is allowed to do, exactly like a member.

  1. Open Server Settings then Roles
    Find the mimBo bot's role (it is created when you add the bot).
  2. Turn on the permissions that bot needs
    For example a moderation bot needs Ban Members, Kick Members, Timeout Members (Moderate Members), Manage Messages and Manage Channels. A reaction-role bot needs Manage Roles. An embed or impersonation bot needs Manage Webhooks. An emoji bot needs Manage Emojis and Stickers.
  3. Prefer giving the bot its own role, not @everyone
    Keep the permissions on the bot's role so you are not handing them to everyone.

2. Put the bot's role above the roles it manages

This is the single most common fix. Discord will not let a bot act on a role equal to or higher than its own.

  1. Server Settings then Roles
    Drag the mimBo bot's role UP, above every role it needs to manage.
  2. Why it matters
    A moderation bot cannot ban, kick, timeout or rename a member whose top role is above the bot. A reaction-role or level bot cannot add or remove a role that sits above its own. Nobody can manage the server owner.
  3. Rule of thumb
    Put the bot's role just under your admin/staff roles and above everything it hands out or moderates.

3. Check channel permission overrides

Server permissions can be overridden per channel. A bot with server-wide access can still be blocked in one channel.

  1. Open the channel then Edit Channel then Permissions
    Look for a deny (red X) on the bot's role.
  2. Give the bot access where it posts
    In a log, welcome, ticket, giveaway or panel channel the bot needs View Channel and Send Messages, plus Embed Links and Attach Files for embeds and images.

Which permission does what

If you see thisWhat to do
Ban / Kick / Timeout not workingBot needs Ban Members, Kick Members and Timeout Members (Moderate Members), and its role above the target.
Roles not being added or removedBot needs Manage Roles, and its role above the role it hands out.
Cannot create tickets or channelsBot needs Manage Channels (and Manage Threads for thread tickets).
Embeds or impersonation not sendingBot needs Manage Webhooks in that channel.
Emojis or stickers not addingBot needs Manage Emojis and Stickers.
Messages or logs not postingBot needs View Channel, Send Messages, Embed Links and Attach Files in that channel.
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