Discord AutoMod report-only mode: review flagged messages before acting

Before you start

• Use an online Build Discord Bots bot with AutoMod enabled and Pro. AutoMod, including report-only review, is Pro at $9.99/month.
• Open the dashboard with permission to edit the bot, and choose the Discord server you intend to configure. Have one ordinary test account without Manage Messages: AutoMod skips members with that permission.
• For capture, the bot needs View Channel in the source channel and Discord Message Content Intent. To use optional notifications, prepare a text channel hidden from @everyone where the bot can View Channel and Send Messages.

1. Turn on report-only review for the selected server

   In the dashboard, open your bot, choose Modules, enable AutoMod, and open its settings. Select the correct server. In the Report-only review panel, turn on Report-only review (Pro). It is off by default, so switching it on is a deliberate per-server change rather than a change to every server your bot has joined.

   Optionally choose Staff review notifications. This setting only sends a case number and the matched rule to a staff-only text channel; it does not put the saved message text in the notification. Save Settings and keep the selected notification channel hidden from @everyone. You can leave it as None (queue only) and review cases solely through the private review interaction.

2. Enable the rules you want staff to review

   Review the filter cards and enable only the rules your team is ready to inspect. AutoMod checks enabled filters in order and captures only the first matching rule for a message. Role and channel exemptions still apply, so an exempt member or channel does not create a case for that filter.

   While report-only is on, the action picker, mute settings, and auto-escalation controls are not used for a match. The bot returns to enforcement only after you turn report-only off, at which point the saved actions are available again. Keep a written staff policy outside the command for how reviewers will decide whether a case needs follow-up.

3. Test one harmless match and confirm the case

   For a controlled test, add a made-up word such as zebraflamingo to the Word Filter list, enable that rule, and save. From the ordinary test account, send one harmless message containing the made-up word in a channel the bot can view. The message should remain visible; it should not be deleted or punish the test member.

   If you selected a notification channel, it should name the review case number and rule, without reproducing the message text. Do not test from the server owner or a moderator with Manage Messages: those accounts are skipped by AutoMod, so no case is expected. Remove the test word or turn the test rule off after you have confirmed the workflow.

4. Review cases with the private slash commands

   A staff member with Manage Messages can run /automod amreview action:list to privately list accessible pending cases. Use /automod amreview action:view case:NUMBER to see one case, including its saved text and source link. The command only shows a case when both the staff member and the bot can still view its source channel.

   When your review is complete, use /automod amreview action:reviewed case:NUMBER or /automod amreview action:dismiss case:NUMBER. Both mark the pending case resolved and record the reviewer; neither deletes a message nor applies a moderation action. For a longer queue, use /automod amreview action:list case:CURSOR to continue after the cursor in the private response.

5. Fix missing, unavailable, or expired cases

   No cases appear: confirm Pro and AutoMod are enabled for this server, Report-only review is on, and the relevant rule is enabled with no matching role or channel exemption. Test from an account without Manage Messages. Then check that the bot can View Channel in the source and that Message Content Intent is enabled; a source it cannot view is not captured. A missing notification does not necessarily mean a missing case, so check /automod amreview action:list directly.

   Command missing or denied: use /automod amreview rather than a prefix command, and make sure the bot is online with AutoMod and Pro enabled. Older generated bots need regeneration to receive the review capability and persistence. The caller needs Manage Messages, and a case will remain unavailable if the caller or bot cannot view its source channel.

   Cases disappear: each server keeps at most 1,000 total cases, including reviewed and dismissed cases. Cases expire 30 days after capture when the queue is next used; resolving a case does not free storage. A full queue skips new reports until expired cases are pruned, so review queue age and capacity before assuming a new match will be saved.