Start a short countdown timer in a Discord channel

Before you start

• Use an online bot with the Free Tools & Utilities module enabled in a server you manage. Start in a test channel where the bot can send messages.
• Choose a duration from one second through 24 hours. Use a compact duration such as 30s, 10m or 1h; the label is optional and is the remaining words after the duration.
• Use a short test first. This timer is held in the running bot process, so do not rely on it for a deadline that must survive a bot restart.

1. Enable Tools & Utilities for the server

   Open your bot’s Modules tab, select Tools & Utilities for the intended server, enable it and save. If this is an existing bot, use the normal regenerate and start flow, then wait until it is online before testing.

   Run the timer in the channel where people should see the countdown and completion. The module replies there and sends the completion message to that same channel; it does not create a separate reminder list or a voice-channel timer.

2. Start one short countdown

   In the test channel, run /timer duration:10m label:Break. The duration is required and the label is optional. With the default ! prefix, write !timer 10m Break instead.

   The timer reply shows both Discord relative time and an absolute clock time. For a quick check, start /timer duration:30s label:Test, then confirm that the posted time changes naturally in Discord instead of expecting the bot to edit a message every second.

3. Check the completion ping

   When the duration ends, the bot sends a completion embed in the same channel and mentions the member who started the timer. Keep the test short so you can see both the initial reply and the completed state before sharing the command more widely.

   A label is descriptive only: it does not ping a role, repeat the timer or alert a voice channel. The completion notification targets the original caller, so start the timer from the account that should receive that mention.

4. Handle invalid durations and restarts

   The handler accepts durations from one second through 24 hours. If the bot rejects a duration, use a supported compact value such as 45s, 10m or 2h and keep it within that range. Multi-day timers and repeated schedules are not part of this command.

   Do not treat the displayed timestamp as a restart-proof alarm. A running bot restart clears its active timer timeouts, so use the persistent Reminders module for a later commitment that cannot be missed.