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🛠️ Setting up the bot

Note: This bot is run on your own machine or a server.
To keep it online, you need to keep the bot process running.

Terminology

  • Main server (or main guild) is the server where users will be contacting modmail from
  • Inbox server (or inbox guild, or mail guild) is the server where modmail threads will be created. In a "single-server setup" this is the same server as the main server.
  • A modmail thread is a channel on the inbox server that contains the current exchange with the user. These threads can be closed to archive them. One user can only have 1 modmail thread open at once.
  • A moderator, in modmail's context, is a server staff member who responds to and manages modmail threads
  • A user, in modmail's context, is a Discord user who is contacting modmail by DMing the bot

Prerequisites

  1. Create a bot on the Discord Developer Portal
  2. Turn on Server Members Intent in the bot's settings page on the developer portal (Image)
  3. Install Node.js 14 (LTS)
    • Node.js 15 is not currently officially supported
  4. Download the latest bot release here (click on "Source code (zip)")
  5. Extract the downloaded Zip file to a new folder
  6. In the bot's folder (that you extracted from the zip file), make a copy of the file config.example.ini and rename the copy to config.ini
    • If you're on Windows, the file may be named config.example (without .ini at the end)

Single-server setup

In this setup, modmail threads are opened on the main server in a special category. This is the recommended setup for small and medium sized servers.

  1. Go through the prerequisites above first!
  2. Open config.ini in a text editor and fill in the required values. mainServerId and inboxServerId should both be set to your server's id.
  3. Invite the bot to the server
  4. On a new line at the end of config.ini, add categoryAutomation.newThread = CATEGORY_ID_HERE
    • Replace CATEGORY_ID_HERE with the ID of the category where new modmail threads should go
  5. Make sure the bot has Manage Channels, Manage Messages, and Attach Files permissions in the category
    • It is not recommended to give the bot Administrator permissions under any circumstances
  6. 🏃 Start the bot!
  7. Want to change other bot options? See 📝 Configuration
  8. Have any other questions? Check out the 🙋 Frequently Asked Questions or join the support server!

Two-server setup

In this setup, modmail threads are opened on a separate inbox server. This is the recommended setup for large servers that get a lot of modmails, where a single-server setup could get messy. You might also want this setup for privacy concerns*.

  1. Go through the prerequisites above first!
  2. Create an inbox server on Discord
  3. Open config.ini in a text editor and fill in the required values
    • Set mainServerId to the ID of the main server where users will message the bot from
    • Set inboxServerId to the ID of the inbox server created in step 2
  4. Invite the bot to both the main server and the newly-created inbox server
  5. Open config.ini in a text editor and fill in the values
  6. Make sure the bot has the Manage Channels, Manage Messages, and Attach Files permissions on the inbox server
    • The bot does not need any permissions on the main server
  7. 🏃 Start the bot!
  8. Want to change other bot options? See 📝 Configuration
  9. Have any other questions? Check out the 🙋 Frequently Asked Questions or join the support server!

* Since all channel names, even for channels you can't see, are public information through the API, a user with a modified client could see the names of all users contacting modmail through the modmail channel names.