The dashboard
Use the dashboard to configure a specific server. Every protected page checks your current Discord authorization on the server; a guessed server ID or browser-edited role or channel ID cannot unlock access.
Anchor Wiki
The complete server guide.
A practical, beginner-friendly reference for installing Anchor, configuring each module, and using its Discord commands safely.
01 / Start here
Getting started
If this is your first Discord bot, follow this order. Anchor keeps server settings locked until Discord verifies that you can manage the server and that the bot is installed.
- Sign in with Discord.Use the official Discord sign-in button. Anchor receives your Discord identity and a short-lived authorization to check which servers you can manage.
- Choose a server.On the servers page, servers where Anchor is already installed appear first with a Manage action. Other manageable servers appear below with an Invite bot action.
- Invite Anchor when needed.Complete Discord’s authorization for the selected server. Anchor waits for its bot process to confirm the installation before enabling management.
- Set the foundation.Open Server settings first. Choose a timezone, review ignored channels, and decide which roles should be staff or managed roles.
- Enable modules one at a time.Open a module, select only the channels and roles it needs, save, then test the related command in a private staff channel.
Good first setup: configure Server settings, Action Log, Moderation, AutoMod, Welcome, and then community features such as Leveling or Tickets.
02 / Understand the model
How Anchor works
Anchor has two connected parts: a website for configuration and a Discord bot for real-time commands and events.
Discord commands
Slash commands run inside Discord and use the permissions of the person invoking them, the selected channel, and Anchor’s own bot permissions. Command access can add staff-role, permission, or cooldown rules.
Server-owned resources
Channel, role, emoji, and member choices are verified against the selected Discord server when saved. If a resource is deleted or Anchor cannot manage it, the save or action fails safely.
Safe defaults
Mentions are disabled unless a workflow explicitly needs a verified member mention. OAuth tokens, secrets, and internal error details are never sent to the browser or written to normal logs.
03 / Install correctly
Installation and permissions
Only a Discord server owner or a member with Manage Server can configure Anchor. This is separate from the permissions Anchor needs after it joins.
What you need
Sign in with the Discord account that owns the server or has Manage Server. If your role was recently changed, sign out and sign in again so Discord authorization is refreshed.
What Anchor needs
Give Anchor only the permissions required by the modules you enable. For example, moderation may need Moderate Members or Manage Messages, while Tickets needs Manage Channels in its category.
After inviting
Return to the servers page and select Manage. If it still says Invite bot, wait briefly for the bot gateway to observe the server, then refresh the page.
Installation failures
Do not reuse an old callback URL or browser tab. Start from the servers page again; OAuth state, PKCE, CSRF, and session rotation protect each new flow.
04 / Configure with confidence
A simple dashboard setup plan
Use the following sequence to avoid circular dependencies and missing-resource errors.
- Server settings.Set the server timezone and locale. Reminders and Auto Message use this timezone when they calculate delivery times.
- Roles.Add staff roles for staff-only command policies and managed roles for safe role assignment. Anchor cannot assign a role above its highest role or a role managed by another integration.
- Action Log.Choose one sendable log channel, enable only the event families you need, and add ignored channels or roles where appropriate.
- Module resources.Use the dropdown selectors instead of typing IDs. The selector shows the channel or role name and saves only resources verified in that server.
- Command access.Leave commands enabled while testing. Add staff-only, allowed-role, permission, or cooldown rules after the workflow is working.
05 / Protect conversations
Moderation and Action Log
Moderation cases
/warn, /timeout, /kick, /ban, and /unban create linked moderation and audit records. Discord permissions and role hierarchy are checked before an action is attempted.
Clearing and channel controls
/clear removes up to 100 recent messages that Discord still allows to be bulk deleted. /slowmode, /lock, and /unlock manage a selected channel while preserving safe state.
Warnings
Use /warnings to review a member’s active or historical warnings. The dashboard Moderation page provides a searchable view of recorded cases.
Action Log
Action Log sends selected message, member, role, channel, emoji, voice, invite, and moderator events to one configured channel. Logs use readable cached Discord names and fail safely if a destination is unavailable.
06 / Automate protection
AutoMod rules
Open AutoMod and select Create rule. Give the rule a clear name, choose a detector, select one or more actions, and optionally define affected or ignored roles and channels.
Message detectors
Anchor supports All Caps, Banned Words, repeated new lines, Duplicate Text, Character Count, Emoji Spam, Fast Message Spam, Image Spam, Invite Links, Known Phishing Links, Links, Links Cooldown, Mass Mentions, Mention Cooldowns, Spoilers, Masked Links, Stickers, Stickers Cooldown, and Zalgo Text.
Actions
Choose Warn, Delete, Automute, Autoban, Instant Mute, or Instant Ban. Automute escalates after three matches in ten minutes; Autoban escalates after three matches in 24 hours. Timeout durations are limited to 28 days.
Scope controls
Affected roles or channels limit where a rule applies. Ignored roles or channels exclude those contexts. Global exemptions are separate and apply to every rule.
Important safety note
Anchor does not silently exempt the server owner or administrators from AutoMod. Use ignored roles or channels when you intentionally want an exception. Discord and bot hierarchy checks still apply to punishments.
Start conservatively: begin with Delete + Warn, test in a private channel, and add automatic punishments only after reviewing real matches.
07 / Build community
Community modules
Welcome
Enable a human-member welcome message, choose a sendable channel, and use supported placeholders such as {user}, {username}, {server}, and {memberCount}.
Autorole
Create up to five rules that add or remove a verified role immediately or after a delay. Bots are skipped, and Anchor refuses roles it cannot safely manage.
Leveling
Configure message and reaction XP, cooldowns, ignored channels, role and channel boosters, level-up messages, reward roles, and automatic reset when a member leaves. /rank and /profile show the Canvas-rendered rank card.
Reaction Roles
Create up to four panels with up to eight verified roles each. Choose buttons, emoji reactions, or dropdowns; then select the panel mode, emojis, labels, and whether members may hold multiple roles.
08 / Keep members engaged
Engagement and utility modules
Tickets
Choose a category and support roles, then select a plain opening message or an embed. Members use /ticket open; the opener, support roles, administrators, and the server owner can close a ticket with /ticket close.
Giveaways
Enable the module, then use /giveaway create for a 1-minute to 14-day giveaway with up to 10 winners. Role boosters can provide up to 10× entries. End early or reroll one of the three most recent completed giveaways.
Auto Message and Reminders
Create up to three recurring or one-time messages and up to three reminders. Delivery is calculated in the server timezone, and every channel is verified before scheduling.
Custom commands and embeds
Custom commands provide bounded server responses. The Embed settings card controls the shared embed color and the default Anchor footer for server embeds; custom footers are a Premium feature coming later.
09 / In Discord
Command reference
Type /help in Discord for the live command list. The entries below describe the commands included with Anchor. Angle-bracket values represent a required choice; square brackets are optional.
General and information
/help [command]Browse available commands, or inspect one command’s usage and permissions./pingCheck interaction and gateway latency./uptimeShow the current bot process uptime./botinfoShow Anchor identity, runtime, shard, and process information./serverShow information about the current server./user [user]Show account and optional server membership information.User InfoContext menu. Right-click a user, open Apps, and choose User Info./avatar [user]Show a user’s full-size Discord avatar.Moderation
/warn user:<member> [reason]Record a warning and moderation case. Requires Moderate Members./warnings user:<user> [include_inactive]Review a user’s warnings. Requires Moderate Members./timeout user:<member> minutes:<1-40320> [reason]Timeout a member for up to 28 days. Requires Moderate Members./kick user:<member> [reason]Kick a member after permission and hierarchy checks. Requires Kick Members./ban user:<member> confirm:true [reason]Ban a member. Requires Ban Members and an explicit confirmation./unban user_id:<id> [reason]Remove an existing ban by Discord user ID. Requires Ban Members./clear amount:<1-100> confirm:true [channel] [reason]Bulk delete up to 100 recent messages. Requires View Channel, Read Message History, and Manage Messages./slowmode seconds:<0-21600> [channel] [reason]Set channel slowmode from 0 seconds through 6 hours. Requires Manage Channels./lock [channel] [reason]Lock a channel while preserving its previous everyone overwrite. Requires Manage Roles./unlock [channel] [reason]Restore the exact prior channel overwrite. Requires Manage Roles.Community and utility
/afk [reason]Set an away reason. A later message or reaction clears your AFK status and welcomes you back./rank [user] alias: /profileShow a graphical leveling card with XP, level, and server rank./profile [user] [color] [background] [reset]View a rank card or customize your own card when server settings allow it./role add user:<member> role:<role> [duration_minutes]Add a server-approved managed role, optionally for up to 30 days. Requires Manage Roles./role remove user:<member> role:<role>Remove a server-approved managed role. Requires Manage Roles./ticket open / /ticket closeOpen a private ticket or close the current ticket when authorized./embed channel:<channel> title:<text> description:<text> [color]Send a mention-safe, audited embed when Embeds is enabled. Requires Manage Messages in the destination context./custom name:<command>Run a server-configured custom response./schedule message channel:<channel> delay_minutes:<minutes> content:<text>Schedule a message after a delay of up to 30 days. Requires Manage Server./schedule cancel id:<id>Cancel a pending scheduled message. Requires Manage Server.Giveaways
/giveaway create prize:<text> channel:<channel> duration_minutes:<minutes> [winners]Create a giveaway for up to 14 days and 10 winners. The giveaway must be enabled and the creator needs Manage Server./giveaway end id:<id>End an active giveaway early and draw winners./giveaway reroll id:<id>Choose replacement winners from the three most recent completed giveaways./giveaway draw id:<id>Legacy alias for ending an active giveaway.10 / Keep control
Permissions and safety
Discord decides the baseline
Anchor never grants a Discord permission. It checks the invoking member, effective permissions in the target channel, and Discord’s role hierarchy before sensitive actions.
Command Access adds boundaries
Use the dashboard to disable a command, make it staff-only, require an allowed role, add permissions, or apply a cooldown. The server owner and configured Anchor bot owners retain recovery access where the policy permits.
Selectors are safer than IDs
Choose resources from the dashboard dropdowns. Anchor verifies the submitted channel, role, emoji, and member relationship again on the server; browser values are never trusted by themselves.
Test with a private channel
Before enabling automatic punishments or public messages, create a private test channel and verify Anchor’s View Channel, Send Messages, Embed Links, Manage Messages, Manage Roles, or Manage Channels permissions as needed.
11 / Fix common issues
Troubleshooting checklist
The server is not listed
Sign in with an account that owns the server or has Manage Server. If the permission changed recently, sign out and sign in again to refresh Discord authorization.
The server still says “Invite bot”
Anchor waits for bot confirmation after Discord redirects. Wait briefly, refresh the servers page, and start a new installation flow if the old tab expired.
A save returns 403 Forbidden
The form may have expired, the session may have rotated, or the request may have come from a different origin. Reload the page to receive a new CSRF token, then submit again.
A color, channel, or role is missing
The resource may be deleted, outside the selected server, above Anchor’s role, managed by another integration, or unsuitable for that module. Use the refreshed dropdown rather than typing an ID.
A command says Anchor is missing permissions
Check Anchor’s role and the target channel’s permission overrides. The bot needs the exact permission for the selected channel, not merely a server-wide role that is denied by an override.
AutoMod did not punish a message
Confirm AutoMod is enabled, the rule is enabled, the message matches the detector threshold, and the member or channel is not in an ignored scope. Anchor does not bypass owner or administrator messages automatically.
Deleted-message content is unavailable
Action Log can only show content or images that Anchor cached before deletion. It intentionally does not invent missing content or retrieve private message history after the fact.
12 / Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Does Anchor store my Discord password?
No. Authentication happens through Discord OAuth. Anchor stores a protected server session and uses verified Discord authorization; passwords are never sent to Anchor.
Can I use Anchor in direct messages?
Core server commands are guild-only. Use them inside a server where Anchor is installed.
Can bots earn XP or trigger AutoMod?
Bots do not earn leveling XP. AutoMod and event behavior still follows each module’s configured scope and Discord event availability.
What does “fresh authorization” mean?
For sensitive server access and mutations, Anchor revalidates the server-side authorization when the cached snapshot expires. This prevents an old browser session from retaining access after Discord permissions change.
Does Premium unlock features today?
No. Premium is a locked preview. Custom rank-card images and custom embed footers are marked as coming soon; the current default embed footer remains Anchor.
Where can I see service health?
Use the Status page for current web and bot readiness. It reports observed state and does not invent historical uptime.