Moderator reference

Forgot which command does what? You're in the right place. Find what you need below, pick an example, and swap in the member, channel, and reason for your situation.

Which command do I need?

Warn, kick, or ban a member

Add a short, specific reason so the next moderator can understand what happened. For example, “Repeated personal attacks after a warning” is more useful than “Bad behavior.”

@Lightning warn @Member Repeated off-topic posts after a reminder
@Lightning kick @Member Disrupting voice chat after a warning
@Lightning ban @Member Posting scam links

A kick allows the member to come back with an invite. A ban keeps them out until it is lifted. A regular ban does not delete their old messages by default.

Ban and remove recent messages

Use --delete to remove up to 7 days of the user's message history when banning them:

@Lightning ban @Member Posting scam links --delete 1

Here, 1 means one day. @Lightning bandel @Member Posting scam links is a shortcut for banning and deleting one day of messages.

Ban for a set time

@Lightning timeban @Member 7d Repeated harassment

Lightning automatically lifts the ban when the time is up. @Lightning tempban is another name for @Lightning timeban. Lifting a ban lets the person rejoin; it does not add them back to the server.

Lift a ban early

Use the banned person's user ID:

@Lightning unban 123456789012345678 Appeal accepted

Ban several users at once

@Lightning massban @MemberOne @MemberTwo Coordinated scam spam

Lightning asks you to confirm first. This command requires a reason, does not DM the users, and does not delete their message history.

Timeouts and mutes

Timeout uses Discord's built-in timeout. Mute uses your server's configured mute role, so its restrictions depend on how that role is set up.

Give someone a timeout

@Lightning timeout @Member 30m Repeatedly interrupting the conversation
@Lightning untimeout @Member Issue resolved

A timeout expires automatically, and @Lightning untimeout removes it early. The maximum timeout is 28 days.

Use a mute role

@Lightning mute @Member Muted pending moderator review
@Lightning timemute @Member 1d Repeated spam
@Lightning unmute @Member Review complete

• @Lightning mute has no expiry and needs a mute role configured by your server's admins.
• @Lightning timemute removes the mute role when its timer ends. @Lightning tempmute is an alias.
• If no usable mute role is configured, @Lightning timemute can use a timeout instead for a current member, provided Lightning has permission and the duration is within 28 days.
• @Lightning unmute removes a timeout first if the member has one. If they also have a mute role, run it again to remove that role.

Remembering durations

Put the duration right after the member: 30m means 30 minutes, 2h means 2 hours, and 7d means 7 days. Put durations containing spaces in quotes:

@Lightning timeban @Member "2 weeks" Repeated harassment

Will Lightning DM the member?

Warnings, kicks, bans, mutes, timeouts, and timed bans or mutes follow your server's notification setting. You can override it for one action with --dm true or --dm false:

@Lightning warn @Member Please keep spoilers in the spoiler channel --dm true
@Lightning ban @Member Posting scam links --dm false

These options don't apply to every command; for example, @Lightning massban never sends DMs. A requested DM may still fail to reach the member, so don't assume they received it.

Remove messages

Clear recent messages

@Lightning purge 25

Without filters, this deletes the messages found in the search. The number is how many messages to look through, not a promise to delete that many. You can search 1–300 messages at a time; searches of 150 or more ask for confirmation.

Delete only matching messages

Filters combine: @Lightning purge 100 --user @Member --attachments true only removes that user's messages with attachments within the search.

Add --archive true to receive a file containing the removed messages:

@Lightning purge 100 --user @Member --archive true

Deleting messages cannot be undone. An archive keeps a copy; it does not restore them to the channel.

Clean up Lightning's replies

@Lightning clean 50

This looks through up to 50 recent messages and removes only Lightning's messages from the last 14 days. It defaults to searching 100 messages, which is also the maximum. To choose another channel, use @Lightning clean 50 #bot-commands.

Lock or unlock a channel

@Lightning lock #general
@Lightning unlock #general

Leave out the channel to use the current one. Lightning asks for confirmation when you lock the channel you're in. @Lightning lockdown is an alias for @Lightning lock.

Locking denies @everyone permission to send messages, add reactions, and create public or private threads. Other role or member permissions may still allow people to post.

Unlocking resets those four @everyone overrides to inherit permissions. It does not restore a saved copy of the channel's previous settings, so check channels that normally have custom restrictions.

To lock and archive a thread, use @Lightning lock thread inside it, or @Lightning lock thread <thread ID> elsewhere. @Lightning unlock is for text channels; reopen threads through Discord's thread controls.

Look up and update infractions

An infraction is a record of a moderation action. Its ID identifies that record, not the member. You can find IDs in @Lightning inf list or your server's configured modlog channel.

Find the record you need

Action filters include Warn, Kick, Mute, Ban, Timeban, Unban, Unmute, Timemute, Timeout, and Untimeout. Use Timeban and Timemute here, even if you used the tempban or tempmute command aliases.

Correct or take responsibility for a record

Replace 5 with the infraction ID:

@Lightning inf claim 5
@Lightning inf edit 5 Repeated sticker spam after two reminders

@Lightning inf claim sets you as the responsible moderator. @Lightning inf edit replaces the reason and sets you as the responsible moderator. Editing the record does not reverse the original action; use @Lightning unban, @Lightning unmute, or @Lightning untimeout as appropriate.

Move records to a new account

@Lightning inf transfer @OldAccount @NewAccount

This moves the old account's infraction records to the new account after confirmation. It requires Lightning's Admin command level and transfers records, not active bans or mute roles.

Tidy up display names

• @Lightning normalize @Member converts a member's display name to an ASCII version where possible, making stylized characters easier to read.
• @Lightning dehoist checks the whole server for names starting with common characters used to jump to the top of the member list and adjusts them. Use @Lightning dehoist ! to target a particular starting character. This command has a five-minute server cooldown.

A command isn't working

Check the error message first—it often points to what's missing.

• Missing permissions? Both your access and Lightning's permissions matter. Ask an admin to check command access, channel permissions, and role order if Lightning cannot act on a member or manage a role.
• No mute role? Ask an admin to configure one, or use @Lightning timeout for a break of up to 28 days.
• Can't find the person? Use a fresh mention or a user ID. For an unban, the banned user's ID is the easiest option.
• Fewer messages deleted than expected? Purge filters only apply within the number of messages searched. Try a larger search, up to 300.
• Forgot the options? Use @Lightning help command or open the command list.