Key Takeaways
- AutoMod filters chat automatically based on configurable levels for different content categories.
- Moderators are essential for active channels - they can timeout, ban, and manage chat in real-time.
- Mod View provides dedicated tools for efficient moderation with quick actions and user history.
- Shield Mode is your emergency button for handling hate raids and coordinated attacks.
- Layered moderation works best - combine AutoMod, human mods, and chat settings for comprehensive protection.
Effective moderation is the foundation of every successful Twitch community. Whether you're a new streamer handling chat solo or a growing channel building a moderation team, understanding Twitch's moderation tools helps you create a welcoming environment while protecting your community from harassment and spam.
According to Twitch's official harassment management guide, streamers have access to multiple layers of moderation tools. This comprehensive guide covers everything from AutoMod configuration to building a moderation team, handling difficult situations, and creating sustainable moderation practices.
Understanding Twitch Moderation Layers
Twitch moderation works best as a layered system. Each layer catches different types of problematic content, and together they create comprehensive protection for your community.
The Moderation Stack
| Layer | Function | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| AutoMod | AI-powered filtering of flagged content | Catching hate speech, slurs, harassment |
| Blocked Terms | Custom word/phrase blocking | Channel-specific terms, spam phrases |
| Chat Settings | Follower-only, slow mode, sub-only | Controlling chat flow, preventing drive-by spam |
| Human Moderators | Real-time judgment and action | Context-dependent decisions, community management |
| Chat Bots | Automated commands and moderation | Spam prevention, link filtering, custom rules |
| Shield Mode | Emergency lockdown | Hate raids, coordinated attacks |
AutoMod: Twitch's AI Moderation
AutoMod is Twitch's machine learning-powered moderation system that automatically flags potentially harmful messages before they appear in chat. It's your first line of defense against hate speech, harassment, and inappropriate content.
How AutoMod Works
AutoMod scans every chat message against its trained models and your settings:
- Message analysis: Evaluates text for harmful content patterns
- Flagging: Holds flagged messages for moderator review
- Mod queue: Flagged messages appear in the AutoMod queue
- Approve/Deny: Moderators decide if the message should appear
- Learning: AutoMod improves based on community patterns
Messages caught by AutoMod never appear in chat unless a moderator approves them, giving you proactive protection.
AutoMod Categories and Levels
Configure AutoMod sensitivity (Level 0-4) for each category. According to Twitch's AutoMod documentation, the categories include:
| Category | What It Catches |
|---|---|
| Discrimination | Slurs and hate speech targeting identity groups |
| Sexual Content | Sexually explicit language and references |
| Hostility | Aggressive behavior, threats, insults |
| Profanity | Swearing and vulgar language |
Level Guide:
- Level 0: Disabled for that category
- Level 1: Catches obvious violations only
- Level 2: Balanced filtering (recommended starting point)
- Level 3: Stricter filtering, may catch borderline content
- Level 4: Maximum strictness, may over-filter
Setting Up AutoMod
Configure AutoMod through your Creator Dashboard:
- Go to Creator Dashboard > Settings > Moderation
- Click AutoMod
- Choose Overall Level (applies to all categories) or configure individually
- Adjust each category slider based on your community needs
- Save your settings
Recommended AutoMod Settings by Content Type
- Family-friendly streams: Level 3-4 across all categories
- General gaming: Discrimination 3-4, Hostility 2-3, Profanity 1-2
- Mature content (18+): Discrimination 3-4, Sexual 1-2, Hostility 2, Profanity 0-1
- Competitive gaming: Discrimination 4, Hostility 2, Profanity 1 (players often trash talk)
Always keep Discrimination at Level 3-4 minimum - hate speech should never be tolerated regardless of content type.
Blocked Terms and Permitted Terms
Complement AutoMod with custom blocked and permitted terms specific to your channel's needs.
Blocked Terms
Messages containing blocked terms are automatically removed. Use these for:
- Spam phrases: "Follow my channel", "Check out my stream"
- Competitor mentions: If you don't want other channels promoted
- Specific slurs: Terms AutoMod might miss
- Personal attacks: Terms targeting you specifically
- Spoilers: Game plot points for story-driven content
- Unwanted links: Specific domains or URL patterns
Access blocked terms in Creator Dashboard > Settings > Moderation > Blocked Terms and Phrases.
Permitted Terms
Override AutoMod for specific terms that shouldn't be flagged:
- Game-specific terms: In-game items with suggestive names
- Community inside jokes: Phrases unique to your community
- Reclaimed language: Terms your community uses positively
- False positives: Words that look like slurs but aren't
Be cautious with permitted terms - they bypass AutoMod completely.
Chat Settings and Modes
Chat settings provide another layer of control over who can participate and how quickly messages can be sent.
Available Chat Modes
| Mode | Command | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Slow Mode | /slow [seconds] |
Limits how often users can send messages |
| Follower-Only | /followers [duration] |
Only followers can chat (optional minimum follow time) |
| Subscriber-Only | /subscribers |
Only subscribers can chat |
| Emote-Only | /emoteonly |
Only emotes allowed in chat |
| Unique Chat | /uniquechat |
Prevents duplicate messages |
Use /slowoff, /followersoff, /subscribersoff, /emoteonlyoff, /uniquechatoff to disable.
When to Use Each Mode
- Slow mode: During hype moments, giveaways, or when chat is overwhelming
- Follower-only: To prevent drive-by trolling; 10-minute follow time stops most bots
- Subscriber-only: For intimate conversations, special events, or during attacks
- Emote-only: Fun celebrations, preventing text spam during hype
- Unique chat: Stops copy-paste spam and bot flooding
Impact on Community
Chat restrictions affect viewer experience. Consider:
- Follower-only can discourage new viewers from engaging
- Sub-only excludes most of your audience
- Slow mode frustrates active chatters during exciting moments
- VIPs and mods bypass most restrictions, keeping trusted members active
Use restrictions strategically and temporarily when possible, rather than as permanent settings.
Moderators: Building Your Mod Team
Human moderators are essential for context-dependent decisions that automated tools can't handle. A good mod team is crucial for growing channels.
Making Someone a Moderator
Grant mod status through chat or the dashboard:
| Command | Function |
|---|---|
/mod username |
Grants moderator status |
/unmod username |
Removes moderator status |
/mods |
Lists all moderators |
Or use Creator Dashboard > Community > Roles to manage moderators with a visual interface.
What Moderators Can Do
Moderators have significant powers in your channel:
- Timeout users:
/timeout username [seconds] [reason] - Ban users:
/ban username [reason] - Unban users:
/unban username - Delete messages: Click the trash icon on any message
- Clear chat:
/clear - Manage raids:
/raid usernamefor raids - Access Mod View: Dedicated moderation interface
- Review AutoMod queue: Approve or deny flagged messages
- Add VIPs:
/vip username
Choosing Good Moderators
Select moderators based on these qualities:
- Consistent presence: Available during your stream times
- Level-headed: Doesn't escalate situations or power-trip
- Understands your values: Knows what you do and don't allow
- Quick to act: Catches problems before they spread
- Good judgment: Knows the difference between jokes and harassment
- Trustworthy: Won't abuse powers or cause drama
Start with a few trusted moderators rather than modding everyone who asks. Quality over quantity.
How Many Moderators Do You Need?
Scale your mod team based on average concurrent viewers:
| Viewers | Suggested Mods | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0-25 | 0-1 | Can often self-moderate with AutoMod |
| 25-100 | 1-3 | At least one active mod recommended |
| 100-500 | 3-5 | Multiple mods for coverage |
| 500+ | 5+ | Team with shift coverage if possible |
Mod View: The Moderator's Interface
Mod View is a dedicated interface that gives moderators everything they need in one place. It's accessed at dashboard.twitch.tv/moderator or by clicking "Mod View" in the chat window.
Mod View Features
- Stream preview: Watch the stream while moderating
- Quick actions: One-click timeout, ban, and delete
- User cards: See user history, past bans, account age
- AutoMod queue: Review and action flagged messages
- Mod actions log: Track what other mods have done
- Chat modes: Quick toggles for slow mode, follower-only, etc.
- Raid controls: Manage incoming raids
- Customizable widgets: Arrange tools to your preference
Suspicious User Detection
Mod View highlights suspicious users automatically:
- New accounts: Created within the last 24 hours
- Ban evaders: Accounts with similar patterns to banned users
- Chat restrictions: Users who've been restricted elsewhere
Configure suspicious user handling in Settings > Moderation > Suspicious User Detection.
Handling Timeouts and Bans
Understanding when and how to use timeouts and bans is fundamental to effective moderation.
Timeout Guidelines
Timeouts are temporary removals from chat:
| Duration | Use Case |
|---|---|
| 1 second | Message deletion (purge) - removes all user's messages |
| 60 seconds | Minor warning - caps lock, light spam |
| 5-10 minutes | Standard timeout - rule violations |
| 1 hour | Serious issues - repeated offenses, hostility |
| 24 hours+ | Major violations - consider a ban instead |
Command: /timeout username 600 Rule 3: Be respectful
When to Ban
Permanent bans should be reserved for serious cases:
- Hate speech: Slurs, discrimination, targeted harassment
- Threats: Violence, doxxing, real-world harm
- Spam bots: Clear automated spam accounts
- Repeat offenders: Multiple timeouts for the same behavior
- Illegal content: Links to illegal material
- Bad faith actors: Clear trolls with no intention of participating positively
Command: /ban username Repeated harassment after warnings
Managing Your Ban List
View and manage bans in Creator Dashboard > Community > Banned Users:
- Review ban reasons and dates
- Unban users who've reformed or were banned in error
- Export ban lists for reference
- Share ban lists with trusted streamer friends
Shield Mode: Emergency Protection
Shield Mode is your emergency button for handling hate raids, bot attacks, and coordinated harassment campaigns.
What Shield Mode Does
When activated, Shield Mode immediately:
- Enables follower-only mode with minimum follow time
- Increases AutoMod strictness to maximum
- Blocks messages from new accounts
- Restricts non-verified accounts
- Clears chat of recent spam
Activating Shield Mode
Multiple ways to activate:
- Chat command:
/shieldto enable,/shieldoffto disable - Quick Actions: Shield button in chat settings
- Mod View: Shield Mode toggle in the interface
- Dashboard: Settings > Moderation > Shield Mode
During a Hate Raid
- Activate Shield Mode immediately -
/shield - Don't engage with attackers - They want attention
- Let mods handle bans - Focus on your stream or take a break
- Report to Twitch - Use the report function for coordinated attacks
- Consider ending stream - Your mental health matters more than any stream
- Document incidents - Screenshots help with reports
Third-Party Moderation Tools
Beyond Twitch's built-in tools, third-party services provide additional moderation capabilities.
Chat Bots
Popular chat bots offer moderation features:
- Nightbot: Spam filters, custom commands, song requests
- StreamElements: Loyalty points, extensive moderation, Bits integration
- Streamlabs Cloudbot: Similar features with Streamlabs integration
- Moobot: Powerful automation and moderation features
These bots can automatically handle caps, links, emote spam, and repetitive messages.
Commander Root's Tools
Commander Root offers free tools for mass-banning known bot accounts:
- Import ban lists of known hate raid accounts
- Block thousands of bot accounts at once
- Community-maintained blocklists
Visit Commander Root's Twitch Tools for access.
Moderation Extensions
Some Twitch extensions add moderation features:
- Queue management for game participation
- Enhanced user information panels
- Moderation action logging
- Community voting and polls with moderation controls
Creating Channel Rules
Clear rules help your community understand expectations and give moderators consistent guidelines.
Setting Channel Rules
Configure rules in Creator Dashboard > Settings > Moderation > Channel Rules:
- New chatters see rules before their first message
- Keep rules clear and concise
- Include the most important points first
- Use positive language when possible
Example Channel Rules
- Be respectful to everyone in chat
- No hate speech, discrimination, or harassment
- No spam, excessive caps, or flooding
- Keep discussions relevant to the stream
- Listen to moderators - their decisions are final
Customize rules based on your content and community culture.
Moderation Best Practices
Effective moderation balances community safety with a welcoming atmosphere.
Do's
- Be consistent: Apply rules equally to everyone
- Act quickly: Remove harmful content before it spreads
- Communicate: Brief explanations help (but don't over-explain)
- Escalate appropriately: Warning → timeout → ban
- Support your mods: Back their decisions publicly
- Document patterns: Track repeat offenders
Don'ts
- Don't feed trolls: Attention is their goal
- Don't over-moderate: Not every disagreement needs action
- Don't play favorites: Rules apply to friends and subscribers too
- Don't argue in chat: Take disputes to DMs
- Don't moderate when emotional: Step back if upset
- Don't reveal mod discussions: Keep mod chat private
Training Your Mod Team
Help moderators succeed with clear guidance:
- Share your moderation philosophy and values
- Explain what behaviors warrant what actions
- Create a private mod Discord or group chat
- Review moderation decisions together periodically
- Appreciate their volunteer work
Reporting to Twitch
Some situations require reporting to Twitch beyond channel moderation.
When to Report
- Threats: Real-world violence or harm threats
- Illegal content: CSAM, illegal activities
- Coordinated attacks: Organized hate raids
- Platform violations: Behavior that violates Twitch TOS
- Impersonation: Accounts pretending to be you
How to Report
According to Twitch Safety:
- Click the user's name to open their user card
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮)
- Select "Report"
- Choose the most appropriate category
- Provide specific details and context
- Submit the report
For serious or urgent issues, you can also email reports directly to Twitch Safety.
Conclusion
Effective moderation is about creating a space where your community can thrive. It requires a combination of automated tools like AutoMod, thoughtful chat settings, reliable human moderators, and consistent enforcement of clear rules.
Start with AutoMod at Level 2-3 for discrimination and hostility, add blocked terms for channel-specific needs, and grow your mod team as your channel expands. Remember that moderation is about protecting your community, not controlling it - the goal is a welcoming space where viewers feel safe to participate.
When problems arise - and they will - stay calm, use the tools available to you, and don't hesitate to use Shield Mode during attacks. Your mental health matters more than any single stream, and a well-moderated channel builds long-term community trust and loyalty.
Related Resources
- Twitch VIPs Complete Guide - Rewarding loyal community members
- Twitch Raids Guide - Handling incoming raids safely
- Channel Points Guide - Engagement without moderation headaches
- Affiliate vs Partner - Moderation tools by status level
- Stream Growth Calculator - Plan your moderation needs as you grow
