Join Gate

What it is

The Join Gate is a set of simple checks at the door. Each check looks at one thing about the account that just joined. If the check fails, Bastion takes the action you chose for it.

It deals with accounts one at a time. For a flood of accounts arriving together, see Anti-Raid.

Turn it on

It's already on, with the three safest checks running. To add more, open Join Gate in the dashboard, switch a check on, pick its action and press Save. Only the server owner and trusted people can change the Join Gate.

The checks

Every check is free except Names containing blocked words and the settings that go with it, which need Pro. On the free plan they're locked, and pressing one opens a prompt that explains Pro. Names that advertise a server is a separate check and stays free.

The Strict level also switches on Brand new accounts at 7 days and sets Accounts with no profile picture to kick.

Actions

Every check has its own action:

• Just tell me. Leave the account alone and note it in your log channel.
• Time them out. Let them in but stop them talking for one hour. Not offered for the two bot checks.
• Kick them. Remove them. They can join again later.
• Ban them. Remove them for good.

If an account fails more than one check, the harshest action wins. The owner and trusted people are never checked.

Bots

Hostile bots are a common way to nuke a server. Someone with Manage Server adds a bot, and the bot deletes everything.

A verified bot is one Discord has reviewed. It has a tick next to its name. Any bot in 100 or more servers must be verified. A small unverified bot isn't automatically bad, but nuke bots are almost always unverified.

With the defaults, only the owner and trusted people can add a bot. A bot they add is let in whether Discord has verified it or not. A bot added by anyone else is kicked.

Bastion finds out who added a bot from the audit log. If it can't tell, it treats the bot as unauthorised. Make sure Bastion has View Audit Log.

1. 1

   Adding a bot you trust

   If you're the owner or a trusted person, invite it as normal.

2. 2

   If someone else needs to add one

   Ask the owner or a trusted person to invite it for them. Switching the check off for a moment also works, but leaves the door open while it's off.

3. 3

   Move its role

   Keep the new bot's role below Bastion's. See the setup guide.

Account age

Account age is how long ago the Discord account was created. Discord IDs contain their creation date, so Bastion knows the age the instant someone joins. Raid accounts are usually days old, which is why this check works.

Switch on Brand new accounts and two settings appear. Account must be at least takes a number from 1 to 365. Counted in sets the unit: Minutes old, Hours old or Days old. So you can ask for 3 days, 12 hours or 30 minutes.

Throwaway accounts

One sign on its own means little. Plenty of real people have no picture. Accounts that look like throwaways only fires when an account shows two or more of these together:

• The account is less than 7 days old.
• It has no profile picture.
• Its username looks like nobody chose it: it ends in four or more digits, or reads as random letters and numbers.
• It has no display name.

It's off by default and set to Just tell me, so switching it on flags accounts in your log without removing anyone. Watch it for a week before you change the action.

Two other features use the same test. Verification can be set to check only accounts that look like throwaways. Automod can be stricter with them. Both work whether or not this check is switched on.

Blocked names (Pro)

Switch on Names containing blocked words and three settings appear.

Capitals and fancy look-alike lettering don't get around the check.

Name changes after joining

A common trick is to join with a clean name and change it a minute later. With Check again when someone changes their name on, Bastion looks again every time a recent member's name changes, and takes the same action you chose for the check.

• Only members who joined in the last 30 days are checked.
• The server nickname is checked too, not only the account name.
• Bots, the owner, trusted people and staff are never checked. Staff means a moderator role, or the Administrator, Manage Server or Manage Messages permission.
• The log entry is titled Join gate caught a name change.

Let one person in

Sometimes the gate turns away a real person. Staff who can kick can let that account through once. Press Let them in next time under the join gate entry in your log channel, or use the command.

If the person was banned, unban them as well. An allowance doesn't lift a ban.

Accounts on the shared raid list

If you've joined the shared raid list, the gate can act on accounts that Bastion removed in raids on other servers. It starts on Just tell me.

Try it first

Switch on test mode under Advanced settings and the gate only says who it would have turned away.