Starboard

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The starboard highlights popular messages by reposting them to a dedicated channel when they receive enough reactions.

What is Starboard?

Starboard is a feature that:

  • Automatically reposts popular messages
  • Requires a threshold of reactions (configured emoji)
  • Creates a "best of" channel
  • Celebrates great content
  • Engages the community

How It Works

1. User Reacts with Configured Emoji

When users find a great message, they react with the configured emoji (typically ⭐).

2. Threshold Reached

Once the configured threshold is reached (e.g., 3 stars), the message is posted to the starboard channel.

3. Starboard Post Created

The bot creates a special embed in the starboard channel showing:

  • Original message content
  • Who sent it
  • How many reactions it has
  • Link to original message
  • Attachments/images (if any)

4. Updates Automatically

As more users add/remove reactions:

  • Reaction count updates in starboard
  • If reactions drop below threshold, post may be removed

Setup

Prerequisites

  1. Starboard channel - Create a channel like #starboard
  2. Choose emoji - Usually ⭐ (star)
  3. Decide threshold - How many reactions needed

Quick Setup

/config wizard

Follow the prompts to set up starboard.

Option 2: Manual Setup

/starboard setup #starboard ⭐ 3

Parameters:

  • channel (#starboard) - Where to post starred messages
  • emoji (⭐) - Which emoji triggers starboard
  • threshold (3) - Number of reactions required

Commands

Starboard management commands:

Setup

Configure or update starboard settings.

/starboard setup #channel ⭐ 3

Parameters:

  • channel (required) - Starboard channel
  • emoji (required) - Trigger emoji (must be single default Discord emoji)
  • threshold (required) - Reactions needed (minimum 1)

Permission: Requires appropriate permission rank

Notes:

  • Run again to update settings
  • Emoji must be a single printable character
  • Threshold must be at least 1
  • Bot needs Send Messages permission in channel

Remove

Remove starboard configuration.

/starboard remove

Permission: Requires appropriate permission rank

Notes:

  • Deletes all starboard configuration
  • Existing starboard posts remain
  • Can set up again later with /starboard setup

Usage

For Users

Just react with the configured emoji (usually ⭐) to messages you like!

Someone posts a great explanation
↓
React with ⭐
↓
Others also star it
↓
Appears in #starboard when threshold reached!

Star Threshold

Typical thresholds:

  • Small servers (< 50 members): 2-3 stars
  • Medium servers (50-500): 3-5 stars
  • Large servers (500+): 5-10 stars

Choose based on your server size and activity level.

Starboard Posts

What Gets Posted

  • Message content (text)
  • Embeds (if present)
  • Images/attachments
  • Author information
  • Reaction count
  • Link to original

What Doesn't Get Posted

  • Messages below threshold
  • System messages
  • Messages that can't be accessed

Starboard Embed Format

⭐ 5 | #general

[Message content here]

— Author Name
[Link to message] | Posted timestamp

Best Practices

Threshold Selection

✅ Good thresholds:

  • High enough to be meaningful
  • Low enough to be achievable
  • Based on server activity level
  • Adjusted over time

❌ Avoid:

  • Threshold = 1 (every message)
  • Threshold too high (nothing gets starred)
  • Never adjusting as server grows

Channel Placement

  • Create dedicated #starboard channel
  • Make it public (everyone can view)
  • Consider read-only (only bot can post)
  • Pin introduction message explaining starboard

Emoji Choice

  • ⭐ (Star) - Most common, intuitive
  • 💖 (Heart) - For positive content
  • 🏆 (Trophy) - For achievements
  • Any single default Discord emoji works

Community Guidelines

  • Encourage starring quality content
  • Discourage star begging
  • Moderate inappropriate starred content
  • Celebrate diverse types of content (helpful, funny, creative)

Tips

Organic Growth

Let starboard grow naturally - don't force it. Quality content will naturally get stars.

Multiple Reactions

Users can un-star and re-star. The count updates live!

Celebrate Diversity

Encourage starring different types of content: helpful answers, funny jokes, creative works.

Moderation Still Applies

Starred messages can still violate rules. Moderators can delete starboard posts if needed.

Emoji Requirement

The emoji parameter must be a single default Discord emoji (⭐, 💖, 🏆, etc.). Custom emojis are not supported in the current implementation.

Troubleshooting

Message Not Appearing in Starboard

Causes:

  • Not enough reactions yet
  • Threshold not met
  • Starboard not configured
  • Wrong emoji (must match configured emoji)

Solutions:

  • Check threshold and current reaction count
  • Verify starboard is configured
  • Check channel exists and bot can post there
  • Ensure using the correct emoji

Can't Set Up Starboard

Cause: Missing permissions or invalid parameters

Solutions:

  • Must have appropriate permission rank
  • Emoji must be single character
  • Threshold must be ≥ 1
  • Bot needs Send Messages in starboard channel

"Invalid Emoji" Error

Cause: Emoji parameter is invalid

Solution:

  • Use a single default Discord emoji
  • Not multi-character emojis
  • Not custom server emojis
  • Examples that work: ⭐, 💖, 🏆, 👍

Starboard Posts Not Updating

Causes:

  • Bot offline
  • Permission issues
  • Database error

Solutions:

  • Check bot status
  • Verify bot has "Send Messages" in starboard channel
  • Check logs for errors

Configuration

For Self-Hosters

Starboard is configured via commands (stored in database), not config files.

Use the /starboard setup command to configure.

Next: Learn about Bookmarks for personal message management.

XP System Bookmarks