Getting Started

To get started with Spectro, we must first invite the Discord bot into the server.

Setting up Confession Channels

Spectro will not post anonymous messages until a moderator sets up a confession channel. Moderators use /setup to choose where anonymous messages appear and where private moderator logs are sent. The command sets up the current channel by default, or the selected confession-channel when one is provided.

Optionally, the label and the color of the confession embed may be configured. The color must be a valid RGB color hex code.

If prior approval is required before a confession may be published to a confession channel, the /setup command also has an approval flag, which configures whether submitted confessions should be put on hold before publication. By default, approval is false.

If a channel has already been set up for confessions, invoking /setup again will simply overwrite the non-empty arguments of the command invocation.

The configured log-channel also helps Spectro keep uploaded files available for approvals and resends. Moderators should avoid deleting confession log messages unless they are intentionally removing that record.

In summary, the following is a minimum checklist of required permissions and configurations for Spectro to properly publish confessions.

• Spectro must have the Send Messages permission in the target channel in order to publish confessions.
• Spectro should have the Send Messages permission in the log channel in order to forward confession logs.
• The server moderator setting up the channel must have the Manage Channels permission.

Submitting Confessions

Once a channel has been properly configured, any member with the Send Messages permission can invoke /confess to post an anonymous confession. The command also works inside an existing confession thread, where the message appears in that thread.

The confession modal includes an optional Attachment field. If you choose to upload an image or file, you must have the Attach Files permission.

Images show inline when possible. Other uploads are kept as files. Spectro uses the moderator log to keep those uploads available for approvals, resends, and later viewing.

To start a new anonymous public thread from a confession channel, use /thread. The modal asks for a thread title and the anonymous message. If you are already inside a confession thread, use /confess instead.

Approving Confessions

For channels that require approval, submitted confessions first go through the configured log channel. While a confession is pending approval in the log channel, any server moderator with the Manage Messages permission can press the Publish button or the Delete button to moderate the confession.

Whenever a pending confession is published/deleted, Spectro logs the timestamp of the interaction and the user who triggered the action.

For posts with attachments, approval uses the file kept by the moderator log. Older posts from before this attachment flow may no longer be approvable if Discord no longer has the original upload.

Replying to Confessions

Any member with the Send Messages permission can anonymously reply to a message in a confessions-enabled channel. Open the context menu on that message (i.e., right-click on desktop and press-and-hold on mobile) and then select the Apps > Reply Anonymously option. This posts a normal anonymous reply to the selected message.

You can also choose Apps > Reply as Anonymous Thread to start a new anonymous thread from the selected message. This is for messages in the main confession channel, not for messages already inside threads. In channels that require approval, use the normal reply flow instead because Spectro cannot create the thread before moderators approve it.

Like confessions, replies can include an optional Attachment. If you upload an image or file, the Attach Files permission is required.

Resending Confessions

In the rare occasion when a confession message gets accidentally deleted, any user with the Manage Messages permission can /resend an already approved and published confession. The invoking user must be in the same channel that the confession was originally sent.

Resends reuse the file kept by the moderator log when one is available. Older posts with attachments may no longer be resendable if Discord no longer has the original upload.

The Panic Button: Locking Down Channels

If the confessions get too heated, server moderators with the Manage Channels permission can press the panic button and temporarily disable confessions on a channel using the /lockdown command. All previous channel settings will be preserved.

To re-enable confessions, the /setup command can be invoked again. Note that the log-channel is a required argument. The confession-channel is an optional override that selects a different channel to re-enable. The rest of the optional arguments (e.g., label, color, and approval) will be restored from the previous invocation of the /setup command.