Frequently Asked Questions

What is Howli?

Howli is a powerful Discord moderation bot designed to help server administrators automate security and moderation tasks. It specializes in trap channel management, automatic message deletion, role management, and comprehensive moderation logging. Howli operates 24/7 to protect your community from spam, raiders, and bad actors.

How do I add Howli to my server?

Adding Howli is simple:

1. Click the "Add to Discord" button on our homepage
2. Log in with your Discord account
3. Select your server from the dropdown (you need "Manage Server" permission)
4. Authorize the required permissions
5. Configure Howli through the web dashboard

The bot will join your server immediately and be ready to configure. Check our Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

Do I need coding knowledge to use Howli?

No! Howli is designed to be user-friendly with a web-based dashboard. All configuration is done through an intuitive interface - no commands to remember or code to write. Simply log in to the dashboard, select your server, and configure features using dropdown menus, toggles, and text fields.

What permissions does Howli need?

Howli requires the following Discord permissions to function properly:

• Ban Members - For trap channel automatic banning
• Manage Roles - For role replacement features
• Manage Messages - For auto-delete functionality
• View Channels - To monitor configured channels
• Send Messages - For logs and welcome messages
• Embed Links - For formatted log messages
• Read Message History - For auto-delete feature

You can grant these individually or use the Administrator permission for simplicity. See our Permissions Guide for more details.

Can I test Howli before committing?

Absolutely! We recommend setting up Howli in a test server or test channels first to familiarize yourself with its features. Create test accounts to trigger trap channels and verify auto-delete settings work as expected. Once comfortable, deploy to your production server.

What are trap channels and how do they work?

Trap channels (also called honeypot channels) are hidden channels designed to catch bad actors. Here's how they work:

1. You create a channel with an enticing name (e.g., "admin-verification", "free-nitro")
2. Configure it as a trap channel in Howli's dashboard
3. Hide the channel from legitimate members using Discord permissions
4. When someone posts in the trap channel, Howli automatically bans them
5. The action is logged with full context (user, message, timestamp)

This is extremely effective against spam bots and raiders who target administrative channels.

How does auto-delete work?

Auto-delete automatically removes old messages from configured channels based on retention periods you set. For example, you can set announcement channels to delete messages older than 30 days. Howli checks every hour and removes expired messages. Pinned messages are always preserved, and you can whitelist certain roles from auto-deletion.

This keeps your channels clean without manual moderation effort, perfect for temporary information or event coordination channels.

Can Howli manage multiple trap channels?

Currently, Howli supports one trap channel per server. This is typically sufficient for most servers, as a single well-placed honeypot channel effectively catches spam bots and bad actors. Future updates may add support for multiple trap channels.

What is role replacement?

Role replacement automatically removes certain roles when a user gains another role. Common uses include:

• Removing "Unverified" when user gets "Verified"
• Removing "Free Member" when user gets "Premium"
• Removing chat roles when user gets "Muted"

This prevents role conflicts and maintains clean role hierarchies automatically. You can create multiple replacement rules with different trigger and target roles.

Can I customize welcome messages?

Yes! You can create custom welcome messages that trigger when users receive specific roles. Use placeholders like {username}, {mention}, {server}, and {role} to personalize messages. Each role can have its own unique welcome message with different content and formatting.

What information is logged?

Howli logs all moderation actions with comprehensive details:

• Trap channel bans: User ID, username, channel, message content, timestamp
• Auto-deletions: Number of messages deleted, channel, time period
• Role changes: User, roles added/removed, trigger
• Configuration changes: Who changed what setting and when

All logs include timestamps and are formatted for easy reading and searching.

Is Howli free to use?

Yes! Howli has a generous free tier that includes:

• 1 trap channel
• Auto-delete for 2 channels (7+ days minimum)
• Up to 5 ignore roles
• Basic moderation logging
• Community support

Premium features like role automation, welcome messages, unlimited channels, and dashboard access require a subscription. Use /claimtrial in Discord to try Premium free for 7 days!

What's the difference between Free and Premium?

Free Tier:

• 1 trap channel, 2 auto-delete channels (7+ days), 5 ignore roles
• Basic moderation logging via mod log channel

Premium ($6.99/month):

• Unlimited auto-delete channels and ignore roles
• Advanced auto-delete (1 hour to 365 days)
• Role replacement automation
• Welcome role messages
• Dashboard access for easy management
• Analytics & statistics
• Priority support

See our Pricing page for full details and to compare plans.

How do I try Premium for free?

Every server gets one free 7-day Premium trial! Simply use the /claimtrial command in Discord. The trial unlocks all Premium features so you can experience the full power of Howli. No payment required to start the trial!

How do I subscribe to Premium?

Subscriptions are managed through Discord's native subscription system:

1. Visit Howli's application page on Discord
2. Navigate to the Store tab
3. Select your server and complete the purchase
4. Your subscription activates immediately

You can manage your subscription anytime through Discord's Server Settings → Subscriptions.

Can I use Howli on multiple servers?

Yes! You can add Howli to as many servers as you'd like. The free tier works on all servers. For Premium features, each server needs its own subscription. The dashboard allows you to manage all your servers from one place.

What happens if my subscription expires?

If your Premium subscription expires:

• Your server reverts to the free tier limits
• Premium features (role automation, welcome messages) are disabled
• Your configuration is saved and preserved
• Dashboard access becomes unavailable
• When you renew, all Premium features reactivate immediately with your saved settings

Free tier features continue working, and no configuration or data is lost during subscription lapses.

Do you offer refunds?

Refund policies follow Discord's subscription guidelines. If you're unsatisfied within the first 7 days, contact support through our Feedback page. We're committed to ensuring Howli meets your needs and will work with you to resolve any issues.

Howli isn't responding or performing actions

First, verify these basics:

• Check that your subscription is active (view in dashboard)
• Ensure Howli is online (green status in member list)
• Verify permissions - check if Howli has required permissions in Server Settings
• Confirm configuration - review your trap channels and settings in dashboard
• Check role hierarchy - Howli's role must be above roles it manages

If issues persist after these checks, see our Detailed Troubleshooting Guide.

My servers aren't showing in the dashboard

This usually happens for one of these reasons:

• You need "Manage Server" permission in the server
• Howli hasn't been added to the server yet
• Your OAuth session is outdated - try logging out and back in
• Browser cache issues - try clearing cache or using incognito mode

Trap channels aren't banning users

Common causes:

• Howli lacks "Ban Members" permission
• Howli's role is below the target user's highest role
• The channel isn't properly configured as a trap channel
• The user has a whitelisted role
• Subscription is inactive or expired

Check the mod log channel for any error messages that might provide more context.

Auto-delete isn't working

Auto-delete runs every hour, so allow at least 60 minutes after configuration. Also verify:

• Howli has "Manage Messages" and "Read Message History" permissions
• The retention period is set correctly (1-365 days)
• Messages aren't pinned (pinned messages are never deleted)
• Users don't have whitelisted roles

How do I report a bug?

If you encounter a bug:

1. Check the Changelog to see if it's been addressed in recent updates
2. Review this FAQ and the Documentation for solutions
3. Submit a bug report via our Feedback Form
4. Include details: what you expected, what happened, and your server ID
5. Screenshots of settings and errors are very helpful

Can I get help with configuration?

Yes! We offer multiple support resources:

• Comprehensive Documentation with setup guides
• Feedback Form for direct support requests
• Detailed troubleshooting guides for common issues
• Configuration examples in the documentation

What data does Howli collect?

Howli collects only the data necessary to function:

• Server data: Server ID, name, and your configuration settings
• User data (for dashboard): Discord user ID, username, avatar, and server list
• Moderation logs: User IDs, actions taken, and timestamps
• Session data: Temporary authentication tokens (expire after 24 hours)

We don't store message content except in moderation logs. Read our full Privacy Policy for complete details.

Is my server data secure?

Yes. We take security seriously:

• All data is stored securely with encryption
• Dashboard uses secure HTTPS connections
• OAuth tokens are never stored in plain text
• Access is restricted to authorized users only
• Regular security updates and monitoring

Only users with "Manage Server" permission can access your server's configuration.

Can Howli read all my server messages?

Howli only monitors messages in channels you've specifically configured for features like trap channels or auto-delete. It doesn't read, log, or store messages from other channels. The bot respects Discord's permissions system and can only access channels where it has the "View Messages" permission.

Who has access to my server's moderation logs?

Only these people can access your mod logs:

• Members who can view the mod log channel you configured
• Server administrators with "Manage Server" permission (via dashboard)

Howli developers cannot access your server's logs unless explicitly invited to your server for troubleshooting purposes.

Can I delete my data?

Yes. If you remove Howli from your server, you can request complete data deletion by contacting us through the Feedback Form. We'll delete all stored configuration and logs within 30 days. Note that this is irreversible - if you re-add Howli, you'll need to configure it from scratch.

Do you share data with third parties?

No. We never sell, share, or transfer your data to third parties. The only data sharing that occurs is:

• Discord API for bot functionality (required for operation)
• Discord OAuth for dashboard authentication (required for login)

No analytics, advertising, or tracking services have access to your data.