Permission troubleshooting
Work out why a member can or can't do something, and fix it.
When someone says "I can't see that channel" or "my mod can't delete messages," the answer always comes down to the same few things: the roles a member has, whether they're in the channel's Channel Visibility, and whether the channel's permissions change anything for them. This page helps you trace a permission back to its cause.
How Root decides (the short version)
For anything a member tries to do, Root checks a few things in order:
- Full Control wins instantly. If any of the member's roles has Community Full Control, they can do everything, everywhere. Nothing below applies.
- Community actions come from roles only. Things like Manage Roles or Create Bans depend purely on the roles a member has. If any role grants it, they can do it.
- Channel actions need two things: Channel Visibility that lets the member see the channel, and the permission itself from one of their roles.
- Permissions can change in one place. For a role or member in Channel Visibility, you can set a permission to Allow or Deny just for that channel or group.
- Deny always wins. If anything denies a permission, the member doesn't have it, even if something else allows it.
That's the whole model. The rest of this page applies it to the questions you'll actually get asked.
Members can have several roles at once. Root grants a permission if any of their roles allows it, so a member is always as capable as their most powerful role, never their weakest.
Why can't I see this channel?
A channel is invisible to a member unless they're in its Channel Visibility, either through one of their roles or as a specific member. Not in the list, no channel.
So if someone can't see a channel they expect to:
- Check that the channel (or its channel group) has one of their roles in Channel Visibility.
- If the channel is private, you may need to add that specific member to Channel Visibility.
Channel Visibility is where you set all of this. See Manage channel visibility.
Why can't my mod do something?
This is the most common question, and there's usually one of four causes. Check them in this order.
| Cause | What's happening | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No role grants it | None of the member's roles has the permission switched on. | Add the permission to one of their roles, or give them a role that has it. See Manage roles. |
| A permission is denied here | The permission is set to Deny on this channel or group, which overrides the role. | Change it to Allow or Inherit for that role or member. |
| Another entry denies it | The member is covered by two entries (say, through two roles), and one sets the permission to Deny. Deny always wins. | Find the entry with the Deny and change it, or remove it. |
| The channel isn't synced | The channel has its own Channel Visibility that differs from its group's. | Check the channel's own permissions, or turn syncing back on. See Permission syncing. |
The mechanics behind per-channel permissions and the "Deny always wins" rule live in Manage channel visibility.
Why can someone do something I didn't expect?
Usually one of two things:
- Another role grants it. Because Root grants a permission if any role allows it, a permission can come from a role you weren't thinking about. Check every role the member has, not just their main one.
- They have Full Control. A role with Community Full Control bypasses Channel Visibility and every permission setting. If someone can do something everywhere, check whether one of their roles has it. Grant it sparingly.
The order Root checks
If you want the full picture, here's the order Root walks through for a channel action. Each step can stop the process early.
Community actions (like Manage Roles) skip all of this: if any role grants the permission, the member has it.
Common setups
Three recipes that cover most of what you'll want to build. Each is just Channel Visibility and permissions put together a certain way.
A private admin channel
Goal: only admins can see and use a channel.
- Remove EVERYONE from the channel's Channel Visibility (or its group's).
- Add your Admin role to Channel Visibility.
No permission changes needed. The role's permissions apply automatically, and everyone else can't see the channel at all.
A view only announcements channel
Goal: everyone can read, only moderators can post.
- Keep EVERYONE in Channel Visibility so all members can see the channel.
- On the EVERYONE entry, set Send Messages to Deny.
- Add Moderator to Channel Visibility with Send Messages set to Allow.
Everyone reads, moderators post.
A temporary restriction on one member
Goal: stop one member posting in a single channel while you look into something.
- Add that specific member to the channel's Channel Visibility.
- Set Send Messages to Deny on it.
They keep seeing the channel but can't post, and nothing changes for them anywhere else.