Bot setup & server status

This page covers the permissions SnowstormBot needs, the #snowstormbot-logs channel it keeps, and what each server status means.

Permissions the bot needs

When you invite the bot, Discord asks you to grant a set of permissions. Each one powers specific features. If you remove a permission later, the features that depend on it stop working until you restore it (use Update permissions on the Servers page to re-grant everything at once).

Permission	What it powers
Manage Channels	Create and maintain the #snowstormbot-logs channel, and the /slowmode command.
View Channels	See your channels so the bot can post where you ask.
Send Messages & Embed Links	Level-up notices, feed posts, automation messages, scheduled messages, and job output.
Read Message History	Required for bulk message cleanup jobs and to validate the logs channel.
Manage Roles	Grant and remove level reward roles, the weekly activity role, roles in automations, and the /role, /lock, and /unlock commands.
Manage Messages	The "Clear recent messages" job and the /purge command.
Manage Threads	The "Clear old threads" job.
Kick Members	The "Kick member" automation action and the /kick command.
Ban Members	The /ban and /unban commands.
Moderate Members	The /timeout and /untimeout commands.
Manage Nicknames	The /nick command.

The bot also reads message content so it can award XP, match trigger-word automations, and power message logging. It ignores messages from bots.

The bot never asks for Administrator or Manage Server

These two are deliberately left out of the invite, and as a general security practice you shouldn't grant them to any bot. SnowstormBot does not need either.

Invited the bot a while ago?

Permissions are granted at invite time, so a server invited before a newer feature shipped may be missing the permission it needs (for example Ban Members for /ban). Use Update permissions on the Servers page to re-grant the current set in one click; the bot is not kicked and no settings are lost.

The bot's role must sit high enough

Discord only lets a bot manage roles below its own highest role. If you set up a level reward or activity reward and the bot's role sits below it, Discord refuses to assign it and the dashboard warns you. Fix it by dragging SnowstormBot's role above those reward roles in Server Settings → Roles.

The #snowstormbot-logs channel

Every active server gets a channel named #snowstormbot-logs. The bot uses it for status notices (such as version updates and plan-limit warnings). If the bot was added without going through the website, it also uses this channel (when it can create it) for a one-time notice explaining how to finish setup.

When the bot joins:

• If a text channel named snowstormbot-logs already exists and the bot can post in it, the bot adopts it as-is. Your setup (its permissions and topic) is left alone.
• If that channel exists and the bot can see it but not post in it, the bot tries to give itself permission to post there. It can only do this when it has Manage Roles. Nothing else about the channel changes. If the bot cannot even see the channel, Discord does not let it fix anything, so you have to.
• Otherwise the bot creates a private snowstormbot-logs channel that only admins can see.

If the logs channel is deleted, or the bot loses Manage Channels, the server becomes Deactivated and per-server features (sending messages, schedules, and so on) refuse to run until it is healthy again. You can:

• Click the repair / refresh icon on the server's card on the Servers page to retry immediately, or
• Just restore the bot's Manage Channels permission and wait. The bot re-checks on its regular sweep and recovers on its own.

INFO

The bot never adds number suffixes (like -2) and never deletes a channel that is in the way. If a snowstormbot-logs channel exists, the bot cannot post in it, and it cannot fix that itself, the server shows Can't post in logs channel. Let the bot view and send messages in that channel (or delete it so the bot can create a fresh one) and the bot picks it up on its own.

Server status

On the Servers page, each installed server shows a status. Here is what each one means and what to do.

Status	Meaning	What to do
Bot installed (active)	Healthy. Everything works.	Nothing.
Setting up...	The bot just joined and is finalising its logs channel.	Wait a few seconds and refresh.
Logs channel missing	The #snowstormbot-logs channel was deleted.	Use the repair icon, or wait for the next automatic sweep.
Needs Manage Channels	The bot cannot create the logs channel.	Grant Manage Channels (or use Update permissions), then repair.
Can't post in logs channel	A #snowstormbot-logs channel exists, but its permissions keep the bot out.	In that channel's permissions, let SnowstormBot view the channel and send messages. The server recovers on its own.
Suspended	The server is over a plan limit, so the bot is paused there.	Lower the member count or otherwise resolve the limit. See Plans & limits.
Paused	You paused the bot on this server yourself.	Click the resume (play) button on the server card to re-enable it.
Disabled by SnowstormBot	The SnowstormBot team temporarily disabled the bot on this server.	You cannot re-enable it; contact support for more information.
Leaving...	Your removal request is being processed.	Refresh in a few seconds.

When a server is Deactivated (the logs-channel warnings above) or Suspended, scoped actions like sending messages and running schedules are held until it returns to healthy. Existing settings and schedules are kept, they simply do not fire while paused.

Pausing the bot on a server

Need to stop the bot on one server without losing your setup? Use the pause button on the server card (Servers page). Pausing keeps the bot in the server and keeps all your settings, commands, and data, it just stops the bot from acting (automations, commands, moderation, XP, and so on) until you resume. It does not count against removing the bot, and member and message activity is still recorded. Click resume to turn everything back on; a quick re-scan runs to catch up.

If the bot is removed (kicked or removed from the dashboard), your data is not deleted right away: there is a 48-hour grace period. Re-invite the bot within that window and it picks up exactly where it left off. After 48 hours the server's data is erased.

Next, learn how to turn features on and off.