A Discord server setup checklist

You can do every step by hand in Server Settings. To see a finished example first, join our Discord at discord.gg/mQGurnyCDs or look at the screenshots on Features.

Start with the purpose of the server

Before you create twenty channels, write one sentence about what the server is for. A game community, a support server, a creator community, and a staff-only work server need different layouts.

That sentence helps you decide who can chat (everyone who joins, or only people who have pressed Verify), what belongs in a ticket, and which pings are worth a button. If you cannot finish it, start smaller: one info area, one general chat, a rules page, and a way to reach staff.

Channels and categories worth creating first

Group channels into categories so new members can scan the sidebar without scrolling past staff tools:

• Info — read-only channels for first impressions: #welcome, #rules, and #get-roles.
• Community — #general for chat, plus only the extras you will actually use, such as #suggestions, #giveaways, or a level-up channel.
• Support — #open-a-ticket, with a ticket panel, so questions are not dumped in general.
• Staff — hidden from regular members. #staff-logs for joins, leaves, deleted messages and moderator actions, and #ticket-logs for closed-ticket transcripts. Open tickets usually live in their own Tickets category that only staff and the ticket owner can see.

You need a place to say hello, post rules, talk, and let staff work. If a channel does not have a clear job, leave it out. Keep names ordinary (rules, general, open-a-ticket).

Roles, including a Member role gated by Verify

Start with a short list:

• Unverified — given when someone joins, if you want new members to see only the info channels until they accept the rules.
• Member — given when they press Verify on the rules message. This is the role that unlocks general chat.
• Staff — for the people who will handle tickets, reports and moderation. Only give this role to people you trust.
• Ping roles — optional roles such as Events or Polls, which members can pick themselves in #get-roles. These should be mentionable, and they should not grant extra permissions.

Members read the rules in #rules and press Verify. The bot (or a staff member, if you are doing this by hand) gives them the Member role. Until then they can see the welcome and rules, but they cannot chat in general.

After setup, drag the bot's role above Staff, Member and Unverified in Server Settings → Roles — Discord will not let a bot assign a role higher than its own. A Server Workshop invite asks only for the permissions the bot needs, such as manage roles, manage channels and moderate members. Do not grant it Administrator unless you have a specific reason.

Welcome messages and ping-role buttons

Keep the welcome message short: greet the new member, point them at the rules, and tell them to press Verify. If you use a bot, the message can include the server name, the member, and their join number. A goodbye message is optional and can wait.

After someone is verified, let them choose what they want to be pinged for, instead of pinging @everyone. A #get-roles channel with buttons (for example Events and Polls) does that job. Members press a role to take it, and press again to remove it. Auto-roles can also give a starting role on join, such as Unverified, so the path is: arrive, read, verify, then chat.

A ticket panel so questions are not dumped in general

Once people can chat, they will have questions. If the only option is to ping staff in #general, those questions crowd out conversation, and reports end up in public.

Post a ticket panel in #open-a-ticket. Members press a button, a private channel opens, and staff can claim, close and log the ticket. Mention the panel in your welcome or rules so people know it exists. There is a longer explanation in our Discord ticket bot guide.

Let /setup and Quick setup build the layout

You can create all of the above by hand. A Server Workshop Standard or Premium bot can also build it for you.

Type /setup (you need the Manage Server permission) and press the Quick setup button. That one command opens a menu; Quick setup is the main button. The bot finds or creates the channels and roles the layout needs, then posts the panels: rules with a Verify button, ping roles in #get-roles, and the ticket panel in #open-a-ticket. It does not overwrite channels it can already match by name. Another button posts the panels again later if you need to replace them.

After it finishes, drag the bot's role above Staff, Member and Unverified, then walk through the sidebar the way a new member would. See the menu and screenshots on Features, or try /setup in our Discord: discord.gg/mQGurnyCDs.

Standard (Full Setup Bot, $50) includes tickets, moderation, levels and more, and it builds your channels and roles. Premium (Bot + Staff Server, $75) includes everything in Standard plus a private staff server; Standard can add one for +$10. Basic (Command Bot, $25) is the commands you pick, without the server builder. Details are on Pricing.

Launch deal: the first 5 orders placed on this site get 20% off any package. We send the code in your Discord order ticket. Enter it under “Add promotion code” in Stripe checkout. Fiverr orders don’t count. Once 5 codes are claimed, the deal ends.

When you are ready, pick a package on Pricing or ask us in our Discord. If you already have a zip, see Help and How to host a Discord bot yourself.