Bad Images
What it does
Section titled “What it does”This feature detects when a user sends an image that is very similar to an image already registered as not allowed. It can catch images sent both as links and as attachments.
Use cases
Section titled “Use cases”The primary use case is thwarting trending scams and spam from bot accounts that convey their content through images rather than text. Discord’s Auto-Mod is good at matching text-based content, but currently has no solution for image-only spam — which is where this feature comes in.
Good for
Section titled “Good for”- Blocking trending scams where a known picture is always sent.
- Temporarily or permanently blocking specific exact images you don’t want sent.
Might work for
Section titled “Might work for”- Blocking various crops and sizes of a known scam image, if you lower the threshold.
- Blocking images with near-identical composition and colours.
Won’t (or probably won’t) work for
Section titled “Won’t (or probably won’t) work for”- Blocking brand-new variations of a known scam picture.
- Heavily altered, deep-fried, or pixelated versions of a blocked original.
- Blocking types of images, as if it detected intent or subjects in photos.
It’s not AI
Section titled “It’s not AI”Some users worry (or hope) that images are passed through a third-party AI platform to do the similarity detection. That isn’t the case here. The system uses simple code that normalizes the image and computes a hash — a short fingerprint derived directly from the pixels — and stores that. Scanned images are hashed the same way, and the hashes are then compared for similarity.
It is not AI and not computer vision — so this feature isn’t suitable for detecting types of images.
Global and custom block lists
Section titled “Global and custom block lists”Archivian maintains a global list of images that are blocked out of the box. This list changes over time with trends, and covers known scams and prevailing malicious campaigns. (Submissions of new trending images are appreciated — please join the support server and submit them.)
We can’t always be on the cutting edge, so you can also register your own set of blocked images for your server. The number you can register is currently limited, since the feature is meant to combat changing spam/scam trends — you’ll likely want to remove old images once a trend passes. Images you register only work in your server and aren’t visible to other servers.
False positives
Section titled “False positives”If an image is ever detected when it shouldn’t be, you can register a false positive. If a detected image is an exact match for a registered false positive, it’s ignored.
Managing image blocking
Section titled “Managing image blocking”Images
Section titled “Images”You can manage your server’s repository of images in the Blocked Images section, found in the Messages & Channels category.
Blocking, actions, and thresholds
Section titled “Blocking, actions, and thresholds”You control how registered images are used in the Archivian Auto-Mod editor: go to the Archivian Auto-Mod category under Auto-Mod, then the Bad Images tab at the top. There you can choose whether to use the global list, your server’s own list, or both, and set the minimum similarity needed for detection. Image is nearly identical is the default, and the recommended setting — it keeps detections tight and avoids false positives.
Exceptions
Section titled “Exceptions”- Ignored Channels exempts selected channels.
- Ignored Categories exempts channels in selected categories.
- Ignored Roles exempts any member who has at least one selected role.
Keep exceptions narrow. For example, exempt a staff-only evidence channel instead of a large category that also contains public channels.
Actions
Section titled “Actions”- Action Reason is used in alerts, audit logs, and cases. For example:
Sent an image matching the server block list. - Delete Message removes the message containing the matched image.
- Add Roles assigns selected roles, such as a restricted-access role.
- Remove Roles removes selected roles. Use this cautiously for roles that grant access.
- Create a Case records a note or warning, or applies a timeout, kick, or ban. Timeout and ban actions include duration controls; bans can also purge recent messages.
- Send a Message can send up to four configurable messages to the same channel, the member’s DMs, another channel, or—as long as the original is not deleted—as a reply. The editor offers placeholders for details such as the member, matched image, similarity, and message link.
For a first setup, enable deletion and send a short explanation to the member. Add a case only when a match should become part of their moderation history.