Bad Links
What it is for
Section titled “What it is for”Bad Links helps stop known phishing, malware, scam, or otherwise disallowed links before more members follow them. It is most useful during campaigns where the same domains or exact links are repeatedly shared.
It is not a general web-safety verdict. A new malicious site may not be known yet, and a link not being detected does not guarantee that it is safe.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”Archivian finds links in new and edited messages and compares their domain or full address with its maintained list of bad links. When one or more matches are found, the configured actions run once for that message.
Messages from users Archivian recognizes as server staff are not checked. You can also exempt roles, channels, and channel categories.
Open Auto-Mod → Archivian Auto-Mod → Bad Links in your server’s dashboard.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”Block Bad Links
Section titled “Block Bad Links”The switch at the top enables or disables this check. Leave it enabled when you want Archivian to react to links on its known-bad list.
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.
Avoid exempting general chat or support channels, where compromised accounts often post links. A private security-research channel is a more appropriate exception.
Actions
Section titled “Actions”- Action Reason is used in alerts, audit logs, and cases. For example:
Known bad link detected. - Delete Message removes the whole message, including any harmless text or links alongside the detected link.
- Add Roles assigns selected roles, such as a restricted-access role.
- Remove Roles removes selected roles. Use this only where automatic access removal is appropriate.
- 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. Available placeholders can include the member, message link, and detected sites.
For most communities, start with Delete Message and a notification to a staff channel. Automatically banning on the first match can be too aggressive if members may share a bad link unknowingly.
Operational advice
Section titled “Operational advice”Treat a detection as strong evidence about the link, not automatically about the member’s intent. Review the member’s recent activity before escalating from deletion or a note to a severe punishment.
If an active scam link is not detected, report it through Archivian’s support server so it can be reviewed for the maintained list.