Channel Locking

Channel Locking helps staff quickly restrict one channel, a category, or a prepared group of channels during a raid, heated event, or maintenance period. Instead of editing every channel by hand, you apply a saved preset and later unlock the channels to return them to their earlier access settings.

Lock modes

Archivian offers two common kinds of lock:

• Read-only — members can still see the affected channels but cannot send messages or add new activity there.
• Hidden — members covered by the lock cannot see the affected channels.

Use read-only when people still need announcements or context. Use hidden when the channel itself should not be accessible during the lock.

Presets

A preset saves the channels or categories you commonly lock together and the kind of lock to apply. For example, you might create separate presets for public chat, event channels, and the whole public server.

Before an incident:

1. Create presets for the areas your staff may need to close quickly.
2. Give them clear names that make sense under pressure.
3. Test them during a quiet period.
4. Confirm that staff and bot-only channels keep the access they need.

Locking channels

Choose a preset or target from the Channel Locking page and review the affected channels before applying it. Archivian changes the relevant channel access settings and remembers their prior state for unlocking.

A category lock can affect the channels that follow that category’s access settings. Channels with their own special access may behave differently, so check the preview and test important presets ahead of time.

Unlocking channels

Use the same Channel Locking page to unlock an active lock. Archivian restores the access settings it recorded when the lock was applied.

Avoid manually changing the same channel access while a lock is active. Those edits can conflict with the saved pre-lock state and may be replaced when the channel is unlocked. If staff had to make emergency manual changes, review the channels after unlocking.

Recommended setup

• Prepare and test presets before you need them.
• Keep private staff coordination channels out of public lock presets.
• Prefer read-only when members still need to see updates.
• Tell staff who is responsible for locking and unlocking during an incident.
• Post an announcement before locking when circumstances allow.
• Review channel access after unlocking, especially if anyone made manual changes during the lock.