Discord server rules: copy-paste templates and examples

Good Discord server rules are short, numbered and specific: eight to twelve points that a new member can read in a minute and a moderator can point to when they act. Below you’ll find copy-paste Discord server rules templates for general, gaming, community and all-ages servers — pick one, cut what doesn’t apply, and add the two or three rules that are unique to your server.

After the templates, the guide covers how to write rules you can actually enforce, how to stay in line with Discord’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines, where to show the rules (a #rules channel, Rules Screening, Onboarding), and how to back them up with a fair warning system — with or without a bot.

How to write rules people follow

Most rule lists fail for one of three reasons: they are too long to read, too vague to enforce, or nobody ever enforces them. A few principles fix all three:

• Number every rule. “Warned for rule 4” is clearer than a paragraph of explanation, and members can quote the number back when they ask.
• One idea per rule, one sentence first. A bold headline plus one line of detail. If a rule needs a paragraph, it is probably two rules.
• Describe behaviour, not attitudes. “No slurs or insults aimed at members” can be enforced; “be nice” can’t.
• Say where things go. Many “rules” are really routing: self-promotion in #self-promo, bug reports in #support, memes in #memes.
• Keep a catch-all — but only one. “Staff may act on behaviour that harms the community even if no rule names it” covers the gaps without inviting arbitrary bans.
• Say what happens when rules are broken. One line about warnings, timeouts and bans sets expectations and cuts down on “why was I muted?” arguments.
• Write for your audience. A competitive esports server and a study group need different tones; neither needs legal language.

Discord ToS and Community Guidelines

Your server rules sit on top of Discord’s own rules — you can be stricter than Discord, never looser. Server owners are expected to moderate their servers, and a server that ignores Discord’s guidelines can be removed. That is why almost every template starts with a line like “Follow Discord’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines”. Things Discord already forbids include:

• Harassment, threats, hate speech and violent extremism.
• Sharing someone’s private information (doxxing) or intimate media without consent.
• Spam, scams, phishing links and malware.
• Sexual content involving minors in any form — and adult content anywhere except age-restricted channels.
• Using Discord under the minimum age (13, or higher in some countries), and buying or selling accounts.

You don’t need to copy all of this into your rules. Link to Discord’s guidelines once and spend your own rules on what is specific to your community.

Discord server rules templates

Copy a template into your #rules channel, then edit it. Keep the numbering — your moderators will use it.

General server rules (short)

1. Follow Discord’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
2. Be respectful. No harassment, insults, slurs or hate speech.
3. No spam. No message floods, repeated messages, excessive caps or mass mentions.
4. No NSFW or shocking content. This server is safe for work.
5. No self-promotion or advertising outside the channels made for it, and never by DM.
6. No scams or suspicious links. No phishing, fake gift links, token grabbers or malware.
7. Respect privacy. Don’t share anyone’s personal information, including your own.
8. Use the right channel and stay on topic.
9. English in public channels so moderators can read along (change to your server’s language).
10. Listen to staff. If you disagree with a decision, open a ticket or DM a senior moderator — don’t argue in public.

Gaming server rules

1. Follow Discord’s Terms of Service and the game’s own terms.
2. No cheating, hacks, exploits or account selling — no links, no discussion of where to get them.
3. No toxicity. Trash talk about the game is fine; attacking people is not.
4. No spoilers outside the spoiler channels; use spoiler tags elsewhere.
5. Voice etiquette: no soundboards, ear-rape or music in game lobbies; push-to-talk if your mic is noisy.
6. Use LFG channels for team-ups and respect lobby limits.
7. No begging for items, currency, boosts or Nitro.
8. No raiding or brigading other servers or streams from here.
9. No impersonating staff, streamers or developers.
10. Report problems to staff instead of starting drama in chat.

Community and creator server rules

1. Be kind and assume good intent. Disagree with ideas, not people.
2. No hate speech, harassment or discrimination of any kind.
3. Keep it safe for work in every channel, including avatars and usernames.
4. No unsolicited DMs to members or the creator.
5. Self-promotion only in #self-promo, once per day.
6. No politics or religion debates outside #debate (if you have one).
7. No leaking paid or members-only content.
8. Credit artists and creators when you share their work.
9. Respect boundaries. If someone asks you to stop, stop.
10. Staff decisions are final in chat; appeals go through the appeal form.

All-ages and NSFW-free server rules

1. This server is for everyone aged 13+. Keep all content suitable for that age.
2. No NSFW, gore, violence or drug content — in messages, images, links, names, avatars and statuses.
3. No swearing at people (and keep general swearing light).
4. Never ask members for personal information — age, location, photos, social media.
5. No dating or flirting.
6. No private-message requests to members you met here.
7. No dark or shock humour that could upset younger members.
8. Report anything that makes you uncomfortable to staff right away.

Short add-ons for any server

• Voice: no recording without consent; no soundboards or voice changers in shared rooms.
• Names: usernames and nicknames must be readable, pingable and appropriate.
• Alt accounts: no alts to evade a timeout or ban.
• AI content: label AI-generated images and don’t pass them off as your own art.
• Language: keep to the server’s language in public channels.

Where to show your rules

• A read-only #rules channel at the top of the channel list, with the rules as one message (or one embed per section) and nothing else.
• Rules Screening and Onboarding (Community servers): Discord shows your rules to newcomers and makes them agree before they can talk. Onboarding can also ask questions that give roles and pick which channels a member sees.
• The welcome message. Point newcomers to #rules in the greeting itself.
• Pinned in busy channels if one rule matters especially there (for example, the self-promo rule in #self-promo).

Enforcing rules: warnings and escalation

Rules without consequences are suggestions. A clear, predictable ladder is fairer than moderators deciding case by case, and it protects your team from accusations of favouritism.

Habits that make enforcement stick:

• Always give the rule number as the reason. “Rule 2 — insults in #general” is all a member needs to understand a warning.
• Let warnings expire. A warning from a year ago shouldn’t push someone into a ban today; 30 to 90 days is typical.
• Keep notes and evidence. Message links or screenshots end most “I didn’t do anything” disputes.
• Offer a way back. Members who can appeal a ban argue less in public and come back better behaved — or not at all, which is also an answer.
• Let AutoMod handle the obvious. Spam, mass mentions and banned words don’t need a human; see the AutoMod setup guide.

Enforcing your rules with BotGG

All of the above works by hand. BotGG automates the repetitive parts — every feature below is free.

Make newcomers accept the rules

Verification has a Rules method: new members see your rules as an embed (up to 15 rules, each with a title and text) and press I accept the rules before they get access. The setup wizard creates the Unverified role and the #verify channel for you. If raids are a concern, the captcha method is available too.

Point them to the rules in the welcome message

Welcome messages greet new members in a channel, optionally with an image card, using placeholders like {user}, {server} and {count}. Mention your #rules channel in the greeting, and turn on wait for verification so the greeting is sent only after a member has accepted the rules. An optional Get the server guide by DM button lets members request a short summary of your rules in their DMs — nothing is sent unless they press it.

Warnings, cases and automatic escalation

Moderation turns your rule ladder into something the bot enforces:

• /warn member reason creates a numbered case and DMs the member the reason. Turn on require reason so no warning goes out without a rule number.
• Warnings expire after a set number of days (30 by default; 0 = never).
• Escalation rules — up to 10 rows like “3 warnings within 7 days → timeout 1 hour” or “5 warnings within 30 days → ban”. Actions can be timeout, kick, tempban or ban, and each automatic action becomes its own case.
• AutoMod rules can add warnings too, so a member who keeps spamming climbs the same ladder.
• /modlog member shows someone’s history, /note adds a private staff note, and every case is posted to your mod-log channel.
• DM templates let you write your own text for each action, with placeholders such as {reason}, {case} and {duration}.

Ban appeals

With Ban appeals enabled, ban DMs include an Appeal this ban link to a form in the BotGG console. The banned member signs in with Discord, answers your questions (Free: 3 questions, Pro: 15), and staff review the appeal in Discord or the console with Approve, Reject or Ask question. Approving unbans the member and can send them a fresh invite. A cooldown after rejection and a limit on appeals per ban keep it from becoming spam, and custom approval/rejection texts and auto-closing of stale appeals are included on every plan.

Rules checklist

• 8–12 numbered rules, one sentence each
• A line that points to Discord’s Terms and Community Guidelines
• Rules for the channels and topics unique to your server
• One catch-all rule and one line about consequences
• Read-only #rules channel at the top
• Rules Screening / Onboarding or an “accept the rules” verification step
• An escalation ladder your moderators agree on
• A way to appeal bans

FAQ

How many rules should a Discord server have?

Usually 8 to 12. Fewer than five leaves gaps; more than fifteen and nobody reads them. Put details in channel descriptions or pinned messages instead.

Do I need to copy Discord’s Community Guidelines into my rules?

No. One rule that says members must follow Discord’s Terms and Community Guidelines is enough. Use the rest of the list for what is specific to your server.

Can members be punished for breaking a rule that isn’t written down?

Discord’s own guidelines always apply. For everything else, a single catch-all rule (“staff may act on behaviour that harms the community”) is fair — as long as it is used rarely and explained when it is.

How do I make people accept the rules before chatting?

Use Discord’s Rules Screening on a Community server, or a verification bot. BotGG’s Verification has a rules method with an I accept the rules button and gives access only after the click.