Starboard
Repost your community's best messages to a highlights channel when they collect enough star reactions.
On this page
The starboard turns reactions into a highlights reel. When a message collects enough of your chosen emoji (a ⭐ by default), Buddy reposts it in your starboard channel, so the funniest and most helpful posts are easy to find later, without staff having to pin anything.
Before you start#
Create a channel for highlights first. Most servers call it #starboard or #hall-of-fame and
make it read-only for members, since only Buddy needs to post there.
Set it up#
It's under Levels & engagement in the sidebar.
In Starboard basics, switch Starboard on and choose your Starboard channel.
Set Stars needed (1–9). Start with 3 on a small server or 5+ on a busy one, then adjust.
List them in Emoji that count, separated by commas or spaces. Standard emoji (⭐ 🔥 😂) and your server's custom emoji both work.
Click Save starboard settings. The next message that reaches the threshold is posted.
Settings explained#
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Starboard | Turns new starboard posts on or off. Turning it off keeps your settings. | Off |
| Starboard channel | Where starred messages are posted. | None |
| Stars needed | How many matching reactions a message needs (1–9). | 3 |
| Emoji that count | Which reactions count toward the total. | ⭐ |
| Post text | Optional text posted with each starred message. Supports placeholders (below). | Empty |
| Forward original messages | On: Discord's built-in forward of the original. Off: Buddy posts an embed copy. | — |
| Jump link | Adds a link back to the original message. | — |
| Auto star new messages | Buddy reacts to every new message with your first emoji, so members only need to click it. | Off |
| NSFW channels | Whether messages from age-restricted channels can be starred. | Off |
| Self stars | Whether the author's own reaction counts. | — |
| Ignored channels | Reactions in these channels never count. | None |
| Only these channels | If you pick any, only these channels are watched. Overrides ignored channels. | All |
Commands#
You can also manage the starboard from Discord. /starboard needs Manage Server.
Run /starboard with no options to open the starboard settings panel. Only you can see it, and
every change saves straight away. Use Choose a section at the top to switch pages:
- Basics: the Starboard on/off button, the Starboard channel picker, Emoji, minimum & name (a form for the star emoji, separated by spaces, Stars needed 1–9 and the starboard's name) and Post message (a form for the post text; leave it empty for the default layout).
- Rules & channels: on/off buttons for Self-stars, NSFW channels, Jump link, Forward and Auto-star, plus the Only count stars in and Ignore stars in channel pickers. Only count stars in overrides Ignore stars in.
To see one starred message, run /starboard show:<number> with its starboard number.
/starboard [show] Manage ServerOpen the starboard settings panel (or show a starred message).
Placeholders#
Use these in Post text (or /starboard → Post message).
| Placeholder | Becomes |
|---|---|
{user} | A mention of the message author |
{channel} | The channel the message was posted in |
{count} | How many stars it has |
{emoji} | The emoji that was used |
{starboard} | Your starboard's name (set it in /starboard → Emoji, minimum & name) |
{message_link} | A link to the original message (empty if Jump link is off) |
{role:ROLE_ID} | A mention of a role, e.g. {role:123456789012345678} |
Examples#
A short, celebratory post text:
{emoji} {user} made the {starboard} in {channel} with {count} stars!What members see in your starboard channel:
⭐ @Alex made the Hall of Fame in #memes with 5 stars!
If everything gets starred, nothing feels special. Raise Stars needed as your server grows,
and add busy channels like #bot-commands to Ignored channels.
Troubleshooting#
Messages reach the threshold but nothing is posted#
- Check Starboard is switched on and a Starboard channel is selected, then save again.
- Make sure Buddy can View Channel, Send Messages and Embed Links in the starboard channel.
- If you picked Only these channels, the message's channel must be in that list.
- The reaction must be one of your Emoji that count. Custom emoji from other servers don't count.
Members can star their own messages#
Turn Self stars off. The author's own reaction then no longer counts toward the total.
Buddy isn't adding the auto star#
Auto star new messages needs the Add Reactions permission in the channel, and uses the first emoji in your Emoji that count list.