Mention Spam
Catch mention-bombs in a single message — the classic raid signal where one user pings half the server at once.
Open AutoMod →Mention Spam fires when a single message contains more user mentions + role mentions than your threshold. It is a blunt, reliable raid-response trigger.
What is this?
A rule that fires when a single message contains too many mentions. User pings and role pings both count, and @everyone or @here add one to the total. Default threshold is 5.
Why you might want it
This is the classic raid signature: a single message that pings every moderator at once, or tags fifteen random users to start drama. Most legitimate messages mention one or two people. Anything over five is almost always abuse, and the rule fires fast enough to stop the message from staying up.
@everyone/@here broadcast flag.@everyone or @here) is strictly greater than max_mentions.Why use this rule?
- Defends against mass-ping raids where a single message tries to notify dozens of members at once.
- Protects sleeping members from compromised accounts that fire off ping-bombs at 3am.
- Stops argument-escalation tactics where a user pings everyone involved in a prior beef to reignite a fight.
- Cheap insurance — one threshold covers the entire server without needing a word list.
What it detects
A single message whose total mention count exceeds max_mentions. The count is user pings + role pings, plus one extra unit when the message contains @everyone or @here. A message like this one would count as six mentions:
How @everyone works
If Discord marks the message as having pinged @everyone or @here (message.mention_everyone), Arkanis counts it as one additional mention unit regardless of how many times the broadcast keyword appears. That means a raid bot using @everyone as its payload can trip this rule on its own — pair with a low max_mentions and exempt your mod roles.
What it does NOT detect
- Channel mentions such as
<#id>. - Mentions aggregated across multiple messages — it is strictly per-message.
- Mentions inside embeds.
Configuration
| Field | Type | Default | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| max_mentions | integer | 5 | The rule fires when user pings + role pings in one message exceed this number. |
Recommended starter settings
A good default pairing for anti-raid response:
{
"max_mentions": 5
}Pair with the Mute action and a 10-minute duration. Mention-bombing is a clear raid signal and a short timeout is almost always the right first response.
Common false positives
- Moderation threads where a mod pings several users at once ("Hey @user1 @user2 @user3 @user4 @user5 @user6, please read the rules").
- Community event announcements that tag the host, co-hosts, and featured guests.
- Cross-team pings to multiple roles:
@ModTeam @SupportTeam @DevTeam @QATeam @Leads @Admincounts as six role mentions. - Friend-group bumps in LFG or party channels.
How to test this rule safely
Set the rule to Log Only
Log Only records matches without muting or banning anyone. It is the right starting point for every AutoMod rule.
Lower the threshold for testing
Temporarily set max_mentions to 3. This lets you trigger the rule without rounding up six volunteers.
Post a message with 4 pings
In a private test channel, post a message mentioning four users you have permission to ping. Check the Event Log — you should see an entry with matched_pattern = "4 mentions".
Confirm a 3-mention message does NOT fire
Post a message with exactly 3 mentions. No Event Log entry should appear — the comparison is strictly greater than.
Flip to Live
Restore your real threshold and switch the rule from Log Only to Live.
Known current behavior
- Current behavior:
@everyoneand@herecontribute one mention unit. A message containing@everyoneplusmax_mentionsdistinct user pings now trips the rule. Pair with Discord's native Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles permission for defence-in-depth. - Current behavior: allowlist words do not apply to Mention Spam. This trigger is volumetric, so a rule's
allowlist_wordslist is ignored for mention counting. A raider can't sneak a 20-ping message past the rule by including an allowlisted word. - Current behavior: the threshold uses a strict greater-than comparison. Setting
max_mentions = 5means six mentions fires; five does not. - Current behavior: each ping is counted individually. Pinging the same user twice in one message can count as two mentions depending on how Discord serialises the message payload.
Action reference
Mention-bomb responses are usually fast and short — the most common pairing is a Mute (Discord timeout) in the 5–10 minute range. Delete also works on its own: removing the message cancels the ping notifications to the mentioned members.
action_config field.