Appeal System

Set up an appeal workflow so banned or punished players can request a review. Appeals are case panels with a special flag: staff see three decision buttons (Approve, Reject, Pending), outcomes are logged, and approved appeals automatically unban the player.

Judge Owl

Players who've been banned or struck can appeal their case. Staff review the appeal and decide whether to approve, reject, or keep it pending. Outcomes are logged, and approved appeals automatically unban the player.

What is this?

The deep dive on the appeal workflow: every step from "I'd like to appeal" to "approved / rejected", with the audit trail attached. Covers how to add an appeal button to a panel, what staff see when a user submits one, how the three-decision flow works, and how approved appeals integrate with the ban system to auto-unban.

Why you might want it

If you handle appeals you want the full picture, not just the toggle. This page walks through attaching context (the user's strike history, the punishment being appealed), deliberating in the staff-notes channel, recording the decision, and what the user sees after each outcome. Read it once and you'll know what your team is doing when an appeal lands.

Create an Appeal Button

Open the Panel Editor

Go to Support Inbox Panel in the dashboard sidebar and either create a new panel or edit an existing one. Many servers build a dedicated appeal panel, but you can also mix appeal buttons into your regular Support Inbox.

Add a Button

Click Add Button on the Buttons row. Configure the emoji, label, and style as you would any other button. Red with a warning emoji (e.g., "Submit Appeal") is a common visual convention so users can spot it.

Toggle the Appeal Flag

Check the Appeal button checkbox inside the button's settings. This is the single toggle that changes the button's behavior: cases opened through it are tracked as appeals, and staff see the three-button decision panel instead of the normal claim/close flow.

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Tip

Use an intake form on the appeal button to collect structured context upfront: a Long-style "Why should this be reviewed?" field and a Short-style "Original ban reference ID" field work well.

Post the Panel

Select a channel and post. A dedicated #appeals channel is common so banned players know exactly where to go. Make sure the channel is readable to users with your ban role (or whatever restricted state you use).

Appeal Workflow

User Submits an Appeal

When a banned player clicks the appeal button, the bot creates a private case channel with additional context attached:

The user's current enforcement history (active strikes, bans, warnings)
The specific punishment being appealed, when identifiable
Any form fields the user filled out during submission

Staff can review everything in one place without looking up the user's profile separately.

Staff Make a Decision

Inside an appeal case channel, staff see three decision buttons instead of the normal close button:

Approve

Accepts the appeal. The bot automatically removes the active ban from Discord and records an "approved" outcome. The case closes, the user is notified, and a transcript is saved.

Reject

Denies the appeal. The punishment stays in place. The case closes with a "rejected" outcome and the user is notified.

Pending

Keeps the case open for more information. Use this when you need the user to clarify something or when you want to consult with other staff before making a final decision. The case stays open until you come back to Approve or Reject.

Appeal Cooldown

Configure Re-submission Delay

To prevent denied users from immediately re-opening the same appeal, you can set an Appeal Cooldown in your server settings. The cooldown is the number of days a user must wait after a rejected appeal before they can submit a new one. The default is server-configurable.

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Note

Approved appeals don't trigger the cooldown, only rejected ones. If a user is approved and later earns a new ban, they can appeal again immediately through the normal workflow.

Tracking Outcomes

Automatic Record Keeping

Every appeal decision is recorded in the database with full context:

Who submitted the appeal and when
Which staff member made the decision
The decision outcome (approved, rejected, or pending)
The original punishment that was appealed
Any form-field responses the user provided

This history is visible on the player's profile in the dashboard and in the audit log. It helps you spot repeat appeal abuse and keeps staff decisions accountable.

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