Moderating users

Group access decides which chats a bot works in. Per-user controls decide what one person may do inside them. The two are independent.

Group access decides which chats a bot works in. Per-user controls decide what one person may do inside them. The two are independent.

The two layers

Authorizing a group does not give every member unlimited use of the bot, and restricting a member does not deauthorize the group. A group can be fully authorized while specific users in it are banned, muted, rate-limited or blocked.

Two independent layers

LayerDecidesSet fromSet by
Group accessWhich chats the bot works in/authorize, /getid, the /menu picker, the dashboard Groups tabThe bot's owner or a Memescale admin
/ban and /muteWhether one person may post in the Telegram group at allThe /ban and /mute commands in the groupAny Telegram admin of that group, once Admin Moderation is on
Rate limits and blocksHow many generations one username gets per day, or whether it gets anyManagement → User Limits in the dashboardThe bot's owner

/ban and /mute

/ban and /mute are Telegram group actions. /ban bans the user from the group and deletes their messages. /mute restricts them for 24 hours. Both need the Admin Moderation switch, which is off by default.

There is no /unmute

A mute cannot be lifted early. It expires on its own after 24 hours.

Target the user by replying to their message, or by tapping their @-mention from Telegram's autocomplete. A plain typed @username does not work; the bot replies with that instruction instead of acting.

Group commands vs rate limiting

The difference

Aspect/ban and /muteRate limit or block
What it acts onThe user's ability to post in the Telegram groupThe user's ability to trigger the bot
Who sets itAny Telegram admin of that groupThe bot's owner, in the dashboard
Where it is setIn the group, as a commandManagement → User Limits
ScopeThat one groupEvery chat the bot serves
ReversalA ban is lifted in Telegram; a mute expires after 24 hoursEdit or delete the restriction, or let its duration expire

A heavy but non-abusive user is a rate-limit case. A rate limit caps generations per day and leaves everyone else untouched.

Rate limits and blocks

Management → User Limits holds one restriction per username. A Rate Limit sets a daily generation cap, minimum 1, default 50, no maximum. A Block removes the username's access outright. Both take a duration: Permanent (default), 1 hour, 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days.

/showlimits, sent in a DM by the bot's owner or a Memescale admin, prints every blocked and rate-limited user on the bot.

Choosing an action

Which control fits

SituationControl
A user generates a lot but breaks nothingSet or tighten a Rate Limit in Management → User Limits
A user should stop using the bot but stay in the groupSet a Block in Management → User Limits
A user is disrupting the group's chat/mute in the group — 24 hours, no early release
A user is spamming or abusive/ban in the group — also deletes their messages

None of these four change whether the group stays authorized.