To help create the best possible livestream experience, KICK gives all Streamers the ability to moderate their channels themselves or assign moderation permissions to members of their community.
A well-moderated chat is one of the most important parts of a healthy stream. Whether you handle moderation yourself or delegate to a Mod team, this guide walks you through every tool available to keep your community safe, welcoming, and engaging.
What Moderators can do
Adding Moderators to your channel allows those users to perform the following actions:
Time out or ban Viewers
Manage spam and delete messages
Enable different chat modes (slow mode, follower-only, sub-only, emote-only, account age restriction)
Start and manage polls
Manage pinned messages
Help fulfil Channel Points reward requests
Channel Owners have additional permissions Moderators do not, including adding or removing Moderators, granting OG and VIP badges, and managing Multistreaming and KPP toggles (KICK Partners only).
Building a Moderator team
Trusted Moderators are your most valuable tool, especially as your channel grows. Choosing the right Mods makes a significant difference to your community experience.
Who makes a good Moderator
The best Moderators are:
Trustworthy — they will be making decisions on your behalf
Available during your streams — a Moderator who is rarely around cannot help much
Aligned with your values — your Mods set the tone of your community
Calm under pressure — situations can escalate quickly, and steady judgment matters
Familiar with your community — they understand the regulars, the in-jokes, and what your audience expects
You do not need to add Moderators on day one. Build your Mod team as your community grows and you start to see who is consistently engaged.
How to add or remove Moderators
You can add or remove Moderators using your Streamer Dashboard or by typing a command in your own chat room.
Adding Moderators via chat command:
In your stream chat, enter the following command:
/mod <username>
Removing Moderators via chat command:
In your stream chat, enter the following command:
/unmod <username>
Adding Moderators via your Streamer Dashboard:
Enter the username into the search box
Click Add
Removing a Moderator using the Streamer Dashboard:
Find the Viewer you wish to remove
Click Remove
Chat modes
Chat modes restrict who can chat or how often. They are some of your fastest tools for managing your community in real time, accessible from the Channel Actions widget on your Streamer Dashboard or via chat commands.
Slow mode
Limits how often each Chatter can send a message.
When to use it:
During spam attacks
When chat is moving so fast no one can read it
To calm down a heated argument by forcing pauses between messages
Commands:
Enable: /slow on <seconds> (e.g., /slow on 30 for 30 seconds between messages)
Disable: /slow off
Moderators are not affected by slow mode.
Followers-only mode
Restricts chat to accounts that have followed your channel for a specified time.
When to use it:
During harassment attacks (newly created accounts cannot bypass a 30+ day follow requirement)
When you want chat to be people who have engaged with your channel
During sensitive conversations where you want a more familiar audience
Commands:
Enable: /followonly on
Disable: /followonly off
You can also configure the minimum follow time through Channel Actions. Moderators are not affected.
Subscribers-only mode
Restricts chat to subscribers only.
When to use it:
For sub-only segments of your stream
When followers-only is not strict enough
During particularly chaotic moments where you want chat to be your most invested community
Commands:
Enable: /subonly on
Disable: /subonly off
💡 Use sub-only mode sparingly. Locking out non-subscribers for too long can feel exclusionary to new Viewers.
Emote-only mode
Restricts chat to Emotes only, blocking text messages entirely.
When to use it:
During hype moments where you want pure reaction
As a fast way to shut down text-based harassment without locking everyone out
Briefly, to defuse a tense moment
Commands:
Enable: /emoteonly on
Disable: /emoteonly off
Account age restriction
Sets a minimum account age that Chatters must meet before they can send messages.
When to use it:
To filter out new throwaway accounts created for spam or harassment
During harassment attacks where attackers may use freshly created accounts
You can configure this through Channel Actions. Moderators are not affected.
Banned words and chat filters
Banned words let you automatically block messages containing specific terms or phrases. This is one of the most powerful moderation tools available, and worth setting up before you need it.
To configure banned words:
Open your Streamer Dashboard
Find the Channel Actions widget
Click Banned words
Add words and phrases you want to block
Common categories to filter:
Slurs and hate speech
Spam patterns (excessive caps, repeated characters)
Specific offensive terms unique to your community
Links you do not want shared
⚠️ Do not filter your own real name, address, or personal information. Adding these to a banned word filter can confirm to potential doxxers that they have found your real details.
Individual moderation actions
For specific bad actors, you and your Moderators have several tools.
How to ban a Viewer
Banned Viewers will no longer be able to type in your chat room. The ban lasts until you manually remove it.
Banning a Viewer via the UI:
Hover over the user you want to ban
Click their username
In the pop-up window, select Ban
Banning a Viewer via chat command:
/ban <username> <reason>
For example: /ban username Spamming links
To unban a Viewer, use /unban <username> or remove them from your banned list in your Streamer Dashboard.
How to time out a Viewer
A time-out temporarily prevents a Chatter from sending messages. Time-outs are great for warnings or cool-off periods without permanent action.
Timing out a Viewer via chat command:
/timeout <username> <time> <reason>
For example: /timeout username 600 Reading the rules times the user out for 600 seconds (10 minutes).
The time is in seconds. To remove a time-out before it expires, simply unban the user with /unban <username>.
How to remove chat messages
Chat messages can be removed by the Channel Owner and all Moderators.
To remove a chat message:
Hover over the chat message you want to remove
Click the trashcan icon labelled Delete
The user is not notified that their message was deleted.
How to mute a Chat Viewer
Muting a Viewer prevents that Viewer's chat messages from appearing in your chat window. Other Viewers who have not muted that specific Viewer will continue to see their messages.
This is a personal mute, not a chat-wide action. It is useful for hiding messages you do not want to see without restricting other Chatters.
Hover over the Viewer you want to mute
Click their username
In the pop-up window, select the Microphone option
How to unmute a Chat Viewer
To unmute a Chat Viewer you previously muted:
Click the ⚙ icon in the chat room
Select Muted Viewers
Click the trashcan icon next to the Viewer you want to unmute
Polls and predictions
KICK supports polls and predictions for engaging your community.
Polls:
Create a poll: /poll
Delete an active poll: /polldelete
Polls are great for letting Viewers vote on what happens next in your stream — game choices, decisions, opinions.
Predictions:
Start a prediction: /prediction
Predictions allow Viewers to use Channel Points to bet on outcomes during your stream. For details, see Guide to Predictions for Streamers.
OG and VIP badges
OG and VIP badges are special markers you can give to Viewers to recognise their support and contribution to your community.
VIP badge — typically given to highly engaged community members, top supporters, or close friends of the channel:
Give: /vip <username>
Remove: /unvip <username>
OG badge — typically given to long-time community members from early in your channel's history:
Give: /og <username>
Remove: /unog <username>
You can also manage these through the Roles section of your Streamer Dashboard.
What to do during a harassment attack
If your channel is being targeted by a coordinated harassment campaign:
Switch to followers-only mode with a longer follow time requirement
Alert your Moderators so they can ban offending accounts and delete messages
Use AutoMod and banned words filters to block offensive content
Consider ending the stream if the situation is overwhelming
Report coordinated activity to [email protected]
For full details, see Mass harassment response guide.
Reference: chat commands
For a complete reference of every chat command available to you and your Moderators, see KICK Chat Commands.
Still need help?
If you have questions about moderation tools or your Mod team, contact our Support Team at [email protected]. Please include:
Your KICK Streamer username
A description of what you are trying to do or set up
Your specific question
Related articles
KICK Chat Commands
Moderation Features Guide
Viewer Controls & Streamer Controls
Subscription Badges: What They Are, How They Work & How to Add Yours
Mass harassment response guide
Emergency moderation tools on KICK
Streamer Safety Tips: How to Stream Safely on KICK
Understanding your KICK Creator Dashboard
Guide to Predictions for Streamers