Discord Suggestion Bot: Voting + Status Tags (No Code)

A Discord suggestion bot turns feedback into a clean, trackable pipeline. Members submit ideas in a consistent format, everyone votes with buttons, and moderators can mark suggestions as planned, accepted, in progress, or shipped—without your #suggestions channel turning into chaos.

TL;DR

• Create one suggestions channel, one digest channel, and one mod-only review channel.
• Require a simple template (problem, proposed solution, who it helps).
• Use buttons for 👍 / 👎 (and optional “Needs info” or “Duplicate”).
• Add statuses: Planned, Accepted, In progress, Shipped.
• Prevent spam: slowmode, “one active suggestion per user”, and duplicate merging into a single canonical thread.

Step 1: Create the channels (and permissions)

The fastest way to make a suggestion system work is to separate “submissions” from “discussion.” Put suggestions in a dedicated channel with slowmode and a strict template, keep debate in threads, and give mods a private review channel for triage. This keeps your server readable while still collecting high-quality feedback.

• #suggestions — members submit ideas (the bot posts the formatted suggestion + voting buttons).
• #suggestion-digest — weekly summary (top-voted, newly accepted, shipped).
• #mod-suggestions (private) — mod log + triage notes, duplicates, abuse reports.

Permissions checklist:

• Bot needs Send Messages, Embed Links, Create Public Threads (if you use threads), and Manage Messages (optional).
• If buttons fail or the bot can’t post, start with common Discord permissions errors.

Step 2: Define your workflow (statuses + rules)

A suggestion box only stays useful if every suggestion has a clear lifecycle. Define a small set of statuses and what they mean, then enforce them with a moderator command like /suggest status. Members should be able to look at any suggestion and immediately know: “is this under review, planned, or shipped?”

Minimum rules that prevent chaos

• One suggestion per message: don’t allow “bundle” posts that turn into debates.
• Duplicates merge: keep one canonical suggestion and link duplicates to it.
• Discussion goes in a thread: keep #suggestions scannable.
• Votes are non-binding: voting informs decisions, but mods still decide.

Step 3: Add voting buttons (not reactions)

Buttons are cleaner than reactions: they’re explicit, easy to track, and don’t hit Discord’s reaction limits. A good default is two buttons (👍 / 👎) plus an optional “Needs info” button for moderators. Store one vote per user, allow changing votes, and show totals in the embed so members feel heard.

• 👍 Upvote — “I want this”
• 👎 Downvote — “I don’t want this” (optional; see FAQ)
• ℹ️ Needs info — mod-only; marks status and pings the author

Anti-abuse checklist

• Require verified members (or a minimum server join age) to submit suggestions.
• Rate limit submissions (for example: 1 suggestion per 6 hours per user).
• Optionally restrict voting to members with a baseline role.
• Log all status changes, merges, and deletes to a mod-only channel.

Step 4: Give moderators control (without manual work)

The difference between a useful suggestion box and a noisy channel is moderation tooling. Give moderators a small set of commands to tag, merge, and summarize suggestions, plus guardrails that stop spam before it starts. The goal is fewer ad-hoc mod replies and more consistent, transparent outcomes.

Common moderator commands (examples):

• /suggest status — set status (Under review / Planned / In progress / Shipped / Declined).
• /suggest merge — mark as duplicate and link to the canonical suggestion.
• /suggest pin — highlight top ideas in #suggestion-digest.
• /suggest export — export top suggestions to CSV (for Notion/Trello import).

Step 5: Post a weekly digest (the secret sauce)

A weekly digest makes your suggestion system feel “alive.” Instead of letting ideas disappear into scrollback, the bot posts a short summary of top-voted suggestions, newly accepted items, and what shipped. This reduces repeats, builds trust, and gives you a lightweight roadmap that members actually read.

Digest template you can copy:

## Weekly Suggestions Digest

✅ Shipped
- [Title] — link

🚧 In progress
- [Title] — owner / ETA

🗳️ Top voted this week
1) [Title] — 👍 42 / 👎 3
2) [Title] — 👍 31 / 👎 1

🆕 New suggestions (high signal)
- [Title] — 👍 18

Build it without coding (prompt template)

If you want a suggestion bot that matches your community’s rules exactly, describe the workflow in plain English and generate a custom bot. Specify channels, statuses, voting rules, rate limits, and what gets logged. Then test it in a private channel before rolling it out to your full server.

Copy/paste prompt:

Create a Discord suggestion bot with:
- Channel: #suggestions for submissions (use an embed)
- Voting buttons: 👍 Upvote, 👎 Downvote (one vote per user, allow changing)
- On submit: create a public thread for discussion and post a link to the thread in the embed
- Submission template: Problem, Proposed solution, Who it helps, Optional screenshots link
- Status system: Needs info, Under review, Planned, Accepted, In progress, Shipped, Declined
- Mod commands:
  - /suggest status <message> <status>
  - /suggest merge <message> <canonicalMessageLink>
  - /suggest export top 25 to CSV (include votes + status)
- Anti-spam:
  - 1 suggestion per user per 6 hours
  - Only members with @Verified role can submit or vote
- Logging:
  - Log status changes, merges, and deletes to #mod-suggestions
- Weekly digest:
  - Every Monday at 9am, post a digest to #suggestion-digest with shipped/in-progress/top-voted

For a quick verification checklist, use this Discord bot testing guide.

Troubleshooting

Most suggestion bots fail for boring reasons: missing permissions, the bot role being too low, or interaction handlers not being acknowledged fast enough. Start by validating the bot can send embeds and respond to a test button click in a private channel. Then add features one at a time so you always know what broke.

Buttons show “Interaction failed”

• Ensure the bot acknowledges interactions within 3 seconds.
• Check logs for errors and verify the bot is online.
• Run through the proof-of-working checklist.

Bot can’t post in #suggestions

This is almost always permissions or channel overrides. Work through these common permission errors and confirm the bot’s role is above any roles it needs to manage.

The channel turns into chat

• Lock submissions to a command (for example: /suggest) instead of free-form messages.
• Auto-delete off-template messages and DM the user the correct format.
• Force discussion into threads and auto-lock threads after 7 days.

FAQ

Should I allow downvotes?

If your community is small and friendly, downvotes can be fine. In larger servers, downvotes often turn into negativity. A common compromise: only use 👍 votes publicly and let moderators add “concerns” privately.

How do I stop meme or low-effort suggestions?

Require a template, enforce a minimum account age or verified role, and rate limit submissions. The template is the biggest lever: low-effort ideas die when users have to explain the problem and who it helps.

How many votes should it take to accept an idea?

Don’t use a hard threshold. Use votes as a signal and consider effort, risk, and who benefits. Many servers accept “high signal” ideas with low votes if they improve onboarding or reduce moderator workload.

Can I sync suggestions to a roadmap tool?

Yes—export the top suggestions to CSV weekly and import into Notion/Trello, or have the bot post a webhook to a tracking channel. Start simple: the weekly digest is often enough.

Build your suggestion box in minutes

Want a suggestion bot that matches your exact rules? Build a custom Discord bot with VibeCord and deploy it without touching code.