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02.1 Widgets
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03 Chatbot
Chatbot overview Getting started Commands Variables Conditionals Recipes API commands Integrations Command API & Copy-URL Chat moderation Bot account Bot settings
03.1 Chatbot modules
Modules overview Timers Counters Quotes Chat alerts Welcome Ad Breaks Giveaways Queue Song requests Loyalty
04 Flows
Overview Build a flow Triggers Conditions Actions Using data Examples
05 Channel Rewards
Channel Rewards
06 Remote Control
Overview Connect OBS Studio Connect Meld Studio Bindings & triggers Security & access
07 OBS Dock
Overview & setup Layouts & display Chat & Needs You Activity & media Stream info & controls
08 Companion
Companion overview Install & pair Feed, chat & channel Scripting The scripting API Permissions & security
09 Monetize
Tip page Tip settings Merch with Fourthwall
10 Build your own
Describe & Build Custom widgets Widget SDK
11 Your data
Dashboard Stream data Chat log Moderation
12 Account
Settings & connections Export your data Import from StreamElements
13 Reference
Label tokens Keyboard shortcuts FAQ Troubleshooting
Chatbot/Chat moderation
Chatbot

Chat moderation.

When the bot is a moderator it can keep chat clean automatically: tunable spam filters, a banned-word list with per-word actions, and a searchable log of everything it did.

Separate from overlay moderation

This is live chat enforcement (deleting messages, timing people out). It is distinct from the overlay-side filtering that decides what reaches your chat box and text to speech, covered under Moderation.

Chat filters

Automatic spam protection you turn on filter by filter. Each filter has its own escalation ladder, and exempts mods and you by default.

FilterCatches
CapsWalls of CAPITAL LETTERS.
SymbolsMessages stuffed with symbols.
LinksPosted URLs. By default the filter acts on any detected URL. Optionally, turn on a check for typos so sure links act immediately but ambiguous-looking links (a missing space after a period can turn "ok.So anyway" into what reads as a link, the same shape as someone typing "my store is at ok.so" on purpose) are held for judgment before enforcement.
EmotesEmote floods.
ParagraphsOverly long messages.
RepetitionRepeated characters or repeated messages.
ZalgoGlitchy combining-character text.
One-man spamOne person flooding the same thing.
LanguageMessages not in the languages you allow.
chat filters live Live

Per filter you set an escalation ladder instead of a single action. Step 1 fires the first time someone trips the filter; each step you add after that fires only if they trip the same filter again within a window you set (120 seconds by default), timed from their previous offense. Let that window pass quietly and they are back to step 1 next time. Ladders run up to 5 steps, and once a step is Ban nothing can come after it.

Actions

Five actions to build a ladder from:

ActionWhat it does
Soft warn (@ only)The bot replies to the message, naming the rule. Nothing is deleted and no formal Twitch warning goes out, just a nudge.
Twitch warnIssues Twitch's own warning, which the viewer has to acknowledge before they can chat again.
Delete messageRemoves the offending message.
TimeoutRemoves the message and times the user out for the length you set.
BanRemoves the message and bans the user. Final: a ladder cannot have a step after it.

A channel-wide silent mode suppresses the extra chat notice that normally rides alongside delete, timeout and ban, while still enforcing them. Soft warn is exempt from that switch, since the reply is the action, it still posts even with silent mode on.

A sane starting point

Soft warn on step 1, then your real action (delete, timeout or ban) on step 2 within 120 seconds. Most first offenses are accidental; save the teeth for the second try.

Existing filters keep working

Filters and banned words you already had configured were converted automatically: your old single action became a one-step ladder, and the old "warn first" behavior became Twitch warn followed by a timeout within an hour. Nothing changes on your channel until you edit a ladder yourself.

Checking links for typos

The links filter has an optional Check likely typos before acting toggle (off by default). When you turn it on, sure links (ones with a scheme like http://, a www. prefix, or a domain slash path) still trigger your escalation ladder instantly. Links that are ambiguous (or look like typos) are held: the system judges whether they are real links or mistakes, the same way it tells a missing-space typo like "ok.So anyway" apart from someone meaning to type "my store is at ok.so", and applies your ladder if they are judged to be real links. Whitelisted domains are left out of that judgment call by call, not the whole message: a message keeps its non-whitelisted candidates for the check, so it is skipped entirely only when every link in it is whitelisted. If a transient problem prevents judgment (error, timeout, or daily limit reached), that message is skipped and not actioned; when the check concludes the link was meant to be shared, the usual action applies retroactively.

If the toggle is off, the filter works exactly as before: every detected URL is actioned immediately per your escalation ladder, with no judgment. Do not confuse a channel where the toggle is off with a transient hiccup while it is on. When the toggle is off, the filter acts on all links. When the toggle is on but a transient error occurs, the action is skipped for that one message.

Banned words

Keep a list of words and phrases the bot acts on in live chat. The whole list shares one escalation ladder by default, same as a chat filter, but any entry can also carry its own action override, labeled Override: always … (skips the ladder) in the editor, that jumps straight to that action every time and never touches the ladder. This is separate from the overlay-display banned-word list, it is about enforcing in chat, not redacting on screen.

Test mode

Turn on mod test mode and a message from you or a mod that would be actioned is left alone, with the bot instead replying to name the rule that would have fired. It lets you tune filters and banned words live without timing anyone out.

Mod log

Every automated and manual moderation action is recorded in the Mod Log: what happened, to whom, why, and when. It is searchable and exportable, so you can review a timeout or settle a dispute after the fact. Ladder enforcement also lands in your dashboard Activity feed as it happens, alongside your other channel events.

Related

  • Bot account
  • Command API & Copy-URL
  • Bot settings
  • Integrations
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Get started
More than overlaysOverlayThing is an all-in-one toolkit for your Twitch channel: a visual overlay … Get started From zero to liveThe fastest path to a working overlay on your stream. Sign in, build something, … Get started Add to your streamOne overlay, one URL, one browser source. OverlayThing works with any streaming … Get started
Overlays
OverlaysYour overlays live on the Overlays page, a gallery of every canvas you have buil… Overlays The editorWhere overlays are built. A canvas in the middle, your layer stack on the left, … Overlays Overlay URLsEach overlay has its own private URL. Add it to your streaming software once and… Overlays Alert queueWhen events pile up (a gifted-sub train, a hype raid), you usually want alerts t… Overlays Share, export & importMove overlays and individual widgets between your own overlays, back them up as … Overlays
Widgets
Widgets overviewWidgets are the building blocks of an overlay. Some fire on an event and leave (… Widgets AlertsThe moment something happens, an alert fires on screen with motion, sound and yo… Widgets VariationsOne event, different reactions. Variations let a single alert play a bigger vers… Widgets Hype TrainWhen a Hype Train rolls on your channel, OverlayThing can fire an on-screen aler… Widgets Text to speechHave alerts read messages aloud: a tip note, a resub message, a redemption. Text… Widgets GoalsA progress bar with a target. It fills itself as events come in, and you can cel… Widgets Countdown & subathonTwo timer widgets. A countdown runs down to a time or for a set duration. A suba… Widgets Chat boxPut your Twitch chat on stream, great for handheld, IRL or face-cam layouts wher… Widgets Data labelsSmall live readouts that keep your channel numbers on screen: latest follower, l… Widgets CounterPut a live number on your overlay: deaths, wins, fails, anything you keep a runn… Widgets Text, image & videoThe plain building blocks. Use them for backgrounds, frames, logos, panels and l… Widgets
Chatbot
The chatbotA Twitch chat bot built into OverlayThing: custom commands, timers, counters, qu… Chatbot Getting startedTurn the bot on, make it a moderator, and pick your command prefix. Three small … Chatbot CommandsCommands are the heart of the bot. A viewer types a trigger, the bot replies wit… Chatbot VariablesVariables are $( … ) tokens you drop into a command response. They fill in with … Chatbot ConditionalsConditionals let one command react differently to different viewers and situatio… Chatbot RecipesCopy-ready command responses for the trickier variables: shoutouts, weather, dic… Chatbot API commandsPower-user territory. Wire a command to an external API and pull a live value in… Chatbot IntegrationsBuilt-in connections to outside services that add ready-made variables. Today th… Chatbot Command API & Copy-URLFire bot commands and module actions from outside chat: a Stream Deck button, a … Chatbot Chat moderationWhen the bot is a moderator it can keep chat clean automatically: tunable spam f… Chatbot Bot accountChoose which Twitch account the bot posts as: the shared OverlayThing bot, your … Chatbot Bot settingsThe channel-wide behavior of the bot: your prefix, how it replies, how cooldowns… Chatbot
Chatbot modules
ModulesThe bot is built from modules you switch on one at a time. Turn on only what you… Chatbot modules TimersPost recurring messages on a schedule: rules, your socials, a sponsor plug. Time… Chatbot modules CountersTrack a number from chat: deaths, wins, fails, anything you want to tally live.… Chatbot modules QuotesA searchable quote book your chat builds with you, one memorable line at a time.… Chatbot modules Chat alertsPost a chat message when someone follows, subscribes, resubs, gifts, cheers or r… Chatbot modules WelcomeGreet people automatically: first-time chatters, returning regulars, and incomin… Chatbot modules Ad BreaksHave the bot speak up around your ad breaks: a heads-up before they hit, a line … Chatbot modules GiveawaysRun a giveaway and draw a winner from chat, by keyword entry or passive presence… Chatbot modules QueueLet viewers line up to play with you. They join, you pull people up in order.… Chatbot modules Song requestsViewers request YouTube songs by name or link and the bot builds a play queue, w… Chatbot modules LoyaltyTrack how long your viewers watch, so you can spot and reward your most loyal re… Chatbot modules
Flows
FlowsFlows let you wire your channel together with no code. Pick something that happe… Flows Build a flowYou build a flow on a canvas: add nodes, connect them in the order they should r… Flows TriggersA trigger is the event that starts a flow. Every flow has at least one. Most tri… Flows ConditionsConditions are the rules in a flow. They decide whether the run keeps going and … Flows ActionsActions are the things a flow does. Most of what the rest of the platform can do… Flows Using dataThe best flows feel personal because they use the real details of the event. Dro… Flows ExamplesFour flows from simple to advanced, drawn as the real graphs you build on the ca… Flows
Channel Rewards
Channel RewardsCreate channel-point rewards through OverlayThing and your flows can do things T… Channel Rewards
Remote Control
Remote ControlDrive your local OBS Studio or Meld Studio straight from OverlayThing. Switch sc… Remote Control Connect OBS StudioAdd the Remote Control URL as a dock or browser source, enable the OBS WebSocket… Remote Control Connect Meld StudioAdd the blank Remote Control source to every Meld scene. There is no password to… Remote Control Bindings & triggersA binding is one or more actions plus the trigger that fires them. Build them on… Remote Control Security & accessThe Remote Control URL is a key to your streaming software, and your OBS passwor… Remote Control
OBS Dock
OBS DockChat, activity, media requests and stream controls in a panel docked inside OBS.… OBS Dock Layouts & displayBuild the dock out of panes, save arrangements as layouts, and open a second doc… OBS Dock Chat & Needs YouRead and send chat as yourself, moderate from the message row, and clear AutoMod… OBS Dock Activity & mediaEvery channel event in one filterable feed, and full control of the media queue … OBS Dock Stream info & controlsEdit your title, category and tags without leaving OBS, and run markers, clips, … OBS Dock
Companion
CompanionA native desktop app for macOS and Windows that pairs with your OverlayThing acc… Companion Install & pairDownload the Companion for your operating system, open it, and approve one short… Companion Feed, chat & channelThe Companion mirrors the parts of your dashboard you touch mid-stream, on your … Companion ScriptingWrite small scripts that react to your stream and do things only a local app can… Companion The scripting APIThe complete ot surface: every event you can listen to, every action you can tak… Companion Permissions & securityScripts run in a sandbox and start with zero powers. You grant each capability p… Companion
Monetize
Your tip pageA branded donation page viewers can reach from a single link in your panels or c… Monetize Tip settingsEverything behind your tip page: the payment connections, your branding, the amo… Monetize Merch with FourthwallConnect your Fourthwall shop and merch sales fire alerts on stream, the same way… Monetize
Build your own
Describe & BuildDescribe the widget you want in plain language and OverlayThing builds a styled,… Build your own Custom widgetsFor when you want to break the mold. Write your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript, re… Build your own Widget SDKThe API your custom widgets use to receive live events and persist state. It is … Build your own
Your data
DashboardYour home base. The numbers that matter at a glance, a chart to spot trends, and… Your data Stream dataThe numbers behind your overlay. Labels, goals and leaderboards all read from he… Your data Chat logA searchable archive of your chat, events and moderation actions. Look up what a… Your data ModerationEvery chat message, tip note and alert message runs through a moderation pipelin… Your data
Account
Settings & connectionsYour account, your connected services, and the controls that protect your access… Account Export your dataYour data is yours. From Settings, under Data and privacy, you can take it with … Account Import from StreamElementsAlready set up elsewhere? Bring your overlays, alert settings, goals and history… Account
Reference
Label tokensTokens are {placeholders} you drop into alert text, label templates and goal lab… Reference Keyboard shortcutsThe editor is built for the keyboard. These are the ones worth learning.… Reference FAQShort answers to the questions we hear most. For step-by-step fixes when somethi… Reference TroubleshootingQuick fixes for the things that trip people up most.… Reference
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