> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.prowlbot.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automate Bot Replies with Prowl Autoresponder Triggers

> Prowl's Autoresponder triggers automatic bot replies when a message matches a keyword or phrase — great for FAQs, links, and quick answers.

Prowl's Autoresponder lets you define keyword-and-reply pairs so the bot can automatically answer common questions, share links, or provide instant feedback — all without a human having to type the same thing twice.

## What Is the Autoresponder?

The Autoresponder monitors messages in your server and compares them against a list of **triggers** you define. When a message matches a trigger, Prowl sends a configured text response. You control what gets matched, how it's matched, and where responses are allowed to appear.

## Match Types

Prowl gives you five ways to match incoming messages against your triggers:

| Match Type      | Description                                       | Example                                                     |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Exact Match** | The entire message must equal the trigger exactly | Trigger `!discord` matches only the message `!discord`      |
| **Contains**    | The trigger appears anywhere in the message       | Trigger `invite link` matches "do you have an invite link?" |
| **Starts With** | The message begins with the trigger               | Trigger `how do I` matches "how do I get started?"          |
| **Ends With**   | The message ends with the trigger                 | Trigger `please help` matches "I need please help"          |
| **Regex**       | Full regular expression pattern matching          | Trigger `^\d{4}$` matches any 4-digit number                |

<Warning>
  Use Regex triggers carefully — a poorly written pattern can match far more messages than intended and cause the bot to spam responses. Test your regex at [regex101.com](https://regex101.com) before saving it as a trigger.
</Warning>

## All Autoresponder Commands

| Command                                                                     | Description                     | Permission    |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------- |
| `/autoresponder add <trigger> <response> <match_type> [channel] [cooldown]` | Add a new auto-response trigger | Manage Server |
| `/autoresponder remove <trigger>`                                           | Remove an existing trigger      | Manage Server |
| `/autoresponder list`                                                       | List all configured triggers    | Manage Server |

### Command Parameters

| Parameter             | Description                                                       |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `trigger`             | The keyword, phrase, or regex pattern to match                    |
| `response`            | The text Prowl sends when the trigger fires (max 2000 characters) |
| `match_type`          | One of: `exact`, `contains`, `starts_with`, `ends_with`, `regex`  |
| `channel` (optional)  | Restrict the trigger to a specific channel                        |
| `cooldown` (optional) | Cooldown in seconds between activations for this trigger          |

## Response Placeholders

You can use placeholders in your response text that are automatically replaced at runtime:

| Placeholder     | Value                                      |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `{user}`        | The triggering member's display name       |
| `{mention}`     | A mention of the triggering member         |
| `{name}`        | The triggering member's username           |
| `{author}`      | Alias for `{name}`                         |
| `{message}`     | The full content of the triggering message |
| `{trigger}`     | The trigger text that matched              |
| `{channel}`     | The channel name where the trigger fired   |
| `{servername}`  | The server's name                          |
| `{server}`      | Alias for `{servername}`                   |
| `{membercount}` | The current member count                   |

<Note>
  To make Prowl link a channel in your message, you will have to use discord's placeholders, for a channel this is what it looks like: \<#ID\_OF\_YOUR\_CHANNEL>
</Note>

## Restricting Triggers

By default, a trigger fires in any channel across your entire server. You can scope each trigger using the optional parameters:

**Channel restriction** — restrict the trigger to a specific channel. If a matching message appears in any other channel, the trigger is silently ignored.

**Cooldown** — set a cooldown in seconds to prevent a trigger from firing too frequently.

<Tip>
  Combining a channel restriction with a cooldown is useful for high-traffic channels where a trigger might fire on many messages.
</Tip>

## Example Use Cases

| Trigger           | Match Type  | Response                                         |
| ----------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `!discord`        | Exact       | "Here's our Discord invite: discord.gg/example"  |
| `invite link`     | Contains    | "Join us here: discord.gg/example"               |
| `how do I verify` | Starts With | "To verify, go to #verify and click the button!" |
| `tos`             | Exact       | "Check our rules in #rules"                      |

<Tip>
  Keep trigger phrases specific enough to avoid false positives. A trigger like `help` set to **Contains** will fire on almost every message — prefer something like `I need help with` for better accuracy.
</Tip>