How To Create Reaction Roles

This guide will walk you through the process of creating a message that allows users to assign themselves roles by reacting on a message.

Before you begin

1. This page assumes that you have already installed the Reaction Roles bot on your Discord server. If you have not done so, please follow the installation guide.
2. You should also have already created the roles you want to use with reaction roles. If you have not done so, please follow the setup roles guide.

Here is the step-by-step process for creating a reaction role message.

1. Choose the channel where you want to have the reaction role message

• Either create a new channel, or choose an existing channel to have the reaction role message in.

Tip

For reaction roles that you want to be visible for the long-term, we recommend using a dedicated announcement channel. This allows you to easily control/restrict the other content that gets posted in the channel and ensure that the reaction role message remains easily accessible.

NOTE: If you are using an announcement channel, make sure that the bot’s role has permissions within the channel. It will need at least the following channel permissions in the announcement channel:

• Add Reactions

2. Create the reaction role message

• Create a new message or find an existing message in the channel chosen above to use for the reaction role message.
• Your message should give your users a clear description of the purpose of the reaction roles.
• You can use any type of message, such as plain text, an embed, or an image.
  • Tip: If you have Reaction Roles Premium, you can use the /embed command to create an embed.

Here’s an example of creating an embed using the /embed command to use with reaction roles:

And the resulting embed message to use with reaction roles:

3. Add reaction roles to the message

• Use the /reactionrole add command to add a reaction role to the message.
• You will need to provide:
  • The emoji to use for the reaction role.
  • The role to give the user when they react with the emoji.
  • The type of reaction role. See also: What are the different types of reaction roles?
  • The message link of the message to which the reaction role will be added. See also: What is a message link and how to get one?

Here’s an example of adding a reaction role:

And the resulting reaction role:

Add as many reaction roles as you need to the message, but note that both Discord and the Reaction Roles bot have usage limitations.

Reaction limits

For an in-depth explanation of the limits with Discord and the Reaction Roles bot, see the How Many Reaction Roles Can I Create? page.

Role order matters

When adding your first reaction role to a message, you may run into the following error message:

For a full explanation of this error message and how you can fix it, see the The Role You Are Trying To Add Is Above the Bot’s Highest Role page.

4. Test out your reaction roles

Before letting your members use the reaction roles, it is a good idea to test them out yourself.

• React to the message with the emoji used for the reaction role.
• Check if the role was assigned to you.

Once all of your reaction roles have been tested by you or another trusted member, open them up to all your users and have fun!

Tip

If you made a mistake in your reaction roles or you want to change them in any way, there are 2 options:

1. Delete the reaction and add it again. Right-click on the message, then in the popup menu select “Remove Reactions” -> the reaction you want to remove. Discord will ask for confirmation before removing the reaction.
2. Use the /reactionrole remove command to remove the reaction role from the reaction. Note that this does not remove the reaction from the message, but only removes the connection between the reaction and the Reaction Roles bot (i.e. the role assignment). You can then add the reaction role again with the /reactionrole add command. (You can use the /reactionrole list command to see all reaction roles on a message.)