Dividing the "Manage Messages" Permission

srp
  • Edited

This has been echoed by many other feedback requests such as:

https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/1500000650222-Splitting-up-Manage-Message-Permissions
https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360071565151-Change-Manage-Messages-Permissions
https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360049880353-Please-Separate-Manage-Messages-to-Manage-Messages-Manage-Pins-within-the-Discord-Settings-Permissions

Given that these have gone fairly inactive, I've opted to revive it as well as providing my own insight.

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This proposes dividing the permission into three distinct ones that are more specific:

  • Delete Messages
  • Pin Messages
  • Remove Reactions

To sum the motivations of these other requests, this would allow servers to grant these isolate permissions without the inclusion of the other two. The ability to pin wouldn't grant the ability to delete, etc.

However, from a bot developer perspective, having these isolated would limit permission needs - bringing peace of mind to the users and developers. Currently, my bot needs the "Manage Messages" permission as it is the only way that the bot can remove reactions in a pagination system. It frankly does not need to be able to delete or pin messages, and in the event of any similar bot compromise, the damage vector becomes much more smaller. In the less than 0.1% that my bot would ever be compromised (since there's always a risk), the worst my bot could do is delete messages - which is something that is still beyond comfort for us developers. We want to maximize security and privacy as much as we can.

We hope that this is deeply considered.

 

Seraphim R.P.
Executive Director, Kerygma Digital
srp [at] kerygma [dot] digital
https://kerygma.digital

20

Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • Thomas R

    Please allow this permission

    2
  • SyntheticBee

    Both as a bot developer and server owner, this would be much appreciated.

    Clearing reactions is the *only* permission my bots need, so granting them Manage Messages is overkill. I'd rather they could be granted that more limited permission instead.

    Likewise, I'd rest easier if bots written by others that I invite to my own servers, and/or third-party cogs I load onto bots I operate were more limited in the permissions they needed to be granted.

    2
  • NJB

    I agree 100%. There are many times I'd want bots in my server, but I end up not adding them because I'm uncomfortable trusting them with the broad Manage Messages permissions when all they need is ability to remove reactions.

    2
  • Coolkidd
    • Edited

    Crazy how I just posted a suggestion to divide up a different specific permission and find this immediately after too, though this one's needed WAY more than my idea:

    https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/1500000826341-Make-Publish-Messages-permission-separate-from-Send-Messages-

    1
  • DJBigRob

    This permission would be helpful to non-bots as well, as I would like some small groups within my server be able to pin messages in certain channels, but not completely manage messages

    1
  • NJB

    DJBigRob great point! Now that I think of it, I'm in several servers in which that would be greatly appreciated.

    0

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