This feature is gradually rolling out!
Note: If you’re a community member looking to learn more about how to use this feature, check out the Connections & Linked Roles: Community Members article.
We boosted Connections for Discord users and developers: Show off even more details from your connected accounts, and gain new Linked Roles that can grant access to special channels within a server. Admins can now add linked roles to their server via connections or apps to improve the safety and authenticity of members within your community. This creates a better experience for all members and admins alike.
This article is dedicated to Linked Roles, a feature that will help you secure your server by checking new members’ identities on other platforms you trust. You can also use this to create exclusive spaces for members to hang out in.
For example, checking their presence on other social platforms before allowing them to engage in a channel (e.g. Reddit account age before participating in #RedditorsOnly).
What does this article cover?
- Creating Linked Roles
- Merging Existing Roles
- Linked Roles in Servers
- Linked Role Tags
- Apps with Connection Capabilities
- Frequently Asked Questions
Creating Linked Roles
To create a Linked role, you can head into Server Settings > Roles > Create new role > Links. After creating a new role or clicking on an existing role, you’ll see a new tab at the top labeled Links. Here, you can choose the connections you want to require for that role, and what checks you want to run on those connections. Such as, “Twitter account older than 30 days”.
Linked Roles in Server Settings dropdown.
Adding Requirements to a “new role” in server settings.
Example Requirements added to “new role.”
You can add multiple requirements to a single Linked Role and our system will check that members fulfill all requirements before assigning them the Linked Role.
Merging Existing Roles
If you have existing roles that you want to apply requirements to, you can merge these roles together by going into Server Settings > Roles > Select the role > Navigate to “Links” tab and you will be able to modify Connections requirements there.
Adding requirement(s) to an existing “Big Gamer” role in server settings.
Note that if you modify an existing role that already has members, all members will not need to reverify if 1) they’ve already opted in and 2) passed the requirements - based on the requirements you set up.
Linked Roles in Servers
Some servers can be set up to have channels gated with a Linked Role. In order to receive the role and get access to the channel, members will need to verify their account with Connections before entering or writing in the channel. You can go to: Channel Settings > Permissions > Add Members or Roles > Select a Linked Role.
If a channel is gated behind a Linked Role, members will need to meet all requirements before they’re assigned the role to gain access to the Linked Role-gated channels.
Linked Role Tags
Members within these channels will have a Role Tag show up next to their usernames in chat. This Linked Role Tag will show the name of the linked role to everyone else in the server. Users can hover over this Linked Role Tag to see the checks that the user passed to get this role.
Apps with Connection Capabilities
We’ve extended connection capabilities to apps (beyond the ones you see in User Settings > Connections. Admins can add apps to their server with these capabilities and may decide that you need to connect with them to be granted a particular linked role in the server. Context is key when it comes to trust, so we wanted to enable any kind of connection so that your community can ensure safety in whatever way is specific to your community. See more in the API documentation here.
To see a collection of some apps that have connection capabilities check out the collections page in the App Directory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What permissions do I need in order to modify Linked Roles for existing roles?
A: Only those with Administrator permissions, or the Manage Roles permission, in the server will be able to merge existing roles with Linked Roles.
Q: What permissions do I need in order to gate a channel behind Linked Roles?
A: Similar to modifying Linked Roles for roles, you will need to make sure you have either Administrator permissions, or the Manage Channels permission, to gate channel access behind desired Linked Roles.
Q: If Linked Roles are modified for a role, will server members immediately lose access to a Linked Roles-gated channel?
A: Yes. Similar to modifying server roles, modifications to Linked Roles will immediately change access to Linked Roles-gated channels.
Q: Are there restrictions on how many Linked Roles can a channel have?
A: At this time, there are no restrictions to how many Linked Roles a channel can have.
Q: How can I gate a channel with both non-Linked Roles and Linked Roles?
A: You can add roles that are non-Linked Roles to the same channel with Linked Roles criteria by going to the channel and adding the role. However, you cannot add multiple Linked Roles to a channel because the channel can only display one set of checks to enter the channel. You can add multiple non-Linked Roles.
Q: Can Linked roles be created based on when a member joined Discord or when they joined the server?
A: At this time, Linked Roles can not be created based on a user’s activity on Discord.
Q: Where can I see when a member has a Linked Role in the server?
A: Members who pass the checks for a Linked Role will not automatically show up in the role’s member list. Members will need to opt-in to the Linked Role by going to the Linked Roles tab under Server Settings, select the Linked Role of interest, and connect to the necessary accounts. This ensures that members actually want the role, rather than auto-assigning them.
Q: Can I see how many members have verified themselves with Connections in server insights?
A: At this time, no.
Q: Can I allow one channel to check for one type of Linked Role and another channel with a different kind of Linked Role?
A: Yes! You can set up different Linked Roles per role. The role checks determine the Linked Role for entering the channel.
Q: Which 3rd party App Connections are available today?
A: Jefit, Bloxlink, Solana, DeviantArt, Charlemagne, Captcha.bot
Q: Will there be more connections available?
A: Yes! We are actively talking to many partners about making new connections available.
Q: Can developers build their own connections?
A: Yes, we opened up an API for all developers to build any connection they want. With this, developers and admins can enable trust in their own individual communities and create Linked Roles based on these connections.
Q: Can I set up Linked Roles on mobile?
A: At this time, admins can not set up Linked roles on mobile.
Q: How do members get Linked Roles?
A: At this time, the only way for a member to get a Linked Role is for you to go to the Linked Roles tab under Server Settings. They need to then click on the channel and pass checks in order to receive the Linked Role.
Q: How do I see what the experience looks like for my members after I gate a channel on a Linked Role?
A: As an admin, you automatically have access to all channels, regardless of role. Therefore, in order to view the experience as a normal member, you can either use an alt account or use the “view server as role” functionality and choose a role without admin permissions.
Q: What if I have an existing role that I want to continue giving channel access to, but want to gate access to new members based on a Connection check?
A: You can create a Linked Role, and add both roles to the channel (the existing role and the new Linked Role). All new members will see the Linked Role flow and need to verify, but existing role members will continue to get access. Members can also DM you for access and you can add them manually to the existing role, which will bypass the Linked Role.