1. Sign in and choose your server.
Open the dashboard and select Login with Discord. Choose a server you manage. Where the bot is not installed and an invite is available, use Invite bot and review Discord’s permission screen.
Signing in does not automatically grant access to every server. Your Discord permissions and any explicitly assigned dashboard role determine what you can view and change. If a server is missing, check the Discord account you used and your access with that server’s owner.
2. Review permissions before features.
Grant the permissions required for the modules you plan to use. Channel overrides can prevent an action even when a permission exists on the bot’s role. Moderation actions also depend on role hierarchy.
Do not grant Administrator just to hide a setup problem. Review the relevant permission or channel setting, and keep staff access limited to the people responsible for the module.
3. Give activity a staff-only home.
In General and the relevant module settings, select the log channels your team will use. Confirm Sentinel can view those channels and send messages and embeds there.
Message evidence, moderation history and support conversations may contain sensitive information. Review who can read each log channel and who has dashboard access before enabling the workflow.
4. Enable a module and test it.
For moderation, enable the module and Auto-Moderation, add an enabled rule and leave it in dry run while reviewing matches. For tickets, enable the module, review automatic setup and configure categories, staff access, forms and a panel.
Use a controlled test channel and a consenting test account. Check the result in Discord and in the dashboard. A visible rule or panel is not enough: confirm that permissions allow the intended action and that unrelated members cannot see private tickets.
5. Make review part of the routine.
Check Server Health and recent logs after changing configuration. Review moderation false positives, unresolved tickets and invite attribution with your team.
Add welcome messages, automatic roles and announcements once the essentials are working. Enabling everything at once makes it harder to understand an unexpected result.
- Keep a staff member responsible for each enabled module.
- Review exemptions and access when channels or roles change.
- Use actual action outcomes to verify enforcement.
- Explain ticket scope and moderation expectations to members.