Most guides to Kick chat moderation open by telling you which bot to install, which quietly implies Kick hands you nothing on its own. That is backwards. Kick ships a genuine first-party moderation suite, and a new streamer can run a clean chat with zero bots — the bot is for automation and custom commands, not basic mod power.
Kick gives you a full native moderation suite — moderators, timeouts, bans, message deletion, a banned-words filter, and slow, followers-only, subscriber-only and emote-only chat modes — so you can moderate with zero bots; a third-party bot only adds automation like custom commands, which Kick has no native way to create (last verified August 2026).
Key takeaways
- Kick ships a real first-party moderation stack: mod roles, timeout, ban and unban, delete, a banned-words filter and four chat modes — no bot required for basic mod power (last verified August 2026).
- Add a moderator from the Moderators page or by typing /mod @username; channel owners hold extra powers mods do not, such as granting OG and VIP badges.
- Kick has native slash commands — type / in chat to see them — but no native custom !commands, so automation needs a bot.
- In 2026, Botrix, Fossabot, StreamElements and Streamlabs Cloudbot work on Kick; Nightbot, Moobot and Wizebot do not.
- For a spam wave or hate raid, lock chat to followers-only or subscriber-only plus slow mode, then timeout or ban the offenders.
Can you moderate a Kick chat without any bots?
Yes — comfortably. Kick maintains a cluster of dedicated help articles on native moderation, and between them they document moderator roles, timeout, ban and unban, single-message deletion, a banned-words filter, and four chat modes — none of which need a third-party tool (last verified August 2026). A common assumption carried over from other platforms is that you cannot moderate Kick until you install a bot. You can — the native tools handle every basic job on day one, and the bot comes later, only for automation the platform does not provide.
Moderation is also the quiet half of building a Kick community — a chat people feel safe in is a chat they return to, so learn the native controls before reaching for any add-on.
How do you add a moderator on Kick?
There are two native paths. From the Creator Dashboard, open the Moderators page, click Add New, and search for the chatter you want to promote. Or, faster, just type /mod @username in your own chat. To remove someone, type /unmod @username.
Owners keep a tier of powers moderators do not have: only the channel owner can add or remove other moderators, grant OG and VIP badges, and toggle owner-level features like Multistreaming and Kick Partner Program income. Your mods police the chat, but structural control stays with you — so pick mods you trust, because a mod can ban and delete just as you can.
What are the native chat modes and mod actions?
Every core moderation action is available natively, either from the mod view or as a slash command. The table below is the working toolkit you will reach for during a live stream.
| Tool | What it does | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Slow mode | Limits each chatter to one message per set interval (for example a 5-second cooldown) | Toggle in mod view or /slow |
| Followers-only | Only followers past a cooldown you set can chat — a minimum follow-age gate | /followonly |
| Subscriber-only | Only subscribed chatters can send messages | /subonly |
| Emote-only | Only messages made of emotes are allowed; any text is blocked | /emoteonly |
| Timeout | Temporary mute lasting seconds up to several hours, then auto-expires | /timeout username 600 |
| Ban / unban | Permanent chat ban that lasts until you lift it | /ban username, /unban username |
| Delete message | Removes a single message; the action is irreversible | Hover the message, click the trashcan |
| Banned words | Auto-blocks any message containing terms or phrases you define | Set in the Creator Dashboard |
A few details worth knowing. A timeout takes a duration in seconds — /timeout username 600 is a ten-minute mute — and Kick documents no fixed maximum, only "a few seconds to several hours," so 600 is an example, not a cap. A chat ban is per-channel and permanent until you unban; keep it separate from a platform-wide account suspension, a different thing entirely covered in our guide to getting banned on Kick. When you delete a message, your mods still see it marked "(deleted)" while everyone else sees "Deleted by a moderator."
One myth to retire: Kick does have an automatic filter. The banned-words feature auto-blocks terms you set, so it is fair to call it Kick's chat filter or AutoMod equivalent — but it is a streamer-defined word list, not Twitch's category sliders that grade content across severity levels. Do not expect that severity model here, and never seed the list with your own name or address: it only confirms to a doxxer that they have the right details.
Does Kick have built-in chat commands?
Yes, and Kick tells you how to find them: type a single / into chat and the available commands appear automatically. The native set is moderation and stream controls — including /ban, /timeout, /unban, /clear, /mod, /slow, /followonly, /subonly, /emoteonly, /title, /category, /poll, /prediction, /clip and /host. Most are available to both owners and moderators; a handful are owner-only, such as managing the mod team, granting badges and toggling partner features.
One caveat keeps this honest: do not paste a Twitch mod cheat sheet and assume it maps. Kick's commands are its own set — on Kick, "raid" is just an alias of /host, not a standalone feature — and Kick has said more will be added over time, so the /-menu in your own chat is always the current source of truth.
Can you make custom commands on Kick?
No — and this is the whole reason bots exist on Kick. The native slash commands are moderation and stream controls only; Kick gives you no built-in way to create a custom text command like !discord or !socials that auto-replies when a viewer types it. For that, you need a third-party bot.
The same applies to every automation feature people expect from chat: timed auto-messages, loyalty and points-style economies, minigames, giveaways and song requests are all bot territory. So the mental model is simple — native tools give you mod power, a bot gives you automation. Kick built the plumbing (an official Chat API that lets an app post as a bot account, and a Moderation API for timeouts and bans) but ships no first-party bot of its own. You bring the bot.
Which chat bots actually work on Kick in 2026?
Most roundups quietly recommend a bot that does not support Kick. Here is the honest matrix as of August 2026 — verify before committing.
| Bot | Works on Kick? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Botrix | Yes | All-round: commands, timers, minigames, giveaways, subathon timer |
| Fossabot | Yes | Free, cloud-hosted moderation and spam filtering |
| StreamElements | Yes | Custom commands, timers and loyalty points |
| Streamlabs Cloudbot | Yes | Commands, quotes, queues and shout-outs |
| Nightbot | No | Twitch and YouTube only — no Kick support |
| Moobot | No | Twitch, YouTube and Discord only |
| Wizebot | No | Twitch-focused |
The load-bearing correction is Nightbot: it does not work on Kick, and NightDev has said there is no Kick support and none announced. So the popular Twitch-migration plan of "I'll just point Nightbot at my Kick channel" fails on arrival — move to Botrix, Fossabot, StreamElements or Streamlabs Cloudbot instead. Botrix is the most Kick-native pick and the de-facto standard, but do not call it Kick's official or built-in bot: no Kick partnership exists, and Botrix itself states it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kick. One dated caveat: StreamElements' automatic ban and timeout moderation on Kick was reported as limited, so check its current capability first.
How do you set up a bot on Kick?
Every bot follows the same two-step spine — connect it with OAuth, then make it a moderator — and the mod step is the one people skip. An un-modded bot can post messages but cannot timeout, ban or delete anyone. Here is the universal flow.
How do you stop a spam wave or hate raid?
Lock the chat down first, then clean up — in that order, because speed limits the damage. Kick supports this directly, with an "Emergency moderation tools" article and a "Mass harassment response guide" for exactly the case of a coordinated attack or a sudden flood of spam. The fast reset levers are the chat modes you already know: flip to followers-only or subscriber-only to cut off drive-by and throwaway accounts, add slow mode to throttle the rest, then timeout or ban the offenders and delete their messages.
The difference between a chaotic raid and a controlled one is what you did beforehand: a banned-words filter configured in advance so it is already catching the obvious slurs, a small team of trusted mods, and knowing your mode toggles cold so you are not hunting for them mid-attack.
Finally, you are not only the victim here — you can report the attackers. Harassment, hateful conduct and coordinated attacks all violate Kick's rules, so Kick can act on the people running the raid. Our explainer on the Kick community guidelines covers what crosses the line and gets accounts suspended.
The honest bottom line
Kick chat moderation is more capable out of the box than its reputation suggests: native mod roles, timeouts, bans, deletions, a banned-words filter and four chat modes cover every basic job with no bot at all, and a bot is an upgrade for automation, not a prerequisite for order. Learn the native /-menu, set your filter, pick trusted mods, and add a Kick-compatible bot only when you actually want custom commands and timers. A well-run chat is also a growth asset — it keeps the viewers you already have. If you ever want a discovery jumpstart to put more real people in front of a stream worth moderating, our Kick live viewers service exists for that, though it adds nothing on its own and carries the usual Terms-of-Service risk we never pretend away; what we do and do not promise is in our FAQ. The tools themselves are already in your dashboard — set them up before you need them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you add a moderator on Kick?
You have two native paths. Open your Creator Dashboard, go to the Moderators page, click Add New and search for the chatter you want to promote — or just type /mod @username in your own chat. Remove a mod with /unmod @username. Moderators can time out, ban, delete messages and run the chat modes, but only the channel owner can add or remove other mods, grant OG and VIP badges, and toggle partner features.
Does Kick have built-in chat commands?
Yes. Kick ships native slash commands, and the fastest way to see them is to type a single / into your chat, where the available commands appear automatically. The set covers moderation and stream controls such as /timeout, /ban, /clear, /slow and /host, with most available to both owners and moderators and a few reserved for the owner. Kick has said more functionality will be added over time, so treat any command list as current rather than fixed.
Which chat bots actually work on Kick in 2026?
As of August 2026, Botrix, Fossabot, StreamElements and Streamlabs Cloudbot all support Kick. Nightbot, Moobot and Wizebot do not — they remain focused on Twitch, YouTube or Discord — so the common plan of reusing Nightbot from Twitch does not work here. Botrix is the most Kick-native option, but no bot is Kick's official or built-in bot; Kick ships the API plumbing and you bring the third-party bot.
How do you set up Botrix on Kick?
Log in to the Botrix portal with your Kick account through OAuth, then give the bot moderator power so it can act — type /mod @botrix in your chat or add it on the Moderators page. From there you configure custom commands, timers, minigames and giveaways in the Botrix dashboard. The mod step is the one people forget: an un-modded bot can post messages but cannot time out, ban or delete anyone.
How do you stop a spam or hate raid on Kick?
Lock the chat down fast, then clean up. Switch on a restrictive mode — followers-only, subscriber-only or slow mode — to cut off drive-by accounts instantly, then time out or ban the individual offenders and delete their messages. It works best if you prepared in advance, with a banned-words filter set up ahead of time and a trusted mod team active during the raid. Kick documents this in its emergency moderation and mass-harassment guides, and coordinated attacks violate the Community Guidelines, so you can report the attackers too.
Can you create custom commands on Kick without a bot?
No. Kick's native slash commands are moderation and stream controls only, so there is no built-in way to create a custom text command like !discord or !socials that auto-replies. Anything in the automation category — including custom commands, timed messages, loyalty points, minigames, giveaways and song requests — requires a third-party bot such as Botrix, Fossabot, StreamElements or Streamlabs Cloudbot.