5 min read
By Mike
Discord Scheduled Messages Bot: Timed Posts, Cleanup and Night Lock
A Discord scheduled messages bot posts the same message on a fixed timer, so reminders and announcements go out without anyone remembering to send them. Noxyr schedules also clean channels on a timer and lock them overnight, all from one Schedules page.
Three kinds of schedule
Noxyr groups timed automation into one feature with three types. Each solves a different chore, and each runs on its own clock.
| Kind | What it does | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Message | Posts the same text or embed in up to five channels. It can delete its last post first, so the channel holds one copy. | Every 15 minutes to 7 days |
| Cleanup | Deletes messages older than a set age, or everything except the newest ones. Pinned messages stay unless you say otherwise. | Every 30 minutes to 7 days |
| Lock | Stops members writing in up to ten channels between a lock time and an unlock time, on the days you pick, in your time zone. | Daily window |
Timed messages
Use a message schedule for anything that should come back on its own: a weekly rules reminder, a "how to open a ticket" note, a promo for your shop or a call for event signups. The message can be plain text or an embed. Turn on the option to delete the last post first, and the channel always shows a single copy instead of a growing pile.
Run it with /schedule message, choosing the channel, the text and the minutes between posts. On the dashboard it sits under Automation, then Schedules, where you can pick several channels at once.
A schedule posts on the clock whether or not anyone is chatting. If you want a note that follows the conversation instead, use a sticky message.
Automatic cleanup
A cleanup schedule keeps a channel from filling up. You choose how the bot decides what goes:
- older_than_minutes: delete messages older than a set time, for example anything over a day.
- keep_last: keep only the newest messages, from 1 to 90, and remove the rest.
Create one with /schedule cleanup. Each run looks at the newest 100 messages in the channel. Discord does not let bots bulk-delete messages older than 14 days, so those stay. For a one-off clear with filters, the purge bot page covers /clear.
Lock a channel overnight
A lock schedule closes a channel for writing at a set time and opens it again later. It suits support or trade channels that you do not staff at night, a daily "quiet hours" window, or a channel that should only run during an event. Use /schedule lock with the channel, lock_at and unlock_at in 24-hour format such as 23:00, a time_zone and the days. You can post an optional message when it locks and when it opens.
Under the hood the bot changes the Send Messages permission of @everyone in that channel and then puts back exactly what was there before. It needs Manage Permissions in the channel. If you save a lock schedule while the channel is inside its locked hours, it locks right away.
Managing what you have
/schedule listshows every schedule with its next run and any problem./schedule togglepauses or resumes one./schedule removedeletes one. Deleting a lock schedule opens its channels again.
You can have up to 10 schedules of each kind per server, so ten messages, ten cleanups and ten locks.
Setting good timings
- Do not repeat too often. A reminder every 15 minutes in an active channel is noise. Daily or weekly works for most notices.
- Use delete-last-post. It keeps the channel readable and stops a schedule from burying real chat.
- Set the time zone on locks. The window follows the zone you pick, so a lock at 23:00 means 23:00 where you chose.
- Test with a short interval, then change it to the real one.
If you plan a weekly rhythm, the weekly schedule generator helps lay out what to post when. For event announcements without a bot, read the scheduled events guide.
Examples you can copy
- Weekly rules reminder. A message schedule every 7 days in #general, with delete-last-post on.
- Quiet support channel. A cleanup that keeps the last 30 messages, so bot noise never builds up.
- Night lock. A lock from 23:00 to 07:00 on a trade channel, with a short message when it closes and another when it opens.
- Event countdown. A message every day for a week with the same signup link, then pause it with
/schedule toggle.
All of these can be built on the dashboard as well, where the list next to the form lets you edit, pause and delete schedules without typing a command.
Next steps
Every option is in the schedules docs. Add Noxyr and open Automation, then Schedules. All three schedule kinds are free.
Common questions
How often can a scheduled message repeat?
From every 15 minutes up to every 7 days, in up to five channels per schedule.
Can the bot clear old messages automatically?
Yes, with a cleanup schedule every 30 minutes to 7 days. Messages older than 14 days stay, because Discord does not let bots bulk-delete them.
Can I lock a channel at night?
Yes. A lock schedule stops members writing between the lock and unlock time you set, in your time zone, in up to ten channels.
How many schedules can I make?
Up to 10 schedules of each kind per server.
What permission does a lock schedule need?
Manage Permissions in the channel, because it changes the Send Messages permission of @everyone and then restores it.
