# How strikes work (and how to change them) · Sift Mod

Source: https://siftmod.com/blog/how-strikes-work

> Points add up, expire on a schedule, and can escalate to a timeout, kick or ban. Every threshold is yours to tune, or set to 0 to skip.

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SFT.BLOG // moderation // September 26, 2026

# How strikes work (and how to change them)

Points add up, expire on a schedule, and can escalate to a timeout, kick or ban. Every threshold is yours to tune, or set to 0 to skip.

Strikes are Sift's way of being consistent without being silent. When someone crosses the line, they get points. Enough points trigger the next step on the ladder you configured in /setup.

## The default ladder

Out of the box, points stack toward a timeout at 3, a kick at 14 and a ban at 20. Each point expires after 30 days unless you pick a different window. That means a member who had one bad week isn't still paying for it months later.

## Before the kick or ban

Sift DMs the member before a kick or ban lands, when Discord can reach them. If they already left, Sift doesn't pretend a timeout worked. Small details, but they cut down on "why am I banned?" tickets.

## Your server, your numbers

Some communities want a hard line on offensive language and a soft line on spam. Others skip escalation entirely and use Sift only for case cards. /settings opens the strike panel: thresholds, points per category and expiry. Set a step to 0 to skip it, or all three to handle everything by hand.

Try.exe

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