Rules, lists, topics and sensitivity, for advanced users
Write your own rules as plain sentences, keep lists of words, sites and people, describe topics, tune how sure CommentGate must be, and test a comment.
Updated
Most brands never need this. The switches on Setup and your corrections cover almost everything. Rules are for when you want an exact outcome, every time, with no judgement involved.
Open Setup, click Advanced, then Rules. The tabs at the top are Rules, Lists, Topics, Sensitivity and Test a comment.
Rules
A rule is a sentence: where it applies, what the comment is, and what happens. For example: "On the Summit Sandal ad, when a comment has a link, hide it and reply privately with a template."
- Starter rules: common setups, one click each (Add rule), or Adjust first.
- New rule builds your own. Conditions include: is a kind of harm, is about a topic, uses certain words, has a link, has an email or phone number, mentions someone, has a hashtag, has an image, GIF or sticker, is only emoji, needs a reply, is a reply in a thread, comes from a muted author, is part of a spam wave, and is any comment at all.
- What happens to the comment: Hide it, Delete it, Hold it for review, Leave it up, or Leave that to other rules. Also: Like it, Archive it, Reply to it, and notify a channel.
Rules run top to bottom. The first one that decides what happens to a comment wins, and rules win over the switches. Drag a rule to change the order. Copy settings copies rules between accounts.
On TikTok, YouTube and Threads a rule that deletes hides instead, since they do not allow deleting other people's comments.
Decisions your rules make are not counted as CommentGate agreeing or disagreeing with you, and they do not change what it learns.
Lists
Lists apply to every account, or pick one under Applies to.
| List | What it does |
|---|---|
| Blocked keywords | Comments with these words are hidden. |
| Allowed keywords | Comments with any of these words always stay up, whatever else they say. |
| Allowed domains | Links to these sites never count as a link. Add your own store here. |
| Muted authors | Everything these people write is hidden. They are not told. |
| Trusted authors | Ambassadors, staff and partners. Their comments always stay up. |
| Competitors | The names used by Hide competitor mentions. |
| Blocked people | People blocked on Facebook from Activity. |
Topics
Describe something to watch for in a sentence, like a product recall or a rumor about your brand. Comments clearly about a topic are hidden; likely ones wait for you. A rule can do something else with them.
Sensitivity
How sure CommentGate must be before it acts: Hide when at least this sure, Hold for review when at least this sure, Hide comments in other languages when at least this sure, Hold anything this severe for review and Needs a reply when at least this sure. Under By kind you can give one kind of harm its own levels, or turn it off. Back to defaults undoes your changes.
Test a comment
Paste a comment and see what would happen, step by step. Nothing is posted.
Turn a switch into a rule
Under Advanced on Setup, What your switches do lists each switch. Customize turns one into an ordinary rule you can edit, and switches the switch off.
Related
- Every switch on Setup, in plain words What each hide switch on Setup catches, which are on from the start, and how to set one account differently.
- Stop spam waves and bot floods Add the Hide spam waves rule to hide every copy when a bot network floods your posts and ads with the same text or link.
- How CommentGate decides: hide, keep, reply or ask you What happens to each new comment, when CommentGate acts on its own, when it asks you, and how your answers teach it.
- Comments and replies in other languages CommentGate reads comments in any language, is more careful before hiding outside English, replies in the commenter’s language, and translates for you.
Still stuck?
Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened. A person replies, usually within one business day.