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Two separate things decide whether a Bloom command works: the permissions the person running it has, and the permissions and role position Bloom itself has. This page explains how Bloom checks both. If a specific command is being refused right now, go to Permission errors.

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You need, and Bloom needs

Every command reference on this site states two things separately, because Bloom checks them separately:
  • You need: the permission you must have to run the command. This is the command’s user permission, or a special rule such as server owner only or Premium only.
  • Bloom needs: the permission Bloom must have to carry the action out, plus the ability to send in the channel.
When a check fails, Bloom tells you which side is missing:
  • You need the following permissions: ... means you lack the user permission.
  • I need the following permissions: ... means Bloom lacks the bot permission.
Read the pronoun first. It points you at the fix: change the member’s access, or change Bloom’s.

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How Bloom checks your permission

For a command that requires a permission, Bloom allows you to run it if any of the following is true, in this order:
1

You are the server owner

The server owner passes every Bloom permission check.
2

You have Administrator

A member with Discord’s Administrator permission passes every Bloom permission check.
3

You have the actual Discord permission

If the command needs Ban Members and you have Ban Members, you pass. When the command checks the channel, Bloom uses your effective permission in that channel, so a channel override that denies the permission there will block you even if your role grants it server wide.
4

You have a matching fake permission

If you do not have the real permission, Bloom checks whether you have been granted the matching fake permission. If so, you pass Bloom’s check.
If none apply, Bloom replies that you need the permission and does nothing.

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How Bloom checks its own permission

Separately, Bloom confirms it has the bot permission the command needs, in the channel where you ran it. Bloom respects channel overrides on itself, so a channel that denies Bloom Send Messages or Embed Links can block a command even when Bloom’s role has those permissions elsewhere. When Embed Links is missing, some commands fall back to plain text; many actions simply cannot run without the right permission and Bloom says so.

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Role hierarchy

Permissions decide whether an action is allowed. Role position decides whether it is possible. Discord enforces hierarchy for both members and bots:
  • Bloom can only act on a member, or add and remove a role, that sits below Bloom’s own highest role. Place Bloom’s role above every role it manages: the roles of members you moderate, level rewards, autoroles, and the mute and jail roles.
  • A moderator cannot use Discord-level power over someone above them either. Even with Ban Members, Discord will not let a ban land on a member whose highest role is above the moderator’s.
A permission error is often really a hierarchy problem. If Bloom has Ban Members but “cannot” ban someone, check that Bloom’s role is above that member’s highest role.

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Fake permissions

Fake permissions let you grant a member or role the ability to use permission gated Bloom commands without giving them the real Discord permission. A trusted helper can use Bloom’s warn and timeout without holding Discord’s Timeout Members across the whole server. They satisfy Bloom’s own checks only and never grant a Discord right. See Fake permissions for how to grant them and what can receive them.

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Server owner versus anti-nuke admin

Bloom recognizes two distinct kinds of elevated access. They are not the same thing. An anti-nuke admin is a Bloom concept for delegating the security commands to trusted people without making them a Discord administrator. It does not grant Discord permissions and does not, on its own, let someone run ordinary moderation commands. Only the server owner can run antinuke setup or add and remove anti-nuke admins.

Permission errors

Step through why a specific command was refused.

Permission reference

The permission glossary, the fake-permission names, and the dashboard access matrix.

Fake permissions

Delegating Bloom commands without Discord permissions.

Invite and first setup

Add Bloom and place its role before you configure anything else.