---
url: https://docs.lfghub.gg/guide/permissions.md
description: >-
  The Discord permissions LFG Hub needs, why each one is needed, and the
  role-position setting that most often stops voice channels from being created.
---

# Permissions

For LFG Hub to create channels, move members, and manage groups, it needs the right Discord permissions and a high-enough role. This page explains exactly what it needs and the one setting people most often miss.

## Required bot permissions

These come with the invite link. The bot re-checks them when it joins, when roles change, and during setup, and warns you if any are missing — the invite is not a guarantee, since Discord lets you untick permissions while authorising, and roles can be edited afterwards.

**Posting and reading**

| Permission | Why it's needed |
| ---------- | --------------- |
| View Channel | See channels to post and manage in them |
| Read Message History | Find and update its own earlier posts |
| Send Messages | Post LFG messages and status updates |
| Send Messages in Threads | Talk in group chats |
| Embed Links | Render the LFG cards — **without it Discord strips them to bare buttons** |
| Use External Emojis | Show game and status icons |
| Manage Messages | Keep LFG channels clean, and turn a member's post into their group note |
| Bypass Slowmode | Post group updates in channels with slowmode enabled |

**Group chats**

| Permission | Why it's needed |
| ---------- | --------------- |
| Create Public Threads | Open a group chat when private threads aren't available |
| Create Private Threads | Open a group's private chat — **without a thread permission, groups have nowhere to join** |
| Manage Threads | Archive and clean up finished group chats |

**Voice**

| Permission | Why it's needed |
| ---------- | --------------- |
| Connect | Join voice channels |
| Speak | Voice presence in game channels |
| Use Voice Activity | Voice presence without push-to-talk |
| Move Members | Move players into their group's voice channel |
| Set Voice Channel Status | Set the status line on voice channels |

**Managing the server**

| Permission | Why it's needed |
| ---------- | --------------- |
| Manage Channels | Create and delete group voice channels and categories |
| Manage Roles | Assign roles such as the LFG ping role, and repair its own channel access |
| Manage Webhooks | Post LFG cards as the group owner |
| Create Instant Invite | Invite players from other servers into your groups |
| View Audit Log | See who invited the bot, so setup guidance reaches them and not only the owner |

::: tip Recommended
Granting **Administrator** covers all of the above and avoids permission surprises — including the channel overwrites described below, which Administrator ignores entirely. If your community requires least privilege, grant the specific permissions above — but be aware that a single missing permission can make voice automation fail silently.
:::

## Channel overwrites override all of this {#channel-overwrites}

Granting a permission to the LFG Hub role in **Server Settings → Roles** is not enough on its own. A permission denied on a *channel* — most often on `@everyone` — is still denied for the bot there, even when the bot holds it server-wide. Administrator is the only exception.

This bites hardest in your LFG channel, because the two permissions involved fail quietly:

* **Embed Links denied** → Discord drops the LFG card's contents. Members see a message with buttons and no group details.
* **Create Private Threads and Create Public Threads both denied** → a group with no voice channel gets no group chat, so its **Join** button has nowhere to send anyone.

The bot repairs this itself when it can: if it has **Manage Roles** on the channel, it grants itself what an overwrite took away. If it can't, it will refuse to finish `/setup-lfg-channel` there and tell you exactly which permissions are missing.

**Fix:** open the channel → **Edit Channel → Permissions → Add members or roles** → pick the **LFG Hub** role → allow the permissions it named. A role-specific overwrite is applied after `@everyone`, so it wins.

## Role hierarchy {#role-hierarchy}

This is the most commonly missed requirement.

If the bot does **not** have Administrator, its highest role must sit within the **top 5 non-admin roles** of your server. Discord only lets a bot manage roles and members *below* its own role, so if the bot's role is too low:

* it can't assign the LFG ping role,
* it can't move members between voice channels,

…and these failures happen **silently**. The bot will DM the server owner a "move my role up" warning when it detects this.

**Fix:** open **Server Settings → Roles** and drag the bot's role near the top of the list.

## Re-granting command access

Admin-only commands (`/setup`, `/setup-lfg-channel`) are, by default, visible only to members with Administrator. To let specific roles or members use them without giving full Administrator, go to **Server Settings → Integrations → LFG Hub** and adjust access per command.

Next: [Configuration →](/guide/configuration)