Community Moderation Policy Skill
A moderation policy fails when it's vague ("be respectful") or applied inconsistently — members can't predict what's allowed, and mods burn out making judgment calls with no backing. This skill writes a policy that is enforceable: concrete rules with examples, a ladder that matches consequence to behavior, and the process that makes enforcement feel fair even to the person on the receiving end.
Working from a brief
Given the community (platform, size, purpose, audience), write the full policy — tune severity and tone to the space (a professional Slack ≠ a gaming Discord). Keep the public-facing rules short and human; put the operational detail in the moderator guidelines.
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label the assumption):
- The community — platform, rough size, purpose, and audience norms
- The values / what "good" looks like here, and the behaviors you most want to prevent
- Team — how many moderators, volunteer or staff, tools available
- Legal/brand constraints — platform ToS, regulated topics, company brand line
Output Format
Code of conduct (public-facing)
Short, plain, and specific. The core rules stated positively where possible, each with a one-line example of what crosses the line so it's not ambiguous. Cover the usual: harassment, hate speech, spam/self-promo, off-topic, NSFW, illegal content — scoped to this community.
Enforcement ladder
Consequence matched to behavior and repetition:
| Level |
Trigger |
Action |
Who can apply |
| 1 |
first minor / borderline |
friendly warning, edit/remove |
any mod |
| 2 |
repeat / clear violation |
formal warning, temp mute |
any mod |
| 3 |
serious or repeated |
temp ban (e.g. 7 days) |
senior mod |
| 4 |
severe / incorrigible |
permanent ban |
admin |
| Zero-tolerance |
threats, doxxing, CSAM, targeted harassment |
immediate ban + report |
admin, no warning |
Appeals process
How a member contests an action: where to appeal, who reviews (not the acting mod), the timeline, and what can/can't be overturned. Appeals are what make the ladder feel legitimate.
Moderator guidelines (internal)
- Consistency — decide by the rule, not the person; document every Level 2+ action.
- Conflicts — don't moderate a thread you're personally in; hand off.
- Edge cases — borderline calls, sarcasm/context, brigading and coordinated behavior, when to lock vs remove.
- Transparency — what's communicated to the member vs. handled quietly; a mod log.
- Mod wellbeing — rotation for heavy content, escalation for threats to mods.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Vague rules ("don't be a jerk") with no examples — unenforceable and arbitrary-feeling
- A single "ban" hammer with no graduated steps for minor issues
- Inconsistent enforcement by mood or by who the member is
- No appeals process (every action feels final and unjust)
- Unwritten rules enforced as if everyone knew them
- Warning-laddering genuine threats or doxxing instead of acting immediately
1---2name: community-moderation-policy3description: Write a fair, enforceable community moderation policy. Use when standing up or overhauling moderation for a forum, Discord, Slack, subreddit, or any user community. Produces a clear code of conduct with examples, a graduated enforcement ladder tied to specific triggers, an appeals process, moderator guidelines, and the handling for the severe cases (threats, doxxing, brigading) that need immediate action. Governs member conduct in a user community — distinct from [[community-management-playbook]], which manages a brand's own social-media channels (comments, DMs, tone, response templates).4---5
6# Community Moderation Policy Skill
7
8A moderation policy fails when it's vague ("be respectful") or applied inconsistently — members can't predict what's allowed, and mods burn out making judgment calls with no backing. This skill writes a policy that is *enforceable*: concrete rules with examples, a ladder that matches consequence to behavior, and the process that makes enforcement feel fair even to the person on the receiving end.
9
10## Working from a brief
11
12Given the community (platform, size, purpose, audience), **write the full policy** — tune severity and tone to the space (a professional Slack ≠ a gaming Discord). Keep the public-facing rules short and human; put the operational detail in the moderator guidelines.
13
14## Required Inputs
15
16Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label the assumption):
17- **The community** — platform, rough size, purpose, and audience norms
18- **The values / what "good" looks like** here, and the behaviors you most want to prevent
19- **Team** — how many moderators, volunteer or staff, tools available
20- **Legal/brand constraints** — platform ToS, regulated topics, company brand line
21
22## Output Format
23
24### Code of conduct (public-facing)
25Short, plain, and specific. The core rules stated positively where possible, each with a **one-line example of what crosses the line** so it's not ambiguous. Cover the usual: harassment, hate speech, spam/self-promo, off-topic, NSFW, illegal content — scoped to this community.
26
27### Enforcement ladder
28Consequence matched to behavior and repetition:
29
30| Level | Trigger | Action | Who can apply |
31|---|---|---|---|
32| 1 | first minor / borderline | friendly warning, edit/remove | any mod |
33| 2 | repeat / clear violation | formal warning, temp mute | any mod |
34| 3 | serious or repeated | temp ban (e.g. 7 days) | senior mod |
35| 4 | severe / incorrigible | permanent ban | admin |
36| **Zero-tolerance** | threats, doxxing, CSAM, targeted harassment | immediate ban + report | admin, no warning |
37
38### Appeals process
39How a member contests an action: where to appeal, who reviews (not the acting mod), the timeline, and what can/can't be overturned. Appeals are what make the ladder feel legitimate.
40
41### Moderator guidelines (internal)
42- **Consistency** — decide by the rule, not the person; document every Level 2+ action.
43- **Conflicts** — don't moderate a thread you're personally in; hand off.
44- **Edge cases** — borderline calls, sarcasm/context, brigading and coordinated behavior, when to lock vs remove.
45- **Transparency** — what's communicated to the member vs. handled quietly; a mod log.
46- **Mod wellbeing** — rotation for heavy content, escalation for threats to mods.
47
48## Quality Checks
49
50- [ ] Every rule is concrete enough to predict a call, with an example of the line
51- [ ] The ladder ties specific triggers to specific actions and who may apply them
52- [ ] Severe cases (threats, doxxing, CSAM) are zero-tolerance and route to reporting
53- [ ] An appeals path exists and is reviewed by someone other than the acting mod
54- [ ] Mod guidelines cover consistency, conflicts of interest, and documentation
55- [ ] Tone and severity fit this community; it aligns with the platform ToS
56
57## Anti-Patterns
58
59- Vague rules ("don't be a jerk") with no examples — unenforceable and arbitrary-feeling
60- A single "ban" hammer with no graduated steps for minor issues
61- Inconsistent enforcement by mood or by who the member is
62- No appeals process (every action feels final and unjust)
63- Unwritten rules enforced as if everyone knew them
64- Warning-laddering genuine threats or doxxing instead of acting immediately
Mohit Aggarwal