The Welcome module
A new member decides in under a minute whether to stay. The Welcome module exists to fill that minute: say where they have landed, give them one thing to do, and screen out whatever is not human along the way.
Updated 12 September 2026
What is at stake on arrival
Most servers lose the bulk of their arrivals in the first five minutes, and almost never for a good reason. The member lands in a channel scrolling a conversation they cannot follow, does not know where to ask a question, and closes the tab.
A good join message is not there to say hello. It is there to answer three unspoken questions: where am I, what can I do right now, and who do I talk to if I am lost.
The join message
A good join message is short and contains exactly one action. Three links beat fifteen, and a button beats a command you have to retype.
- Name the channel where the conversation actually happens — not the full channel list.
- Give one concrete first action: pick roles, introduce yourself, read the rules.
- Mention the member so the notification reaches them, but avoid posting into a busy chat channel where it will be drowned.
- Avoid heavy images on high-turnover servers: they render badly on mobile and delay display.
A DM on arrival is the most effective option for important information — it does not get drowned — but Discord blocks it if the member has turned off DMs from the server. Never put essential information ONLY in a DM.
The verification captcha
The captcha is the most effective anti-raid measure, because it acts before the first message rather than after. An automated account does not clear it; a human spends a few seconds on it.
The cost is real, though: it is one more obstacle between a person and your server, and some arrivals will give up. It is justified on a public, exposed or already targeted server; much less so on a server of fifty friends.
- Turn the captcha on and check that public channels really are closed to unverified members — otherwise the captcha protects nothing.
- Provide a channel visible BEFORE verification, holding the rules and the steps to follow. An arrival who sees only an empty server assumes it is broken.
- Test with a second account. It is the only way to see what an arrival actually sees.
Member milestones
Milestones announce crossing a threshold — 100, 500, 1,000 members. Their use is not decorative: they give the existing community a reason to show up, producing activity at the exact moment newcomers are watching.
Set them at widely spaced steps. A milestone every ten members stops being an event after the third.
Key points
- A join message answers three questions: where am I, what do I do, who do I talk to.
- One proposed action beats a full list of channels.
- A captcha stops raids before the first message, at the cost of some drop-off.
- Never put essential information only in a DM: Discord may block it.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the welcome message not being sent?
Three possible causes: the chosen channel no longer exists, Kuratos lacks permission to post in it, or it is a DM the member blocked by refusing server DMs. The log channel tells you which of the three.
Does a captcha scare new members away?
Some, yes — it is a trade-off. It is justified on a public server or one already hit by raids, much less on a small private one. A welcome channel visible before verification cuts drop-off noticeably.
Can the welcome image be customised?
Yes: style, background image and text placement are all set from the dashboard, with no file to handle.
Put this guide into practice
Kuratos sets up in minutes what this guide describes, and is configured from a web interface rather than through commands.