Reply Rules automatically hide comments and note replies that break your community standards — without deleting them or notifying the commenter. Available on the web version of your Substack and the Substack app.
What are Reply rules?
Reply rules let you describe your community standards and have them enforced automatically on post comments and note replies. Comments that don't meet your standards are hidden — not deleted — and can be reviewed or restored at any time.
If you've previously moderated post comments or note replies, the automatic moderation feature i.e. hiding certain replies is automatically enabled on your publication. An example of moderating a post comment or note reply can be deleting it and then submitting feedback like “Spam” or “Slop” when prompted.
How Reply rules works
When a comment or note reply doesn't meet your standards, Substack hides it without notifying you or the commenter. Hidden comments appear behind a "Replies hidden" label and are never permanently deleted unless you manually delete the comment yourself.
To unhide a comment, click the three dots next to it and select "Unhide." To permanently remove it instead, click the three dots and select "Delete."
Note: If you see a comment that wasn’t hidden and it violates your Reply Rules, we recommend selecting “Delete”. If you notice a comment that was hidden and you don’t think it violates your Reply Rules, we recommend clicking “Unhide”. The Reply Rules feature will learn and adapt to what you hide, unhide, or delete and be less likely to make the same mistake in the future.
When a reader comments on your post, they can expand your Reply Rules in the comment text box before posting.
How to set up Reply rules
Reply rules can be set directly on your publication or on the Substack app. On web, follow these steps:
- Go to your publication's Settings page.
- Scroll to the Community section. Click the toggle next to "Enable automatic moderation".
- In the Reply rules textbox, enter your community standards and click "Save".
To disable certain replies from being automatically hidden, slide the toggle to the left next to "Enable automatic moderation". You can still show your readers your Reply Rules. If you want to remove your Reply Rules, delete the text in the textbox and click "Save".
Who is excluded from Reply rules?
The following community members will not be filtered:
- Paid subscribers and accounts you follow on Substack (unless you've previously deleted their comments).
- Contributors on your Substack.