> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.newt.bot/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Welcome and Goodbye Messages for Your Discord Server

> Send customised welcome and goodbye messages to a channel or by DM when members join or leave, with optional welcome card images attached.

Welcome and goodbye messages let you greet every new member with a personalised message and say a proper farewell when someone leaves. Write the message once, drop in a few placeholders, and Newt handles the rest — no manual effort, no missed joins.

## Setting it up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Write your welcome message">
    Run `/welcome set <message> [channel]` with the text you want new members to see. Include a channel to post it publicly, or leave the channel out and Newt will send it as a direct message to the new member instead. You get a preview back immediately, so you can see exactly what someone will see before the first person ever joins.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up the welcome card (optional)">
    Head to the dashboard and open the **Welcome** section for your server. Switch the welcome card on, then choose a background — pick from four built-in styles or upload your own image. The live preview redraws in real time using your own avatar as you type, so what you see is exactly what new members will get.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up your goodbye message">
    Run `/goodbye set <message> <channel>` to start sending a message whenever someone leaves. The channel is required — Discord will not reliably let the bot message someone who has already left the server.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Placeholders

Use these anywhere in your welcome or goodbye message text. Newt replaces them with live values when the message sends.

| Placeholder | What it becomes |
| - | - |
| `{user}` | A mention of the member (e.g. @Alex) |
| `{username}` | Their display name |
| `{tag}` | Their full username |
| `{server}` | The server's name |
| `{count}` | Current member count |
| `{ordinal}` | Their join position as an ordinal (e.g. 42nd) |

Slash commands are single-line, so type `\n` wherever you want a line break in your message.

## The welcome card

When you switch on the welcome card, Newt generates a custom image and attaches it to every welcome message. It shows the new member's avatar inside a ring, a big greeting, and their member number — all rendered on whichever background you chose. You can pick from four built-in styles or upload your own image. The preview on the dashboard is drawn by exactly the same code the bot runs, so there are no surprises.

## Things worth knowing

<Note>
  If your server requires members to accept rules before they can talk, the welcome message fires after they accept — not the moment they appear. Many people land on the rules screen and never accept at all, so Newt waits until they are actually in. The same applies on the way out: someone who leaves without ever accepting the rules gets no goodbye, because they never received a welcome either.
</Note>

<Note>
  Typing @everyone into your greeting will not ping anyone. Welcomes fire on every single join, so Newt deliberately prevents that from becoming a server-wide notification.
</Note>

<Note>
  Nobody turned away by the account age gate receives a welcome, and their removal does not trigger a goodbye. Raid accounts that are blocked before they ever become members are not counted as joins.
</Note>

## Command reference

| Command | What it does | Who can use it |
| - | - | - |
| `/welcome set <message> [channel] [embed]` | Write the greeting and switch it on | Manage Server |
| `/welcome off` | Stop sending it (your wording is kept) | Manage Server |
| `/welcome show` | Current settings, placeholder list, and preview | Manage Server |
| `/goodbye set <message> <channel> [embed]` | Write the goodbye message and switch it on | Manage Server |
| `/goodbye off` | Stop sending it (your wording is kept) | Manage Server |
| `/goodbye show` | Current settings and preview | Manage Server |