To set up a Carl-bot welcome message, log in to Carl-bot's dashboard at carl.gg with Discord, pick your server, open its welcome settings, choose a channel, write the message with variables for the member and server, and save. Before you do that, turn off Discord's own join message so members don't get two welcomes. Then make sure Carl-bot can see and post in the channel. Most "it doesn't work" cases come down to Discord permissions, Rules Screening or blocked DMs, not Carl-bot.
Checked on each bot's own site or docs on 2026-11-03. We make PeakBot. Nobody paid to be in this post.
We don't maintain Carl-bot, and its menus can change. Where an exact label matters, this guide sends you to Carl-bot's own site. The Discord steps here hold whichever welcome bot you use.
Before you start: what you need
- Manage Server permission in your Discord server. Carl-bot's dashboard only lists servers you can manage.
- Carl-bot already in the server. You can add it from carl.gg.
- A welcome channel. A dedicated #welcome channel is easier to troubleshoot than #general.
Step-by-step: Carl-bot welcome message setup
1. Turn off Discord's built-in join message
Discord can post its own random "X just joined" line. It works separately from Carl-bot, so if you leave it on, every new member gets two welcomes.
- Open Server Settings (click the server name, then Server Settings).
- Go to the Overview tab.
- Find System Messages Channel. Untick the option to send a random welcome message when someone joins, or set the channel to No System Messages if you don't want any system messages.
- Save changes.
Discord's help article on new member messages covers this screen. Some older guides put it under "Community". It is on Overview.
2. Give Carl-bot permission in the welcome channel
Open the channel's settings (gear icon), go to Permissions, and add Carl-bot's role or Carl-bot itself. Allow:
- View Channel. Without it the bot can't post, even if Send Messages is allowed.
- Send Messages.
- Embed Links, if you want an embed. Without it an embed may not show.
- Attach Files, if you plan to post an image.
Discord explains each one in its permissions article. Check for a red X on any role Carl-bot has. A channel override set to deny beats a server-wide allow.
3. Open Carl-bot's welcome settings
- Go to carl.gg and log in with your Discord account.
- Pick your server from the list.
- Open the welcome section from the dashboard menu. If you can't find it, Carl-bot's docs (linked from carl.gg) show where it is today.
4. Pick the channel and write the message
Pick your welcome channel from the channel selector, then write the message. Carl-bot fills in variables written in curly braces, such as a variable for the new member and one for the server. The editor shows the exact variable names it accepts. Copy them from there, not from an old guide. If you spell a variable wrong, members see the raw {text} instead of their name.
A useful welcome does three things: mentions the person so they get a ping, tells them where to go first, and stays short. For example:
Welcome {user} to {server}! Read #rules, then pick your roles in #roles.
Look up the exact names in Carl-bot's editor before you paste this. For wording that gets people to actually post, see welcome messages that convert new members.
5. Choose plain text or an embed
- Plain text is the most reliable. Mentions ping properly, and it only needs Send Messages.
- An embed gives you a coloured box with a title, description and image. It looks tidier, but it needs Embed Links. Also, a mention inside an embed description shows as a name without pinging the member. If you want the ping, put the mention in the plain message text above the embed.
6. Decide on a DM welcome (optional)
If you send the welcome by DM from Carl-bot's welcome settings, remember that DMs fail silently for some members. Anyone can turn off DMs from server members, for every server or for yours only. Use a DM for extra info like links and FAQs, and keep the channel welcome as the one people will definitely see. Our guide on welcoming members when DMs are off covers the workarounds.
7. Save, then check it with a second account
Save the settings. Then have a friend join, or join with a second account, and confirm the message shows up in the right channel with the variables filled in.
Why the Carl-bot welcome message isn't sending
Go through these in order. Most of them are Discord settings.
- Missing View Channel. The most common cause. Recheck step 2, including category permissions that the channel inherits.
- A deny override on a role Carl-bot has. One deny on any of its roles can block it.
- Rules Screening is on. With Rules Screening, new members have to accept the rules before they can talk. Discord asks bots to wait until members pass, so the welcome may only fire after they click accept. If they never accept, there's no welcome.
- The settings weren't saved, or welcomes are switched off. Reopen the dashboard and confirm the welcome is turned on and the channel is still selected. If you deleted and recreated the channel, select it again.
- The embed is blank. Embed Links is missing, or the image URL is broken.
- Only the DM fails. The member has DMs from server members turned off. Nothing on your side can override that.
- Two welcomes appear. Discord's system message is still on (step 1), or a second bot is also welcoming people.
- Variables show as literal text. Fix the spelling to match the list in Carl-bot's editor.
If all of that checks out and it still won't post, Carl-bot's support server (linked from carl.gg) is the right place to ask.
How PeakBot does it
We make PeakBot, so take this section with that in mind. If Carl-bot already welcomes your members the way you want, there's no reason to switch. Carl-bot also does plenty beyond welcomes. One fact worth knowing: Carl-bot's leveling and level role rewards need Premium, which costs $7.99/month for one server.
In PeakBot, welcomes live on the Welcome Messages page in the dashboard sidebar at peakbot.pro:
- Log in with Discord and pick your server.
- Open Welcome Messages.
- Choose plain text or a rich embed, and the channel it posts in.
- If you want, show who invited the new member.
- Save. The dashboard shows a preview of the message before it posts.
Sending the welcome by DM and adding a welcome image both need a paid plan. Starter is the cheapest one, at $5.75/month or $48/year per server. The channel welcome, plain or embed, is on the Free plan, which doesn't expire. The same dashboard has Goodbye Messages for leaves, Verification if you want members to pass a button check first, and auto roles on join under Roles. The welcome, roles and verification wiki page walks through each one.
The Discord-side steps above still apply to PeakBot: turn off the system message, and give the bot View Channel, Send Messages and Embed Links in the welcome channel.
For a version of this guide that doesn't depend on any one bot, see how to set up a Discord welcome message.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't Carl-bot sending welcome messages?
Usually Carl-bot is missing View Channel or Send Messages in that channel, or a role override denies them. After that, check whether Rules Screening is holding new members back, and whether the welcome was saved and turned on in the dashboard.
How do I mention the new user in a Carl-bot welcome message?
Use Carl-bot's member variable in curly braces, copied from the variable list in its welcome editor. Put it in the plain message text, not only inside an embed, if you want the member to get a ping.
Can Carl-bot send welcome messages in DMs?
Check the welcome settings on carl.gg for the DM option. Whichever bot sends it, a DM welcome won't reach members who block DMs from server members, so keep a channel welcome as well.
How do I stop Discord's default welcome message so there aren't two?
Go to Server Settings → Overview → System Messages Channel. Turn off the random welcome message option, or choose No System Messages. You need Manage Server to do this.
Does Carl-bot do welcome images or cards?
Carl-bot's site is the place to confirm what it supports today. Embeds can include an image URL as long as Embed Links is allowed. For a custom card with the member's avatar and name, see our guide to custom welcome image cards. In PeakBot, welcome images are on the Starter plan.
Should the welcome go in #general or its own channel?
A dedicated channel is easier to troubleshoot and keeps #general readable when lots of people join at once. Many servers post a short line in #welcome and point people to #rules and the role picker from there.
