"Loading old messages" is a critical concept in EazyAutodelete that determines how the bot handles messages that existed before a config was created or modified. Understanding this feature is essential for using the bot effectively.
When you create or modify a deletion config, EazyAutodelete needs to decide whether to process messages that were sent before that moment. This decision is called "loading old messages."
Load old messages (Yes):
- The bot retrieves historical messages from Discord's servers
- These messages are evaluated against your deletion rules
- Matching messages will be deleted according to your config
- Limited to messages sent in the past ~14 days (Discord API restriction)
Don't load old messages (No):
- The bot only processes messages sent after the config change
- All existing messages are ignored permanently by this config
- Safer option when testing or unsure about settings
- Can be changed later via time boundary settings
- User modifies config → Bot records the current timestamp
- User chooses "Load old messages"
- Bot starts background process to fetch historical messages
- Messages are retrieved in batches (Discord API limitation)
- Each message is evaluated against filters and rules
- Matching messages are queued for deletion
- Deletion occurs according to mode and limit settings
Discord API Restriction: Discord only allows bulk deletion of messages sent in the past 14 days (technically 13.9583 days or approximately 13 days, 23 hours).
Why this limit exists:
- Prevents abuse and spam
- Protects long-term conversation history
- Technical limitations of Discord's infrastructure
What this means for you:
- Messages older than 2 weeks cannot be bulk-deleted
- They must be deleted individually (very slow, rate-limited)
- EazyAutodelete doesn't process messages older than 14 days when loading
Workaround: If you need to clean messages older than 2 weeks, you'll need to:
- Use Discord's built-in message search and delete manually
- Use a specialized bulk delete tool (at your own risk)
- Accept that older messages will remain
✅ Starting fresh in a channel
- You want to clear existing messages and start with auto-deletion
- Channel is being repurposed
✅ Cleaning up spam or unwanted content
- Recent spam needs to be removed
- Content policy changed and you need to enforce it retroactively
✅ Implementing new rules
- New server guidelines require cleanup
- Channel purpose changed
✅ Testing in a test channel
- You want to see how the bot handles existing content
- Testing with real message examples
✅ Channel reset
- Regular cleanup of accumulated messages
- Seasonal or event-based channel reset
❌ Preserving history
- Important conversations shouldn't be deleted
- Archive channel with valuable content
❌ Testing in production
- Not sure about settings yet
- Want to see how it works on new messages first
❌ Gradual implementation
- Want to phase in auto-deletion slowly
- Applying rules only to future content
❌ When uncertain
- Not sure if config is correct
- Better to be safe and test on new messages
❌ Active important discussions
- Ongoing conversations you want to keep
- Recent important announcements
With load old messages:
- Historical messages are checked against filters
- Messages older than the limit are deleted immediately
- Messages within the limit wait until their time expires
Example: If limit is 30 minutes and you load old messages, messages older than 30 minutes get deleted right away.
With load old messages:
- All historical matching messages are loaded
- First interval cleanup includes old messages
- Subsequent cleanups only affect new messages
Example: If interval is 5 minutes, old messages get deleted in the first cycle.
With load old messages:
- Loading is required for accurate counting
- Bot must know total message count
/debug shows "Waiting to be loaded" until complete- Deletion doesn't start until loading finishes
Example: If limit is 50 messages, bot must load existing messages to know when count reaches 50.
ℹ️ Important: Mode 3 MUST load old messages to function properly. You'll see "Waiting to be loaded" status until this completes.
Use the /debug command to check loading status:
Possible statuses:
- "Loading old messages" - Process is ongoing
- "Waiting to be loaded" - Queued but not started yet (Mode 3)
- "Ready" or "Active" - Loading complete, processing messages
- "Error" - Problem occurred (check permissions)
Loading duration depends on:
- Channel message count - More messages = longer load time
- Server activity - High-traffic servers may be slower
- Discord API rate limits - Bot must respect Discord's limits
- Bot server load - High overall usage can cause delays
Typical times:
- Low activity channel (100-500 messages): 10-30 seconds
- Medium activity channel (500-2000 messages): 30-90 seconds
- High activity channel (2000+ messages): 2-5 minutes
- Very active channel (5000+ messages): 5-15 minutes
Be patient! The process runs in the background and doesn't interfere with normal channel use.
You can retroactively load old messages:
- Open
/setup for the config
- Modify the "delete messages after" setting
- Set it to a message ID or clear it
- The bot will start loading from that point
Once the loading process starts, you can't stop it. However:
- Set config to Mode 0 (disabled) to pause deletion
- Wait for loading to complete
- Reconfigure or delete the config as needed
- Review your config - Make sure filters, mode, and limit are correct
- Test in test channel - Create identical config in a test channel first
- Backup important content - Screenshot or archive critical messages
- Check permissions - Verify bot has required permissions
- Communicate with users - Let them know cleanup is happening
- Monitor with
/debug - Check progress and status
- Watch for errors - Mode 0 activation indicates problems
- Verify results - Ensure correct messages are being deleted
- Adjust if needed - Modify config if behavior isn't as expected
- When in doubt, choose "No" - Safer option
- Test first - Always test new configs on new messages
- Communicate changes - Tell your users what to expect
- Document decisions - Keep notes on why you chose each option
- Regular reviews - Periodically check if settings still make sense
Q: Can I load messages older than 2 weeks?
A: No, Discord's API limitation prevents bulk deletion of older messages.
Q: Will loading old messages slow down my server?
A: No, loading happens in the background and doesn't affect server performance.
Q: Can I cancel loading once it starts?
A: You can disable the config (Mode 0) to stop deletion, but loading will complete.
Q: Do I need to load old messages for Mode 3?
A: Yes, Mode 3 requires loading to accurately count messages.
Q: What happens if I have multiple configs in one channel?
A: Each config's load decision is independent, but they share the loading process for efficiency.
Q: Will pinned messages be deleted if I load old messages?
A: Only if your filters don't include "Is not pinned" (Filter 8). Always use Filter 8 to protect pins.
Need help with loading old messages? Join our Support Server!
