> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://percy.klappstuhl.me/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Sentinel: Captcha Verification Gate for New Members
> Use Percy's Sentinel system to gate new members behind an image captcha challenge before granting them access to your server's channels.
Sentinel is Percy's built-in member verification gate. When Sentinel is active, every new account that joins your server is immediately assigned a **lockdown role** that strips their access to all regular channels. They are then directed to a dedicated verification channel where they must solve an image captcha before the lockdown role is removed and they can participate. This prevents bots, raider accounts, and automated joins from interacting with your community before a human has confirmed they are real.
## How Sentinel Works
1. A new member joins the server.
2. Percy assigns them the **lockdown role**, which blocks them from reading or sending messages in all regular channels.
3. The member can only see and interact with the **verification channel**.
4. They press the **Begin Verification** button and receive a private captcha challenge — a 6-character, case-sensitive image they must type back within 90 seconds.
5. If they answer correctly, Percy removes the lockdown role and optionally grants them a **post-verification (starter) role**.
6. If they attempt to speak in any other channel or join a voice channel before verifying, Percy enforces the configured **bypass action** (kick or ban).
Sentinel can also activate automatically when it detects a burst of members joining in rapid succession — this is configured via the **auto-trigger** rate.
## Required Bot Permissions
Before setting up Sentinel, make sure Percy has the following permissions:
* **Manage Roles** — to assign and remove the lockdown role
* **Ban Members** and **Kick Members** — to enforce the bypass action on members who skip verification
* **Send Messages** and **Embed Links** in the verification channel — to post the captcha card
* **Manage Permissions** (channel-level) in the verification channel — to grant temporary send-message access during the captcha
The lockdown role **must sit below Percy's highest role** in the server's role hierarchy. If Percy's role is lower than the lockdown role, it cannot assign or remove it and Sentinel will not function.
## Setting Up Sentinel
Run `/moderation sentinel` to open the interactive setup panel. Percy creates the initial Sentinel configuration for your server the first time you run this command.
Use the **Verification Channel** dropdown in the dashboard to pick a dedicated text channel. This is the only channel new members will be able to see until they pass verification.
Percy will offer to automatically fix channel permissions so that `@everyone` cannot read the channel but the lockdown role can. Accept the prompt to apply the fix automatically.
If you later delete the verification channel, Percy automatically deactivates Sentinel and alerts you via the configured alert channel. Re-select a channel and redeploy the verification message to re-enable it.
Click **Configure Role** in the dashboard. You can either:
* **Pick an existing role** — choose any role that sits below Percy in the hierarchy. Percy will offer to sync channel permission overwrites across your server.
* **Create a new role** — Percy creates an "Unverified" role and offers to sync permissions automatically.
Do not select a role that is at or above Percy's top role in the hierarchy. The dashboard will reject such a selection and show an error.
Use the **Post-Verification Role** dropdown to select a role that Percy grants to members immediately after they pass the captcha. This is useful if you want verified members to have a distinct colour or access to bonus channels.
The starter role must also sit below Percy's top role, and it cannot be the same role as the lockdown role.
Click **Deploy Message** to post the captcha card into the verification channel. A modal appears so you can customise the title and body text of the card. Once deployed, Percy records the message ID — if the message is deleted, Sentinel deactivates automatically and notifies you.
* **Bypass action** — choose whether members who speak or join voice before verifying are **kicked** or **banned** (default: kick).
* **Auto-trigger** — set a join-rate threshold (e.g. 5 joins within 5 seconds) that automatically activates Sentinel when a raid is detected, even if it was previously on standby.
Click **Activate** in the dashboard. Percy switches Sentinel from standby to active — new members from this point onward are held in the verification channel until they solve the captcha.
The Activate button is only enabled once the lockdown role, verification channel, and captcha message are all configured.
## Deactivating Sentinel
To pause or disable Sentinel, open the dashboard again with `/moderation sentinel` and click **Deactivate**. If members are still pending verification when you deactivate, Percy asks you to confirm — standing down unblocks everyone in the background.
You can also click the **Stand Down** button directly from a raid-alert message in your alert channel.
## What Happens to Members Who Bypass Verification
Percy watches for members who attempt to interact with the server before completing verification:
* **Sending a message** in any channel other than the verification channel → bypass action (kick or ban).
* **Joining a voice channel** before verifying → bypass action (kick or ban).
Percy re-applies the lockdown role to returning members who were muted or previously blocked, ensuring they cannot circumvent verification by rejoining after a kick.