If you’re reading this, your stream is growing—and congratulations on that achievement! But with growth comes a new challenge: managing your chat.
The chat window is the lifeblood of your community, yet you can’t look at every message while simultaneously playing, reacting, and entertaining. This is where your moderator team comes in.
Moderators (or Mods) are the front-line defense, the community hosts, and the keepers of your stream’s culture. They are an extension of you, and their actions reflect your channel’s values. Therefore, the single most critical decision you will make is choosing them based on alignment, trust, and judgment—not just attendance.
Core Principle: Alignment of Values and Judgment
While everyone knows a mod needs to ban trolls, a great mod does so much more. The best moderators act as ambassadors, and this requires two fundamental qualities: shared morals and sharp judgment.
1. Shared Morals & Values
Your moderator must genuinely understand and support your stream’s specific culture. If your stream is a high-energy, friendly, and welcoming space, your moderator should be reflecting that before they even get the green sword.
Ask Yourself: Is this person already demonstrating the behavior I want to see? Do they welcome new viewers? Do they help answer common questions? Do they embody the kind of positive vibe I want to maintain?
A mod who is secretly annoyed by your content, or who constantly complains about the community, will eventually cause drama. The values must align, otherwise, the tension will show.
2. Good, Decisive Judgment
Chat is a dynamic, fast-moving place full of "grey areas." A great mod understands the spirit of the rule, not just the letter. They know when a user is joking and when they are genuinely harassing.
The ultimate test for a mod candidate is their ability to handle that "grey area." You need a level-headed individual who won’t escalate drama, use the mod tools to settle personal scores, or time out someone for a simple typo. A good moderator makes quick, fair decisions that leave the viewer thinking, “Okay, that makes sense.”
Crucial Safety Note: A key component of good judgment involves age and safety. Mods must have zero tolerance for messages involving threats, self-harm, or child exploitation, and they must know that any claims of being under 13 in chat must be immediately reported to Twitch for review. This is non-negotiable.
When and How Many: Staffing Your Chat
When determining how many moderators you need, the metric that matters most is your Average Concurrent Viewership (ACV)—the average number of people watching your stream at any given time. Follower count is largely irrelevant; it's the activity in the chat that dictates your needs.
ACV and Mod Requirements
| Stream Size (ACV) | Chat Speed & Activity | Recommended Active Mods | Total Mod Team Size (For Coverage) |
| 0 - 20 ACV | Slow to Moderate | 0 - 1 | 1 - 3 |
| 20 - 100 ACV | Moderate/Increasing Activity | 1 - 2 | 3 - 5 |
| 100 - 300 ACV | Fast/Occasional Troll Waves | 2 - 3 | 5 - 8 |
| 300+ ACV | Very Fast/Non-stop | 1 per 200-300 viewers | 8 - 15+ |
Crucial Advice: If your channel is under 20 ACV, you likely do not need a human mod yet. Rely on AutoMod and setting up clear Chat Rules (in your Mod Preferences). Only start handing out roles when the chat becomes too fast, too aggressive, or too large for you to manage effectively on your own.
The focus should always be on coverage, not just the raw number of people. It’s better to have three reliable mods who cover all your streaming hours than ten mods who are rarely online.
5 Critical Qualities of a Great Mod
Beyond values and judgment, look for these concrete traits when scouting potential candidates:
Consistency is Key: A moderator must apply the rules fairly to everyone, including their closest friends. If your mods play favorites, resentment will build quickly among the rest of the community, which can lead to channel toxicity.
Active Participation (But Not Just Attendance): They must be regular viewers who are intimately familiar with your stream’s rhythm, inside jokes, and community standards. Be wary of anyone who only shows up when you are live and suddenly vanishes when they aren't modding.
Humility and Selflessness: The best mods are often the "quiet ones" who do the work without demanding attention or throwing their "green sword" around. A cardinal rule for many streamers is: Never mod someone who asks for the role. Power-hungry mods are the quickest route to community breakdown.
Trustworthiness: This is non-negotiable. You are giving someone the ability to silence, time out, have restricted access to things like past chat information, and ban members of your community. You must trust them implicitly to only use those tools for the channel’s benefit.
Effective Communication: They need to be able to politely communicate with viewers who are breaking rules, and, just as importantly, they need to communicate clearly with you and the rest of the mod team about difficult decisions.
The Selection Process: Where to Find Them
The search for a great mod should start and end within your community.
Look to Your Loyal Viewers
The best moderators are often long-standing members who are already doing the work of welcoming others, answering common questions, and subtly steering conversations in a positive direction—all before they ever get the title. Observe who is consistently positive, helpful, and supportive over weeks or months.
The Trial Period
It's common for streamers to use a temporary title, or just quietly watch a candidate for a month, before officially modding them. This isn't a job interview, but a quiet, extended evaluation to ensure their behavior is consistent.
Setting Your Mods Up for Success
Once you have chosen your team, you must provide them with the tools and guidelines they need to succeed.
1. Establish Clear, Written Rules
Don't rely on verbal instructions. Create a simple, shared, written document (like a private Discord channel) that outlines:
Your Channel's Specific Rules: Be clear on things like politics, spoilers, self-promotion, and sensitive topics.
The Escalation Ladder: Define what is a (1) Purge/Warning, (2) Timeout, and (3) Permanent Ban. This ensures the entire team is consistent in their punishments.
2. Create a Private Mod Channel
Use a dedicated Discord channel or chat group for your mod team. This allows them to:
Discuss difficult situations privately before taking action.
Coordinate schedules and ensure there's coverage during busy stream times.
Bring sensitive issues directly to your attention.
Conclusion
A great mod team is the backbone of a successful, welcoming community. The time you spend vetting candidates and training them is an investment in your channel’s future. Choose character, choose consistency, and choose trust. You’ll be able to focus on streaming, knowing that your community is in the hands of the best possible people.