Moderation behaviour
Does this automatically delete posts?
No. Flagged content is moved into XenForo's approval queue for human review. The AI decision does not permanently delete content.
Can it ban, warn, or punish users automatically?
No. The add-on does not automatically ban users, warn users, punish users, publicly mark users, or make final moderation decisions.
Does this replace my moderators?
No. It assists moderators by surfacing likely rule-breaking content with a moderation reason. Your moderators still make the final decision.
What happens if the AI is unsure?
The add-on is designed to be conservative. The goal is to act on clear likely rule breaches, not borderline cases or ordinary disagreement.
Will users see that AI flagged their content?
No visible AI branding is added to user posts. Staff reviewing the approval queue can see the moderation reason.
Rules and supported content
Can I write my own moderation rules?
Yes. The add-on is built around plain-language rules written by the forum administrator.
What kind of rules work best?
Clear, specific rules work best. For example: moderate direct personal attacks, real-world identity exposure, scam promotion, off-platform solicitation, or specific types of self-promotion. Vague rules such as "stop bad posts" are harder to apply consistently.
What content types are supported?
Posts, thread first posts, profile posts, and profile post comments.
Is old content scanned when I install the add-on?
No. The add-on does not crawl old forum content. It checks eligible supported content when it is created or edited after the integration is active.
Does it scan private conversations, images, files, media, or attachments?
No. Private conversation scanning, image moderation, file moderation, media moderation, and attachment moderation are not currently supported.
Does a new thread use one moderation check or two?
A new thread's first post is the submitted message checked for moderation. The add-on is intended to check eligible submitted content, not charge twice for the same unchanged message.
Does it understand quoted text?
The moderation process is intended to focus on the author's submitted message and avoid treating quoted or clearly attributed material as the author's own words where possible. Staff should still review flagged content before taking final action.
Moderation scope
Can I choose which forums or nodes are moderated?
Yes. Node scope lets you limit AI moderation to selected XenForo nodes for supported content with a forum/node context, such as posts and thread first posts.
Does node scope apply to profile posts?
No. Profile posts and profile post comments do not have a normal forum node context.
Can I choose which user groups are moderated?
Yes. User group scope considers both the author's primary user group and secondary user groups.
How does user group scope work if a user belongs to multiple groups?
If User groups to moderate is set to All, user group membership does not restrict AI moderation. If narrowed from All, selected groups act as a strict allowlist. A user is checked only if every primary and secondary group they belong to is selected.
Can I skip trusted or privileged groups?
Yes. Leave a group unselected to skip users who belong to that group. If a user belongs to any unselected group, their content is skipped.
Does excluded content get sent for AI classification?
No. Content outside the configured moderation scope is not eligible for an AI moderation check.
Does excluded content use hosted credits?
No. Scoped-out content is not an eligible hosted check and does not consume hosted moderation credits.
AI usage mode
Do I need my own OpenAI API key?
No. You can use hosted moderation credits if you do not want to manage your own OpenAI API key.
Can I use my own OpenAI API key?
Yes. BYO OpenAI API key mode sends the saved key with moderation checks so OpenAI usage is handled through your own OpenAI account.
How is the OpenAI API key stored?
The saved OpenAI API key is encrypted in your XenForo installation and is not shown again after saving. It is decrypted only when needed to send a moderation check.
Does BYO OpenAI API key mode use hosted credits?
No. Hosted moderation credits and automatic credit top-ups are not used while BYO OpenAI API key mode is active.
Can I switch between BYO key mode and hosted credits?
Yes. The AI usage mode can be changed from the add-on setup page.
What happens if BYO key mode is selected but no key is saved?
Moderation checks will not run in BYO mode until a valid OpenAI API key is saved. The add-on does not silently fall back to hosted credits.
Trial, billing, and credits
Is annual access still required if I use my own OpenAI API key?
Yes. Annual access is required to use AI Rules Moderation. BYO OpenAI API key mode changes how AI usage is paid for; it does not remove the product access subscription.
How does the trial work?
The product trial lasts 14 days. A payment method is required to start the trial, and billing begins only if the trial is not cancelled before it ends.
How does the trial work with hosted credits?
Hosted-credit trial mode includes 100 hosted AI moderation checks. If those checks are used before the trial ends, hosted-credit checks pause until the account moves to paid access or receives paid credits.
How does the trial work with my own OpenAI API key?
The same 14-day product trial applies, but the hosted 100-credit trial limit does not apply while BYO OpenAI API key mode is active. OpenAI usage is handled through your own OpenAI account.
Can I cancel before billing starts?
Yes. The setup page links to the Stripe billing portal. Cancelling before the trial ends prevents the first annual charge.
What happens when the trial ends?
If you do not cancel before the 14-day trial ends, paid annual access begins.
How much does annual access cost?
$25 USD per year.
What is included when using hosted moderation credits?
Paid annual access includes 1,000 hosted moderation checks per year when using hosted-credit mode.
How do hosted top-ups work?
If hosted auto top-up is enabled, additional hosted checks can be purchased in $5 USD top-ups for 500 checks. Auto top-up only applies to hosted-credit mode.
Does every checked item use a hosted credit?
Yes, in hosted-credit mode. A hosted credit is used when eligible content is successfully checked, not only when content is flagged.
What happens if hosted credits run out?
Hosted-credit checks may pause until more credits are available, payment details are updated, or top-ups become available. BYO OpenAI API key mode does not use hosted credits.
Hosted processing and API access
Does the AI moderation run on my forum server?
No. The XenForo add-on is lightweight. AI processing is handled by the hosted moderation service.
Why does the add-on create a XenForo API key?
The hosted moderation service needs a way to return moderation decisions to your XenForo installation. The add-on creates a dedicated API key for that callback.
What can the XenForo API key do?
The key uses only the custom API scope
ai_rules_moderation:write. It is not a super-user key and no standard XenForo API scopes are granted.
How do I revoke callback access?
Disable or uninstall the add-on to stop normal operation. To fully revoke callback access, remove, disable, or regenerate the AI Rules Moderation API key in XenForo's API key area.
What happens if the hosted moderation service is unavailable?
Normal XenForo posting should continue. AI moderation checks may be missed or delayed. No hosted credit is consumed unless a hosted check is successfully processed.
Data and privacy
What data is sent for moderation?
The moderation service may receive the forum domain, forum name/description, saved rules, supported content type and ID, submitted message text, message state, last edit date, and related thread/forum context where available.
Are private messages or attachments sent?
No. Private conversations, images, files, media, and attachments are not supported content types and are not sent for AI classification.
Does the hosted service permanently archive my forum posts?
The hosted moderation service is not intended to create a permanent archive of forum content. Your local XenForo audit log may record moderation outcomes and reasons inside your own installation.
Does OpenAI train on my forum content?
AI processing is handled through OpenAI's API Platform, depending on the selected AI usage mode. Hosted-credit mode uses the service's OpenAI API configuration. BYO mode uses your own OpenAI API account and is subject to that account's data controls and settings.
What is stored locally in XenForo?
The add-on stores its settings, moderation scope, audit/log data, and any saved BYO OpenAI API key in encrypted form.
Requirements and support
What are the requirements?
XenForo 2.1.0 or newer, PHP 7.2.0 or newer, an active trial or subscription, and outbound HTTPS access from your forum server to the hosted moderation service.
Is there visible branding shown to users?
No. The add-on does not display visible branding to end users.
Who should use this add-on?
Forums that want help identifying clear rule violations in new or updated public forum content while leaving final decisions to human moderators.
Who should not use this add-on?
Do not use this add-on if you need automatic bans, automatic warnings, automatic permanent deletion, private conversation scanning, image/file/media/attachment moderation, historical bulk scanning, or final moderation decisions without staff review.
How should I test it during the trial?
Enter a small set of clear rules. Make sure your test account, node, and content type are inside the configured moderation scope. Submit a new post that clearly violates one rule, then check the approval queue, moderation reason, and Admin CP audit log.
How do I get support?
Email
moderation@thestockexchange.com.au or use the
XenForo support thread.
