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Pairing, allowlists, and mention gating
These three controls get mixed together constantly. This page separates them so channel debugging stops becoming a credential guessing game.
Policy rulePairing decides who can start a path, allowlists decide who and where are allowed, and mention gating decides whether shared spaces require explicit trigger.
Three controls
What each policy layer actually does
PairingControls whether an unknown sender can start or be approved for a direct path.
AllowlistsControl which senders, rooms, channels, groups, or guilds are allowed.
Mention gatingControls whether a healthy bot replies ambiently in shared spaces or only on explicit mention.
Common confusion
What people usually mix up
DM path failsOften pairing or sender approval, not mention gating.
Guild or room seems silentOften mention gating or allowlist scope, not transport failure.
Only one place worksOften a location-specific allowlist issue rather than a broken bot overall.
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