Import Discord Bans
Import your Discord ban list into the RestoreCord firewall so banned users can't verify again or be pulled into a new server. Limits, removal and syncing.
Importing your ban list turns everyone banned from your Discord server into a firewall block rule, so they can't verify through RestoreCord or be pulled back in. The import lives inside Add Security Rule on your server's Firewall tab.
Go to Firewall › Import Banlist
What the import does
The import reads your Discord server's ban list through your bot and creates one rule per banned user: if User ID is that user, then block. These are the same rules that /blacklist add creates, so they show in the Blocked group of your firewall rules and in /blacklist list.
| Imported | Not imported |
|---|---|
| Each banned user's Discord user ID | The ban reason. It shows in the preview but is not saved. |
| A rule name made from their username | Discord bans themselves. Nothing is banned or unbanned on Discord. |
| Users who already have a User ID block rule |
New rules take effect for the next verification attempt.
Before you start
- Premium or higher. On a lower plan the import stops with “Importing ban lists requires Premium, Business, or Enterprise plan”. See Plans & Billing.
- The server owner runs it. Sub-users with Manage Firewall can edit, disable and delete the imported rules, but the import itself only works from the owner's account. Anyone else sees “Failed to import ban list”.
- Your bot must be in the server with Ban Members. Discord only shows the ban list to bots with that permission. The bot doesn't need to be online.
Import your bans
Open Add Security Rule
On your server's Firewall tab, stay on the Rules sub-tab and click Add Security Rule.
Choose Import banlist from Discord Server
The Import Discord Bans window shows Loading bans... while it reads your ban list. It then lists everyone who will be imported, with their Username and Ban Reason, under “n banned user(s) will be imported”.
If everyone is already blocked, or the server has no bans, it says All bans already imported instead.
Click Import
Click Import n User(s). The import takes a few seconds and ends with “Successfully imported n banned user(s)”. The new rules appear under Blocked in Firewall Rules.
Limits
| Limit | Details |
|---|---|
| Very large ban lists | May not be imported in full. Add anyone who is missing by hand; see Block a single user. |
| Rate limit | Opening the import window and clicking Import are rate limited. If you hit the limit, wait a moment and try again. |
| One server at a time | The import only reads the ban list of the Discord server this RestoreCord server is linked to. |
Running it again and duplicates
Before it creates anything, the import skips every user who already has a User ID block rule on this server. That includes users added with /blacklist, by Auto-Blacklist on Ban, by an earlier import, or with a custom rule. So you can run it as often as you like to pick up new bans without creating duplicates.
What happens to imported users
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| They try to verify | They see error 990031, “Access denied by firewall rules”, and don't get the verified role. The attempt shows as denied in your activity logs with the rule that matched. |
| You pull members | They are removed from the pull list before the pull starts, so they are never added to the target server. See Monitor and control a pull. |
| You unban them in Discord | Their block rule stays. Delete it as well if you want them back; see Remove an imported user. |
| They have a bypass | An active bypass or a bypass all checks rule lets them through. See Bypasses. |
Rules are checked oldest first. If an older allow through firewall rule also matches someone you imported, for example a rule that allows a whole country, that older rule wins and they get through.
Keep it up to date
The import is a one-time copy; it doesn't watch your ban list. To block future bans automatically, turn on Auto-Blacklist on Ban (Premium). Each time someone is banned from your Discord server, your bot adds a block rule named “Auto-blacklisted (banned)”. Requires your bot. Use both: import once for past bans, and leave Auto-Blacklist on for new ones.
Go to Extras › Auto-Blacklist on Ban
Neither one removes a rule when you unban someone in Discord.
Block a single user
To block someone who isn't on your ban list, or a banned user the import missed, use any of these. All of them create the same User ID block rule, and all need Premium.
- In Discord, run
/blacklist add <user> [reason], or right-click the user → Apps → RC - Blacklist. Staff need the Blacklist Management permission. See Bot Commands. - In the dashboard, click Add Security Rule → Custom Rule, then build: if User ID is their Discord user ID, then block. See Custom rules for the full rule builder.
Remove an imported user
Imported rules work like any other rule.
-
In the dashboard: open the ⋯ menu on the rule under Blocked and choose Delete Rule, or Disable Rule to pause it. Use Filter rules by type → Block to show only block rules.
-
In Discord: run
/blacklist remove <user>. It works on every plan./blacklist listshows every active entry.
If you only need to let someone in once, give them a temporary bypass instead of deleting the rule.
Moving bans to a new server
Importing doesn't ban anyone on Discord. What RestoreCord can do is keep banned users out of everything that goes through RestoreCord.
- Moving to a new Discord server: firewall rules belong to your RestoreCord server, not to the Discord server, so they stay when you point it at a new Discord server. Run the import before you switch, while your bot can still read the old server's ban list. Imported users then can't verify in the new server and are left out of every pull into it. See Move to a new Discord server.
- Several RestoreCord servers: there is no shared ban list between servers. Run the import on each server to block that server's own bans, or copy User ID block rules from one server to another with the Firewall API.
People can still join your new Discord server with a normal invite. To stop that, ban them on Discord too, or use Discord AutoMod and other protections.
Troubleshooting
| Message | Fix |
|---|---|
| “Bot is missing BAN_MEMBERS permission” | Give your bot's role Ban Members in Discord's Server Settings → Roles, then try again. |
| “Bot token is invalid. Please update your bot token in settings.” | Update your bot's token. See Bot Errors. |
| “Importing ban lists requires Premium, Business, or Enterprise plan” | Upgrade the server owner's plan. |
| “Failed to import ban list” | Only the server owner can run the import, so ask them to run it. If you are the owner, check that your bot is still in the server and linked to the right Discord server, then try again in a minute. |
| All bans already imported | Everyone on the ban list already has a block rule, or the server has no bans. |
Import bans with the API
An API key with the SERVER_FIREWALL permission can preview and run the import. The key must belong to the server owner, and the plan, bot and rate limits above apply.
| Method | Endpoint | What it does |
|---|---|---|
GET | /api/v3/servers/{serverId}/firewall/import-bans | Returns count and bans, the users that would be imported, each with userId, username, avatar and reason |
POST | /api/v3/servers/{serverId}/firewall/import-bans | Creates the block rules and returns count and a message. Returns 404 “No bans found in the Discord server.” when the ban list is empty. |
See Firewall API › Import Bans for the full reference.