Bracket Command Reference

This page provides detailed documentation for all tournament bracket commands. Commands are organized by tournament phase and use case.

Tournaments use two commands. /bracket-setup is for getting a tournament ready before voting starts: creating it, adding titles, naming and announcing it. Only admins and moderators see it. /bracket is for everything after that: opening and closing votes, status, the bracket image, and exporting. Members use it too. (Before 2.62.0, setup was part of /bracket; it moved to make room in Discord's size limit for commands.)

Note: Group stage voting is now button-based! Members vote by clicking buttons on the voting message - no commands needed.

Quick Reference Table

Command	Who Can Use	Description	Phase
`help`	Everyone	View tournament guide and command overview	Any
`/bracket-setup create`	Admin/Mod	Create a new tournament	Setup
`/bracket-setup setup-link`	Admin/Mod	Private link to the web setup form (CSV/JSON upload or fill in)	Setup
`/bracket-setup manage-titles`	Admin/Mod	Add or remove titles from groups	Setup
`/bracket-setup resize`	Admin/Mod	Change the number of groups before voting begins	Setup
`/bracket-setup edit-name`	Admin/Mod	Rename the tournament	Any
`/bracket-setup announce`	Admin/Mod	Announce the tournament to the channel	Setup
`open`	Admin/Mod	Smart: Opens next round (auto-detects phase)	Any
`close`	Admin/Mod	Smart: Closes current round (auto-detects phase)	Any
`open-groups`	Admin/Mod	Open specific groups for button-based voting	Group Stage
`close-groups`	Admin/Mod	Close specific groups and calculate results	Group Stage
`regenerate`	Admin/Mod	Rebuild the knockout bracket from group results (fixes bracket structure issues)	Knockout
`resolve-tiebreaker`	Admin/Mod	Resolve a tiebreaker — tally votes or manually override	Any
`open-matchup`	Admin/Mod	Open specific matchup(s) for voting	Knockout
`close-matchup`	Admin/Mod	Close specific matchup(s) and advance winner(s)	Knockout
`extend-voting`	Admin/Mod	Extend or change voting deadline	Any
`my-votes`	Everyone	View your voting history and available votes	Any
`status`	Everyone	View tournament status with live voter counts and leaders	Any
`list-groups`	Everyone	List all groups and their titles	Any
`view`	Everyone	View visual bracket (knockout phase only)	Knockout
`export`	Everyone	Export the lineup and settings (JSON) or results (Markdown)	Any
`cancel`	Admin/Mod	Cancel the tournament	Any

Key Changes:

🆕 Smart Commands: /bracket open and /bracket close auto-detect tournament phase
🔄 Unified Management: /bracket-setup manage-titles replaces add-title and remove-title
⚖️ Tiebreaker Voting & Resolution: Ties are now resolved by member button-voting, with /bracket resolve-tiebreaker available to tally votes early or manually override the winner
🎨 AI Images Moved: Matchup image generation now lives in the standalone /image command (/image matchup:"Title A vs Title B"), alongside its freeform, message, and versus-search modes
🆕 Setup Form: /bracket-setup setup-link sets up a whole tournament from a CSV or JSON file, or a form. See Setup Form
❌ Removed: advance-knockout — /bracket open starts the knockout once every group is closed
❌ Removed: open-knockout, close-knockout, open-quarters, close-quarters, open-semis, close-semis, open-finals, close-finals, open-region — all superseded by the smart open/close/open-matchup commands

Visual Examples:

Egg Shen✓ APPToday at 8:10 PM

🏆 Friday Frights

Quarterfinals

Single elimination bracket

📊 Live Vote Counts

1A · closes in 9 minutes
The Thing (1982)
🟧🟧⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 1 vote (17%)
vs
Alien (1979) 🔥
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 5 votes (83%)

2A · closes in 9 minutes
Jaws (1975) 🔥
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 4 votes (67%)
vs
The Shining (1980)
🟧🟧🟧⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 2 votes (33%)

Completed: 0 matchups

Status

knockout

Phase

quarterfinals

Creator

@Admin

Live tournament status with vote counts

Egg Shen✓ APPTomorrow at 8:04 PM

📊 Quarterfinals - Match 1 - Results

Friday Frights

Voting has closed!
5 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟧🟧 1

🏆 Winner

Alien
5 votes

🥈 Runner-up

The Thing
1 vote

A matchup's results card, posted as it closes

Getting Started

`/bracket help`

View a comprehensive tournament guide with command overview, voting instructions, and pro tips.

Parameters: None - this command takes no options.

What It Shows:

Quick Start (Admin) - 8-step process for running a tournament
How to Vote (Everyone) - Instructions for both group and knockout stages
Common Commands - Organized by user role (Everyone vs Admin/Mod)
Auto-Features - Overview of auto-close, warnings, live counts, and button feedback
Pro Tips - Duration syntax, wildcards, custom images, exports, and logging

Example Usage:

/bracket help

Benefits:

New users can learn the entire system in one command
Quick reference for voting instructions
Discover advanced features and tips
Find the right command for what you want to do

Response Type: This command sends an ephemeral reply (only you can see it), keeping the channel clean.

Setup Commands

These /bracket-setup commands are used to create and configure a tournament before voting begins. All of them require Admin or Moderator permissions, and Discord only shows /bracket-setup to members who have them.

`/bracket-setup create`

Create a new tournament bracket. The bot automatically selects the best tournament format based on size.

Parameters:

name (required, string): Tournament name (e.g., "The Ultimate Horror Cup")
max-titles (optional, dropdown): Maximum number of titles (default: 32)
- Valid bracket sizes: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 (powers of 2)
- Valid group sizes: 36, 40, 44, 48 (multiples of 4)
- Straight bracket (2-32 titles): No groups; head-to-head matchups from round one. This is the most titles it can hold — you can start with fewer, and empty slots become byes
- Groups tournament (36-48 titles): 9-12 groups of 4, then a knockout. /bracket-setup resize changes the group count (4-12) during setup
- Discord shows labeled choices: "8 titles (Quarterfinals)", "36 titles (9 groups)", etc.
seeding (optional, dropdown): How titles are seeded. Straight brackets only. More on seeding
- Random (default): shuffled when the bracket is built
- The order I add them: the first title added is seed 1
- By rating: ranked by TMDB, RAWG, BoardGameGeek or Google Books rating
- Seeded brackets show each title's seed, for example "(1) Halloween", and call out upsets
ties (optional, dropdown): What a tied matchup does
- Runoff vote (default): a short tiebreaker vote
- Higher seed wins: the better seed advances at once. Needs a seeded bracket.

Example Usage:

/bracket-setup create name:"Summer Movie Madness" max-titles:32
/bracket-setup create name:"Quick 8-Title Showdown" max-titles:8
/bracket-setup create name:"Horror March Madness" max-titles:16 seeding:By rating ties:Higher seed wins
/bracket-setup create name:"Epic 48-Title Championship" max-titles:48

Notes:

Tournament names are visible to all participants (max 100 characters)
Default is 32 titles if not specified (straight bracket)
The reply is private; use /bracket-setup announce to tell the server
Only one active tournament per server at a time

`/bracket-setup setup-link`

Get a private link to the web setup form, where you can set up a whole tournament at once instead of adding titles one by one.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket-setup setup-link

Notes:

The reply is private, and the link works for 60 minutes. Anyone you give it to can change the server's tournament setup
On the form, upload a CSV or JSON file, or fill the tournament in by hand
The setup can be edited on the form until voting opens
The form can also save seeding (straight brackets), default voting and tiebreaker durations, and an announcement message and banner
The link uses this server's bot URL if set, else the bot's PUBLIC_BOT_URL; with neither, it says what to set instead
A /bracket export format:json file can be uploaded here to run a tournament again

See Setup Form for the file format and details.

`/bracket-setup manage-titles`

Add or remove titles during setup. This unified command replaces the old add-title and remove-title commands.

Parameters:

action (required, choice): Action to perform
- Add Title - Add a new title
- Remove Title - Remove a title
group (optional, choice): Group letter (A-L). Groups mode only — leave it out in a straight bracket (2–32 titles). When adding in groups mode without one, the title goes into the first group with room.
type (optional, choice): Tournament type. Needed for the first title; after that the tournament's type is used if you leave it out
- movie - Movies (searches TMDB)
- tv - TV Shows (searches TMDB)
- game - Video Games (searches RAWG)
- boardgame - Board Games (searches BoardGameGeek)
- book - Books (searches Google Books)
title (optional, string): Title to search for (required when adding)
position (optional, integer): The title's number from /bracket list-groups (required when removing). 1–4 within a group, or 1–32 in a straight bracket.
image (optional, attachment): Custom image (for adding only, overrides API poster)

Example Usage (Adding):

/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Add Title" group:A type:movie title:"The Thing"
/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Add Title" group:B type:tv title:"Breaking Bad"
/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Add Title" group:C type:game title:"Elden Ring"
/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Add Title" group:A type:movie title:"Evil Dead" image:[uploaded-file.jpg]

Example Usage (Removing):

/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Remove Title" group:A position:2
/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Remove Title" group:D position:4
/bracket-setup manage-titles action:"Remove Title" position:7

The last example is a straight bracket, which has no groups.

Notes:

Adding: Searches the selected API. One match is added right away; several show a menu to pick the right one
Adding: Custom images override the default poster/cover art
Adding: Each group must have exactly 4 titles before voting can begin
Adding: Tournament type is set on first title added and cannot be changed
Removing: Use the numbers /bracket list-groups shows
Removing: Shifts remaining titles up in position, so check /bracket list-groups again before removing a second one
Cannot manage titles after group voting begins

`/bracket-setup resize`

Change the number of groups before voting begins.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

groups (required, integer): New number of groups (4-12)

Example Usage:

/bracket-setup resize groups:10
/bracket-setup resize groups:9

Notes:

Only available during the setup phase, before group voting begins
Contracting (reducing group count) fails if any group that would be removed still has titles in it — move or remove those titles first
Expanding (increasing group count) adds new empty groups ready for titles

`/bracket-setup announce`

Announce the tournament to the channel with optional custom message and banner.

Parameters:

message (optional, string): Announcement message to the server
image (optional, attachment): Tournament banner/image

Example Usage:

/bracket-setup announce
/bracket-setup announce message:"Let the games begin! Vote for your favorites!"
/bracket-setup announce message:"Welcome to the tournament!" image:[banner.jpg]

Notes:

Creates a public, visible announcement (not ephemeral)
Default message shows tournament name and details. In a straight bracket it shows "Format: Straight bracket" and the title count
Custom message replaces default text
Banner image appears at top of announcement
If the setup form saved an announcement message or banner, they're used when message or image is left out
Use this after setup is complete and before voting begins

Smart Phase Commands

These intelligent commands automatically detect the tournament phase and perform the appropriate action. Use these for streamlined tournament management!

`/bracket open`

🆕 Smart Command - Automatically opens the next round of voting based on tournament phase.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

duration (optional, string): Voting duration
- Format: <number><unit> where unit is m (minutes), h (hours), or d (days)
- Examples: "24h", "3d", "45m", "12h"
- Default: the tournament's default voting duration from the setup form, else 24h
- Range: 5m minimum, 30d maximum
matchups (optional, integer 1-5): In a knockout round, open only the next N matchups, in bracket order. matchups:1 runs the tournament one matchup at a time; run it again to open the next. Earlier matchups still voting close first. When a round has nothing left to open, its last matchups close and the next round's first ones open. From setup, it builds the bracket first. See One matchup at a time

What It Does:

Setup, straight bracket: Builds the bracket and opens the first round. This is how a straight bracket starts. Seeding is random by default, or ordered (list order = seed order, 1 v N, byes to top seeds) if chosen on the setup form. If round one has more than 5 matchups, it builds the bracket and asks you to open it by region with /bracket open-matchup
Setup, groups mode: Opens every group, once each one has 4 titles. If any are short, it lists them instead.
Group Stage: Opens the groups that haven't voted yet. Once every group is closed and every tiebreaker is settled, it builds the knockout bracket and opens its first round. It never reopens a finished group; if groups are still voting or in a tiebreaker, it lists them instead
- Knockout seeding: the top 2 from each group go through, plus the best third-place finishers (wildcards) up to the next power of 2, at most one per group. Group winners are placed first, so any byes go to them; runners-up and wildcards are shuffled in, and titles from the same group are kept apart in the first round where possible
- The start-of-knockout message lists the wildcards
Knockout Stage: Opens all matchups in the current round (Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals)
Automatically detects which phase the tournament is in
No need to remember phase-specific commands!

Example Usage:

/bracket open
/bracket open duration:"48h"
/bracket open duration:"3d"

Notes:

Simplifies tournament management - one command for all phases
For knockout rounds with more than 5 matchups (Round of 32, Round of 16), it asks you to open them by region with /bracket open-matchup region:1-4 instead
Nothing opens the next round automatically — run /bracket open after each close

`/bracket close`

🆕 Smart Command - Automatically closes the current voting round based on tournament phase.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

tiebreaker-duration (optional, string): Duration for tiebreaker votes if needed
- Format: <number><unit> where unit is m (minutes), h (hours), or d (days)
- Examples: "1h", "30m", "2h"
- Default: the tournament's default tiebreaker duration from the setup form, else 1h
- Range: 5m minimum, 7d maximum

What It Does:

Group Stage: Closes all open groups and calculates results
Knockout Stage: Closes all voting matchups in current round and advances winners
Automatically creates tiebreaker votes if ties are detected
No need to remember phase-specific commands!

Example Usage:

/bracket close
/bracket close tiebreaker-duration:"30m"
/bracket close tiebreaker-duration:"2h"

Notes:

Simplifies tournament management - one command for all phases
Automatically detects and creates tiebreakers for tied votes
Advances tournament to next phase when appropriate
Shows detailed results with winners and vote counts. Each matchup's result card carries a drawn picture of the matchup: both posters, the winner framed in gold, and the vote split (details). If the picture can't be drawn, the card shows the winner's poster as a small thumbnail instead

Group Stage Commands

These commands manage the group stage voting phase where participants vote for their top 2 titles in each group. Use these for granular control when you need to open/close specific groups.

`/bracket open-groups`

Open specific groups for voting.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

groups (required, string): Comma-separated list of groups to open (e.g., "A,B,C,D")
duration (optional, string): Voting duration
- Format: <number><unit> where unit is m (minutes), h (hours), or d (days)
- Examples: "24h", "3d", "45m", "12h"
- Default: the tournament's default voting duration from the setup form, else 24h
- Range: 5m minimum, 30d maximum

Example Usage:

/bracket open-groups groups:"A,B,C,D"
/bracket open-groups groups:"A,B,C,D" duration:"48h"
/bracket open-groups groups:"E,F,G,H" duration:"3d"
/bracket open-groups groups:"A" duration:"12h"

Notes:

Each group must have exactly 4 titles before opening
Posts interactive voting message with buttons for each title
Groups can be opened separately (in waves)
Participants vote by clicking buttons - no commands needed!
Buttons highlight when selected (green = selected)
Real-time vote count updates
Members can change votes anytime before deadline
Voting deadline is enforced - votes after deadline are ignored
Use /bracket extend-voting to add more time if needed

How Members Vote:

Click a button to select a title (turns green)
Click a second title to complete vote (2 selections required)
Click selected title again to deselect
Maximum 2 selections per group

`/bracket voting-post`

Post the voting card again, with its Start Voting button, for whatever is open right now.

Who Can Use: Everyone

Parameters: None

In a long tournament the card from /bracket open scrolls far up the channel. This posts a fresh one at the bottom: the open matchups (or groups), when voting closes, and a working Start Voting button. Earlier cards stay where they are, and their buttons keep working.

In the knockout rounds, the live standings come down with it: a fresh standings card is posted right under the voting card, and that's the one votes update from then on. The old standings card stays, marked "No longer updating", so nobody reads its counts as current.

To keep the channel tidy, it can be posted once every 10 minutes in each channel; until then, it tells you when it was last posted so you can scroll up to it. Admins and moderators can post it any time.

/bracket voting-post

`/bracket my-votes`

View your voting history and available votes.

Who Can Use: Everyone

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket my-votes

Output Example:

📊 Your Voting History

Group Stage:
✅ Group A: The Thing (1st), Evil Dead (2nd)
✅ Group B: Alien (1st), The Exorcist (2nd)
⏳ Group C: Voting open - deadline in 18h 32m
⏳ Group D: Voting open - deadline in 18h 32m
⬜ Group E: Not yet open

Knockout Round:
✅ 1A: The Thing
✅ 2B: Alien
⏳ 1C: Voting open
⬜ 2D: Not yet open

Notes:

Shows all votes cast during tournament
Indicates which groups are still available to vote
Displays voting deadlines for open groups
Helps track participation across tournament phases

`/bracket close-groups`

Close group voting and calculate results. Automatically creates tiebreaker votes if ties are detected.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

groups (required, string): Comma-separated list of groups to close (e.g., "A,B,C,D")
tiebreaker-duration (optional, string): Duration for tiebreaker votes if needed
- Format: <number><unit> where unit is m (minutes), h (hours), or d (days)
- Examples: "1h", "30m", "2h"
- Default: the tournament's default tiebreaker duration from the setup form, else 1h
- Range: 5m minimum, 7d maximum

Example Usage:

/bracket close-groups groups:"A,B,C,D"
/bracket close-groups groups:"A,B,C,D" tiebreaker-duration:"30m"
/bracket close-groups groups:"E,F,G,H" tiebreaker-duration:"2h"
/bracket close-groups groups:"A"

Notes:

Counts each title's votes; each voter's two picks count one vote each
Determines 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each group
Automatically creates tiebreaker votes if 1st or 2nd place ties detected
Posts results to channel showing final standings
Groups must be open before they can be closed
/bracket open never reopens a closed group
Tiebreaker winners are automatically applied to final standings
After all groups are closed (and tiebreakers settled), run /bracket open to start the knockout

`/bracket regenerate`

Rebuild the knockout bracket from group results. Use this to fix bracket structure issues without redoing group voting.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket regenerate

Notes:

Rebuilds the entire knockout bracket from the group stage's closed results — seeding, wildcards, and matchups are all recalculated from scratch
Useful if the bracket structure looks wrong after /bracket open starts the knockout, or after manually correcting group results
Any in-progress knockout voting is discarded and replaced by the freshly regenerated bracket
Groups tournaments only. All groups must still be closed for this to succeed

Knockout Commands

These commands manage the knockout/elimination phase where titles face off head-to-head. Use these for granular control when you need to open/close specific matchups or regions.

Regional Label System

Each knockout round is split into 4 regions, March Madness style. A matchup's label is its region number (1-4) plus a letter for its position within the region:

Round	Matchups	Labels
Round of 32	16	1A–1D, 2A–2D, 3A–3D, 4A–4D
Round of 16	8	1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B
Quarterfinals	4	1A, 2A, 3A, 4A
Semifinals	2	1A, 3A
Finals	1	Finals

/bracket status and the button pickers show each matchup's label.

Use Smart Commands

For streamlined management, use /bracket open and /bracket close instead - they automatically detect the tournament phase and perform the right action!

`/bracket open-matchup`

Open matchup(s) for voting with text input or interactive buttons.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

region (optional, integer 1-4): Open every matchup in that region of the current round
matchup (optional, string): The matchup(s) to open. Start typing and pick from the list: it shows the current round's matchups that haven't been voted on yet, with both titles (2A · Halloween vs Scream). Type a label or part of a title to narrow it. Leave blank (and region blank) to select from buttons.
- Single: "1A", "2B", "Finals"
- Multiple: "1A,1B,3A" (comma-separated). After a comma, the list suggests the next one
duration (optional, string): Voting duration, 5m-30d. Default: the tournament's default voting duration from the setup form, else 24h

Example Usage:

Interactive mode (no matchup or region):

/bracket open-matchup duration:"24h"

→ If the round has more than 5 matchups, shows one button per region. Otherwise shows a button for each pending matchup. Click button(s) to open them.

Region mode:

/bracket open-matchup region:1
/bracket open-matchup region:2 duration:"48h"

→ Opens every matchup in that region. This is how Round of 32 and Round of 16 are opened, since /bracket open won't open more than 5 matchups at once.

Text mode (single matchup):

/bracket open-matchup matchup:"1A"
/bracket open-matchup matchup:"2B" duration:"24h"
/bracket open-matchup matchup:"Finals" duration:"48h"

Text mode (multiple matchups):

/bracket open-matchup matchup:"1A,1B" duration:"24h"
/bracket open-matchup matchup:"2A,2B,3A,3B"

Opening the next matchup closes earlier ones. Any matchup in the round that's still voting, and isn't one you're opening now, closes first, exactly as its deadline would: the winner is announced, and a tie gets a tiebreaker vote. The reply lists what closed. So when you run a round one matchup at a time, votes on earlier matchups can't keep changing. To have several matchups voting at once, open them together (matchup:"1A,1B" or region:1).

Features:

Interactive buttons - Leave matchup blank to see all pending matchups as buttons
Multi-matchup support - Open several matchups at once with comma-separated list
Visual selection - Buttons show matchup label and movie titles
Batch processing - Each matchup processed individually with success/error tracking
Regional labels - Use "1A", "2B" format for easy identification
Region opening - Open a whole region (1-4) at once

Notes:

Use regional labels: "1A", "2B", etc.
Finals matchup uses "Finals" as the label
Interactive mode shows up to 25 matchups (5 per row)
Buttons expire after 15 minutes
Useful for:
- Spotlight matchups
- Resolving technical issues
- Managing voting flow
- Opening multiple matchups quickly
See /bracket status to find matchup IDs
Only matchups that haven't been voted on are opened. Ones already voting keep their votes, decided ones keep their results, and the reply lists both

`/bracket close-matchup`

Close matchup(s) and advance winner(s) with text input or interactive buttons. Automatically creates tiebreaker votes if ties are detected.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

matchup (optional, string): The matchup(s) to close. Pick from the list, which shows the matchups voting now, with both titles; or type several, comma-separated. Leave blank to select from buttons
- Single: "1A", "2B", "Finals"
- Multiple: "1A,1B,3A" (comma-separated)
tiebreaker-duration (optional, string): Duration for tiebreaker votes if needed
- Format: <number><unit> where unit is m (minutes), h (hours), or d (days)
- Examples: "1h", "30m", "2h"
- Default: the tournament's default tiebreaker duration from the setup form, else 1h
- Range: 5m minimum, 7d maximum

Example Usage:

Interactive mode (no matchup parameter):

/bracket close-matchup
/bracket close-matchup tiebreaker-duration:"30m"

→ Shows red buttons for all open matchups with current vote counts. Click button(s) to close them.

Text mode (single matchup):

/bracket close-matchup matchup:"1A"
/bracket close-matchup matchup:"2B" tiebreaker-duration:"2h"
/bracket close-matchup matchup:"Finals" tiebreaker-duration:"30m"

Text mode (multiple matchups):

/bracket close-matchup matchup:"1A,1B"
/bracket close-matchup matchup:"2A,2B,3A,3B" tiebreaker-duration:"1h"

Features:

Interactive buttons - Leave matchup blank to see all open matchups as buttons
Multi-matchup support - Close several matchups at once with comma-separated list
Automatic tiebreakers - Creates tiebreaker vote if matchup ends in a tie
Visual selection - Buttons show matchup label, titles, and current votes (e.g., "1A: Jaws(5) vs Night...(3)")
Batch processing - Each matchup processed individually with success/error tracking
Auto-advance tracking - Shows which winners were placed in next round
Round completion detection - Notifies when all matchups in round are closed

Notes:

Calculates winner by vote count (most votes wins)
Automatically creates tiebreaker votes if matchup ends in a tie
Advances winner to next round automatically (or after tiebreaker resolves)
Posts results showing vote counts
Cannot undo - winner is locked in (unless tiebreaker created)
Interactive mode shows up to 25 matchups (5 per row)
Buttons expire after 15 minutes
Tiebreaker winners are automatically advanced
Useful for:
- Closing matchups individually or in batches
- Managing voting flow
- Resolving technical issues
- Quick tournament progression

`/bracket resolve-tiebreaker`

Resolve an active tiebreaker — either by tallying the current votes (default) or by manually picking a winner (Admin/Mod override).

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod/Tournament Creator only

Parameters:

tiebreaker-id (required, string): ID of the tiebreaker to resolve — shown in the tiebreaker voting embed footer
winner (optional, integer): Manually pick the winner (1 = first option, 2 = second, etc.)
- Leave blank to close voting now and resolve by current vote tallies
- Set a number to override votes and force a specific winner
- Maximum depends on how many options are tied (usually 2)

Example Usage:

# Close voting early — winner decided by current votes
/bracket resolve-tiebreaker tiebreaker-id:"abc123"

# Admin manually picks option 1 as the winner
/bracket resolve-tiebreaker tiebreaker-id:"abc123" winner:1

# Admin manually picks option 2 as the winner
/bracket resolve-tiebreaker tiebreaker-id:"abc123" winner:2

Notes:

Without winner: counts current tiebreaker votes; if still tied, random selection is used as final fallback
With winner: overrides all votes — admin's choice wins regardless of the vote count
The tiebreaker voting embed is automatically disabled and updated with the result
Vote breakdown is shown when resolving by tally
Tiebreakers also auto-resolve when their deadline expires (no action needed if you're happy to wait)
Cannot be undone — winner is locked in

`/bracket extend-voting`

Set a new voting deadline for a group or the current knockout round.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

type (required, choice): Voting type to extend
- group - Group Stage Voting
- knockout - Knockout Round Voting
duration (required, string): New time left, counted from now (e.g., "24h", "3d", "45m")
- The new deadline is now + duration. It replaces the current deadline rather than adding to it
- Format: <number><unit> where unit is m, h, or d
- Range: 5m minimum, 30d maximum
group (required for group voting, string): Group letter

Example Usage:

/bracket extend-voting type:group duration:"12h" group:"A"
/bracket extend-voting type:knockout duration:"24h"
/bracket extend-voting type:group duration:"2d" group:"C"

Notes:

For group voting: sets one group's deadline
For knockout voting: sets the deadline of every open matchup in the current round
The new deadline is now + duration, replacing the old one. duration:"12h" on a group with 20h left shortens it to 12h
Useful when participation is low or more time is needed
Cannot extend closed/completed voting
The original voting messages aren't edited; the reply shows the new deadline

Utility Commands

These commands provide information, visualization, and management tools for the tournament.

`/bracket status`

View real-time tournament status with live voting statistics.

Who Can Use: Everyone

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket status

Output Example (Group Stage):

🏆 Summer Movie Madness
Status: group_stage | Phase: groups | Creator: @Admin

Group stage in progress!
Completed: 4/8 groups

📊 Active Voting:

Group E - 12 voters
⏰ 2h 15m
  🥇 The Thing (8)
  🥈 Evil Dead (7)

Group F - 8 voters
⚠️ 45m (WARNING: <1 hour remaining!)
  🥇 Alien (5)
  🥈 Hereditary (4)

Output Example (Knockout): each open matchup appears as on the live standings card, bars and all (shown here before the bot's emoji are uploaded, as coloured squares):

🏆 Summer Movie Madness
Status: knockout | Phase: semifinals | Creator: @Admin

Semifinals
Single elimination bracket

📊 Live Vote Counts

1A · closes in 18 hours
The Thing 🔥
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 9 votes (60%)
vs
Evil Dead
🟧🟧🟧🟧⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 6 votes (40%)

3A 🤝 · closes in 55 minutes
Alien
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 6 votes (50%)
vs
Hereditary
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 6 votes (50%)

Completed: 6 matchups

Notes:

A snapshot, posted when you run it: the live standings card is the one that keeps updating. If that card has scrolled far up, /bracket voting-post brings it back down
Shows when each matchup closes, in your own time
Shows every open matchup, up to a whole round of 16. With many open, or very long titles, it uses the plainer bars (and, for 16 of the longest titles, shortens them) so the reply always fits
Once the bot's emoji are uploaded, the bars are drawn with them, as on the live standings
Tracks tournament progress with completion stats

`/bracket list-groups`

List all groups and the titles in each one. In a straight bracket (no groups), it lists every title as one numbered list instead.

Who Can Use: Everyone

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket list-groups

Notes:

Shows every group's titles, in the order they were added
In a straight bracket, shows every title as one numbered list
The numbers are the position that manage-titles action:"Remove Title" takes
Marks each group as voting-open or closed
Useful during setup to see which groups still need titles before voting can begin

`/bracket view`

Draw the tournament as an image.

Who Can Use: Everyone

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket view

Notes:

During the knockout (and after it ends): a PNG bracket tree with every round, winners highlighted, and the champion once there is one
Before the knockout: a PNG overview of the tournament's groups and titles
Generated fresh each time, so it reflects the current state
The bot also posts it on its own whenever knockout matchups are decided (one image per batch)
Use /bracket status for live vote counts

`/bracket export`

Export the tournament's lineup and settings (JSON) or its results (Markdown).

Who Can Use: Everyone

Parameters:

format (required, choice): Export format
- json - Lineup and settings in the setup form's import format
- markdown - Formatted results for announcements

Example Usage:

/bracket export format:json
/bracket export format:markdown

JSON Export:

The setup form's import format: the title lineup (with ids filled in) and the tournament's settings
No votes and no voter ids
Upload it through /bracket-setup setup-link to run the same tournament again

Markdown Export:

Formatted results ready to paste
Group stage results with vote counts
Knockout bracket progression with winners
Tournament statistics (total voters, total votes)
Clean, readable format for Discord or documentation

Example Markdown Output:

markdown

# Summer Movie Madness - Results

**Status:** Completed
**Winner:** 🏆 The Thing

## Group Stage Results

### Group A
1. 🥇 The Thing (47 votes) ✅ Advances
2. 🥈 Evil Dead (31 votes) ✅ Advances
3. 🥉 Hereditary (18 votes)
4. 📍 The Witch (12 votes)

## Knockout Stage

### Semifinals
- The Thing def. Alien (23-19)
- Evil Dead def. Hereditary (21-17)

### Finals
- **The Thing** def. Evil Dead (31-28) 🏆

## Statistics
- Total Voters: 58
- Total Votes Cast: 847

Use Cases:

Archive completed tournaments
Share results in announcements
Create tournament history documentation
Re-run a tournament with the same lineup (JSON)

`/bracket-setup edit-name`

Change the tournament name after creation.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters:

name (required, string): New tournament name

Example Usage:

/bracket-setup edit-name name:"Epic Summer Movie Championship 2026"
/bracket-setup edit-name name:"Quick Test Tournament"

Notes:

Can be used at any tournament phase
Updates name in all displays and embeds
Useful for fixing typos or rebranding
Does not affect tournament data or votes
Name is visible to all participants
Maximum 100 characters

Common Use Cases:

Fix typos in tournament name
Update branding mid-tournament
Add year or season to name
Rename based on community feedback

`/bracket cancel`

Cancel the tournament and delete all data.

Who Can Use: Admin/Mod only

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

/bracket cancel

Notes:

Permanently deletes tournament data
Cannot be undone
Confirms before canceling
Notifies channel of cancellation
Use this to start over or end tournament early
Frees up server for new tournament

Tournament Size Examples

Example 1: Straight Bracket (8–32 titles)

Setup:

/bracket-setup create name:"Quick Horror Showdown" max-titles:8
/bracket-setup create name:"Summer Movie Madness" max-titles:32

(or set it up in one go with /bracket-setup setup-link and the setup form)

Configuration:

Groups: None
Titles: up to max-titles; empty slots become byes (e.g., 12 titles in a 16 bracket gives 4 byes)
Knockout structure: 8 titles start at Quarterfinals, 16 at Round of 16, 32 at Round of 32
Seeding: Random by default; Ordered (list order, 1 v N, byes to top seeds) via the setup form
Start: /bracket open builds the bracket and opens round one

Best for:

Quick tournaments and weekend events
Testing the system
Smaller communities

Timeline estimate:

8 titles: 3 rounds, about 3–6 days
32 titles: 5 rounds, about 1–2 weeks

Example 2: Small Groups Tournament (16 titles, 4 groups)

Setup:

/bracket-setup create name:"Quick Horror Tournament" max-titles:36
/bracket-setup resize groups:4

/bracket-setup create makes 9–12 groups; resize during setup, or use the setup form.

Configuration:

Groups: 4 groups (A-D) of 4
Advance: Top 2 from each group = 8
Wildcards: None needed
Knockout structure: Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Finals

Timeline estimate:

Group voting: 24-48 hours
Knockout rounds: 3-5 days
Total: ~1 week

Example 3: Medium Groups Tournament (32 titles, 8 groups)

Setup:

/bracket-setup create name:"Community Choice Awards" max-titles:36
/bracket-setup resize groups:8

Configuration:

Groups: 8 groups (A-H) of 4
Advance: Top 2 from each group = 16
Wildcards: None needed
Knockout structure: Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Finals

Timeline estimate:

Group voting: 2-4 days
Knockout rounds: 4-8 days
Total: 1-2 weeks

Example 4: Large Groups Tournament (40 titles, 10 groups)

Setup:

/bracket-setup create name:"Ultimate Showdown" max-titles:40

Configuration:

Groups: 10 groups (A-J) of 4
Advance: Top 2 from each group = 20
Wildcards: Best 10 third-place finishers = 30 total
Knockout structure: Round of 32 (2 byes, to group winners) → Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Finals

Timeline estimate:

Group voting: 4-5 days
Knockout rounds: 6-8 days
Total: 2-3 weeks

Example 5: Maximum Groups Tournament (48 titles, 12 groups)

Setup:

/bracket-setup create name:"Epic Community Championship" max-titles:48

Configuration:

Groups: 12 groups (A-L) of 4
Advance: Top 2 from each group = 24
Wildcards: Best 8 third-place finishers = 32 total
Knockout structure: Round of 32 → Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Finals

Timeline estimate:

Group voting: 5-7 days
Knockout rounds: 7-10 days
Total: 3-4 weeks

What's Possible

The tournament bracket system supports a wide range of features and configurations:

Tournament Types

Movies - Powered by TMDB
TV Shows - Powered by TMDB
Video Games - Powered by RAWG
Board Games - Powered by BoardGameGeek
Books - Powered by Google Books

Flexible Structure

Straight bracket: 2-32 titles, no groups
Groups tournament: 4-12 groups of 4 (16-48 titles), then a knockout
Dynamic resizing of the group count during setup
Seeding: random or ordered for straight brackets; from group results for groups tournaments
Wildcard system fills the knockout bracket
Setup form - set up a tournament from a CSV or JSON file, or by filling in a form (/bracket-setup setup-link)

Voting Options

Group stage: Pick your top 2 titles in each group
Knockout stage: Single-elimination voting
Flexible deadlines: 5 minutes to 30 days
Deadline extension for any phase
Button voting throughout, through a personal voting dashboard (only you see your picks)

Opening Strategies

Entire round: Open all matchups at once (up to 5)
By region: Open one of the 4 regions
Individual matchups: Open one at a time for spotlight effect

Customization

Custom images for any title (overrides API posters)
Custom announcements with banner images
Regional identification (1A, 2B labels) for clear bracket navigation
Tournament naming for branding
Default voting and tiebreaker durations set on the setup form

Management Features

Persistent storage across bot restarts
Vote tracking per user
Status monitoring at any time
Automatic winner advancement
Bracket regeneration for fixing issues
JSON export that can be re-imported through the setup form

Visual Features

AI-generated versus images with the separate /image command
Bracket images with /bracket view
Group standings
Live vote counts during voting

Limitations & Not Possible

Understanding what the system cannot do helps set proper expectations:

Tournament Configuration

❌ Cannot change tournament type after first title is added
- Tournament type (movie/tv/game/boardgame/book) is locked by the first title added
❌ Cannot edit tournament once voting begins
- No adding/removing titles after setup
❌ Cannot remove groups that still have titles in them
❌ Maximum 12 groups (48 titles) or 32 titles in a straight bracket
❌ Each group must have exactly 4 titles
- Cannot proceed with incomplete groups

Voting Restrictions

❌ Cannot undo a result once a matchup is closed
- Close-matchup is final - winner is locked in
❌ Finished groups stay finished
- /bracket open never reopens a closed group, and the knockout is seeded from its results
❌ Cannot vote after deadline
- Voting deadlines are enforced strictly

Technical Limitations

❌ One active tournament per server at a time
- Cannot run multiple tournaments simultaneously
❌ Cannot restore cancelled tournaments
- Cancel is permanent - no recovery
❌ AI image generation has rate limits
- Per-user and per-server limits apply
- Requires OpenAI API key configuration

Bracket Structure

❌ Cannot hand-seed a groups tournament's knockout
- Knockout seeding comes from group results (ordered seeding is for straight brackets only)
❌ Cannot modify knockout bracket structure
- Bracket format is determined by participant count
❌ Cannot skip knockout rounds
- Must complete all rounds sequentially
❌ Cannot have byes in group stage
- All groups must have 4 titles

Data Management

❌ Cannot import votes or results
- The setup form imports a lineup and settings only; JSON export leaves out votes
❌ Cannot merge tournaments
- Each tournament is independent

Permissions

❌ Cannot delegate specific permissions
- Only Admins and Moderators can manage
- No custom role configuration
❌ Cannot restrict voting to specific roles
- All server members can vote (if group is open)

Tips for Tournament Organizers

Before Starting

Plan your size - Straight bracket (2-32 titles) or groups tournament (4-12 groups)
Announce in advance - Build hype before creating tournament
Prepare title list - Have titles ready to add quickly
Test with small tournament - Practice with an 8-title straight bracket first

During Setup

Use custom images for better visual appeal
Add titles efficiently - Don't rush, but don't delay too long
Use /bracket-setup announce when ready to begin
Consider group waves - Open groups in batches (A-D, then E-H)

During Group Stage

Monitor participation - Use /bracket extend-voting if turnout is low
Engage community - Post reminders about open groups
Track votes - Check group vote counts before closing
Stagger group opening - Not all at once if server is large

During Knockout

Create suspense - Use /bracket open-matchup for spotlight matches
Use regions strategically - Open the 4 regions separately with /bracket open-matchup region:
Generate hype images - Use /image matchup:"Title A vs Title B" for key matchups
Post updates - Share bracket progress with community

Best Practices

✅ Use clear, descriptive tournament names
✅ Give reasonable voting windows (24-48h typically)
✅ Engage with participants in chat
✅ Use /bracket status frequently to track progress
✅ Announce winners publicly after each round
✅ Consider streaming Finals on voice chat

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Opening all groups at once (overwhelming)
❌ Setting too short voting periods
❌ Not announcing tournament start
❌ Closing voting too early (low participation)
❌ Not generating versus images for Finals

Bracket Command Reference ​

Quick Reference Table ​

Getting Started ​

/bracket help ​

Setup Commands ​

/bracket-setup create ​

/bracket-setup setup-link ​

/bracket-setup manage-titles ​

/bracket-setup resize ​

/bracket-setup announce ​

Smart Phase Commands ​

/bracket open ​

/bracket close ​

Group Stage Commands ​

/bracket open-groups ​

/bracket voting-post ​

/bracket my-votes ​

/bracket close-groups ​

/bracket regenerate ​

Knockout Commands ​

Regional Label System ​

/bracket open-matchup ​

/bracket close-matchup ​

/bracket resolve-tiebreaker ​

/bracket extend-voting ​

Utility Commands ​

/bracket status ​

/bracket list-groups ​

/bracket view ​

/bracket export ​

/bracket-setup edit-name ​

/bracket cancel ​

Tournament Size Examples ​

Example 1: Straight Bracket (8–32 titles) ​

Example 2: Small Groups Tournament (16 titles, 4 groups) ​

Example 3: Medium Groups Tournament (32 titles, 8 groups) ​

Example 4: Large Groups Tournament (40 titles, 10 groups) ​

Example 5: Maximum Groups Tournament (48 titles, 12 groups) ​

What's Possible ​

Tournament Types ​

Flexible Structure ​

Voting Options ​

Opening Strategies ​

Customization ​

Management Features ​

Visual Features ​

Limitations & Not Possible ​

Tournament Configuration ​

Voting Restrictions ​

Technical Limitations ​

Bracket Structure ​

Data Management ​

Permissions ​

Tips for Tournament Organizers ​

Before Starting ​

During Setup ​

During Group Stage ​

During Knockout ​

Best Practices ​

Common Mistakes to Avoid ​

Bracket Command Reference

Quick Reference Table

Getting Started

`/bracket help`

Setup Commands

`/bracket-setup create`

`/bracket-setup setup-link`

`/bracket-setup manage-titles`

`/bracket-setup resize`

`/bracket-setup announce`

Smart Phase Commands

`/bracket open`

`/bracket close`

Group Stage Commands

`/bracket open-groups`

`/bracket voting-post`

`/bracket my-votes`

`/bracket close-groups`

`/bracket regenerate`

Knockout Commands

Regional Label System

`/bracket open-matchup`

`/bracket close-matchup`

`/bracket resolve-tiebreaker`

`/bracket extend-voting`

Utility Commands

`/bracket status`

`/bracket list-groups`

`/bracket view`

`/bracket export`

`/bracket-setup edit-name`

`/bracket cancel`

Tournament Size Examples

Example 1: Straight Bracket (8–32 titles)

Example 2: Small Groups Tournament (16 titles, 4 groups)

Example 3: Medium Groups Tournament (32 titles, 8 groups)

Example 4: Large Groups Tournament (40 titles, 10 groups)

Example 5: Maximum Groups Tournament (48 titles, 12 groups)

What's Possible

Tournament Types

Flexible Structure

Voting Options

Opening Strategies

Customization

Management Features

Visual Features

Limitations & Not Possible

Tournament Configuration

Voting Restrictions

Technical Limitations

Bracket Structure

Data Management

Permissions

Tips for Tournament Organizers

Before Starting

During Setup

During Group Stage

During Knockout

Best Practices

Common Mistakes to Avoid