What tools does a Whatnot moderator get?

A mod on Whatnot can use four chat commands (/announce, /hide, /slow and /raid), remove someone from the show, see muted chat messages, open the viewer list with its Activity tab of raids, follows, tips, wins and purchases, and filter the chat to Questions, Buyers, Mods or Muted.

What can't a Whatnot moderator do?

Some controls stay with the seller. Only the seller can pin a listing, and settings like the show's muted words are set by the seller when they schedule the show. Mods also don't see the host's show stats of running sales and orders; those are for hosts and co-hosts.

What happens when a mod removes someone from a Whatnot show?

They can't rejoin, chat or bid for the rest of that show, and they can't be added back to it. It isn't a Whatnot ban: they can still watch other sellers and the same seller's future shows. On the web the button is labeled Ban from live.

Are there free tools for Whatnot mods?

Yes. Backstage Sidekick is a free helper for Whatnot mods, co-hosts and sellers, as a Chrome side panel or an iPhone and iPad app. It adds a deck of one-tap chat phrases with a separate phrase set for each seller you mod for, size and brand chips, a who-to-thank checklist for raids, tips, sponsors and giveaway winners, a prebid radar and a name list. A tap can send straight to chat or copy the phrase, and /announce or /hide post it as a highlighted or hidden message. The phrases are color-coded by mode: yellow goes to chat, red goes to chat hidden, green copies.

Should a mod post the same messages over and over?

No. Whatnot's own moderator guidelines ask mods to avoid spamming and sending repetitive messages. Ready-made phrases save typing, but use them when they fit the moment, not on a loop.

The Whatnot Moderator Toolkit: Built-In Tools, Setup and a Show-Night Checklist

Everything a Whatnot mod works with during a live show: the tools Whatnot builds in, what only the seller can do, how to set up before the show, and a checklist for show night. Plus the free tools that fill the gaps.

A good Whatnot mod does three jobs at once: keeps the chat safe, keeps it moving, and makes sure nobody who deserves a thank-you gets missed. Here is everything you work with, what Whatnot gives you, what stays with the seller, and a checklist for show night.

What Whatnot gives moderators

A seller nominates you as a mod for their shows. Once you are, Whatnot gives you:

Four chat commands. /announce highlights a message, /hide posts a message only the seller and mods can see, /slow sets a cooldown between chat messages, and /raid @username sends viewers to another live show when this one ends. Mod commands explained has examples of each.
Remove from show. Tap a username and choose Remove from show (on the web it’s Ban from live). They can’t rejoin, chat or bid for the rest of that show, and can’t be added back. It isn’t a Whatnot-wide ban.
Muted messages. Chat muted by Whatnot or by the seller’s muted words is hidden from viewers, but mods can see it, so you can judge whether it needs action.
The viewer list. Tap the viewer count to see who’s watching, plus an Activity tab of raids, new followers, tips, auction wins and purchases.
Chat filters. Narrow the chat to Questions, Buyers, Mods or Muted. Questions are also highlighted in yellow.

What stays with the seller

Pinning a listing. Only the seller can pin.
Show settings like muted words, verified buyers only, and turning off pre-bids.
Show stats, the running sales and order totals, are for hosts and co-hosts.
Giveaways, auctions and the show itself. You can hype them; the seller runs them.

Knowing the line saves time mid-show: if something needs pinning or a setting changed, use /hide to tell the seller.

Setting up before the show

Get added. The seller adds you when they schedule the show, or during the show from your username in chat (“Allow to Moderate”).
Agree the ground rules with the seller: what gets a warning, what gets a removal, how they want giveaways hyped, and who the raid goes to at the end.
Know the lineup. Skim the show’s listings so you can answer size and condition questions without asking.
Open your tools. Whatnot in one place, and if you use a helper like Sidekick, have it open beside the show before it starts.
Load your phrases. Welcome lines, follow and bookmark reminders, giveaway hype, and the size callouts this seller’s category uses. If you mod for more than one seller, keep a separate phrase set for each.

Sidekick's phrase deck, with the On tap switch set to Send, Copy or Build and the /announce and /hide buttons. — Sidekick's phrase deck. The On tap switch picks Send, Copy or Build, with /announce and /hide beside it.

A Sidekick phrase set exported to a spreadsheet, with a Category and a Phrase column. — A phrase set exported to a spreadsheet. Edit it there and import it back.

Show-night checklist

As the show starts

Welcome people by @username as they arrive.
Remind viewers to follow and bookmark.

During the show

Answer questions first; they’re buyers deciding.
Watch the Questions and Buyers filters when chat gets busy.
Use /slow if chat is moving too fast to read, and check with the seller on the setting.
Warn before you remove. Whatnot’s guidelines ask mods to remove someone only when their actions warrant it or the seller asks, never for disagreeing.
Use /hide for anything the seller needs to know but viewers don’t.
Keep phrases varied. Whatnot asks mods to avoid spamming and repetitive messages.

Sidekick's Sizes and Brands tab with women's, men's, kids and shoes sizes. — Size callouts one tap away: women's, men's, kids and shoes, with your favorites pinned at the top.

The moments that matter

Raids: thank the raider by name while their viewers are still arriving.
Tips: thank the tipper by name.
Giveaway winners: congratulate them. Don’t ask whether they’re present; Whatnot’s rules say sellers can’t, and winners who left the show are already removed from the draw.
Sponsors (viewers who buy a giveaway for the chat): shout them out when their giveaway runs.
First-time buyers: a quick welcome goes a long way.

Sidekick's who-to-thank list. — Sidekick's who-to-thank list: raids, tips, sponsors and giveaway winners in the order they arrived.

At the end

Confirm the raid target with the seller before the last item. On a raid train, Sidekick’s Train tab shows who’s up next.
Check that nobody is still owed a thank-you.

Free tools that fill the gaps

Whatnot’s tools cover moderation. What they don’t do is keep a running list of who you still need to thank, or save you typing the same welcome for the fiftieth time. That’s what Backstage Sidekick is for, free:

A phrase deck: ready-to-post lines, all editable, with emoji. A tap sends the phrase straight to chat, or switch to Copy and paste it yourself. Turn on /announce or /hide to post it as a highlighted message or one only the seller and mods see. Every phrase is outlined in the mode’s color so you always know what a tap will do: yellow goes to chat, red goes to chat hidden, green copies. Build mode collects several taps into one message.
Phrase sets: a separate deck for each seller you mod for, switched with one tap. Export a set to a spreadsheet, edit it, and import it back.
Sizes and brands: women’s, men’s and kids’ sizes on chips, plus the brands you sell, with your favorites first.
A who-to-thank checklist: raids, tips, sponsors and giveaway winners in the order they arrived, with a clock showing who’s been waiting. Check each one off.
Catch up: open it mid-show and it pulls in everyone already owed a shout-out.
A prebid radar: the listings already getting bids, one tap from a hype line.
A name list: collects everyone who types a watch word, like DONE.
Raid trains: a Train tab with the live running order and countdown for a Raid Train Express train, plus one-tap handoff lines. More below.
Show views on iPhone: Sidekick opens your show above its panel, with three views of it. Phone is Whatnot’s normal layout, Video zooms in on just the video, and Chat zooms in on just the chat, big enough to read and type in. The padlock keeps the zoom where it is; unlock it, pinch to the spot you want and lock it there. Make the Sidekick panel bigger or smaller, or hide it to see the whole show; while it’s tucked away it shows how many people are still waiting on a thank-you. On iPad, Sidekick sits beside the show instead.

Sidekick's prebid radar listing three items already holding bids. — The prebid radar: listings already holding bids, one tap from a hype line.

Sidekick's name list watching chat for the word DONE and collecting usernames. — The name list watching chat for DONE and collecting each @username.

Modding a raid train

Enter the train’s Raid Train Express tracking number on Sidekick’s Train tab and it shows the running order live: who’s on now, who’s up next and a countdown to every handoff, with a Go to their show button and the train’s notes and rules. A Raid train category in the phrase deck adds one-tap lines to welcome the show, hype the shop and giveaway, thank the host and repost the lineup. Raid Train Express is our partner and a free raid train scheduler: find a train to join on the Raid Train Express schedule, or build your own there. For questions about a specific train, see the Raid Train Express help center. The full walkthrough: Sidekick with Raid Train Express.

Sidekick's Train tab: a raid train's running order with who is live, who is up next and a countdown to each handoff. — Sidekick's Train tab: who's live, who's up next, and a countdown to every handoff.

What a tap will do, at a glance

Every phrase is outlined in the color of the mode you’re in, so you never post something the wrong way by accident.

Sidekick's phrase deck with Send and /announce on: every phrase is outlined in yellow. — Yellow: a tap goes straight to chat. Here /announce is on, so it posts as a highlighted announcement.

Sidekick's phrase deck with Send and /hide on: every phrase is outlined in red. — Red: /hide is on, so a tap posts a message only the seller and mods can see.

Sidekick's phrase deck in Copy mode: every phrase is outlined in green. — Green: Copy mode. A tap copies the phrase so you can paste it yourself.

It runs as a Chrome side panel or as a free iPhone and iPad app.

Next steps

The commands, with examples: Whatnot mod commands explained.
The people side: how to be a good Whatnot moderator.
Get the free helper: Backstage Sidekick.