Permission Split Update + Timeline

[colinloretz]

We have some important permission changes that will take effect in February 2026.

The introduction of the following permissions were non-breaking changes.

However, the breaking changes described below - where the old permissions will no longer grant these abilities - will take effect on February 23, 2026. These changes involve a few permissions that we split from their original permission to provide more granular control over bot and user actions.

What's Changing?

1. Pin Messages Permission

• The PIN_MESSAGES permission (1 << 51) was split from MANAGE_MESSAGES on August 20, 2025.
• Read the change log.
• Starting February 23, 2026, bots will need the PIN_MESSAGES permission to pin messages. MANAGE_MESSAGES alone will no longer be sufficient.

2. Bypass Slowmode Permission

• The BYPASS_SLOWMODE permission (1 << 52) is being split from MANAGE_MESSAGES, MANAGE_CHANNEL and MANAGE_THREADS.
• Read the change log.
• Note: This primarily affects users, as bots are not affected by slowmode restrictions.
• Starting on February 23, 2026, users will need the BYPASS_SLOWMODE permission to not be affected by slowmode restrictions.

3. Create Expressions Permission

• The CREATE_GUILD_EXPRESSIONS permission (1 << 43) was created in July 2023 and split from MANAGE_GUILD_EXPRESSIONS for users in December 2023. Read the change log.
• As of today, bots now have access to the CREATE_GUILD_EXPRESSIONS permission.
• Read the change log.
• Starting on February 23, 2026, bots will need the CREATE_GUILD_EXPRESSIONS permission to create custom emoji and stickers. MANAGE_GUILD_EXPRESSIONS alone will no longer be sufficient.

4. Create Events Permission

• The CREATE_EVENTS permission (1 << 44) was created in July 2023 and split from MANAGE_EVENTS for users in December 2023. Read the change log.
• As of today, bots now have access to the CREATE_EVENTS permission.
• Read the change log.
• Starting on February 23, 2026, bots will need the CREATE_EVENTS permission to create scheduled events. MANAGE_EVENTS alone will no longer be sufficient.

What Do You Need to Do?

If your bot performs any of the following actions, please review and update your bot's permission requests before February 23, 2026:

• Pins messages: Request the Pin Messages permission
• Creates custom emoji or stickers: Request the Create Expressions permission
• Creates scheduled events: Request the Create Events permission

These changes are designed to give server administrators more control over what bots and users can do, ensuring better security and permission management.