# Diagnose command access with /debug

> Find out why Aethor may allow or deny a command for your account

Run `/debug command:<name>` in Discord to see why a command may be allowed or denied for your account. The response is private and describes the checks for the server and channel where you ran it.

<Cmd cmd="/debug command:suggest" />

`/debug` does not change permission rules, command visibility, server configuration or suggestion state. It reads the same capability decision used by Aethor when the target command runs.

## Run a diagnosis

1. Open the server and channel where you expect to use the target command.
2. Run `/debug` and choose a top-level command from the `command` autocomplete list. For a subcommand such as `/suggestion edit`, choose `suggestion`.
3. Read the private report. Failed checks appear before warnings, followed by checks that passed.
4. Correct the named problem, then run the same diagnosis again.

For a server-specific result, run the check inside that server. A direct message can confirm that a command is registered, but it cannot evaluate server membership, roles, channel context or server configuration.

<discord-messages class="not-prose">
	<discord-message profile="aethor" ephemeral>
		<discord-embed slot="embeds" embed-title="Debug /suggest" color="#5865f2">
			<discord-embed-description slot="description">2 issue(s) found.<br /><br />❌ You need one of these roles: @Suggestion Team<br />⚠ Aethor is missing Send Messages in #suggestions<br />✅ The command is registered and served by Aethor.</discord-embed-description>
		</discord-embed>
	</discord-message>
</discord-messages>

The report is specific to the person who ran it. A role that passes an access check does not prove that every member with that role will pass, because ownership, membership, Discord permissions and server state can differ.

## What the report checks

### Command registration

The command must be registered in the Aethor environment. If the name is unknown, the report says so. The autocomplete list contains the published top-level commands, not every subcommand as a separate entry.

### Your access

For a server capability, Aethor evaluates the current member against the same rule used by the target command. The result can identify:

- a missing Discord permission;
- a missing selected role;
- a required Discord permission missing from Aethor's server permissions;
- a Premium requirement;
- missing server membership;
- a server that is not available to the current Aethor environment; or
- Discord data that is unavailable or cannot be evaluated safely.

The **Access** tab in <a href={DASHBOARD_URL}>Settings → Permissions</a> is the better tool when you want to compare several members, inspect a role, or review every capability at once.

### Feature setup and health

Suggestion commands can report that no suggestion setup is configured. A server manager can create one with `/setup create`.

Suggestion commands can also report a problem with the suggestion or review-queue destination. Check the [suggestion setup guide](/docs/suggestions/create-suggestions-channel) or [review queue guide](/docs/suggestions/review-queue) for the relevant configuration.

Feature-health checks depend on the selected command and your access to the corresponding dashboard information. If that information is unavailable, the report omits those health checks. Use `/status` for Aethor's broader service and database status.

### Submission protection

Suggestion submission checks can report a user-visible block such as a temporary cooldown, an open-submission limit or a membership requirement. Aethor applies these protections automatically. Follow the recovery message in the report and retry after the condition is resolved.

Running the diagnosis does not count as a blocked submission or consume a submission cooldown.

Content-dependent checks cannot be fully evaluated before a suggestion is submitted. `/debug` does not ask for or publish the text of a future submission.

## Fix the common results

### A role or Discord permission is missing

Open **Settings → Permissions → Access** in the dashboard and check the affected person or role. If the rule uses selected roles, edit the relevant group or action override. If it uses Discord permissions, update the member's Discord role instead.

If the report names a permission Aethor needs, update Aethor's Discord role or the channel's permissions. Giving the member another role does not fix a bot-permission failure.

Read [Troubleshoot permission access](/docs/permissions/troubleshooting) when the result changes unexpectedly or the page is read-only.

### Discord hides the command

Discord's command picker and Aethor's runtime authorization are separate. A command can be valid at runtime but hidden in Discord, or visible in Discord and denied by Aethor.

Check the **Command visibility** section on **Settings → Permissions**. Read [Discord command visibility](/docs/permissions/command-visibility) before enabling or repairing the optional sync.

### Setup or destination health fails

Open the relevant setup in the dashboard or run `/setup modify` in Discord. Confirm that the configured channels still exist and that Aethor can use them. If a review queue is enabled, confirm that its queue channel is still available to Aethor.

### The diagnosis itself is private

This is intentional. Access results can name roles, permissions, channel locations and server configuration. `/debug` replies ephemerally so it does not expose those details to the channel.

## Limits of `/debug`

- A report with no issues is not a guarantee that the command will succeed. Channel permission overrides and checks requiring the command's full input may still block it.
- It diagnoses the account and context that invoke it. It is not an administrator override.
- It evaluates a top-level command. Discord command visibility also applies at the top-level command, even when Aethor protects individual subcommands with different capabilities.
- It reports the checks available before the target command runs. It cannot predict a result that depends on text, an attachment, a selected menu value or a target object that has not been supplied yet.
- It does not make a hidden command visible, grant a role, add Discord permissions, enable Premium or repair a missing channel.

## Related guides

<div class="not-prose doc-link-card-grid">
	<DocLinkCard
		href="/docs/permissions"
		eyebrow="Permissions"
		title="Permissions and capabilities"
		description="Understand role rules, action overrides, bot requirements and Premium checks."
	/>
	<DocLinkCard
		href="/docs/permissions/troubleshooting"
		eyebrow="Troubleshooting"
		title="Resolve access problems"
		description="Work through denials, stale data, missing roles and command-sync failures."
	/>
	<DocLinkCard
		href="/docs/permissions/command-visibility"
		eyebrow="Discord"
		title="Command visibility"
		description="Understand why Discord shows or hides a slash command."
	/>
</div>