Abandoned tickets clutter your channel list and hide the ones that need attention. Auto-closing fixes that: a ticket bot closes a ticket when the member has stopped replying for a set time, or when they've left the server. This guide explains how to choose a fair timeout, what to tell members, and how to turn on both triggers in Better Tickets.
Why tickets get abandoned
- The member's problem fixed itself and they never said so.
- They asked and left, and never saw the reply.
- They left the server entirely.
- Staff answered and are waiting on information that never comes.
Each one leaves an open channel that someone has to notice and close by hand.
Pick a fair timeout
| Ticket type | Suggested wait |
|---|---|
| Quick questions | 6 to 12 hours |
| General support | 12 to 24 hours |
| Reports and appeals | Close manually |
| Billing and orders | Close manually, or the maximum |
Two rules of thumb: wait at least as long as it takes a member in another time zone to wake up and reply, and never auto-close a category where silence might mean the member is waiting on you.
Tell members before it happens
Auto-closing feels fair when people know about it. Put it in the ticket's welcome message:
Thanks for opening a ticket! A staff member will reply soon.
-# Tickets with no reply from you for 24 hours are closed automatically.Set up auto-close in Better Tickets
Open the category's Automation tab
In the dashboard, go to Tickets → Panels → Configure → Automation.
Turn on Auto-close on no response
Set how long the member can be silent before the ticket closes. The range is 20 seconds to 1 day, and the default is 1 hour.
Turn on Auto delete on leave
This closes a member's open tickets when they leave the server.
Choose what auto-closing does
Both triggers follow the category's Close behaviour by default. You can give each one its own, for example keeping no-response tickets reopenable while deleting tickets of members who left.
What happens when it triggers
The ticket is closed exactly as if staff had closed it. With the default behavior, a signed transcript is saved to your transcript channel and the ticket channel is deleted. With Close (not delete), the channel is kept and the member loses access; see how to reopen a closed ticket.
Clean up kept tickets too
If a category keeps closed tickets instead of deleting them, set Auto-delete after. A kept ticket that nobody reopens or deletes is then removed after that time, from 5 seconds up to 30 days, with a transcript saved first if you've set a transcript destination.
When not to auto-close
- Sensitive tickets, such as harassment reports, where a silent member may be scared rather than finished.
- Tickets waiting on staff. The timer watches the member's silence, so a ticket can close while staff are still investigating.
- Appeals, where closing without an answer looks like a refusal.
Jail tickets don't use these settings. They're opened by staff and closed by staff.
Frequently asked questions
Can Discord tickets close automatically?
Yes, if your ticket bot supports it. Better Tickets can close a ticket when the member hasn't replied for a set time, and when the member leaves the server.
How long should I wait before auto-closing a ticket?
Long enough for a member in another time zone to answer. 12 to 24 hours suits most support tickets. Better Tickets accepts anything from 20 seconds to 1 day, and defaults to 1 hour.
What happens to a ticket that's auto-closed?
It follows the category's close behavior, so by default a transcript is saved and the channel is deleted. Each auto-close trigger can use a different behavior if you prefer.
Will auto-close delete a ticket while staff are still working on it?
The no-response timer is based on the member's silence, not staff activity. If staff need more time on their side, use a longer timeout or keep that category on manual closing.
What happens to tickets when a member leaves the server?
With Auto delete on leave turned on, Better Tickets closes that member's open tickets automatically, so staff aren't left with a channel nobody can reply to.