AntiHyperlinkBot: Link-Free Chats

You open your chat and see three messages in a row advertising "easy income" with a link to a shady site. Deleting them by hand is tiresome, and checking the group every ten minutes is impossible. AntiHyperlinkBot takes this routine off your hands. 🧹

The bot has one job, clearly stated in its description: it removes messages containing hyperlinks, meaning both plain URLs and links hidden under text.

One task and no extra settings

Many moderation bots grow dozens of filters that are hard to figure out. Here the approach is minimal: found a link, removed the message.

For chats where links are not needed at all, that is exactly right. For example, small interest groups where people want live conversation rather than ads. 🎯

What counts as a link

• URL in the text: a website address typed straight into the message.
• Text link: a word or phrase with an address hidden behind it. Spammers love this trick because it looks harmless.

The bot reacts to both kinds. That matters for an admin: simply searching the text for the start of an address would not be enough.

Connected in five minutes

1. Add the bot to your group.
2. Make it an administrator with the right to delete messages. No other rights are needed.
3. Ask an acquaintance who is not an admin to post a test link.
4. Confirm that the message disappears.
5. Warn members in a pinned message that links are banned in the chat.

Admin rights: grant only what is needed

The bot only needs the right to delete messages. There is no reason to let it ban users, edit group info or add administrators.

The principle is simple: fewer rights mean less risk if something happens to the bot. 🔒

When a bot like this gets in the way

If your chat is used to sharing articles, a ban on every link gets old fast. Members will complain, and useful material will vanish together with the spam.

In such groups, pick more flexible tools with domain allowlists. AntiHyperlinkBot shines where links are not wanted at all.

How not to upset honest members

• Announce the rule: pin a message saying links are banned and why.
• Offer an alternative: for example, suggest sharing materials in a separate channel.
• Do not punish newcomers: a deleted message is signal enough.
• Check weekly: make sure the bot is still there and its rights have not been revoked.

What else helps against spam

A link remover does not solve spam entirely: mailings also come without links, with usernames and phone numbers. Combine it with a screening of new members and a ban on media for newcomers. 🛡

If a project has not been updated for a long time, test how it behaves in your chat before relying on it fully.