> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brewbot.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Polls

> Create native Discord polls from the dashboard — schedule them, track live results, and manage active polls.

<Info>
  This is a **premium feature**. [Upgrade your plan](/getting-started/billing) to access it.
</Info>

Polls lets you create native Discord polls directly from the BrewBot dashboard. Post a poll immediately or schedule it for later, then track live results — vote counts and percentages — without leaving the dashboard.

## Create a poll

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the dashboard">
    Go to the [BrewBot Dashboard](https://brewbot.gg) and select your server.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Navigate to Polls">
    Open the **Polls** page from the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a channel">
    Choose the text or announcement channel where the poll will be posted.

    <Warning>
      Voice channels are not supported. The channel picker only shows text and announcement channels.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your question">
    Enter a poll question (up to 300 characters).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add answer options">
    Add between 2 and 10 answer options. Each option can include an optional custom emoji — paste a custom emoji code (e.g. `<:emoji_name:id>`) or an emoji name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure poll settings">
    * **Multiple choice** — toggle on to let members select more than one answer (off by default)
    * **Duration** — choose how long the poll stays open: 1 hour, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, or 1 week
  </Step>

  <Step title="Post or schedule">
    Choose **Post now** to send the poll immediately, or **Schedule for later** and pick a future date and time. Scheduled polls are posted automatically when the time arrives.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Poll statuses

Once created, each poll moves through a lifecycle shown by a color-coded status badge on the dashboard:

| Status        | Color  | Description                                                            |
| ------------- | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Scheduled** | Blue   | Poll is queued and will post at the scheduled time                     |
| **Active**    | Green  | Poll is live on Discord and accepting votes                            |
| **Ended**     | Yellow | Poll duration expired or was ended early                               |
| **Failed**    | Red    | Poll could not be posted (e.g. missing permissions or deleted channel) |
| **Canceled**  | Gray   | Scheduled poll was canceled before posting                             |

***

## Manage polls

The dashboard organizes your polls by status — active, scheduled, failed, and history — so you can manage them at a glance.

* **View live results** — click a posted poll to see vote counts and percentages for each option in real time
* **End a poll early** — close an active poll before its duration expires. The final results are preserved.
* **Cancel a scheduled poll** — remove a scheduled poll before it posts to Discord

<Note>
  Once a poll has ended or been canceled, it cannot be restarted. Create a new poll instead.
</Note>

***

## Settings reference

| Setting             | Description                                    | Constraints                                           |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Question**        | The poll question displayed to voters          | Required, max 300 characters                          |
| **Answer options**  | The choices voters can pick from               | 2–10 options required                                 |
| **Custom emoji**    | Optional emoji shown next to each option       | One emoji per option                                  |
| **Multiple choice** | Allow selecting more than one answer           | Off by default                                        |
| **Duration**        | How long the poll stays open for votes         | 1 hour, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, or 1 week |
| **Channel**         | Where the poll is posted                       | Text or announcement channel only                     |
| **Post mode**       | Post immediately or schedule for a future time | Required                                              |

***

## Permissions required

| Permission        | Used for                               |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| **Send Messages** | Posting the poll to the target channel |
| **Embed Links**   | Rendering the poll embed               |

<Warning>
  Make sure the bot has both permissions in the channel you select. If the bot cannot send messages to that channel, the poll will fail and show a **Failed** status on the dashboard.
</Warning>

***

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I create polls from a slash command?">
    No. Polls are managed entirely from the dashboard. There is no slash command for creating or managing polls.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I edit a poll after posting it?">
    No. Once a poll is posted to Discord, the question and answer options cannot be changed. You can end the poll early and create a new one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if the bot loses permissions in the target channel?">
    The poll will fail to post and its status will show as **Failed** on the dashboard. Grant the bot the required permissions and create a new poll.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use polls without premium?">
    No. Polls require an active premium subscription. See [pricing](/getting-started/billing) for plan details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to a scheduled poll if the channel is deleted?">
    The poll will fail when the scheduled time arrives. Its status will change to **Failed** on the dashboard.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do polls work in voice channels?">
    No. Polls can only be posted to text channels and announcement channels.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>