# Use your own bot account

Make Bloopbot speak in your chat under a Twitch account you made for it, instead of the shared bot.

Updated 24 September 2026

## What changes

Out of the box, Bloopbot talks in your chat as a shared bot account. With your own bot account linked, every chat reply, announcement and moderation action from your flows comes from a name you chose instead — _MyChannelBot_, say. Your flows, commands and widgets stay exactly as they are; only the name in chat changes.

Your own bot account is not available on every channel yet. Open **Flows → Your plan** and look for **Your own bot account** under **Install resources** — [What your plan includes](https://bloopbot.com/docs/what-your-plan-includes) explains the panel. When your channel does not include it, your **Links** page has no **Bot account** section, and the shared bot keeps speaking for you.

## Before you start

- A second Twitch account for the bot, made on Twitch itself. Bloopbot does not create one. Use an account you control and can sign in to; its name is the one viewers will see.
- You must be the channel owner. Editors can see the **Bot account** section, but its buttons are only there for the owner.
- Be ready to sign in to Twitch as the bot rather than as yourself.

## 1. Open the Bot account section

Open **Links** in the sidebar, under Setup. In the list on the left, choose **Bot account**. The card shows which account joins your chat now, whether it is your channel’s own pick or the default, and a status: **Connected**, **Needs Reauth** or **Not Linked**.

## 2. Link the bot account

1. Choose **Link a bot account** (it reads **Link a different bot account** once one is linked).
2. Twitch asks you to sign in and authorize Bloopbot. Sign in **as the bot account**, not your streaming account. If Twitch signs you straight in as yourself, sign out on twitch.tv first, then choose **Link a bot account** again.
3. Accept every permission Twitch lists. The bot needs all of them to read and send chat, make clips and act as a moderator.
4. You return to **Links**. The card now says the bot joins your chat as your bot’s name, _picked for this channel_.

## 3. Make it a moderator

The card reminds you to run the moderator command for the new name. In your own Twitch chat, send it with your bot’s login:

```
/mod mychannelbot
```

> **Use your bot’s real name**
>
> `mychannelbot` is a placeholder. Copy the login from the card. Linking the account and making it a moderator are separate steps: until you run the command, moderation flows and anything else that needs a moderator fail for the new account.

## Check it works

1. Make sure a simple command flow is on — [Create your first chat command](https://bloopbot.com/docs/first-command) sets one up.
2. Type the command, such as `!hello`, in your Twitch chat.
3. The reply comes from your bot’s name. This is a live check: it posts in your real chat.

**Test fire** in the flow editor proves a flow’s wiring but posts nothing, so it cannot show which account speaks.

## Switch back or change accounts

- **Use the default bot** returns your channel to the shared bot. Your account stays linked, so you can pick it again later.
- **Switch to another linked account** lists the other bot accounts you have linked; choose one to move your chat to it.
- To move to a brand-new bot, choose **Link a different bot account** and sign in as that account. Run `/mod` for the new name afterwards.

## Troubleshooting

- **Missing Permissions** after signing in: a permission was not accepted on the Twitch page. Choose **Link a bot account** again and accept every one.
- The Twitch account is _already linked as a bot account here_: someone else linked it first, and only they can re-link it. Nothing was changed; make a different account for your bot.
- **Needs Reauth**, or the card says your bot account needs re-linking: its sign-in has expired. Choose **Link a different bot account** and sign in as the same bot account to renew it.
- The card lists missing newer permissions: choose **Re-link it** in that warning and sign in as the bot to grant them.
- The bot replies but cannot time out, delete messages or run a nuke: it is not a moderator yet. Run `/mod` with its name.
- There is no **Bot account** section on Links: your channel does not include your own bot account yet, or you are an editor rather than the owner. The shared bot keeps working either way.
- _This link was started from a different sign-in_: the Twitch round trip must finish in the same browser, signed in to the same dashboard, that started it. Start again from **Links**.