# React to Twitch Power-ups

Start a flow when a viewer uses a Power-up, built into Twitch or one you made, pick which one from your channel's own list, and thank them in chat or on stream.

Updated 4 October 2026

## Before you start

Power-ups are what viewers buy with Bits instead of cheering: Twitch's own **Message effect**, **Celebration** and **Gigantify an emote**, plus the custom Power-ups you make on Twitch. Start a flow on **Power-up used** to answer them with a chat message, a sound, an alert or anything else a flow can do. Responding to Power-ups is included on every plan, Free too.

Power-ups need Bits on your channel. Eligible channels can unlock Bits through Twitch’s monetization onboarding before becoming Affiliate. [Check which Twitch features your channel can use](https://bloopbot.com/docs/flow-basics#twitch-affiliate) explains onboarding, permissions and live checks. Keep your channel connected on [Connections](https://bloopbot.com/docs/permissions-and-cooldowns) so Bloopbot can read your custom Power-ups.

> **Cheers and Power-ups are separate triggers**
>
> **Bits cheered** runs only for cheers. A Power-up never starts it, so a cheer flow and a Power-up flow never both answer the same Bits.

## 1. Start a flow on Power-up used

1. Open **Flows** and choose **+ New flow**, then **Start blank**.
2. In **Add a node**, search for `power-up` and add **Power-up used**. This is the trigger: it decides which flows start when a viewer uses a Power-up.
3. Give the flow a name you will recognise later, such as “Power-up thanks”.

## 2. Pick the Power-up

Select the trigger and open its **Power-up** field. It lists:

- **Any Power-up**, to run for every Power-up;
- **Built into Twitch**: **Message effect**, **Celebration** and **Gigantify an emote**;
- **Your custom Power-ups**: the ones your channel has made on Twitch, read from Twitch when you open the editor, with what each costs in Bits.

![The Power-up used trigger's Power-up field open as a list: Any Power-up, the three Power-ups built into Twitch, and the channel's custom Power-ups Hydrate (50 bits) and 10 squats (300 bits).](https://bloopbot.com/docs/screenshots/power-up-picker.jpg)

_The Power-up field: Any Power-up, the three built into Twitch and the channel's own custom Power-ups with their Bits._

A custom Power-up is matched by its name, whatever its capitals. If you rename it on Twitch, the field shows the old name marked **(not on Twitch now)**; pick the new name to repair the flow. If the field cannot read your custom Power-ups it says why, and you can type the name exactly as it appears on Twitch.

## 3. Say something back

Add a **Send a chat message** action and connect it to the trigger’s **next** output. The **Insert…** menu on that action offers what the Power-up carried:

| Token | What it says |
| --- | --- |
| `$(user)` | Who used it |
| `$(powerup)` | The Power-up’s name, such as _Gigantify an emote_ or your custom Power-up’s name |
| `$(bits)` | How many Bits it cost |
| `$(query)` | The text the viewer typed, for a custom Power-up that asks for it |
| `$(emote)` | The emote it used: the one gigantified, or the one a custom Power-up unlocked |
| `$(kind)` | `power_up` for one built into Twitch, `custom_power_up` for one you made |

For example:

```
$(user) spent $(bits) Bits on $(powerup)! Thank you!
```

To play a sound or show something on stream instead, add a **Play media** or **Show alert** step after the trigger, as in [Play a sound or show an alert](https://bloopbot.com/docs/reward-redemptions#sound).

## Check it works

1. Press **Save**, then **Test fire**. Choose the sample: **Power-up: Bitsybot gigantifies an emote** or **Custom Power-up: Bitsybot redeems Hydrate**. A test fire is a dry run, so nothing reaches chat or Twitch.
2. The samples are a gigantified emote and a custom Power-up called _Hydrate_. A flow set to a different Power-up stops at its trigger with _a different Power-up (…)_; leave **Power-up** on **Any Power-up** while you test, then pick yours again before you switch the flow on.
3. Use the Power-up yourself on Twitch to confirm the live path. The flow’s row on Flows shows when it last ran.

## Troubleshooting

- A cheer flow stopped answering Power-ups: that is expected. **Bits cheered** runs only for cheers; start a flow on **Power-up used** for Power-ups.
- Nothing happened when a Power-up was used: the flow is paused, the Power-up was renamed on Twitch since you picked it, or the field names a different Power-up. Check **Needs attention** on Flows for what stopped.
- Your custom Power-ups are not listed: read the reason under the field. For missing permission, choose **Re-authorize** on **Connections**, then reload. A channel with no custom Power-ups yet is told to make one on Twitch.
- `$(query)` or `$(emote)` comes out empty: only a custom Power-up that asks for text carries `$(query)`, and only Power-ups that use an emote carry `$(emote)`.