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

# Member Counters

> Display live server stats directly in Discord channel names — member count, online count, and more.

Member Counters create read-only voice channels in your Discord server whose names update automatically every 10 minutes with live stats. No commands, no bots to trigger — the number is always visible in your channel list.

<Card title="Open in Apetopia →" href="https://apetopia.co/dashboard/discord/member-counters">
  Go directly to this feature in your dashboard.
</Card>

## Setting up a counter channel

There are two available counter types, each with its own card:

| Counter            | What it shows                                                  |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Total Members**  | All members currently in your server                           |
| **Online Members** | Members with an active presence (online, idle, do not disturb) |

To activate one:

1. Go to **Community → Member Counters**
2. Toggle on the counter type you want
3. Customize the channel name template using the `{count}` placeholder
4. Click **Create channel** — the bot creates the voice channel immediately with the current value

The channel will appear in your Discord server and update on its own every 10 minutes.

<Warning>
  You must have the [bot connected](/community/bot-setup) to your server before creating counter channels.
</Warning>

## Channel name templates

Use `{count}` anywhere in the template and it will be replaced with the live number.

**Examples:**

```
👥 Members: {count}
🟢 Online now: {count}
Total: {count} members
```

The template field is editable before the channel is created. Once the channel is active, the template is locked — delete the channel and recreate it if you want to change the format.

Discord channel names are limited to 100 characters. Emoji work great for making counters visually distinct.

## How updates work

* Counters refresh every **10 minutes** automatically
* The update is powered by Discord's `approximate_member_count` and `approximate_presence_count` fields from the guild API
* If a channel is deleted from Discord directly, Apetopia will detect the 404 on the next update cycle and remove the stale entry from your config

## Removing a counter

Toggle off the counter or click **Delete channel** in the active card. This deletes the channel from your Discord server and removes the counter from your config.

## Troubleshooting

**The channel isn't updating**

* Make sure the bot has **Manage Channels** permission in your server
* Check that the bot is still a member of your server (**Community → Bot Setup**)
* The update cycle runs every 10 minutes — the first update after creation may take a few minutes

**Online count shows — or a very low number**

The online count uses Discord's presence approximation, which requires the **Guild Presences** privileged intent to be enabled on the bot. If the intent is not enabled, the value will show as `—`.

**I deleted the channel in Discord but it still shows as active**

Toggle it off in the dashboard to remove the entry. Apetopia will also clean it up automatically on the next update cycle when it detects the channel no longer exists.