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Twitch: Timeout User

Published 31 Jul 2026

Time a viewer out of your Twitch chat when an alert fires. Set the duration to zero and it becomes a permanent ban.

What You Need

  • A Twitch account connected in TipLink (Platforms page → Twitch (Your Channel)).
  • That account must have moderator permissions in the channel.

Quick Start

  1. Create or edit an alert.
  2. Add the Twitch: Timeout User action. It is under Chat Messages.
  3. Choose your Twitch Account.
  4. Set the Target Username to {{ username }} to time out whoever triggered the alert.
  5. Set the Duration.
  6. Save and test carefully.

Configuration Options

SettingDescriptionDefault
Select Twitch AccountThe account that issues the timeout. Needs moderator permissions.-
Target UsernameThe Twitch username to time out. Accepts placeholders, so {{ username }} targets whoever triggered the alert.-
Duration (seconds)How long the timeout lasts, from 1 to 1,209,600 seconds (14 days). Set to 0 for a permanent ban.60
Reason (optional)Shown in your Twitch moderation log. Accepts placeholders.-

Duration reference

SecondsLength
601 minute
60010 minutes
36001 hour
864001 day
120960014 days (the maximum)
0Permanent ban
Zero means banned, not "no timeout"

A duration of 0 permanently bans the viewer. Double-check this field before saving, especially on an alert viewers can trigger.


Common Uses

A chat command with consequences

  • Trigger: Chat Message matching your banned phrase
  • Target Username: {{ username }}
  • Duration: 60

A points redemption that times out a friend

  • Trigger: Points Redemptions, Viewer Redeemed Points, filtered to your Timeout redemption
  • Target Username: a fixed name, or a placeholder from the redemption
  • Duration: 300

Price it high and give it a long cooldown.

Timing out the person who redeemed

  • Trigger: Channel Points Reward Redemption
  • Target Username: {{ username }}
  • Duration: 120

Safety

This action moderates real people, so treat it more carefully than the rest.

  • Put a cooldown on the alert. See Cooldowns & Rate Limiting.
  • Consider restricting the trigger to subscribers, VIPs or moderators. See Triggers.
  • Never attach a permanent ban to anything a viewer can set off.
  • Test with a duration of 1 first, so you can confirm it works without punishing anyone.
Moderators and the broadcaster cannot be timed out

Twitch rejects timeouts aimed at channel moderators or at you. The action will report a failure on the Activity page.


Troubleshooting

Every attempt fails

Check the connected account has moderator permissions in the channel. Reconnect the account if you granted permissions recently.

It failed on one particular viewer

They are probably a moderator, or already banned.

The username came out blank

{{ username }} is only present on events that have a sender. It will be empty on things like stream started or ad break events. Check the event's detail view on the Activity page.