What is HAL?

Currently in private beta, HAL (@thisishalbot) is an anti-spam bot that uses federation partners and expression filters to fight spam. It also has an anti-duplication feature, and has the ability to block instant-replies to channel posts — 100% of the time, those are spam. HAL can clean service messages and bot commands, too. It is configurable to a certain degree, with more features and configurability coming later down the line.

Is HAL free?

In private and public betas, yes, HAL will be free. Additionally, HAL’s anti-spam feature will always be free. Later down the line, HAL may acquire some group management features, and we may choose to charge for that. However, it’s early days. Lots of work to still do, and lots to think about.

If you would like to join the private beta, drop us a note in the support group and we’ll take it from there.

Can HAL be white-labelled?

No. At least, not yet. We haven’t really thought about it. However, HAL may well introduce a REST API that can be used by custom bots to check for spammers. Portions of the API would be free, others would be paid, but we haven’t given it much thought yet.

Where can I get help using HAL?

First, check the /help menu in a private chat with the bot. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, then you can reach out in the support group.

I’ve been banned by HAL unfairly. How do I get unbanned?

You can send your appeal to the support group and an admin will assist you, subject to any procedures outlined there.

Support Group: @halsupport