Mattermost Talking Stick

Dynamic channel moderation and speaking privilege management for live events, panels, and Q&A sessions.

Features

• Channel Modes: Open, Speakers Only, Q&A, and Locked
• Speaking Privileges: Grant/revoke dynamically via slash commands
• Q&A Sessions: Managed question slots for audience participation
• Configurable Bypass: System/Team/Channel admins and bots can bypass restrictions
• Real-time Control: No server restart needed

Installation

1. Download the latest release .tar.gz
2. Upload via System Console → Plugins → Plugin Management
3. Enable the plugin
4. Configure bypass settings if desired

Usage

Grant/Revoke Speaking Privileges

/stick grant @username          # Grant speaking privileges
/stick revoke @username         # Revoke speaking privileges
/stick list                     # List current speakers and status

Channel Modes

/stick mode open                # Everyone can post (default)
/stick mode speakers            # Only granted speakers can post
/stick mode qa                  # Speakers + Q&A participants can post
/stick mode locked              # Only administrators can post

Q&A Mode

/stick qa-grant @username       # Grant 1 question slot
/stick qa-grant @username 3     # Grant 3 question slots

Use Cases

• Live Events: Manage speakers during webinars or conferences
• Panel Discussions: Control who's "on stage"
• Q&A Sessions: Let audience members ask questions in order
• AI Agent Coordination: Manage which agents can speak
• Town Halls: CEO announcements with controlled audience participation

Configuration

Configure which roles can bypass talking stick restrictions:

• Allow System Admins to Bypass (default: true)
• Allow Team Admins to Bypass (default: true)
• Allow Channel Admins to Bypass (default: true)
• Allow Bots to Bypass (default: true)

Building from Source

make deps    # Download dependencies
make build   # Build for all platforms
make dist    # Create plugin package

License

Apache 2.0

Author

The GIT School - Where consciousness studies itself, together.