Twitch Shoutout Command
Type /shoutout username in your chat to give another channel a native Twitch shoutout. The broadcaster and moderators can use it while the stream is live, once every two minutes, and the same channel can only be shouted out once per hour. Viewers who don’t follow that channel get a pop-up Follow button.
How Twitch’s /shoutout works
Type the command followed by the channel name:
/shoutout username
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Who can use it | The broadcaster and the channel’s moderators. |
| When | Only while your stream is live. Twitch’s API also requires at least one viewer. |
| Channel cooldown | One shoutout every 2 minutes. |
| Same-channel cooldown | The same channel can be shouted out once every 60 minutes. |
| Self shoutouts | The broadcaster can’t shout out their own channel. A moderator can shout out their own. |
| Duplicates | If several mods shout out the same person at once, only the first goes through. |
Twitch’s shoutout help article doesn’t list an Affiliate or Partner requirement. If the command fails, check the live, cooldown and viewer rules above first.
What everyone sees
- Your viewers: the shoutout appears in chat. Viewers who don’t follow the channel also get a pop-up Follow button. The expanded view shows the channel’s next scheduled stream with a Reminder button, or its 3 most recent categories if nothing is scheduled.
- The channel you shouted out: a notification in their Stream Manager activity feed with who gave the shoutout, how many viewers were present and how long ago it happened. They can report it from the three-dot menu.
- You and your mods: successful shoutouts are logged in the actions panel of Mod View with time, who sent it and who received it.
Shoutout command for Nightbot
A bot shoutout is a normal chat message: it can include the channel link and last game, but it doesn’t show Twitch’s Follow pop-up. Paste this in chat to create a mod-only !so with Nightbot:
!commands add !so -ul=moderator Go check out $(twitch $(touser) "{{displayName}}! They were last playing {{game}} at {{url}}")
Usage: !so channelname (type the name without @). $(touser) is the first word after the command, and $(twitch name "...") fills in fields like {{displayName}}, {{game}}, {{title}} and {{url}}. Want it highlighted? Use this version instead, which starts the response with /announce:
!commands add !so -ul=moderator /announce Go follow $(twitch $(touser) "{{displayName}} - last seen playing {{game}} - {{url}}")
Already have a !so? Use !commands edit instead of add. More syntax in the Nightbot commands guide.
Shoutout command for StreamElements
This is StreamElements’ own example. ${1} is the first word after the command and $(game ${1}) is that channel’s current category:
!cmd add !so Check out ${1}, they are playing $(game ${1}) at https://twitch.tv/${1}
Then make it moderator-only:
!cmd options !so -level 500
A variant that includes the stream title:
!cmd add !so Go follow ${1} at https://twitch.tv/${1} - last stream: $(title ${1}) ($(game ${1}))
See the StreamElements commands guide for options like cooldowns and response types.
For the best of both, type /shoutout name for the Follow button and use your bot’s !so for the link and game in chat. The native shoutout’s 2-minute cooldown doesn’t apply to bot commands.
Raid messages
A raid message isn’t a Twitch setting. It’s a line you give your viewers to paste in the target channel’s chat when a raid lands, so the raid is visible and feels like a group arrival. Start a raid with /raid channelname; any creator can raid, regardless of Affiliate or Partner status. After a 10-second countdown (or when you click Raid Now), everyone connected to your chat moves to the other channel.
Many streamers post two versions: one with sub emotes for subscribers, and one with plain text or global emotes for everyone else, since only your subscribers can use your sub emotes. Replace YourEmote and YourName:
YourEmote YourName Raid YourEmote YourName Raid YourEmoteYourEmote The YourName community has arrived! YourEmoteYourName RAID - we come in peace and with snacksYourEmote YourEmote YourEmote YourName squad says hi! YourEmote YourEmote YourEmoteYourName raid! Thanks for streaming, have a great one
Raid message command
Save your raid message as a mod-only bot command so it’s one keystroke away at the end of stream:
Nightbot: !commands add !raidmsg -ul=moderator /announce Copy the raid message: YourEmote YourName Raid YourEmote | Non-subs: YourName Raid!
StreamElements: !cmd add !raidmsg Copy the raid message: YourEmote YourName Raid YourEmote | Non-subs: YourName Raid! then !cmd options !raidmsg -level 500
Twitch suggests shouting out a channel right before you raid it, so viewers who can’t join the raid can still follow it from the pop-up.
Looking for other built-in commands like /raid, /announce or /pin? See the Twitch chat commands guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn’t my /shoutout working?
Check that you are live, that two minutes have passed since the last shoutout, and that you haven’t shouted out the same channel in the past hour. Only the broadcaster and moderators can use it, you can’t shout out your own channel, and Twitch’s API also rejects shoutouts when the stream has no viewers.
Can a moderator shout themselves out?
Yes. Twitch allows a moderator to give their own channel a shoutout in the channel they moderate. Only the broadcaster can’t shout out their own channel.
Does the person I shout out need to be in my chat?
No. The channel doesn’t have to be present or live. They get a notification in their Stream Manager activity feed showing who shouted them out and how many viewers were watching.
Can Nightbot or StreamElements send a real /shoutout?
Nightbot’s docs only allow /me and /announce variants in responses, so a Nightbot command can’t trigger the native shoutout. StreamElements doesn’t document a native shoutout option either. Use the bot for the message and type /shoutout yourself for the Follow button.
Sources: Twitch Help: How To Give A Shoutout · Twitch Help: Chat Commands · Twitch Help: How to Use Raids · Twitch API: Send a Shoutout · Nightbot docs: Twitch variable · StreamElements docs: Custom commands