Check comments against your rules
Every old comment on a post is judged by the same rules that protect you from now on.
On this page
Before you start
- It uses that page's rules, as they are saved.
- It counts one credit per comment checked.
- It marks matches; it does not act on them.
Press Check comments.
Check comments, above the list
You will see Progress, then a count of what was flagged.
Read what it found.
The labels on the comments, and the filters above
You will see A list with a reason on every comment.
Re-run it when your rules change.
Re-run check, on the post
You will see Fresh labels, with the earlier check kept.
If something is off
- Nothing was flagged
- The rules may be off on that page; check and re-run.
- Only the mechanical filters ran
- AI checks were unavailable; re-run when the notice is gone.
- Not enough credits for this post
- It needs more credits than are left; upgrade or pick a smaller post.
- It found things I disagree with
- The check is your rules speaking; change them and re-run.
Common questions
Does checking a post hide or delete anything by itself?
No. The check only marks what your rules would catch, with the label of the rule on each flagged comment. Hiding or deleting is a separate step you choose afterwards.
How many credits does checking a post use?
One comment credit for each comment the check looks at, drawn from the same monthly allowance as live moderation. A comment counts once however many rules look at it.
Which rules does the check use, mine or the page's?
The moderation rules of the page that owns the post, exactly as they are saved at that moment. Change a rule on that page and re-run the check to see the difference.
Are replies checked too, or only top-level comments?
Both. Check comments runs your rules over every comment and reply that was fetched for the post.
For agents: plain text of this guide · all guides
For agents
Guide: Check comments against your rules
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/check-comments-against-your-rules
Topic: Post cleanup and tasks
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Anyone on your team
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/tools
Result when done: Every old comment on a post is judged by the same rules that protect you from now on.
Context: Loading a post shows you the comments. Checking runs your moderation rules over all of them and marks what they would catch, so a post with thousands of comments becomes a short list of the ones that matter.
Before you start
1. The check uses the rules of the page that owns the post, exactly as they are saved.
2. Checking counts one comment credit for each comment it looks at.
3. Nothing is hidden or deleted by the check itself: it only marks what your rules would catch.
Steps
Step 1 of 3: Press Check comments.
Where: Above the comment list once the post is loaded. It runs the rules over every comment and reply that was fetched.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/tools (Open post cleanup)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-loaded.en.webp (Check comments, on a loaded post.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-phone-loaded.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A progress line while it works, then a count of how many comments were flagged.
Step 2 of 3: Read what it found.
Where: Each flagged comment carries the label of the rule that would catch it, exactly as in the inbox. The filters above the list are All, Flagged, Clean and Your replies.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-confirm.en.webp (Flagged: what the check found.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-flagged-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A list you can act on, with the reason attached to every comment.
Step 3 of 3: Re-run it when your rules change.
Where: Re-run check, on the same post. The earlier check is kept, so you can compare what changed.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-loaded.en.webp (Check comments again after your rules change.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/cleanup-phone-loaded.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A fresh set of labels, and the earlier check still available under Check history.
If something is off
Problem: Nothing was flagged
Fix: Your rules may be off on that page, or the post is clean. Open the page Moderation tab and check, then re-run.
Problem: Only the mechanical filters ran
Fix: AI checks were unavailable at that moment. Re-run the check when the notice is gone.
Problem: Not enough credits for this post
Fix: Checking every comment on that post needs more credits than you have left this period. Upgrade, or pick a post with fewer comments.
Problem: It found things I disagree with
Fix: The check is your rules speaking. Change the rule, then re-run the check.
Common questions
Question: Does checking a post hide or delete anything by itself?
Answer: No. The check only marks what your rules would catch, with the label of the rule on each flagged comment. Hiding or deleting is a separate step you choose afterwards.
Question: How many credits does checking a post use?
Answer: One comment credit for each comment the check looks at, drawn from the same monthly allowance as live moderation. A comment counts once however many rules look at it.
Question: Which rules does the check use, mine or the page's?
Answer: The moderation rules of the page that owns the post, exactly as they are saved at that moment. Change a rule on that page and re-run the check to see the difference.
Question: Are replies checked too, or only top-level comments?
Answer: Both. Check comments runs your rules over every comment and reply that was fetched for the post.
Related guides
Filter what the check found: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/filter-what-the-check-found
Delete or hide comments in bulk: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/delete-or-hide-comments-in-bulk
What a cleanup costs, and the credit paywall: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/what-a-cleanup-costs-and-the-credit-paywall
Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/post-cleanup/check-comments-against-your-rules.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt