Substack announced on Wednesday, June 4, 2026, a new feature called “Reply Rules,” giving creators greater control over how audiences respond to their content across posts, Notes, and Chat.
With Reply Rules, creators can set specific guidelines for comments — ranging from practical requests like banning AI-generated content or profanity, to more unconventional rules such as requiring replies in haiku form. The system learns from creator behavior, such as when they hide certain replies, and will automatically filter out comments that don’t align with their preferences. Hidden replies remain visible to creators, who can choose to restore them at any time.
The feature is currently available for all English-language publications on the platform.
Substack has long operated with a decentralized moderation model, placing responsibility for community management on individual writers. Existing tools include the ability to lock posts or threads, delete comments, and ban or suspend users. Reply Rules may reduce the need for creators to manually review every comment.
The announcement comes as Substack has faced criticism over its content moderation practices, particularly regarding far-right newsletters, with critics arguing the platform’s lenient approach allows harmful rhetoric to spread. In Wednesday’s announcement, Substack addressed the issue, stating: “Since its founding, Substack has sought to create the best possible conditions for cultures of many varieties to flourish online. Achieving this often involves difficult trade-offs, but alongside our core model—where we only earn when writers, artists, journalists, musicians, and others earn—we’ve managed to carve out a unique path relative to other platforms.”
Reply Rules is one of several updates Substack has rolled out in 2026. The platform also introduced a built-in recording studio for pre-recording and publishing videos, and launched a TV app allowing subscribers to watch video posts and livestreams on living room screens.
Source: TechCrunch