Comment Actions let you define rules that watch your incoming comments 24/7 and take an action — send a reply, delete the comment, or move it to a moderation queue — automatically. Each rule has two parts: a trigger that decides which comments to act on, and an action that says what to do when matched.
How rules are evaluated
When a new comment arrives, CommentShark evaluates your active rules in priority order (lower number = higher priority). The first rule that matches wins — subsequent rules are not evaluated for that comment. If no rule matches, no action is taken.
- Rules are forward-looking: they only apply to comments posted after the rule was enabled. Existing comments are never retroactively processed.
- Rules never fire on your own channel's comments, or on comments you've already replied to — preventing reply loops.
- You can reorder rules by dragging them in the rules list to change evaluation priority.
CommentShark syncs new comments from YouTube roughly every hour for paid accounts. This means the average time between a comment being posted and a rule acting on it is around 30 minutes, with a maximum of about 1 hour. Free accounts sync less frequently.
Step 1 — Choose a match type
The match type determines how CommentShark identifies which comments trigger the rule. There are two options:
Text Match
Text Match checks whether a comment contains a specific word, phrase, or pattern. It's fast, predictable, and works without any AI quota. Use it when you know exactly what text you want to match.
- Contains — matches if the comment includes the phrase anywhere (e.g. "discount code")
- Exact — matches only if the entire comment equals the value exactly
- Regex — matches using a regular expression, enabling advanced patterns like case-insensitive multi-word matches
- All — always matches every comment; useful for a catch-all fallback rule at the bottom of your list
The rule editor includes a Regex Recipes helper with ready-made patterns for common use cases — you don't need to know regex syntax to use them.
AI Classification (Plus)
AI Classification describes the intent of a comment in plain English and lets the AI decide whether a comment matches. Use it for anything where the same idea can be expressed in many different ways.
- Works across languages and phrasings without needing to enumerate every variant
- Good for: pricing questions, complaints, support requests, spam that changes wording to evade text filters
- Not ideal for: matching a specific link, exact product name, or known phrase — Text Match is more reliable there
When to pick which: if you can write down the exact text you're looking for, use Text Match. If you're trying to capture an idea or intent — "sounds frustrated" or "asking about shipping" — use AI Classification.
Step 2 — Set the match details
For Text Match, enter the keyword, phrase, or regex pattern. For AI Classification, write a plain-English description of the comments you want to catch — for example: "Comments asking about pricing, plans, or how much the product costs." Be specific: vague descriptions lead to over-matching.
Step 3 — Scope to videos (optional)
By default a rule applies to all your videos, including ones uploaded after the rule was created. You can limit a rule to specific videos — useful for product launch videos, giveaway posts, or campaigns where you want a dedicated response.
You can also set a date range to only match comments posted within a specific window — for example, only comments from the first 7 days after a video is published.
Step 4 — Choose an action
When a comment matches, CommentShark can do one of four things:
Reply Template
Sends a pre-written reply. Use template variables to personalize it:
- @author — replaced with the commenter's display name
- @comment — replaced with the original comment text
Example: "Thanks @author for watching! Really appreciate the kind words 🙌" becomes "Thanks Sarah for watching! Really appreciate the kind words 🙌" when Sarah comments.
AI Reply (Plus)
Generates a unique reply for each comment using AI. You write an instruction describing the tone and content — the AI does the rest. Each reply is different, which feels more natural than seeing the same canned response under every comment.
The instruction field accepts plain English: "Reply in a warm, conversational tone. If they asked a question, answer it helpfully. Keep replies under 3 sentences."
The optional Rule Context field lets you supply facts the AI should draw from — pricing, product details, your channel's focus — so replies stay accurate without you having to repeat that info in every instruction.
Delete
Permanently removes the comment from YouTube. Requires channel owner permissions (not available to Editor or Viewer delegates). Use this for clear-cut spam, scam links, or severe policy violations where you don't want the comment visible even momentarily.
Moderate
Moves the comment into a moderation state without deleting it. Two sub-options:
- Hold for Review — the comment is hidden from public view until you manually approve or reject it in YouTube Studio. Good for borderline content where you want a human to decide.
- Reject — marks the comment as rejected. You can optionally also ban the author from your channel at the same time.
Step 5 — Set the execution mode
Before the rule goes live, choose how actions are executed:
- Autonomous — action is taken automatically as soon as a matching comment is found. No human review required. Best for high-confidence rules (e.g. a catch-all thank-you reply to everyone who leaves a positive comment).
- Approval Required — matched comments go to a review queue. You approve, edit, or reject each suggested action before it executes. Best for AI replies, moderation actions, or any rule where you want a final check.
You can also enable email notifications so you receive an alert whenever this rule fires.
Step 6 — Test the rule
Before saving, the wizard lets you paste a sample comment and see exactly whether it matches, why it matched (or didn't), and what reply would be generated — without posting anything to YouTube. Use this every time you create a new rule to avoid surprises.
You can also test existing rules at any time using the "Test all rules" button on the rules page — paste any comment text and see which of your rules would fire.
Follow-up rules — multi-step conversations
A follow-up rule continues a conversation after your bot's initial reply. When the original commenter replies to your bot's response, the follow-up rule evaluates their reply and can send another message — creating a multi-step sequence.
How the thread works:
- A viewer comments on your video
- Your root rule matches and your bot replies
- The same viewer replies to your bot's comment
- Your follow-up rule evaluates their reply and acts on it
- This can continue for as many steps as you define
- Only the original commenter's replies are evaluated — other viewers who join the thread are ignored.
- Threads are monitored for up to 21 days after the root comment.
- Each follow-up reply counts as one action toward your monthly quota.
- Follow-up rules use the same match types and actions as root rules — you can even use AI classification at each step.
A common use case: a viewer asks about your course, your bot replies with a short answer and asks "Want the full details?", and your follow-up rule catches "yes"/"sure"/"tell me more" and sends a link.
Monitoring with the Activity tab
The Activity tab shows every comment CommentShark has processed — which ones matched a rule, which rule fired, what action was taken, and the status (posted, failed, skipped, queued). This is the best place to debug a rule that isn't behaving as expected.
If a comment didn't trigger any rule, it appears as "no match" in the activity log. If an action failed (e.g. a YouTube API error), you'll see the error reason and a retry count.