How to write a support request that gets solved faster

Most support conversations take a long time for one reason: the first message does not contain enough to act on. "My server is broken" leads to five rounds of questions before anyone can look at the real problem. A good request lets the person reading it start working immediately, often solving it in a single reply. This guide shows what to include, with examples.

The goal of a request

Imagine the reader knows nothing about you, your server or what you were doing. They cannot see your screen. After reading your message they should be able to answer three questions: what is it, what happened, and what have you already tried?

The checklist

Include as many of these as apply.

1. Which service

Give the Server ID or Invoice ID, whichever relates to the problem. For a game server, also say which game and version. For a VPS, give the operating system. If you are not sure where to find the ID, see Dashboard tour. This single item saves the most time, because support can open your service immediately.

2. What you expected

One sentence: "I expected players to be able to join with my domain name."

3. What actually happened

Be specific and factual. Compare:

  • Weak: "Server doesn't work."
  • Strong: "Since about 18:30 IST, players get 'Connection timed out' when joining. The console shows the server as running."

4. The exact error message

Copy and paste the text, do not retype or paraphrase it. A screenshot works too, but text is easier to search. Include the lines before the error, since the cause is often earlier. How to read your server logs explains how to find the first real error.

5. When it started, and what changed

Problems rarely start from nothing. Mention anything done just before: installing a plugin, changing a setting, updating the version, restarting or editing a file. If it worked yesterday, say so. This is often the most valuable clue.

6. What you already tried

List the steps and their results. This stops people suggesting the same things, and shows what you have ruled out. For example: "I restarted the server twice and restored the config from backup. The error is the same."

7. Who is affected

Everyone, or just you? One player or all of them? One computer or several? A problem only on your home network is very different from one that affects every player. Pair this with the tips in Connection timed out vs connection refused.

Things to leave out

  • Never post passwords, tokens or API keys. Support will never ask for your password. If you pasted a config file or log, remove secrets first. See How to keep your account secure.
  • Long emotional messages. Frustration is understandable, but it hides the facts.
  • Many unrelated problems in one ticket. Open a separate request for each, so each is tracked and solved properly.
  • Guesses presented as facts, such as "your node is down". Describe what you see, and say clearly when you are guessing.

One request, not many

Opening several tickets or pinging staff repeatedly about the same issue slows things down, because each has to be merged. Add new information to the existing ticket instead.

Example: a weak request

Server is lagging please fix urgent.

Example: a strong request

Server ID: 12345 (Minecraft Paper 1.21) Problem: Heavy lag for players since about 20:00 IST. Chat is delayed and mobs freeze for several seconds. Expected: Smooth play, as normal. 15 players online. Changes: I installed a new plugin (a custom mob spawner) around 19:45. Tried: Restarted twice. /tps shows 11 and the console shows "Can't keep up!" messages. Removing the plugin is my next step. Log: [Server thread/WARN]: Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded? Running 5042ms or 100 ticks behind

With this, the reader can already see the likely cause, ask for a profile report and recommend a next step. See Understanding TPS and MSPT for what those numbers mean.

Before you send

Spend two minutes on the basics, because they solve a surprising share of problems:

  1. Restart the service once.
  2. Search this help center for the error message.
  3. Check the status of your service in the dashboard.
  4. Look at the console or log for the first error.

How to open a ticket

Run /ticket in the Discord server, choose the right department and fill in the details above. The full walk-through is in How to open a support ticket.

After you send

Check the ticket for replies, and answer questions fully and promptly. If you fix it yourself, say so and mention what worked, because it helps other people with the same problem. If the situation changes (for example it gets worse), add a short update to the same ticket.

A clear, polite and complete request is the fastest way to a fix, for you and for everyone else waiting in the queue.

Still stuck? Open a ticket on Discord - run /ticket in any channel, pick a department, and include your Server ID or Invoice ID so we can jump straight in.