> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.replyke.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Delete Message

> Delete or moderate a chat message

Deletes a message. The behavior differs based on who is deleting:

* **Author self-delete**: The message is soft-deleted. The row is retained as a `[Message deleted]` placeholder — content, GIF, mentions, and metadata are cleared, and `userDeletedAt` is set. File attachments are deleted from storage.
* **Group admin moderation delete**: The message is marked `moderationStatus: "removed"` and excluded from all future queries. Content is not cleared; the record is retained for moderation audit purposes.

The caller must be either the message author or a group `admin`.

## Path Parameters

<ParamField path="conversationId" type="string" required>
  The ID of the conversation.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="messageId" type="string" required>
  The ID of the message to delete.
</ParamField>

## Response

For author self-delete:

```json theme={null}
{ "message": "Message deleted.", "userDeletedAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z" }
```

For admin moderation:

```json theme={null}
{ "message": "Message removed by admin." }
```

## Error Responses

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Forbidden — 403 (not a member)">
    ```json theme={null}
    { "error": "You are not a member of this conversation.", "code": "chat/not-a-member" }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Not Found — 404">
    ```json theme={null}
    { "error": "Message not found.", "code": "chat/message-not-found" }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Forbidden — 403 (no permission)">
    ```json theme={null}
    { "error": "You do not have permission to delete this message.", "code": "chat/forbidden" }
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>