# Sentinel February Update

The latest **Sentinel February Update** brings major improvements to the **evidence system** and introduces the **Public Registry**, allowing for better ban list sharing and API control. Read on to learn about the key changes!

***

### **Evidence System Enhancements**

We've made important updates to the **evidence system**, giving moderators more flexibility in managing case details:

* **Comments can now be added to evidence** – Whether evidence contains a file or not, you can now attach comments. This allows for better documentation and justification of bans.
* **Evidence expiration extended** – Previously, evidence expired after **30 days**, but we've pushed this to **60 days**, giving you more time to review and retain important case data.
* **Upload evidence with links** – Moderators can now submit evidence as a **link**, rather than just a file, making it easier to reference external sources using the new comments feature.

***

### **Public Registry: Share Your Ban List**

We've introduced the **Public Registry**, allowing communities to **share their ban lists with others** using a **Public API Key**. Here’s how it works:

* **Only users with your Public API Key can access your ban list.**
* Users with this key can only call the following endpoints:
  * **`/bans`** – Retrieves the list of banned users.
  * **`/is-banned`** – Checks if a specific user is banned.
* **Users with a Public API Key cannot**:
  * Publish new bans
  * Edit existing bans
  * Modify or delete evidence

This feature ensures that **trusted users can access ban data without compromising security or moderation control.**

{% hint style="danger" %}
***UPDATE***\
As of March 5th, 2025 `/bans` has been blocked, and Public API keys may only now access the following endpoints:\
\* `/is-banned`

We are debating on removal of `/bans` endpoint access for the Public API. Therefore we recommend relying on the `/is-banned` endpoint only.
{% endhint %}

***

### **API Fixes & Updates**

We've also applied a security improvement to the **`/is-banned` API endpoint**, which now requires **authentication**.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you are using the **Sentinel Luau SDK**, please **update your integration** to ensure continued functionality as the **previous SDK Version cannot handle** the new Authentication requirements without manual code modification.
{% endhint %}

***

These updates bring **more control, better evidence management, and enhanced API security** to Sentinel. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out in our **Sentinel Discord Server**.

Stay safe and keep moderating effectively!

— The Sentinel Team


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://sentineldocs.metatable.dev/blogs/sentinel-february-update.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.