Every post, comment, screenshot, guide, and Workshop item submitted to Steam passes through an automated content check system before it goes public. If the system is uncertain about a submission, it holds the content with the message "awaiting analysis by our automated content check system" while a human review takes place. This applies to all user-generated content, not just reported items.

Community moderators with elevated access have confirmed that three distinct automated checkers operate on Steam: a Comment Content Checker that scans for phishing links, malware, and spam; a UGC (user-generated content) Checker covering guides, artwork, and screenshots; and a UGC Adult Content Checker that applies a blur overlay to potentially explicit material. The system processes all submissions proactively at the point of upload. When the automated check is inconclusive, content is held and escalated — first for a second automated pass, then to a human moderator if still unresolved. Valve has not published technical documentation on whether these checkers use machine learning classification, heuristic rule sets, or a hybrid approach.