What We’re Building

An AI assistant that lives in your Discord server—capable of answering questions, running tasks, and integrating with your workflows.

What you’ll need:

  • A Discord account
  • A server where you’re admin
  • About 15 minutes

Step 1: Create a Discord Bot

1.1 Access the Developer Portal

  1. Go to Discord Developer Portal
  2. Click “New Application”
  3. Name it (e.g., “MyAIAssistant”)
  4. Accept the terms

1.2 Enable Bot Functionality

  1. In your app, go to “Bot” section (left sidebar)
  2. Click “Add Bot”
  3. Confirm with “Yes, do it!”

1.3 Get Your Token

Critical: The bot token is like a password. Never share it or commit it to git.

  1. Under Bot section, click “Reset Token”
  2. Copy the new token (starts with something like MTQ2N...)
  3. Store it securely (password manager or env variable)

Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions

2.1 Privileged Gateway Intents

Enable these under Bot → Privileged Gateway Intents:

  • ✅ MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT (required for reading messages)
  • ✅ SERVER MEMBERS INTENT (for member-related features)
  • ✅ PRESENCE INTENT (optional, for presence data)

Without MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT, your bot can’t see what people are saying.

2.2 OAuth2 Scopes

  1. Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator
  2. Select scopes:
    • bot
    • applications.commands
  3. Select bot permissions:
    • Send Messages
    • Read Message History
    • Embed Links
    • Attach Files
    • Add Reactions
    • Use Slash Commands

2.3 Invite Bot to Server

  1. Copy the generated URL
  2. Open in browser
  3. Select your server
  4. Authorize

Step 3: Configure OpenClaw

3.1 Set Environment Variable

export DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN="your-token-here"

Or add to ~/.openclaw/.env:

DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your-token-here

3.2 Update hugo.toml

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "${env:DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}",
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist"
    }
  }
}

3.3 Configure Channel Permissions

Restrict which channels the bot can access:

"channels": {
  "discord": {
    "enabled": true,
    "token": "${env:DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}",
    "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
    "guilds": {
      "YOUR_GUILD_ID": {
        "channels": {
          "CHANNEL_ID_1": { "allow": true },
          "CHANNEL_ID_2": { "allow": true }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Finding IDs:

  • Enable Developer Mode in Discord (Settings → Advanced)
  • Right-click server → “Copy Server ID”
  • Right-click channel → “Copy Channel ID”

Step 4: Test the Setup

4.1 Start OpenClaw

openclaw gateway restart

4.2 Check Logs

openclaw gateway status
# Or check systemd logs
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway -f

4.3 Test in Discord

  1. Go to an allowed channel
  2. Mention the bot: @MyAIAssistant hello
  3. Check for response

Common Issues

“401 Unauthorized”

Cause: Invalid or expired token

Fix:

  1. Reset token in Discord Developer Portal
  2. Update environment variable
  3. Restart gateway

“403 Forbidden”

Cause: Bot lacks permissions

Fix:

  1. Check OAuth2 URL generated correct permissions
  2. Re-invite bot with updated scope
  3. Verify MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT is enabled

“Cannot send messages”

Cause: Channel permissions override bot permissions

Fix:

  1. Check channel-specific permissions
  2. Ensure bot role is above restricted roles
  3. Verify bot is in the channel

Bot doesn’t respond

Checklist:

  • Gateway running? (openclaw gateway status)
  • Token correct? (check for extra spaces)
  • Channel in allowlist? (if using groupPolicy)
  • Bot has message read permission?
  • Mentioning correctly? (@BotName)

Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit tokens – Use environment variables
  2. Use allowlists – Restrict to specific channels
  3. Rotate tokens periodically – Every 90 days
  4. Monitor bot activity – Check logs regularly
  5. Limit permissions – Only what’s necessary

What’s Next

Now that Discord is connected, you can:

  • Set up scheduled tasks (cron jobs)
  • Configure multiple channels for different purposes
  • Add webhook integrations
  • Set up DM responses

See the OpenClaw Discord docs for advanced features.

Full working configuration in the example above. Adjust channel IDs and token for your setup.