How to Add a Bot to Your Discord Server

So, you’ve successfully set up your Discord bot application, but now it’s just sitting there, not doing anything in any servers. You’re probably wondering how to actually get your bot into a Discord server so it can start interacting and being useful. The process is straightforward and involves creating a unique invite link for your bot application. This guide will walk you through creating and using this invite link to bring your bot to life in your Discord community.

Understanding Bot Invite Links

To add a bot to a Discord server, you need to use what’s called an invite link. Think of this link as a special key that grants your bot permission to join a server. These links are generated based on your bot application’s Client ID and specify exactly what permissions your bot will have once it joins.

Here’s a basic example of what a bot invite link looks like:

https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize?client_id=123456789012345678&permissions=0&scope=bot%20applications.commands

Let’s break down the different parts of this URL:

• https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize: This is the standard Discord address for authorizing OAuth2 applications, which is the system Discord uses for bots and other integrations.
• client_id=123456789012345678: This is the crucial part you need to customize. The client_id parameter identifies your specific bot application. You must replace 123456789012345678 with the actual Client ID of your bot application to make the link work for your bot.
• permissions=0: This section defines the permissions your bot will request in the server. The 0 here indicates no permissions are specifically requested initially, but you can configure these to give your bot necessary access.
• scope=bot%20applications.commands: This is essential for adding your application as a Discord bot. bot scope is required for bot functionality, and applications.commands specifically enables your bot to create and use slash commands, a key feature for modern Discord bots.

Warning: If you encounter an error message stating “Bot requires a code grant”, you may need to adjust a setting in your bot application. Navigate to your application’s settings in the Discord Developer Portal and disable the “Require OAuth2 Code Grant” option. Generally, this option is not needed for basic bot invites and should only be enabled if you have a specific reason to use the OAuth2 code grant flow.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating and Using Your Bot Invite Link

Creating the invite link for your bot is done through the Discord Developer Portal. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal: Open your web browser and go to the Discord Developer Portal Applications page. Make sure you are logged into your Discord account.

2. Select Your Bot Application: Find your bot application from the list and click on its name to open its settings page.

3. Navigate to OAuth2 URL Generator: In the sidebar menu on the left, find and click on “OAuth2”. This will take you to the OAuth2 settings page for your application.

4. OAuth2 URL Generator Section: Scroll down until you find the “OAuth2 URL Generator” section.

5. Select Scopes: In the “Scopes” section, you need to select the permissions for your invite link. Check the box next to bot and applications.commands. Selecting bot will reveal a list of “Bot Permissions” below.

6. Configure Bot Permissions (Optional but Recommended): Below the scopes, you’ll see “Bot Permissions”. This is where you can select the specific permissions your bot needs in the server. Choose the permissions that are relevant to your bot’s functionality. For basic bots, you might select permissions like “Read Messages/View Channels”, “Send Messages”, and potentially “Embed Links”. Be mindful of granting only the necessary permissions for security and user trust.

7. Copy the Invite Link: After selecting the scopes and permissions, a generated invite link will appear below. Click the “Copy” button to copy this link to your clipboard.

8. Use the Invite Link in Your Browser: Paste the copied invite link into your browser’s address bar and press Enter.

9. Authorize Your Bot: You will be taken to a Discord authorization page. This page will display your bot’s username and avatar and ask you to authorize it to join a server.

10. Select a Server: Use the dropdown menu to choose the Discord server where you want to add your bot. Important: You must have the “Manage Server” permission in the server to be able to add a bot to it.

11. Authorize the Bot: Click the “Authorize” button.

12. Confirmation: If successful, you will see a confirmation message indicating that the bot has been authorized and added to the selected server.

Congratulations! You have now successfully added your bot to your Discord server. You should see your bot listed in the server’s member list, usually with a “Bot” tag next to its name.

Your bot is now part of your Discord server and ready to start interacting based on its programmed functionality. Remember to check your bot’s documentation or settings to understand any commands or configurations it might require within the server itself.