Why Put Your Agent on Discord?

Your OpenClaw agent can be more than a personal assistant - it can participate in community Discord servers, answer questions, share knowledge, and represent you in group conversations.

Use cases:

• Community engagement - Join the OpenClaw Discord and help other users
• Project servers - Have your agent assist with dev work, answer questions
• Friend groups - Let your agent participate in casual conversations
• Support channels - Automate responses, share documentation

This guide walks you through creating a Discord bot account and connecting it to OpenClaw.

Prerequisites

Before starting, you need:

• ✅ OpenClaw installed and running
• ✅ A Discord account (personal account, not the bot yet)
• ✅ Admin access to at least one Discord server (to test the bot)
• ✅ Basic command line comfort

Time required: ~10-15 minutes

Step 1: Create a Discord Application

1.1 Go to Discord Developer Portal

Open: https://discord.com/developers/applications

Log in with your Discord account.

1.2 Create New Application

1. Click "New Application" (top right)
2. Name your bot (e.g., "CipherBot", "MyAssistant", "OpenClawAgent")
3. Accept the terms → Create

Note: The application name is what shows up in OAuth2 screens. You can change it later.

1.3 Navigate to the Bot Section

In the left sidebar:

• Click "Bot"
• Click "Add Bot" (if it's not already created)
• Confirm "Yes, do it!"

Step 2: Configure Your Bot

2.1 Get Your Bot Token

2.2 Enable Privileged Intents

Your bot needs permission to read message content and member info.

In the Bot section, scroll down to "Privileged Gateway Intents":

• ✅ Presence Intent (optional - shows online/offline status)
• ✅ Server Members Intent (needed for user info)
• ✅ Message Content Intent (REQUIRED - lets bot read messages)

Save Changes

Step 3: Configure OpenClaw

3.1 Add Discord to Your Config

You have two options:

Option A: Use Gateway Tool (Recommended)

openclaw gateway config.patch '{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE",
      "dmPolicy": "allowlist",
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist"
    }
  },
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "discord": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}'

Replace YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE with your actual token.

Option B: Edit Config File Manually

1. Get your config: openclaw gateway config.get > config.json
2. Edit config.json and add/modify (see structure in guide)
3. Apply: openclaw gateway config.apply config.json

3.2 Policy Options Explained

Recommended starting config: allowlist for both (safest, most controlled)

3.3 Restart Gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Wait ~10 seconds for it to come back online. Check status:

openclaw status

You should see Discord listed as an active channel.

Step 4: Generate Bot Invite Link

4.1 Go to OAuth2 Settings

In Discord Developer Portal:

1. Click "OAuth2" in sidebar
2. Click "URL Generator"

4.2 Select Scopes

Check these boxes:

• ✅ bot (required)
• ✅ applications.commands (for slash commands - optional)

4.3 Select Bot Permissions

Minimum required permissions:

• ✅ Read Messages/View Channels
• ✅ Send Messages
• ✅ Embed Links (for rich replies)
• ✅ Attach Files (for image/file responses)
• ✅ Read Message History (for context)
• ✅ Add Reactions (for acknowledgments)

Optional but useful:

• ✅ Manage Messages (delete messages if needed)
• ✅ Use External Emojis
• ✅ Mention Everyone (only if you trust your bot!)

4.4 Copy Invite Link

At the bottom of the page, you'll see a Generated URL. Copy it.

It looks like:

https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize?client_id=123456789012345678&permissions=277025770560&scope=bot

Step 5: Invite Your Bot to a Server

5.1 Choose Your Testing Server

Pick a Discord server where:

• You have Administrator or Manage Server permission
• It's safe to test (not a production community)
• Ideally your own test/personal server

Don't have a server? Create one:

1. Open Discord
2. Click "+" in server list
3. "Create My Own" → "For me and my friends"
4. Name it "OpenClaw Testing"

5.2 Use the Invite Link

1. Paste the invite URL (from Step 4.4) into your browser
2. Select the server from dropdown
3. Authorize permissions
4. Complete the captcha

Your bot should now appear in the member list (offline or online, depending on gateway status).

Step 6: Configure Server/Channel Allowlist

If you set groupPolicy: "allowlist", you need to tell OpenClaw which servers/channels are allowed.

6.1 Get Server and Channel IDs

Enable Developer Mode in Discord:

1. User Settings (gear icon)
2. App Settings → Advanced
3. ✅ Developer Mode

Get IDs:

• Server ID: Right-click server icon → "Copy Server ID"
• Channel ID: Right-click channel name → "Copy Channel ID"

6.2 Add to OpenClaw Config

openclaw gateway config.patch '{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "allowlist": {
        "guilds": ["123456789012345678"],
        "channels": ["987654321098765432"]
      }
    }
  }
}'

Replace with your actual IDs.

Restart gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

Step 7: Test Your Bot

7.1 Check Bot Status

In Discord, your bot should show as online (green dot).

If offline:

• Check openclaw status - is Discord listed?
• Check gateway logs for errors
• Verify bot token is correct

7.2 Send a Test Message

In an allowed channel, send:

@YourBotName hello!

If everything is configured correctly, your OpenClaw agent should respond.

7.3 Direct Message Test

If you set dmPolicy: "allowlist", add your Discord user ID to the config, then DM your bot. It should respond.

Step 8: Join Community Servers

8.1 OpenClaw Official Discord

Join: https://discord.com/invite/clawd

Ask in the community if agents are welcome. If yes:

1. Share your bot invite link
2. A moderator can invite your agent
3. Add that server ID to your allowlist

8.2 Etiquette for Agent Bots

Configure groupPolicy: "mentions" if you want your bot to stay quiet unless called.

Troubleshooting

Security Best Practices

1. Never commit bot tokens to Git - Use .gitignore for config files
2. Use allowlists in production - groupPolicy: "allowlist" prevents your bot from responding in random servers
3. Rotate tokens periodically - Reset token every few months, or immediately if exposed
4. Limit bot permissions - Only grant permissions you actually need
5. Monitor logs - Check for unusual activity, rate limits, or errors

What's Next?

Now that your agent is on Discord:

• Join the OpenClaw community (discord.com/invite/clawd)
• Share knowledge - answer questions, help new users
• Build integrations - connect Discord to other tools
• Experiment - try different policies and behaviors

Your agent can now participate in the broader community, not just assist you privately. Use it wisely. 🦞

Resources

• Discord Developer Portal
• OpenClaw Docs
• OpenClaw Discord
• Discord API Docs