Discord Setup

Discord bots work great for communities, team servers, and gaming groups. This guide walks you through the complete setup process.

Works with both PicoClaw and Moltis.

What You'll Need

A Discord account
A Discord server where you have admin permissions
~15 minutes for setup

Step 1: Create Discord Application

Open Developer Portal

Go to Discord Developer Portal
Log in with your Discord account
Click New Application

Name Your Application

Enter a name for your application (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
Accept the Developer Terms of Service
Click Create

Step 2: Create Bot User

Navigate to Bot Section

In your application, click Bot in the left sidebar
Click Add Bot
Confirm by clicking Yes, do it!

Configure Bot Settings

Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable:

Intent	Required	Purpose
Message Content Intent	Yes	Read message content
Server Members Intent	Optional	Advanced user filtering
Presence Intent	Optional	User status information

Important: Message Content Intent is required for your bot to read message content. Without it, your bot cannot see what users type.

Step 3: Copy Bot Token

Generate Token

In the Bot section, find Token
Click Reset Token (or Copy if visible)
Confirm the action if prompted
Copy the token immediately

Security Warning: Never share your bot token. Anyone with this token can control your bot. If compromised, reset it immediately.

Step 4: Get Your User ID

Enable Developer Mode

Open Discord Settings (gear icon)
Go to Advanced
Enable Developer Mode

Copy Your User ID

Right-click on your username (in a server or DM)
Click Copy User ID
Save this number

Step 5: Invite Bot to Server

Generate Invite URL

In Developer Portal, go to OAuth2 -> URL Generator
Select scopes:
- bot
- applications.commands
Select bot permissions:
- Send Messages
- Read Message History
- View Channels
- Add Reactions (optional)

Invite the Bot

Copy the generated URL at the bottom
Open the URL in a new browser tab
Select the server where you want to add the bot
Click Authorize
Complete the CAPTCHA if prompted

Step 6: Configure in MakersFuel

Configuration fields differ depending on your claw type.

PicoClaw Fields

Field	Description
bot_token	The token from Developer Portal
allow_from	Comma-separated Discord user IDs (leave empty to allow all)

Note: PicoClaw uses numeric Discord user IDs for access control.

Moltis Fields

Field	Description
account_id	Bot Name (display name)
bot_token	The token from Developer Portal
dm_policy	Who can DM the bot: `open`, `allowlist`, or `disabled`
allowlist	List of allowed Discord usernames (not user IDs)

Important: Moltis allowlist uses Discord usernames (e.g., alice, bob), not numeric user IDs. PicoClaw uses numeric user IDs.

DM Policy (Moltis)

Policy	Behavior
open	Anyone can message the bot
allowlist	Only users whose username is in the allowlist can message the bot
disabled	DMs are disabled

Setup Steps

Go to your employee's configuration page
Find the Channels section
Click Add Channel or enable Discord
Fill in the fields for your claw type
Click Save to apply the configuration

Step 7: Start Chatting

Find Your Bot

Your bot should now appear in your server's member list (it may show as offline until fully connected).

Test It Out

In any channel where the bot has access:

@mention the bot: @YourBot hello!
Use a slash command if configured
Send a direct message to the bot

Features

Slash Commands

Slash commands are automatically registered when your employee starts.

Feature	Description
Auto-registration	Commands sync at startup
Server-specific	Commands appear in your server
Autocomplete	Users see available commands

Message Types

Type	Supported
Text messages	Yes
Images	Yes
Embeds	Yes
Attachments	Yes
Reactions	Yes

Channel Access

Control where your bot can respond:

All channels -- Bot responds everywhere it has access
Specific channels -- Limit to certain channels via Discord permissions
DMs -- Bot can respond to direct messages

Configuration Reference

PicoClaw Access Control

PicoClaw uses the allow_from field with numeric Discord user IDs:

Setting	Description
Single user	Enter one user ID
Multiple users	Comma-separated IDs
Open access	Leave empty to allow all

Moltis Access Control

Moltis uses dm_policy and allowlist with Discord usernames:

Setting	Description
Open	Set `dm_policy` to `open`
Restricted	Set `dm_policy` to `allowlist` and add usernames to `allowlist`
Disabled	Set `dm_policy` to `disabled`

Bot Permissions

Recommended permissions for full functionality:

Permission	Purpose
Send Messages	Reply to users
Read Message History	Context from conversation
View Channels	See channels
Embed Links	Rich message formatting
Attach Files	Send files
Add Reactions	React to messages

Troubleshooting

"Bot not responding"

Check Message Content Intent -- Must be enabled in Developer Portal
Verify token -- Ensure complete token is entered
Check permissions -- Bot needs channel access
Check access control -- Verify you are in allow_from (PicoClaw) or allowlist (Moltis)

"Missing Access" error

Bot lacks permissions in that channel
Check channel permission overrides
Verify bot role has necessary permissions

"Invalid token" error

Token may have been reset
Generate a new token in Developer Portal
Update the token in MakersFuel

Bot shows offline

Employee may not be running
Token may be invalid
Check employee status in dashboard

Slash commands not appearing

Commands may take up to an hour to propagate
Try restarting the employee
Ensure applications.commands scope was selected

Best Practices

Practice	Why
Use minimal permissions	Security best practice
Enable only needed intents	Reduces resource usage
Restrict access	Use allow_from or allowlist
Test in a private channel	Catch issues before public use

Next Steps

Employee Channels Overview -- Learn about other channels
Slack Setup -- Add Slack channel
Tools & Skills -- Extend capabilities

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