How do I use discord-mcp?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@discord-mcp Send a welcome message in #general" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

@quadslab.io/discord-mcp

npm version npm downloads License: MIT Node.js Discord GitHub stars

Manage your entire Discord server from Claude Code, Claude Co-Work, Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf. 139 admin tools across 20 categories — roles, channels, members, messages, threads, moderation, forums, stages, webhooks, events, polls, DMs, and more. Just talk to your AI in plain English.

Built by QuadsLab.io | Discord | npm

If you find this useful, consider giving it a star on GitHub — it helps others discover the project!

Setup in 60 Seconds

One command. No manual config files. No copying IDs.

npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp init

The interactive wizard walks you through everything:

It will:

Guide you through creating a Discord bot (or use an existing one)
Validate your bot token live
Auto-generate the invite URL with all required permissions
Let you pick which server to manage
Auto-detect your installed MCP clients and write the config for you

Works With Every MCP Client

The wizard auto-detects which clients you have installed:

  Detected MCP clients:

  ● Claude Code      .mcp.json
  ● Claude Desktop   ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  ● Cursor           ~/.cursor/mcp.json
  ○ Windsurf         (not detected)

  ? Which client(s) to configure?
  1. Claude Code (detected)
  2. Claude Desktop (detected)
  3. Cursor (detected)
  4. Windsurf (not found)
  5. All detected (3 clients)
  6. Skip (show config to copy manually)

Select one, multiple, or "All detected" to configure everything at once.

Verify Your Setup

npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp check

  QuadsLab.io [discord-mcp] — Health Check
  ────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  Token ............ present
  Bot .............. MyBot#1234
  Server ........... My Gaming Server (1,024 members)

  Permissions
  ────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  ✔ Manage Roles .............. yes
  ✔ Manage Channels ........... yes
  ✔ Kick Members .............. yes
  ✔ Ban Members ............... yes
  ...

  ██████████████████████████████  100% (24/24)

  ✔ All 24 permissions granted

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │ MCP server is ready!                             │
  │ Run discord-mcp or use via .mcp.json in Claude   │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

What Can You Do With It?

Once connected to Claude Code or Claude Co-Work, just ask in natural language:

"Send a welcome message in #general"
"Lock down the #announcements channel"
"Who reacted to the last message in #server-guide?"
"Create a role called VIP with a gold color and assign it to @john"
"Show me the audit log for the last 24 hours"
"Set up an automod rule to block links in #general"
"Show me the last 20 messages in the 'API Discussion' thread"
"Send a reply in the 'bug-report' thread saying we're looking into it"
"List all archived threads in #general"
"Create a forum post in #feedback titled Bug Reports"
"Timeout @spammer for 1 hour for spamming"
"List all webhooks and delete the unused ones"
"Schedule a community event for Friday at 8pm in the Stage channel"
"Bulk delete the last 50 messages in #bot-testing"
"Give everyone with the Member role access to #private-channel"
"Create a poll in #general asking which game to play Friday"
"DM all moderators about the upcoming server event"
"Set the bot's status to 'Watching over 500 members'"
"Show me who's in the Gaming voice channel right now"

Claude automatically resolves channel, role, and member names using fuzzy matching — no need to look up IDs.

Features

139 tools across 20 categories — comprehensive Discord server administration without leaving the terminal
Interactive setup wizard — npx init walks you through bot creation, token validation, and config in under a minute
Health check & permission audit — npx check verifies your token, server access, and all 24 required permissions with a visual progress bar
Fuzzy name resolution — type "bot testing", "bot-testing", or "bottesting" and it resolves correctly; no need to look up IDs
Thread-aware messaging — all message tools (send, edit, pin, react, etc.) work in threads and channels alike — no separate tools needed
Zero-config name matching — channels, roles, and members are all resolved by name, ID, or mention format automatically
Pre-cached server data — all channels, roles, and members are cached on startup for instant lookups without extra API calls
Structured JSON responses — every tool returns consistent, pretty-printed JSON
Audit log integration — all modifying operations accept a reason parameter that appears in the Discord audit log
Helpful error recovery — failed lookups return suggestions (e.g., "Did you mean: #general, #bot-testing?")
MCP resources — three read-only resources for server overview data

Alternative Setup (Manual)

If you prefer to configure things manually instead of using the wizard:

1. Create a Discord bot

Follow the Bot Setup Guide to create a bot in the Discord Developer Portal and get your token.

2. Add to your MCP config

Add the following discord entry to your client's config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "discord": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@quadslab.io/discord-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "DISCORD_TOKEN": "your-bot-token",
        "DISCORD_GUILD_ID": "your-server-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Client	Config file location
Claude Code	`.mcp.json` in your project root
Claude Desktop	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS) or `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (Windows)
Cursor	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`
Windsurf	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

3. Connect

Claude Code: Type /mcp to connect
Claude Desktop: Restart the app
Cursor / Windsurf: Reload the window

git clone https://github.com/HardHeadHackerHead/discord-mcp.git
cd discord-mcp
npm install
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your DISCORD_TOKEN and DISCORD_GUILD_ID
npm run build
npm start

CLI Reference

$ npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp [command]

Command	Description
`init`	Interactive setup wizard — creates bot, validates token, auto-configures Claude Code / Co-Work / Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf
`check`	Health check — verifies token, server access, and permission audit
`update`	Check for new versions and clear the npx cache so the next run pulls the latest
`start`	Start the MCP server (default when no command given)
`help`	Show help message
`version`	Show version

When launched via .mcp.json (stdin is not a TTY), the server starts automatically — no subcommand needed.

Updating

Your MCP client config doesn't pin a version, so updating is simple:

npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp update

This checks npm for the latest version, clears the npx cache, and your next MCP client launch will use the new version automatically. Your bot token, server, and client configuration are all preserved — nothing needs to be reconfigured.

To verify after updating:

npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp version
npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp check

Tools Overview

Summary

Category	Tools	Description
Guild	2	Server information and metadata
Roles	11	Role creation, editing, permissions, and assignment
Channels	20	Channel creation, editing, permissions, and organization
Members	15	Member management, moderation, and bulk operations
Messages	14	Send, edit, delete, pin, and react to messages (works in threads too)
Reactions	1	Detailed reaction data with reactor info
Server Admin	16	Server settings, invites, bans, audit log, and integrations
Threads	15	Thread creation, reading, editing, archiving, and member management
Forums	5	Forum posts and tag management
Emojis & Stickers	7	Custom emoji and sticker management
Webhooks	4	Webhook creation, deletion, and messaging
Scheduled Events	5	Event creation, editing, and deletion
Stage Instances	3	Stage channel management
Auto-Moderation	4	Automod rule creation, editing, and deletion
Polls	3	Create polls, get results, end polls early
Direct Messages	2	Send DMs and embed DMs to server members
Bot Presence	2	Set bot status/activity, get bot info
Server Templates	4	List, create, delete, sync server templates
Application Commands	4	Manage slash commands (CRUD)
Onboarding	2	Get and edit server onboarding configuration
Total	139

Guild (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_guilds`	List all servers the bot is a member of
`get_guild_info`	Detailed server info — member count, channels, roles, features, boost tier

Roles (11 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_roles`	List all roles sorted by position with colors and member counts
`create_role`	Create a new role with name, color, hoist, and mentionable options
`delete_role`	Delete a role (with managed role protection)
`modify_role`	Change a role's name, color, hoist, mentionable, or position
`get_role_permissions`	View all permissions granted to a role
`modify_role_permissions`	Grant or revoke specific permissions on a role
`set_role_icon`	Set a Unicode emoji or image as the role icon (requires boost level 2+)
`assign_role`	Add a role to a member
`remove_role`	Remove a role from a member
`get_role_members`	List all members who have a specific role
`clone_role`	Duplicate a role with all its permissions and settings

Channels (20 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_channels`	List all channels organized by category
`create_text_channel`	Create a new text channel, optionally in a category
`create_voice_channel`	Create a new voice channel with bitrate and user limit
`create_category`	Create a new channel category
`create_forum_channel`	Create a new forum channel with optional tags and default settings
`delete_channel`	Delete any channel type
`modify_channel`	Change name, topic, category, NSFW, position, user limit
`set_channel_permissions`	Set permission overwrites for a role or user on a channel
`view_channel_permissions`	View all permission overwrites on a channel
`lock_channel`	Deny SendMessages for @everyone (quick lock)
`unlock_channel`	Remove SendMessages deny for @everyone
`set_slowmode`	Set rate limit (0–21600 seconds) on a text channel
`clone_channel`	Duplicate a channel with all permissions and settings
`reorder_channels`	Reorder channels by specifying new positions
`set_voice_region`	Set the RTC region for a voice channel
`follow_announcement_channel`	Follow an announcement channel to cross-post into another channel
`create_stage_channel`	Create a new stage channel
`get_channel_invites`	List all invites for a specific channel
`set_channel_topic`	Set or clear a channel's topic/description
`get_voice_members`	List all members currently in a voice or stage channel

Members (15 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_members`	List members with optional role and search filters
`get_member`	Detailed member info — roles, join date, account age, permissions
`kick_member`	Kick a member from the server
`ban_member`	Ban a member with optional message deletion (0–7 days)
`unban_member`	Remove a ban by username or user ID
`timeout_member`	Apply a timeout (10m, 1h, 1d, 1w) or remove one
`prune_members`	Remove inactive members (supports dry run and role filtering)
`bulk_assign_role`	Assign a role to multiple members at once
`bulk_remove_role`	Remove a role from multiple members at once
`set_nickname`	Change a member's nickname or reset it
`move_to_voice`	Move a member to a different voice channel
`disconnect_from_voice`	Disconnect a member from their voice channel
`get_member_permissions`	Get a member's effective permissions in a specific channel
`search_members`	Search members by username, nickname, or role with advanced filters
`bulk_timeout_members`	Apply a timeout to multiple members at once

Messages (14 tools)

All message tools work in both regular channels and threads — just pass the thread name or ID as the channel.

Tool	Description
`get_messages`	Fetch recent messages from a text channel, voice channel, or thread
`get_message`	Fetch a single message by ID with full details
`send_message`	Send a text message, optionally as a reply
`send_embed`	Send a rich embed with title, fields, images, and footer
`edit_message`	Edit a message previously sent by the bot
`delete_message`	Delete a single message by ID
`bulk_delete_messages`	Delete 2–100 messages at once (< 14 days old), optionally filtered by user
`crosspost_message`	Publish a message in an announcement channel to all following channels
`pin_message`	Pin a message
`unpin_message`	Unpin a message
`list_pinned_messages`	Get all pinned messages in a channel
`add_reaction`	Add a reaction from the bot to a message
`remove_reaction`	Remove the bot's reaction from a message
`search_messages`	Search messages in a channel by content, author, or date range

Reactions (1 tool)

Tool	Description
`get_reactions`	Get all reactions on a message with full reactor details — account creation date, server join date, roles, avatar, boost status. Optionally filter by emoji.

Server Admin (16 tools)

Tool	Description
`edit_server`	Modify server name, description, verification level, notification defaults
`list_invites`	List all active invite links with usage stats and expiration
`create_invite`	Generate a new invite with configurable max age, uses, and temporary flag
`delete_invite`	Revoke an invite by code
`get_audit_log`	Fetch audit log entries, optionally filtered by action type or user
`list_bans`	View all banned users with reasons
`get_welcome_screen`	Get the server welcome screen configuration
`set_welcome_screen`	Configure the welcome screen with description and featured channels
`get_widget`	Get the server widget settings
`set_widget`	Configure the server widget (enable/disable, set channel)
`get_vanity_url`	Get the server vanity URL (requires VANITY_URL feature)
`list_integrations`	List all integrations (bots, apps) connected to the server
`delete_integration`	Remove an integration from the server
`get_server_preview`	Get the server's public preview information
`set_server_icon`	Set or remove the server icon from a URL
`set_server_banner`	Set or remove the server banner image (requires boost level 2+)

Threads (15 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_threads`	List active threads, optionally filtered to a channel
`list_archived_threads`	List public or private archived threads in a channel with pagination
`get_thread`	Get detailed thread info — type, slowmode, auto-archive, owner, URL
`get_thread_messages`	Fetch messages from a thread with before/after pagination
`get_thread_pinned_messages`	Get all pinned messages in a thread
`create_thread`	Start a thread from a message or as a standalone public thread
`edit_thread`	Edit thread name, auto-archive duration, slowmode, or locked/archived status
`archive_thread`	Archive a thread
`unarchive_thread`	Unarchive a thread
`delete_thread`	Delete a thread
`lock_thread`	Lock a thread (prevent new messages without archiving)
`unlock_thread`	Unlock a thread
`list_thread_members`	List all members of a thread
`add_thread_member`	Add a member to a thread
`remove_thread_member`	Remove a member from a thread

Forums (5 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_forum_post`	Create a new post (thread) in a forum channel with optional tags
`list_forum_tags`	List all available tags on a forum channel
`create_forum_tag`	Add a new tag to a forum channel (max 20 per channel)
`edit_forum_tag`	Edit an existing forum tag's name, emoji, or moderated status
`delete_forum_tag`	Remove a tag from a forum channel

Emojis & Stickers (7 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_emojis`	List all custom emojis with names, IDs, animated status, and URLs
`create_emoji`	Upload a new custom emoji from a URL
`delete_emoji`	Remove a custom emoji by name or ID
`rename_emoji`	Rename a custom emoji
`list_stickers`	List all custom stickers with descriptions and format info
`create_sticker`	Upload a new custom sticker from a URL
`delete_sticker`	Remove a custom sticker by name or ID

Webhooks (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_webhooks`	List all webhooks, optionally filtered to a channel
`create_webhook`	Create a webhook on a channel with name and optional avatar
`delete_webhook`	Delete a webhook by ID
`send_webhook_message`	Send a message via webhook with optional name/avatar override

Scheduled Events (5 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_events`	List all scheduled events with times, status, type, and attendee count
`create_event`	Create a voice, stage, or external event with start/end times
`edit_event`	Modify an event's name, description, times, or status
`delete_event`	Delete a scheduled event
`get_event_users`	List users who have expressed interest in an event

Stage Instances (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_stage_instances`	List all active stage instances with topic and channel info
`start_stage`	Start a new stage instance on a stage channel with a topic
`end_stage`	End an active stage instance

Auto-Moderation (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_automod_rules`	List all automod rules with triggers, actions, and exemptions
`create_automod_rule`	Create a rule — keyword filter, spam detection, keyword presets, or mention spam
`edit_automod_rule`	Modify a rule's keywords, actions, exemptions, or enabled state
`delete_automod_rule`	Delete an automod rule

Polls (3 tools)

Tool	Description
`create_poll`	Create a poll in a channel with multiple choice options and duration
`get_poll_results`	Get the current results and vote counts for a poll
`end_poll`	End a poll early and finalize the results

Direct Messages (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`send_dm`	Send a direct message to a server member
`send_dm_embed`	Send a rich embed as a direct message to a server member

Bot Presence (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`set_bot_presence`	Set the bot's status and activity (playing, watching, listening, etc.)
`get_bot_info`	Get the bot's current user info, status, and connection details

Server Templates (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_templates`	List all templates for the server
`create_template`	Create a new server template from the current server configuration
`delete_template`	Delete a server template by code
`sync_template`	Sync a server template with the current server state

Application Commands (4 tools)

Tool	Description
`list_commands`	List all registered application (slash) commands
`create_command`	Register a new slash command with name, description, and options
`edit_command`	Modify an existing slash command
`delete_command`	Remove a registered slash command

Onboarding (2 tools)

Tool	Description
`get_onboarding`	Get the server's onboarding configuration and prompts
`edit_onboarding`	Edit the server onboarding settings, prompts, and default channels

Fuzzy Matching

All tools that accept channel, role, or member names use smart fuzzy matching. You never need to look up IDs manually. The resolution order is:

Exact ID match — pass a Discord snowflake ID directly
Exact name match — case-insensitive
Normalized match — ignores hyphens, spaces, and underscores ("bot testing" matches "bot-testing")
Substring match — partial name matches at 0.7+ similarity threshold
Thread fallback — if no channel matches, active threads are searched using the same steps above
Archived thread fallback — if an ID is provided and not found in active threads, the thread is fetched directly (covers archived threads)

Mention formats are also handled automatically:

Channels: #name or <#id>
Roles: @name or <@&id>
Members: @name or <@id> or <@!id>

If no match is found, the error message includes suggestions of similar names to help you correct the input.

MCP Resources

Three read-only resources are exposed for quick server overview data:

URI	Description
`discord://server/summary`	Text overview of the server (channels, roles, members)
`discord://server/channels`	JSON list of all channels organized by category
`discord://server/roles`	JSON list of all roles sorted by position

Required Permissions

The Discord bot needs the following permissions for full functionality:

Category	Permissions
General	Manage Server, Manage Roles, Manage Channels, View Audit Log, Manage Webhooks, Manage Events, Manage Emojis and Stickers
Text	Send Messages, Manage Messages, Read Message History, Add Reactions, Use External Emojis
Voice	Move Members, Disconnect Members
Moderation	Kick Members, Ban Members, Moderate Members, Manage Auto Moderation

The init wizard auto-generates an invite URL with all of these. If you set up manually, see the Bot Setup Guide for which checkboxes to select.

The bot can only act within its role hierarchy — it cannot manage roles positioned higher than its own highest role.

Gateway Intents

These privileged intents must be enabled in the Discord Developer Portal:

Server Members Intent — required for member management
Message Content Intent — required for reading message content

Troubleshooting

Run the health check to diagnose issues:

npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp check

"DISCORD_TOKEN is not set"

The MCP server can't find your bot token. Either:

Run npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp init to set up automatically
Or check that your .mcp.json / MCP client config has the DISCORD_TOKEN in the env block

"Request with opcode 8 was rate limited"

Discord rate-limited the gateway connection (usually from member caching on large servers). The server retries automatically — if you're still seeing this, wait 30 seconds and try again. This is a Discord-side limit, not a bug.

"Role @everyone not found"

Fixed in v1.2.2+. Update to the latest version:

npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp@latest init

"Missing Access" or "Missing Permissions"

The bot's role doesn't have the required permissions. Either:

Re-invite the bot using the URL from npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp init (it includes all permissions)
Or go to Server Settings > Roles and grant the missing permissions to the bot's role
Run npx @quadslab.io/discord-mcp check to see exactly which permissions are missing

Bot can't manage a specific role

Discord enforces role hierarchy — the bot can only manage roles below its own highest role. Move the bot's role higher in Server Settings > Roles.

Bot can't read messages

Enable Message Content Intent in the Discord Developer Portal > Bot tab.

"Used disallowed intents"

Enable Server Members Intent and Message Content Intent in the Discord Developer Portal > Bot tab. Both are required.

Tools work but are slow

The first tool call after startup may be slow due to caching. Subsequent calls use the cached data and should be instant. If all calls are slow, check your network connection to Discord.

`.mcp.json` was created in the wrong directory

If you ran init from Desktop or Downloads, update to v1.2.3+ which auto-detects this and writes to ~/.claude.json (global config) instead. Or move the .mcp.json file to your project root.

Architecture

@quadslab.io/discord-mcp/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── .env.example
├── docs/
│   ├── discord-mcp-server.md    # Full tool reference documentation
│   └── bot-setup-guide.md       # Step-by-step bot creation guide
└── src/
    ├── cli.ts                   # CLI — init wizard, health check, server start
    ├── mcp-server.ts            # MCP server entry — validates env, exports main()
    ├── index.ts                 # Tool/resource registration and MCP request routing
    ├── discord-client.ts        # Discord.js client — intents, caching, rate limit retry
    └── tools/
        ├── index.ts             # Tool registry — routes calls to category handlers
        ├── utils.ts             # Fuzzy matching for channels, roles, members
        ├── guild.ts             # Server info (2)
        ├── roles.ts             # Role management (11)
        ├── channels.ts          # Channel management (20)
        ├── members.ts           # Member management (15)
        ├── messages.ts          # Messaging (14)
        ├── reactions.ts         # Reactions (1)
        ├── server.ts            # Server admin (16)
        ├── threads.ts           # Thread management (15)
        ├── forums.ts            # Forum channels (5)
        ├── emojis.ts            # Emoji & stickers (7)
        ├── webhooks.ts          # Webhooks (4)
        ├── events.ts            # Scheduled events (5)
        ├── stage.ts             # Stage instances (3)
        ├── automod.ts           # Auto-moderation (4)
        ├── polls.ts             # Polls (3)
        ├── dms.ts               # Direct messages (2)
        ├── presence.ts          # Bot presence (2)
        ├── templates.ts         # Server templates (4)
        ├── commands.ts          # Application commands (4)
        └── onboarding.ts        # Onboarding (2)

Community

Discord Server — get help, share feedback, see what others are building
GitHub Issues — bug reports and feature requests
GitHub Discussions — questions, ideas, and show & tell
QuadsLab.io — more tools from the team

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, code style, and guidelines.

License

See LICENSE for the full text.