Make a Discord welcome bot

What can a welcome bot do?

Discord already posts a system line when someone joins, and you can tune it in the server settings (Discord help). A bot is for when you want your own rules. Yours can:

• post a greeting in the channel you choose, mentioning the newcomer;
• put that greeting in an embed, with a title and a few lines;
• add a “See the rules” button whose answer only the person who clicks can see;
• give a role on arrival, or only after a click on “I accept the rules”;
• send a private welcome message, within the limits listed below;
• tell your team in a private channel when someone leaves.

One thing to know first: the discbot.net dashboard and assistant are in French for now. Your bot itself greets people in whatever language you give it.

What does the welcome look like in Discord?

This pattern doubles as a simple gate. In your channel settings, restrict channels to the Member role: until the newcomer clicks, they only see #welcome.

How do you set it up, step by step?

1. Describe the welcome

   In your bot’s chat, say which channel to use, what the message says and which role to give. Plain words are fine; the assistant replies with what it changed.

2. Simulate an arrival

   In the Tester, pick the member arrival input and send it. You see the bot’s message and can click its button, with nothing sent to Discord.

3. Prepare the bot on Discord

   Create the application and copy its token (token guide), then invite the bot to your server (invite guide).

4. Turn on Server Members Intent

   The Publish page asks for it when your code needs it, and a welcome does. The steps are in the intents guide.

5. Put the bot’s role above the role it gives

   In Server Settings, Roles, drag your bot’s role above Member and give it the Manage Roles permission. Otherwise Discord refuses to assign the role.

6. Publish

   Pick your server on the Publish page and confirm. To check, join with a second account or ask a friend to join.

What does the bot not do yet?

• Drawn welcome cards with the member’s avatar pasted into an image: the bot does not send files or generated images. It can show an image you uploaded in the Images tab inside the embed, though.
• A private message for every arrival on a busy server: private messages are capped at 10 recipients an hour and 25 a day. Past that, greet in a channel instead.
• Roles for a sudden wave of arrivals: past 20 role changes in one minute, discbot.net pauses the bot as a safety measure, and you confirm the restart on the Publish page.
• Join and leave statistics: not available yet.

Why does the bot stay quiet when someone joins?

ProblemThe bot is online but says nothing on arrivals.

FixServer Members Intent is off, or was turned on for another application. Open the Developer Portal, Bot tab, turn it on and click Save Changes.

ProblemThe message is posted but the role is not given.

FixThe bot’s role sits below the role to give, or lacks Manage Roles. Move it up in Server Settings, Roles.

ProblemThe bot does not post in #welcome.

FixThat channel has its own permissions. Give the bot’s role View Channel and Send Messages there.

ProblemThe newcomer gets no notification from the mention.

FixMentions are off by default on discbot.net. Ask the assistant to mention the new member: it allows that one mention, and only that one.

What to read next?

• Role bot

  Let members pick their roles with buttons, menus or reactions.

• Enable privileged intents

  Server Members Intent, Message Content Intent: when to turn them on, and where.

• Moderation bot

  Remove ads, warn, time out members and slow a channel down.

• Make a Discord bot without coding

  The whole path, from an idea to a bot that answers on your server.