Enable your Discord bot’s privileged intents
Privileged intents are three switches in the Developer Portal that let a bot see sensitive information: members, message text and presence. You turn them on in the Bot tab, under Privileged Gateway Intents, then click Save Changes. Only turn on what your bot uses: on discbot.net, the Publish page tells you which.
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Which intents are privileged, and what do they do?
- Server Members Intent: see members join, leave and change, and list the server’s members.
- Message Content Intent: read the text of messages written by members.
- Presence Intent: see who is online and what they play. A discbot.net bot never needs it.
Everything else, such as slash commands, button clicks, reactions or voice channels, needs no privileged intent. Discord explains why in its intents documentation.
Does my bot need one?
| What your bot does | Intent to turn on |
|---|---|
| Greet new members | Server Members Intent |
| Announce departures | Server Members Intent |
| Remove ads or answer a keyword | Message Content Intent |
| Prefix commands such as !help | Message Content Intent |
| Slash commands, buttons, menus, forms | None |
| Reaction roles | None |
Even without Message Content Intent, a bot reads messages that mention it. If your needs fit in slash commands, that is often the simplest route, as Discord suggests in You might not need a privileged intent.
How do you turn an intent on in the Developer Portal?
- Open your application
On discord.com/developers/applications, click your bot’s application. Make sure it is the one whose token is in discbot.net.
- Go to the Bot tab
In the left menu, click Bot, then scroll to Privileged Gateway Intents.
- Turn on the switch you need
Server Members Intent, Message Content Intent, or both. Leave Presence Intent off.
- Save
Click Save Changes in the bar that appears at the bottom. Without it, nothing changes.
- Go back to the Publish page
The special access line (Accès spéciaux; the dashboard is in French for now) re-reads the settings every 30 seconds. Once it is ticked, you can publish.
What does a bot that needs Message Content Intent look like?
When someone writes “hello” in #general, greet them back by name.
discbot.netDone. The bot answers hellos in #general.
Do you need Discord’s approval?
Not to get started. The switches are free to turn on until your application reaches 10,000 users. Past that, Discord asks for app verification and a justified access request to keep each privileged intent. The developer help center covers the process.
What are the usual errors?
- ProblemThe Publish page still says a special access is missing.
- FixThe intent was switched on without clicking Save Changes, or on another application. Check that the open application is the one whose token is in discbot.net.
- ProblemThe bot ignores messages despite the intent.
- FixIt may lack View Channel or Read Message History in that channel. Check the channel permissions for its role.
- ProblemA bot hosted elsewhere stops with “Used disallowed intents”.
- FixIts code asks for an intent that is off in the portal. Turn it on, or remove it from the code. On discbot.net, the Publish page catches this before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning on an intent make my bot less safe?
It gives your bot access to more information about members. Turn on only what you use, and the bot reads nothing beyond what its code uses.
Why is Presence Intent never requested?
Presence is not available to discbot.net bots. Leave that switch off.
Do I redo these settings at every publication?
No. Intents stay on for your application. The Publish page only checks each time that they are still on.
Free for now. Create your discbot.net account: during the private beta, the Publish page guides you as soon as your access is approved.