/setup-discord.en

description: "Lesson command — Discord Bot + official Claude Code Channels plugin setup"
duration: "~30 min"
prerequisites: ["Discord account", "Claude Code", "Bun"]
level: "intermediate"
nonInteractiveMode: deferred
tags: ["setup", "discord", "plugin", "module-22"]

/setup-discord -- Discord Bot + official Claude Code Channels plugin setup

Goal

Create a Discord Bot in the Developer Portal and launch it as a Claude Code Channel through the official `discord@claude-plugins-official` plugin. Mirrors aiagent-course Module 22.

> **Non-interactive note**: This command requires browser actions, a token > paste, and Claude Code plugin commands. Under `claude -p` / > `cursor-agent --print` it cannot finish; `nonInteractiveMode: deferred` > tells the AI to emit a `setup-resume.md` checklist and stop.

---

Step 0: detect existing setup

The AI should:

1. Guide the learner to check whether `discord@claude-plugins-official` is installed in Claude Code. 2. Confirm `~/.claude/channels/discord/.env` contains `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN` without printing the value. 3. Ask the learner to run `/discord:access` inside Claude Code to inspect access state.

If everything is set, jump to **Step 6 (smoke test)**.

---

Step 1: create the bot in Developer Portal

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

1. **New Application** → name it (for example, `AI Agent Camp Demo`) → **Create**. 2. Sidebar **Bot** → **Reset Token** → copy the token immediately into a password manager. 3. Under **Privileged Gateway Intents**, enable only `MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT`.

MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT is required so the bot can read message text.

---

Step 2: invite the bot

1. Open **OAuth2** → **URL Generator**. 2. Select the `bot` scope. 3. Under **Bot Permissions**, select the minimum permissions:

• `View Channels`
• `Send Messages`
• `Send Messages in Threads`
• `Read Message History`
• `Attach Files`

4. Set **Integration type** to **Guild Install**. 5. Open the generated URL and add the bot to your server.

---

Step 3: install the official Discord plugin

Start Claude Code and run these commands inside Claude Code:

/plugin install discord@claude-plugins-official
/reload-plugins

After reloading plugins, configure the bot token in the same Claude Code session:

/discord:configure <paste-bot-token>

This writes `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN` to `~/.claude/channels/discord/.env`. Do not paste the token into normal chat or logs.

---

Step 4: launch Claude Code with Channels

Exit Claude Code, then start it from the terminal:

claude --channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

The Discord channel does not run from normal server registration. Always launch with `--channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official`.

---

Step 5: configure access control

Pairing captures your Discord user ID. Keep Claude Code running with the Step 4 launch command, then DM the bot from Discord. When the bot replies with a 6-character pairing code, run this inside Claude Code:

/discord:access pair <code>
/discord:access policy allowlist
/discord:access

If you already know a user's Discord snowflake, add it manually:

/discord:access allow <snowflake>
/discord:access

For production use, switch to `allowlist` after adding the needed users so unknown DM senders do not receive pairing-code replies.

---

Step 6: smoke test

With Claude Code running as:

claude --channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official

DM the bot from Discord and confirm the notification reaches Claude Code and the bot can reply. If nothing happens, run `/discord:access` to inspect the allowlist and pending pairings.

---

Common gotchas (mirrors Module 22 slide)

| Symptom | Cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | Token stops working | Old token after `Reset Token` | Reset again, then run `/discord:configure <paste-bot-token>` | | Messages can't be read | `MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT` off | Toggle it on and relaunch with `--channels` | | Bot does not react to DMs | Claude Code was launched without `--channels` | Start with `claude --channels plugin:discord@claude-plugins-official` | | Unknown sender behavior is unclear | Access policy / allowlist not checked | Run `/discord:access`, then use `pair` or `allow` as needed |

---

Non-interactive behavior

`nonInteractiveMode: deferred` — under `-p`, only Step 0 can run. Browser actions, token paste, and Claude Code plugin commands are written to `setup-resume.md` for an interactive resume. See `_lib/non-interactive.md`.