How to Add a Bot or App to a Discord Server

Is this your situation?

The short answer

Before you start

• Confirm your permission level You need to be the server owner or have the Manage Server permission enabled.Verify: Check your role for the Manage Server permission.
• Review what the app requests The app can ask for permissions to make channels, delete messages, or edit roles, as a user would.Verify: Check the requested permissions list shown before you add it.
• Know it will appear as a member An app added to a server will appear as a member in that server.Verify: Check the member list after adding it.

How Discord handles this

• An app added to a server can ask for permissions to do things in a server like a user, such as making channels, deleting messages, or editing roles.
• An app added to a server will appear as a member in that server.
• Once an app is added to a server, it is available by default to all users in that server.
• Users need to be the server owner or have the Manage Server permission enabled in order to add an app to a server.

Step by step

1. Confirm you can add apps Users need to be the server owner or have the Manage Server permission enabled in order to add an app to a server.Confirm: Check your role settings for the Manage Server permission.
2. Open the App Directory Find the app you want to add to your server.Confirm: Check that the app's page is open.
3. Review the permission request The app can ask for permissions to do things like a user, such as making channels, deleting messages, or editing roles.Confirm: Check the list of permissions requested before confirming.
4. Authorize the app Confirm the server you want to add the app to and complete the authorization.Confirm: Check that the authorization screen closes without an error.
5. Check the member list An app added to a server will appear as a member in that server.Confirm: Check the member list for the app's name.
6. Review what members can do with it Once an app is added to a server, it is available by default to all users in that server.Confirm: Check the server's roles for app access.
7. Launch a command to test it On desktop or browser, select the App Launcher button to the right of the chat bar to launch the app.Confirm: Check that the command picker shows the app's commands.
8. Adjust visibility if needed Edit permissions so only the user who uses a command sees the results, to limit visibility of image editing apps in your server.Confirm: Check the role's Apps Permissions settings.
9. Review who added it A user can click into an individual bot or app and see the permissions it requested when it joined the server.Confirm: Check the Bots and Apps page for the app's requested permissions.

Common mistakes

• Assuming it stays limited to one person Once added to a server, an app is available by default to all users in that server.Why it happens: The reader adds the app for one task and does not revisit who else can reach it.
• Not checking what it already requested An app can ask for permissions to do things in a server, such as making channels or editing roles.Why it happens: The authorization screen gets clicked through without reading each permission.
• Treating it as separate from members An app added to a server appears as a member in that server.Why it happens: Readers expect apps in a separate list, not the member list.Already happened: See removed bot still has access if it will not leave.

Roles at a glance

Keeping track of who has access