Discord MCP tutorial

discord-mcp is a local stdio MCP server that lets an AI client call Discord through a bot you control. Nothing is hosted for you: your client starts the process, passes the bot token in its environment, and receives structured tool results over MCP.

Caution

The server inherits the bot’s Discord permissions. Some ordinary write tools execute on the first call, so begin in a private test server and use least-privilege bot permissions.

What you will set up

This tutorial first establishes one safe, repeatable connection: a local MCP client can start discord-mcp, make a read-only Discord request, and send one test message inside a private server you control. Its optional final unit then produces your first independently verified Discord outcome through the plan, approve, apply, and Activity Evidence lifecycle.

1. Create a Discord bot and install it in a test server.
2. Install the CLI with Node.js 22.12 or newer.
3. Connect your MCP client using a generated config snippet.
4. Run your first Discord tools to verify the bot and send one test message.
5. Understand the tool call from request arguments to structured output.
6. Get a verified Discord outcome by reviewing a dry run, applying it in an empty test guild, and reading Activity Evidence back.

After the connection track, use Tools for exact contracts. Complete the optional verified-outcome unit before treating a full guild build as ready for real use.

Ready to begin?

• I have a private Discord server where I can safely test a bot.
• I understand that the bot can only do what its Discord permissions allow.
• I have a private place outside source control where I can store the bot token.