# Discord > Read and post to Discord channels — community management for AI agents. [Canonical HTML page](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/discord) · [server.json](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/discord.json) · [methodology](https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology) ## Install ### Claude Desktop — `claude_desktop_config.json` Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing. ```json { "mcpServers": { "discord": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ], "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } } ``` ### Claude Code — `CLI or .mcp.json` Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team. ```shell # export DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your_bot_token claude mcp add discord -- npx -y @v-3/discordmcp ``` ### Cursor — `.cursor/mcp.json` Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing. ```json { "mcpServers": { "discord": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ], "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } } ``` ### VS Code — `.vscode/mcp.json` VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers"). ```jsonc { "servers": { "discord": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ], "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } } ``` ### Windsurf — `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure. ```json { "mcpServers": { "discord": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ], "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } } ``` ### Cline — `cline_mcp_settings.json` Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit. ```json { "mcpServers": { "discord": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ], "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } } ``` ### Continue — `~/.continue/config.json` Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block. ```json { "experimental": { "modelContextProtocolServers": [ { "transport": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ], "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } ] } } ``` ### Codex CLI — `~/.codex/config.toml` Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.] subtable. ```shell # ~/.codex/config.toml [mcp_servers.discord] command = "npx" args = [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp", ] env = { DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN = "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } ``` ### Zed — `~/.config/zed/settings.json` Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save. ```jsonc { "context_servers": { "discord": { "command": { "path": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@v-3/discordmcp" ] }, "env": { "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN": "${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" } } } } ``` ### ChatGPT — `ChatGPT → Apps directory` Discord doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build. ```none ``` ## At a glance - **Maintainer:** v-3 (community) - **Transport:** stdio - **Auth model:** API key - **Required secrets:** DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN - **Supported clients:** Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Any MCP-compatible client - **License:** MIT - **Language:** TypeScript - **Latest version:** latest - **Last verified:** 2026-05-06 - **GitHub stars:** 199 (fetched 2026-05-11T09:29:11.297Z) - **Score:** 55/100 (rubric 2026-04 — see https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology) - **Source:** https://github.com/v-3/discordmcp ## Tools & permissions | Tool | Description | Args | Side effects | |------|-------------|------|--------------| | `list_channels` | List channels visible to the bot in a guild. | `guild_id: string` | read | | `read_messages` | Read recent messages from a channel. | `channel_id: string, limit?: number` | read | | `send_message` | Post a message to a channel or thread. | `channel_id: string, content: string` | write | | `create_thread` | Open a new public thread under a message. | `channel_id: string, message_id: string, name: string` | write | | `add_reaction` | Add an emoji reaction to a message. | `channel_id: string, message_id: string, emoji: string` | write | ## Security & scope - **Access scope:** read-write - **Sandbox:** Authenticates to Discord as a bot user via the token in `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`. The bot has whatever permissions the server admin granted at invite time, scoped per channel where Discord supports it. - **Gotchas:** - Discord bot tokens are bearer credentials — leaking one gives an attacker the bot's full permission set instantly. Rotate via the Developer Portal whenever in doubt. - Posting messages without an approval gate in a community context is a brand risk; for any auto-reply workflow, require human approval before send. ## Quick answer **What it does.** Provides bot-token-authenticated access to Discord guilds, channels, threads, and members — including reading messages, sending messages, managing threads, and adding reactions. **Best for:** - Community message triage - Channel summary digests - FAQ auto-responses (with approval gate) - Thread management - Cross-server moderation queues **Not for:** - Internal team chat (use Slack or Teams MCPs) - High-volume DM-based support ## Recipes ### Daily community digest ``` Read the last 24 hours of messages from #general, #help, and #announcements. Group questions by topic, surface 3 unanswered help threads worth a moderator response, and post a 5-bullet daily digest to #community-leads. ``` _Tested with: Claude Desktop, Cursor_ ## Description The Discord MCP connects AI models to Discord servers via a bot user. Read recent messages, post replies, search channel history, manage threads, and react to community events. Built for community managers and developer-relations teams running Discord-first communities. ## Why it matters Discord is the default community surface for many open-source projects, gaming communities, and developer-relations programs. Slack MCPs are everywhere; Discord MCPs less so, despite the audience overlap. ## Key features - Bot-token auth with channel-level scope - Read messages and channel history - Post messages and thread replies - Search across channels - Manage threads and reactions ## FAQ ### How do I set up the Discord bot? Create an application at discord.com/developers/applications, add a bot user, copy the bot token, then invite the bot to your server with the right scopes (typically `bot` plus `applications.commands`). The MCP reads `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN` at launch. ### What permissions does the bot need? For read-only triage: View Channels and Read Message History. For posting: add Send Messages. For thread management: Create Public Threads and Manage Threads. For reactions: Add Reactions. Grant only what the workflow needs — bot perms in Discord are per-channel by default, which helps. ### Can it read DMs? Only DMs sent to the bot itself; it cannot read DMs between human users. Discord's API explicitly forbids that, even with admin scope. For user-to-user DM monitoring, you need a different architecture (selfbot, which violates ToS, or a webhook integration). ### Is it official? No — it is a community-maintained server. Discord has not shipped a first-party MCP. The community server is the practical default and works against the standard Discord bot API, so it inherits Discord's rate limits and policies directly. ### How is it different from the Slack MCP? Same protocol, different platform. Slack MCPs target team-internal chat with bot tokens; Discord MCPs target community-facing servers. The capabilities (read, post, thread, react) overlap closely; the auth model and rate limits differ. ## Changelog - **2026-05-06** — Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026. - **2025-03-01** — Initial directory listing.