discord-messaging

name	discord-messaging
description	Send proactive messages to Discord users and channels using discord_cli
allowed-tools	Bash(discord_cli:*)

Discord Messaging Skill

Send messages to Discord users and channels for TPM follow-ups, notifications, and reports.

Quick Reference

# Send DM to user
discord_cli send-dm --user-id 123456789012345678 --message "Hi! Checking in on task X"

# Send message to channel
discord_cli send-channel --channel-id 123456789012345678 --message "Weekly status update..."

# Reply to message
discord_cli send-channel --channel-id 123456789012345678 --reply-to 123456789012345678 --message "Thanks!"

# Auto-detect (prefix dm: for DM)
discord_cli send --to dm:123456789012345678 --message "Hello!"

Commands

send-dm

Send a direct message to a Discord user.

discord_cli send-dm --user-id <USER_ID> --message "<TEXT>"

Parameters:

• --user-id: Discord user ID (snowflake, 18+ digits)
• --message: Message content (max 2000 characters)

Example:

discord_cli send-dm \
  --user-id 123456789012345678 \
  --message "Hi! This is Oliver from DoWhiz. Can you provide an update on the authentication task?"

send-channel

Send a message to a Discord channel.

discord_cli send-channel --channel-id <CHANNEL_ID> --message "<TEXT>" [--reply-to <MSG_ID>]

Parameters:

• --channel-id: Discord channel ID (snowflake)
• --message: Message content
• --reply-to: (Optional) Message ID to reply to

Example:

discord_cli send-channel \
  --channel-id 123456789012345678 \
  --message "📋 **Weekly TPM Report**\n\n**Completed:** 5 tasks\n**In Progress:** 3 tasks\n**Blocked:** 1 task"

send

Auto-detect destination and send message.

discord_cli send --to <ID> --message "<TEXT>" [--reply-to <MSG_ID>]

Use dm:USER_ID prefix to force DM creation.

Message Formatting

Discord supports markdown formatting:

Format	Syntax	Example
Bold	**text**	**important**
Italic	*text* or _text_	*emphasis*
Underline	__text__	__underlined__
Strikethrough	~~text~~	~~deleted~~
Code	`code`	`variable`
Code block	```language\ncode\n```	Multi-line code
Quote	> text	Block quote
Spoiler	`
User mention	<@USER_ID>	<@123456789>
Channel link	<#CHANNEL_ID>	<#123456789>
Role mention	<@&ROLE_ID>	<@&123456789>

TPM Use Cases

1. Task Follow-up DM

discord_cli send-dm \
  --user-id 123456789012345678 \
  --message "👋 Hi! Checking in on task **API Integration**. What's your current progress?"

2. Weekly Report to Channel

discord_cli send-channel \
  --channel-id 123456789012345678 \
  --message "📊 **Weekly TPM Report - $(date +%Y-%m-%d)**

**Completed This Week:**
• Task A - ✅ Done
• Task B - ✅ Done

**In Progress:**
• Task C - 70% complete
• Task D - Starting

**Blockers:**
• ⚠️ Waiting on API documentation

_Reply to this message for questions._"

3. Deadline Reminder

discord_cli send-dm \
  --user-id 123456789012345678 \
  --message "⏰ **Reminder:** Task **Database Migration** is due tomorrow. Please update the status in Notion."

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN	Yes	Bot token from Discord Developer Portal
DISCORD_API_BASE_URL	No	Override API base (default: https://discord.com/api/v10)

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
Unknown Channel	Invalid channel ID	Verify channel ID
Cannot send messages to this user	User has DMs disabled or bot blocked	Use channel instead
Missing Permissions	Bot lacks permissions	Check bot role permissions
50007	Cannot DM user	User must share a server with bot

Required Bot Permissions

For the bot to work properly, it needs these Discord permissions:

• Send Messages - Send messages in channels
• Read Message History - Read messages for replies
• Create Private Threads (optional) - For threaded discussions

Character Limits

• Message content: 2000 characters
• Embeds: 6000 characters total
• Messages per channel: ~5/second rate limit

Messages exceeding 2000 characters will be automatically truncated with ...

Tips

1. DM limitations: Users must share a server with the bot and have DMs enabled
2. Use channel for reliability: Channel messages work even if user has DMs disabled
3. Include context: Always mention task name, deadline, etc.
4. Rate limits: Discord limits ~5 messages/second per channel
5. Snowflake IDs: Discord IDs are 18+ digit numbers

Integration with TPM

When contacting task owners from Notion:

# 1. Get contact info from TPM directory
contact=$(tpm_cli get-contact --notion-user-id abc123)
discord_id=$(echo "$contact" | jq -r '.discord_user_id')

# 2. Send follow-up if Discord is preferred
if [ -n "$discord_id" ]; then
  discord_cli send-dm \
    --user-id "$discord_id" \
    --message "Hi! Checking in on your assigned task..."
fi