add-discord

name	add-discord
description	Add Discord as a channel using the skills engine and guide bot setup, auth, and channel registration.

Add Discord Channel

This skill adds Discord support to NanoClaw using the skills engine for deterministic code changes, then walks through interactive setup.

Phase 1: Pre-flight

Check if already applied

Read .nanoclaw/state.yaml. If discord is in applied_skills, skip to Phase 3 (Setup). The code changes are already in place.

Ask the user

Use AskUserQuestion to collect configuration:

AskUserQuestion: Do you have a Discord bot token, or do you need to create one?

If they have one, collect it now. If not, we'll create one in Phase 3.

Phase 2: Apply Code Changes

Run the skills engine to apply this skill's code package. The package files are in this directory alongside this SKILL.md.

Initialize skills system (if needed)

If .nanoclaw/ directory doesn't exist yet:

npx tsx scripts/apply-skill.ts --init

Or call initSkillsSystem() from skills-engine/migrate.ts.

Apply the skill

npx tsx scripts/apply-skill.ts .agents/skills/add-discord

This deterministically:

• Adds src/channels/discord.ts (DiscordChannel class with self-registration via registerChannel)
• Adds src/channels/discord.test.ts (unit tests with discord.js mock)
• Appends import './discord.js' to the channel barrel file src/channels/index.ts
• Installs the discord.js npm dependency
• Records the application in .nanoclaw/state.yaml

If the apply reports merge conflicts, read the intent file:

• modify/src/channels/index.ts.intent.md — what changed and invariants

Validate code changes

npm test
npm run build

All tests must pass (including the new Discord tests) and build must be clean before proceeding.

Phase 3: Setup

Create Discord Bot (if needed)

If the user doesn't have a bot token, tell them:

I need you to create a Discord bot:

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal
2. Click New Application and give it a name (e.g., "Andy Assistant")
3. Go to the Bot tab on the left sidebar
4. Click Reset Token to generate a new bot token — copy it immediately (you can only see it once)
5. Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable:
   • Message Content Intent (required to read message text)
   • Server Members Intent (optional, for member display names)
6. Go to OAuth2 > URL Generator:
   • Scopes: select bot
   • Bot Permissions: select Send Messages, Read Message History, View Channels
   • Copy the generated URL and open it in your browser to invite the bot to your server

Wait for the user to provide the token.

Configure environment

Add to .env:

DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=<their-token>

Channels auto-enable when their credentials are present — no extra configuration needed.

Sync to container environment:

mkdir -p data/env && cp .env data/env/env

The container reads environment from data/env/env, not .env directly.

Build and restart

npm run build
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.nanoclaw

Phase 4: Registration

Get Channel ID

Tell the user:

To get the channel ID for registration:

1. In Discord, go to User Settings > Advanced > Enable Developer Mode
2. Right-click the text channel you want the bot to respond in
3. Click Copy Channel ID

The channel ID will be a long number like 1234567890123456.

Wait for the user to provide the channel ID (format: dc:1234567890123456).

Register the channel

Use the IPC register flow or register directly. The channel ID, name, and folder name are needed.

For a main channel (responds to all messages):

registerGroup("dc:<channel-id>", {
  name: "<server-name> #<channel-name>",
  folder: "discord_main",
  trigger: `@${ASSISTANT_NAME}`,
  added_at: new Date().toISOString(),
  requiresTrigger: false,
  isMain: true,
});

For additional channels (trigger-only):

registerGroup("dc:<channel-id>", {
  name: "<server-name> #<channel-name>",
  folder: "discord_<channel-name>",
  trigger: `@${ASSISTANT_NAME}`,
  added_at: new Date().toISOString(),
  requiresTrigger: true,
});

Phase 5: Verify

Test the connection

Tell the user:

Send a message in your registered Discord channel:

• For main channel: Any message works
• For non-main: @mention the bot in Discord

The bot should respond within a few seconds.

Check logs if needed

tail -f logs/nanoclaw.log

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding

1. Check DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN is set in .env AND synced to data/env/env
2. Check channel is registered: sqlite3 store/messages.db "SELECT * FROM registered_groups WHERE jid LIKE 'dc:%'"
3. For non-main channels: message must include trigger pattern (@mention the bot)
4. Service is running: launchctl list | grep nanoclaw
5. Verify the bot has been invited to the server (check OAuth2 URL was used)

Bot only responds to @mentions

This is the default behavior for non-main channels (requiresTrigger: true). To change:

• Update the registered group's requiresTrigger to false
• Or register the channel as the main channel

Message Content Intent not enabled

If the bot connects but can't read messages, ensure:

1. Go to Discord Developer Portal
2. Select your application > Bot tab
3. Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable Message Content Intent
4. Restart NanoClaw

Getting Channel ID

If you can't copy the channel ID:

• Ensure Developer Mode is enabled: User Settings > Advanced > Developer Mode
• Right-click the channel name in the server sidebar > Copy Channel ID

After Setup

The Discord bot supports:

• Text messages in registered channels
• Attachment descriptions (images, videos, files shown as placeholders)
• Reply context (shows who the user is replying to)
• @mention translation (Discord <@botId> → NanoClaw trigger format)
• Message splitting for responses over 2000 characters
• Typing indicators while the agent processes