How to Add a Bot to Your Discord Server, and Which Permissions It Really Needs

Adding a bot to a Discord server takes about a minute. The part that deserves more thought is the permission screen you click through on the way, because a bot with too many permissions is the easiest way to lose a server.

What you need first

You need the Manage Server permission on the server. The owner has it, and so does anyone with Administrator. If the server does not show up in the list during the invite, this is almost always the reason.

Adding the bot, step by step

1. Open the bot's invite link. You find it on the bot's website or in its profile in Discord: click the bot, then Add App.
2. Choose your server from the list.
3. Discord shows the permissions the bot asks for. Read them, and untick what you do not want to give.
4. Click Authorize and solve the captcha if one appears.

That is it. The bot now shows up in your member list and gets a role of its own, named after the bot.

Which permissions a bot really needs

Ask one question for each permission: what does this bot do that needs this? A music bot has no reason to ban people. A welcome bot has no reason to delete channels.

Three permissions deserve a second look:

• Administrator overrides every other permission and every channel rule. Some large all-in-one bots ask for it for convenience. A bot with Administrator can do anything if it or its developer is compromised, so prefer the specific permissions whenever the bot works without it.
• Manage Webhooks sounds harmless, but webhooks can post in a channel with any name and picture, and they keep working after the bot is gone.
• Mention @everyone is what a compromised bot needs to spam all your members at once.

You can always add a permission later when a feature asks for it. Taking back the damage from one too many is harder.

Why the bot still cannot do something

If the bot has the permission and still fails, look at the role order under Server Settings, Roles. A bot can only manage roles and members below its own highest role. Drag the bot's role above the roles it should hand out. We wrote a whole guide about this: why your bot cannot assign that role.

Channels can also override permissions. If the bot works everywhere except in one channel, check that channel's own permissions.

How to tell whether you can trust a bot

There is no perfect test, but these signs help:

• A verified check mark next to the app means Discord has reviewed the developer. Bots need it to grow past 100 servers, so it says something, though not everything.
• A real website, support server and privacy policy. Who is behind it, and how do you reach them?
• A sensible permission request. A bot that wants Administrator for a single small feature is a warning sign.
• Where you found the link. Be careful with bots pushed in DMs or by strangers, and with free Nitro promises of any kind.

Removing a bot

Right click the bot in the member list and choose Kick. Its role disappears with it. Webhooks it created can stay behind, so also look under Server Settings, Integrations, Webhooks.

One more safety net

If you run a larger server, turn on the two factor requirement for moderation in the server's safety settings, and do not hand out Manage Server freely. Anyone with that permission can add bots, which also means anyone with it can add a bad one. For more on what such a bot can do and how to limit the damage, read what Anti-Nuke does.

AlphaCloud is one of those all-in-one bots, by the way. If you want to try one, the invite takes a minute and the setup runs in the web panel.