---
title: Discord
description: Integrate CowAgent with a Discord Bot
---

> Integrate CowAgent into Discord via a Discord Bot using the **Gateway** (persistent WebSocket). Supports direct messages (DM) and server channels (triggered by @mention or replying to the bot). The Gateway uses a persistent WebSocket connection — no public IP or callback URL required, works out of the box.

## 1. Setup

### Step 1: Create a Discord Application and Bot

1. Open the [Discord Developer Portal](https://discord.com/developers/applications), click **New Application**, enter a name (e.g. `CowAgent`), and create it.
2. Go to the **Bot** page in the left sidebar, click **Reset Token** to generate a Bot Token, then copy and store it safely (shown only once).

<Tip>
  This token is your bot's password — keep it secret. If it leaks, click **Reset Token** again on the Bot page to regenerate it.
</Tip>

### Step 2: Enable the Message Content Intent

Reading message text in both DMs and channels depends on this privileged intent.

1. On the **Bot** page, find **Privileged Gateway Intents**.
2. Turn on **Message Content Intent** and save.

<Note>
  Without this intent enabled, incoming message content will be empty and the bot will not respond.
</Note>

### Step 3: Invite the Bot to a Server

1. Go to **OAuth2 → URL Generator** in the left sidebar.
2. Under **Scopes**, check `bot`.
3. Under **Bot Permissions**, check at least: `Send Messages`, `Read Message History`, `Attach Files`, `View Channels`.
4. Copy the generated authorization URL at the bottom, open it in a browser, and authorize it for your target server.

<Note>
  You can skip this step if you only need DMs, but you still need a DM channel with the bot (e.g. the user messages the bot directly).
</Note>

### Step 4: Connect to CowAgent

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Web Console (Recommended)">
    Open the Web Console (default `http://127.0.0.1:9899`), go to **Channels**, click **Add Channel**, choose **Discord**, paste the Bot Token, and click connect.
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Config File">
    Add the following to `config.json` and start Cow:

    ```json
    {
      "channel_type": "discord",
      "discord_token": "your-discord-bot-token",
      "discord_group_trigger": "mention_or_reply"
    }
    ```

    | Key | Description | Default |
    | --- | --- | --- |
    | `discord_token` | Bot Token generated on the Bot page of the Developer Portal | - |
    | `discord_group_trigger` | Channel trigger: `mention_or_reply` (@ or reply to bot) / `mention_only` (@ only) / `all` (all messages) | `mention_or_reply` |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The integration is ready when you see logs like:

```
[Discord] Bot logged in as CowAgent#1234 (id=123456789)
[Discord] ✅ Discord bot ready, listening for messages
```

## 2. Capabilities

| Feature | Support |
| --- | --- |
| Direct message (DM) | ✅ |
| Server channel (@bot / reply to bot) | ✅ |
| Text messages | ✅ send / receive |
| Image messages | ✅ send / receive |
| File messages | ✅ send / receive (PDF / Word / Excel, etc.) |

<Note>
  A single Discord message is capped at 2000 characters; long replies are automatically split across multiple messages by line breaks.
</Note>

## 3. Usage

Once connected:

- **Direct message (DM)**: find your bot in the server member list, click its avatar, and message it directly.
- **Channel**: in a channel where the bot is invited, trigger it with `@your-bot hello` or by **replying to one of the bot's messages**.

When sending an image or file, you can **add a text caption** (description / question) in the attachment input — the bot will answer based on both. Sending an attachment first and then a follow-up question also works; the two messages are merged automatically.