Discord Send Message

Send messages to Discord channels using the Discord API v10. This skill supports plain text messages, formatted markdown content, and embeds.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Send a message to a Discord channel
• Post a notification or announcement
• Send formatted text with markdown
• Post embeds with rich content
• Reply to or interact with Discord programmatically

Prerequisites

• DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN environment variable must be set
• Bot must be a member of the target server
• Bot must have "Send Messages" permission in the target channel
• Valid Discord channel ID (18-19 digit snowflake ID)

Instructions

When the user requests to send a Discord message:

1. Validate Requirements

   • Confirm DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN is set in environment
   • Verify channel ID is provided (18-19 digit number)
   • Check that message content is not empty

2. Prepare the Message

   • Extract the message content from user request
   • Format any markdown if needed (Discord supports markdown)
   • For embeds, structure as JSON with title, description, color, fields, etc.

3. Make the API Request Use the following curl command structure:

   curl -X POST "https://discord.com/api/v10/channels/{CHANNEL_ID}/messages" \
     -H "Authorization: Bot ${DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN}" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"content": "Your message here"}'
   

   Replace:

   • {CHANNEL_ID} with the actual channel ID
   • "Your message here" with the actual message content

4. Handle Response

   • Success (200): Message sent successfully, return message ID
   • 401 Unauthorized: Invalid bot token
   • 403 Forbidden: Missing permissions or bot not in server
   • 404 Not Found: Channel doesn't exist or bot can't see it
   • 400 Bad Request: Invalid message content

5. Report Results

   • Confirm message was sent successfully
   • Provide the message ID for reference
   • If error occurs, explain the issue clearly

Message Format Options

Plain Text

{
  "content": "Hello from Claude Code!"
}

Markdown Formatting

{
  "content": "**Bold text** *Italic text* `code` [Link](https://example.com)"
}

Basic Embed

{
  "embeds": [{
    "title": "Notification",
    "description": "This is an embed message",
    "color": 3447003,
    "fields": [
      {
        "name": "Field Name",
        "value": "Field Value",
        "inline": false
      }
    ]
  }]
}

Text + Embed

{
  "content": "Check out this embed:",
  "embeds": [{
    "title": "Title",
    "description": "Description"
  }]
}

Validation Rules

Before sending:

• Message content must not exceed 2000 characters
• Embed description must not exceed 4096 characters
• Embed title must not exceed 256 characters
• Total embed size must not exceed 6000 characters
• Channel ID must be numeric (snowflake format)

Error Handling

Common Errors

401 Unauthorized

• Check that DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN is set correctly
• Verify token hasn't expired or been regenerated

403 Forbidden

• Bot needs "Send Messages" permission in channel
• Bot must be added to the server
• Check channel permission overrides

404 Not Found

• Channel ID is incorrect
• Channel was deleted
• Bot doesn't have "View Channel" permission

400 Bad Request

• Message content is empty or too long
• Invalid JSON in embed structure
• Invalid embed field values

Security Notes

• Never expose the bot token in messages or logs
• Validate all user input before sending to Discord
• Don't send sensitive information unless channel is private
• Respect Discord's rate limits (5 messages per 5 seconds per channel)

Examples

See examples.md for detailed usage scenarios.

API Reference

• Endpoint: POST /channels/{channel.id}/messages
• Discord API Version: v10
• Documentation: https://discord.com/developers/docs/resources/channel#create-message