HostClaw

Discord bot setup

Follow these steps to create your bot in Discord and connect it to HostClaw. You’ll do part of this in Discord’s Developer Portal and part in HostClaw.

  1. 1

    Create an application and bot in Discord

    • Open the Discord Developer Portal and log in.
    • Click New Application, name it (e.g. “My AI Bot”), and create it.
    • In the left sidebar, open Bot and click Add Bot.
    • Under Privileged Gateway Intents, turn on Message Content Intent. (HostClaw needs this so your bot can read and reply to messages.)
    • Click Reset Token (or copy the token if it’s the first time), then Copy the token. This is your Bot Token. Keep it secret.
    • From General Information, copy the Application ID. You’ll use this to get an “Add to Server” link (optional but recommended).
  2. 2

    Add the bot to your server

    Discord uses an invite (OAuth) URL so you can “install” the bot on a server you manage. You need this before the bot can see or reply in any channel.

    • In the Developer Portal, go to OAuth2 → URL Generator.
    • Under Scopes, check bot.
    • Under Bot Permissions, enable at least: Send Messages, Read Messages / View Channels, and Read Message History.
    • Copy the generated URL at the bottom, open it in your browser, choose the server to add the bot to, and authorize. (You must have “Manage Server” on that server.)

    If you enter your Application ID in HostClaw during onboarding, we’ll generate this invite link for you.

  3. 3

    Connect the bot to HostClaw

    • Sign up or log in to HostClaw and go through onboarding.
    • In the Platform step, choose Discord and paste your Bot Token. Optionally paste your Application ID so we can show you an “Add to Server” link.
    • Add at least one AI provider key (Gemini, Claude, or OpenAI) so the bot can generate replies.
    • Complete the flow. HostClaw will run your bot using your token and your API keys.
  4. 4

    You’re done

    Once the bot is added to your server (step 2) and HostClaw has your token (step 3), your bot will respond to messages in the channels where it has access. No separate server or code deployment needed — HostClaw runs it for you.

Go to onboardingFAQ