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Discord Integration

Overview

The Discord integration allows you to send messages, manage channels, and interact with Discord servers. Perfect for team notifications, bot automation, and community management.

What It Enables

Common Use Cases

  1. Notifications: Send alerts to Discord channels
  2. Bot Automation: Create custom Discord bot workflows
  3. Community Management: Automate moderation and welcome messages
  4. Status Updates: Post system status to Discord
  5. Data Collection: Gather feedback from Discord users
  6. Cross-Platform Integration: Connect Discord with other tools

Prerequisites

Connection Methods

Method 1: Webhook (Easiest)

Best for: Simple message sending

Pros:

Cons:

Method 2: Bot Token (Advanced)

Best for: Full Discord API access

Pros:

Cons:

How to Connect (Webhook Method)

Step 1: Create Discord Webhook

  1. Open Discord
  2. Go to your server
  3. Right-click the channel
  4. Select “Edit Channel”
  5. Click “Integrations”
  6. Click “Create Webhook”
  7. Name your webhook (e.g., “Defense Catalyst”)
  8. Copy webhook URL

Step 2: Add Discord Action

  1. In your flow, click “Add Step”
  2. Search for “Discord”
  3. Select “Send Message to Webhook”
  4. Paste webhook URL

Step 3: Configure Message

Webhook URL: Paste from Discord

https://discord.com/api/webhooks/123456789/abcdefg...

Message Content: Your message

New deployment completed successfully! 🚀

Username (optional): Override webhook name

Defense Catalyst Bot

Avatar URL (optional): Override webhook avatar

https://example.com/avatar.png

Step 4: Test Message

  1. Click “Test Step”
  2. Check Discord channel for message
  3. Verify formatting and content

How to Connect (Bot Method)

Step 1: Create Discord Bot

  1. Go to Discord Developer Portal
  2. Click “New Application”
  3. Name your application
  4. Go to “Bot” section
  5. Click “Add Bot”
  6. Copy bot token (keep secret!)

Step 2: Configure Bot Permissions

  1. Go to “OAuth2” → “URL Generator”
  2. Select scopes:
    • bot
  3. Select bot permissions:
    • Send Messages
    • Read Messages
    • Manage Messages (if needed)
    • Embed Links
    • Attach Files
  4. Copy generated URL

Step 3: Invite Bot to Server

  1. Paste URL in browser
  2. Select your server
  3. Authorize bot
  4. Complete captcha

Step 4: Add Discord Connection

  1. In Defense Catalyst, add Discord action
  2. Click “New Connection”
  3. Select “Bot Token” method
  4. Paste bot token
  5. Test connection

Available Actions

Send Message to Webhook

Description: Send message using webhook URL

Configuration:

Example:

Webhook URL: https://discord.com/api/webhooks/...
Content: Deployment completed!
Username: Deploy Bot

Send Message to Channel (Bot)

Description: Send message using bot token

Configuration:

Example:

Channel ID: 123456789012345678
Content: Hello from Defense Catalyst!

Finding Channel ID:

  1. Enable Developer Mode in Discord (Settings → Advanced)
  2. Right-click channel
  3. Click “Copy ID”

Send Embed Message

Description: Send rich formatted message

Configuration:

Example Embed:

{
  "title": "Deployment Status",
  "description": "Production deployment completed",
  "color": 3066993,
  "fields": [
    {
      "name": "Version",
      "value": "v1.2.3",
      "inline": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Duration",
      "value": "5 minutes",
      "inline": true
    }
  ],
  "timestamp": "",
  "footer": {
    "text": "Defense Catalyst"
  }
}

Create Channel (Bot)

Description: Create new channel in server

Configuration:

Add Role to Member (Bot)

Description: Assign role to server member

Configuration:

Common Errors & Fixes

❌ “Invalid Webhook URL”

Cause: Webhook URL is incorrect or expired

Fix:

  1. Verify webhook URL is complete
  2. Check webhook wasn’t deleted in Discord
  3. Create new webhook if needed
  4. Ensure URL starts with https://discord.com/api/webhooks/

❌ “Missing Permissions”

Cause: Bot lacks required permissions

Fix:

  1. Check bot role in server settings
  2. Verify bot has “Send Messages” permission
  3. Check channel-specific permissions
  4. Move bot role higher in role hierarchy
  5. Re-invite bot with correct permissions

❌ “Unknown Channel”

Cause: Channel ID is invalid or bot can’t access it

Fix:

  1. Verify channel ID is correct
  2. Ensure bot is in the server
  3. Check bot can see the channel
  4. Verify channel wasn’t deleted
  5. Check channel permissions

❌ “Rate Limited”

Cause: Too many messages sent too quickly

Fix:

  1. Slow down message frequency
  2. Discord limits: 5 messages per 5 seconds per channel
  3. Add delays between messages
  4. Use batch operations when possible
  5. Monitor rate limit headers

❌ “Invalid Form Body”

Cause: Message content is invalid

Fix:

  1. Check message isn’t empty
  2. Verify embed JSON is valid
  3. Check content length (max 2000 characters)
  4. Verify embed limits:
    • Title: 256 characters
    • Description: 4096 characters
    • Fields: 25 max
    • Field name: 256 characters
    • Field value: 1024 characters

Test Checklist

Tips & Best Practices

Message Formatting

Bold: **bold text** Italic: *italic text* Underline: __underline__ Strikethrough: ~~strikethrough~~ Code: `code` Code Block:

```language
code block


**Mentions**:
- User: `<@USER_ID>`
- Channel: `<#CHANNEL_ID>`
- Role: `<@&ROLE_ID>`

**Emojis**:
- Unicode: 🚀 ✅ ❌
- Custom: `<:name:ID>`

### Embed Best Practices

1. **Use Colors**: Make embeds visually distinct
   - Success: 3066993 (green)
   - Warning: 16776960 (yellow)
   - Error: 15158332 (red)
   - Info: 3447003 (blue)

2. **Keep It Concise**: Don't overwhelm with information
3. **Use Fields**: Organize data in fields
4. **Add Timestamps**: Show when event occurred
5. **Include Footer**: Add context or branding

### Performance Tips

1. **Batch Messages**: Combine multiple updates into one message
2. **Use Webhooks**: Faster than bot API for simple messages
3. **Cache Channel IDs**: Don't look up IDs repeatedly
4. **Respect Rate Limits**: Add delays between messages
5. **Use Embeds**: More information in less space

### Security Tips

1. **Keep Tokens Secret**: Never expose bot tokens
2. **Use Webhooks for Public**: Webhooks are safer for public flows
3. **Limit Permissions**: Only grant necessary bot permissions
4. **Rotate Tokens**: Change bot tokens periodically
5. **Monitor Usage**: Watch for unauthorized access

---

## Advanced Patterns

### Status Dashboard
  1. Schedule Trigger (every 5 minutes)
  2. HTTP Request: Check service health
  3. Branch: Based on status
  4. Discord: Send embed with status
    • Green for healthy
    • Red for down
    • Yellow for degraded ```

Alert Aggregation

1. Webhook Trigger: Receive alerts
2. Storage: Add to temporary list
3. Schedule Trigger: Every 15 minutes
4. Discord: Send summary of all alerts
5. Storage: Clear list

Interactive Bot

1. Discord: Listen for messages (webhook)
2. Branch: Parse command
3. Execute appropriate action
4. Discord: Send response

Example Messages

Simple Notification

Content: ✅ Deployment to production completed successfully!

Rich Embed

{
  "title": "🚀 Deployment Complete",
  "description": "Production deployment finished successfully",
  "color": 3066993,
  "fields": [
    {
      "name": "Environment",
      "value": "Production",
      "inline": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Version",
      "value": "v1.2.3",
      "inline": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Duration",
      "value": "5m 23s",
      "inline": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Changes",
      "value": "• Fixed login bug\n• Updated dependencies\n• Performance improvements"
    }
  ],
  "timestamp": "2026-01-18T10:30:00Z",
  "footer": {
    "text": "Defense Catalyst CI/CD"
  }
}

Error Alert

{
  "title": "❌ Error Detected",
  "description": "Critical error in production",
  "color": 15158332,
  "fields": [
    {
      "name": "Service",
      "value": "API Server",
      "inline": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Severity",
      "value": "Critical",
      "inline": true
    },
    {
      "name": "Error",
      "value": "Database connection failed"
    },
    {
      "name": "Action Required",
      "value": "Check database server status"
    }
  ],
  "timestamp": "2026-01-18T10:30:00Z"
}

Limitations

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