How to Add a Bot to a Discord Server: Steps and Permissions

Last updated: October 2, 2026 · Category: Tutorial · Editorial review · About the authors

Key Takeaways

You need to own the server or have the Manage Server permission to add a bot. Without it, the server will not appear in the list.

There are two routes: Discord's built-in App Directory, or the bot's own invite link. Both end on the same authorization screen.

Read the permission list before you click Authorize. Administrator is rarely required, and a bot can only assign roles that sit below its own role.

To add a bot to a Discord server, find it in Discord's App Directory and choose Add App, or open the bot's official invite link. Either way, you pick your server, review the permissions it requests, and click Authorize. The rest of this guide covers who is allowed to do that, what the permission screen means, and what to check when the bot joins but does not work.

Before You Start: Who Can Add a Bot

Discord's Using Apps on Discord article (retrieved 2026-09-28) is direct about it: users "need to be the server owner or have the Manage Server permission enabled in order to add an app to that server."

That rule is a common cause of failed attempts: without the permission, the server does not appear as an option.

Manage Server is the name in the Discord app. The developer documentation calls the same permission MANAGE_GUILD. You will see both names in bot documentation.

Method 1: Add a Bot From the App Directory

The App Directory is Discord's built-in catalog. Discord notes that it "is only available on desktop and browser."

Open your server and click the server name in the upper-left corner.
Select Server Settings, then App Directory.
Search for the bot and open its page. The Overview section describes what it does.
Select Add App. If the app can be added to a server or to your account, choose the server.
Review the permissions shown, then select Authorize and complete any prompts.

You can also start from a bot you see posting in another chat. Select it to open its profile, then choose Add App and follow the same prompts.

Method 2: Add a Bot With Its Invite Link

Many bots are added from their own website or a bot listing, through a link that starts with https://discord.com/oauth2/authorize. That link opens Discord's authorization page. According to the OAuth2 documentation (retrieved 2026-09-28), the user is "prompted to add the bot to a guild in which they have proper permissions," and the link carries a permissions value that lists what the bot is asking for.

Open the invite link from the bot's official website or its official listing.
Log in to Discord if prompted.
Choose your server from the dropdown. Only servers where you have Manage Server appear.
Read the permission list, then click Authorize and complete the CAPTCHA if one appears.

The link source matters. A copied link from an unknown message can request a different permission set than the bot's official page. Getting the link from the developer's own site or documentation is the safer habit.

How to Read the Permission Screen

The authorization page lists every permission the bot is requesting. A few of them deserve a closer look before you approve.

Permission	What Discord says it allows	Why it matters
Administrator	"Allows all permissions and bypasses channel permission overwrites"	Grants everything, including actions the bot's purpose does not need
Manage Server (`MANAGE_GUILD`)	"Allows management and editing of the guild"	Required to read invite metadata, such as use counts
Manage Roles	"Allows management and editing of roles"	Needed by any bot that assigns roles automatically
Manage Channels	"Allows management and editing of channels"	Needed by bots that create or edit channels

Quotes are from Discord's permissions reference, retrieved 2026-09-28.

Recommendation, not a Discord rule: if a bot requests Administrator and its documentation does not explain why, pause and check. Most bots with a single job can work with a named list of permissions instead.

The screen can also list scopes, which are separate from permissions. The bot scope adds the bot to the server, and the OAuth2 documentation describes applications.commands as "included by default with the bot scope." Some links add account scopes such as identify or email, which relate to your own Discord account rather than to the server.

Why an Invite Tracker Asks for Manage Server

Invite trackers are a good example of a permission that looks broad but has a specific reason. Discord's Get Guild Invites endpoint "requires the MANAGE_GUILD or VIEW_AUDIT_LOG permission," and "Invite Metadata is included with the MANAGE_GUILD permission." Reading a server's vanity URL use count also requires MANAGE_GUILD (retrieved 2026-09-28).

Without that access, a tracker cannot compare invite use counts before and after a member joins, which is how it works out who invited who.

For reference, InviteForge's own invite link does not request Administrator. It requests these server permissions:

Manage Server, Manage Roles, Manage Channels, Manage Webhooks
View Channels, Read Message History
Send Messages, Embed Links, Attach Files
Manage Threads, Create Private Threads, Send Messages in Threads

The InviteForge docs explain that Manage Server is the one that allows it to read invite data. The same link also requests three account scopes: identify, email, and guilds.join. After you authorize it, InviteForge stores your Discord email address with your InviteForge account and adds you once to the official InviteForge support server. The privacy policy explains how that email address is used, including how to opt out of marketing emails.

After the Bot Joins: Three Checks

Authorization is not the last step. These checks cover the common "it joined but does nothing" cases.

1. Confirm it is in the server. Discord's Using Apps article says an added app appears in the member list and in Server Settings > Integrations > Bots and Apps.

2. Move its role above the roles it assigns. Discord's permission rules state that "a bot can grant roles to other users that are of a lower position than its own highest role." A bot that hands out reward or milestone roles cannot assign them when its own role sits lower in Server Settings > Roles, and it may not show a visible error.

For example, say a bot should give a "Recruiter" role at 10 invites, and its own role sits just above @everyone while "Recruiter" sits higher. Members reach 10 invites and nothing happens. Drag the bot's role above "Recruiter," and the next assignment works.

3. Check channel overrides. Channel-level permissions such as View Channel and Send Messages can be denied for the bot's role in a single channel, as Discord's Channel Permissions Settings 101 article explains (retrieved 2026-09-28). Only Administrator bypasses those channel overwrites. If the bot works in one channel but not another, compare that channel's permission settings for the bot's role.

Troubleshooting: Bot Missing or Not Working

What you see	Likely cause	What to do
Your server is missing from the dropdown	You lack Manage Server on that server	Ask the owner to add the bot or grant the permission
No App Directory option on your phone	Discord offers it on desktop and browser only	Use a computer, or add the app from its profile in a chat
The bot's commands do not appear or respond	The bot is offline, or its commands are restricted for your role or channel	Check the bot's status in the member list, then the app's command permissions in Server Settings > Integrations
Role rewards never get assigned	The bot's role is below the reward role	Move the bot's role higher in Server Settings > Roles

How to Remove a Bot

Discord's Using Apps FAQ gives the method: "right-click the app's bot within the Members list and kick the bot. By kicking the bot from the server, the app will be removed." As with adding one, you must be the server owner or have the Manage Server permission.

Adding an Invite Tracker Specifically

If the bot you are adding is an invite tracker, a few settings should come right after authorization, before you announce any rewards. The Getting Started guide walks through the InviteForge setup, and the first-week setup checklist covers what to configure in which order. One point applies to any tracker: it can only attribute joins that happen while it is in the server, so add it before a campaign starts, not during one.

For a plain overview of what an invite tracker does compared with Discord's built-in tools, see Discord invite tracking. To compare trackers before choosing one, see the best Discord invite bots roundup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I unable to add a bot to my Discord server?

The most common reason is permissions. Discord only lets the server owner or a member with the Manage Server permission add an app to a server. If your server does not appear in the dropdown on the authorization page, your account does not have that permission there.

Can a moderator add a bot to a Discord server?

Only if one of their roles has the Manage Server permission. A moderator title does not include it by default. The owner can turn it on for that role under Server Settings, then Roles, or add the bot themselves.

Can you add bots to a Discord server on mobile?

Yes, with one limit. Discord says the App Directory is only available on desktop and browser. Its Using Apps article also describes adding an app from its profile, by selecting the app where it posts in a chat and choosing Add App, and it does not limit that route to desktop.

Should I give a bot Administrator permission?

Only when its documentation explains why. Administrator grants every permission, so a bot with a narrow job rarely needs it. If a bot you already added has Administrator, you can remove that permission from its role under Server Settings, then Roles, and test whether it still works.

How do I remove a bot from my Discord server?

Right-click the bot in the Members list and kick it. Discord's Using Apps article says kicking the bot removes the app, and that you must be the server owner or have the Manage Server permission to do it.

Where do I see the bots already in my server?

An added app appears in the server member list and under Server Settings, then Integrations, then Bots and Apps, according to Discord's Using Apps article.