What is a Discord bot invite URL?

A Discord bot invite URL is the OAuth2 link a server owner clicks to authorise a bot in their server. It looks like https://discord.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=…&scope=bot+applications.commands&permissions=…. The permissions integer encodes which Discord permissions the bot is asking for; the scopes tell Discord whether to register slash commands.

What is the permissions integer?

Discord encodes every permission as a single bit in a 64-bit integer. Each permission you tick on this page sets its bit; the final number is the OR of every selected permission. 8 means Administrator (everything). 0 means no extra permissions — the bot can join and read public messages but nothing more.

Should I give my bot Administrator?

Almost never. Administrator (bit 8) bypasses every permission check and lets the bot do anything, including roles ranked above it. It also overrides channel-level deny overwrites. Most bots only need a handful of specific permissions; pick those and leave Administrator off so a compromised bot can't nuke the server.

What's the difference between bot and applications.commands scopes?

'bot' means the bot user joins the server (gets a member object, can be DM'd, can read channels per its permissions). 'applications.commands' means the bot's slash commands register in the server. Modern bots want both — leaving applications.commands off means /commands won't appear.

Does it ask the user to pick a server?

By default, yes — the OAuth2 page shows a dropdown of servers where the user has Manage Server. Set guild_id in the URL to pre-select a specific server, or set disable_guild_select=true to lock the dropdown. Both are toggleable on this page.

Discord Permissions Calculator + Bot Invite URL Generator (2026)

How to make a Discord bot invite URL

1

Tick the permissions you actually need.

Don't tick Administrator — pick the specific permissions instead. The integer updates live on the right; that's what Discord encodes in the invite URL.
2

Drop in your application's Client ID.

Find it at discord.com/developers/applications → your app → General Information → Application ID. The page is pre-filled with Phantom's so you can preview the flow.
3

Share the URL.

Anyone with Manage Server in their Discord can click it to add your bot. The OAuth2 flow shows them the exact permissions they're granting before they confirm.

Frequently asked

What's the minimum permissions a bot needs to chat?

View Channels + Send Messages + Read Message History + Embed Links + Use Application Commands. Use the "Basic chat bot" preset to tick those automatically. Add Attach Files if your bot uploads images, External Emojis if it uses cross-server emoji.

Do I need both 'bot' and 'applications.commands'?

For modern bots, yes. bot joins the bot user to the server; applications.commands registers the bot's slash commands. Skip applications.commands and your /commands won't show up in the slash autocomplete.

Why is Administrator dangerous?

Administrator (bit 8) bypasses every permission check, including channel-specific deny overrides. A compromised admin bot can ban every member, delete every channel, and grant Admin to anyone. Pick the specific permissions instead — your integer ends up smaller and Discord's audit log shows which permission was used for each action.

What does disable_guild_select do?

If you also set guild_id, ticking disable_guild_select removes the dropdown so the user can't switch the install target. Useful when you're sending an owner a one-shot invite for a specific server (think: white-glove onboarding).

Can I just use Phantom?

If you want moderation, anti-raid, tickets, giveaways, welcomes, automod and audit logs without writing a bot — yes. Click Install Phantom with these permissions on the result panel and you'll land on Discord's authorise page with the right scopes and your selected permissions pre-filled. Free during early access.

How do role + channel permissions interact?

The invite URL grants permissions at the server level. Role-position rules still apply — a bot can only manage members and roles ranked below its top role. Channel-level permission overwrites can still deny a server-level allow, with the exception of Administrator (which bypasses overwrites entirely).

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How to make a Discord bot invite URL

Frequently asked

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