What are Discord gateway intents?

Intents are a bitfield you send when connecting to the Discord gateway. They tell Discord which groups of events you want to receive. Requesting only the intents you use reduces the traffic your bot has to process.

Which Discord intents are privileged?

Three: Guild Members (1 << 1), Guild Presences (1 << 8), and Message Content (1 << 15). You must enable each in the Developer Portal, and once your bot is in 100 or more servers you must be verified and approved to keep using them.

How do I calculate the intents number?

Combine the bit value of each intent you need with a bitwise OR. For example Guilds (1) plus Guild Messages (512) plus Message Content (32768) equals 33281.

Why is my bot not receiving message content?

Message Content is a privileged intent. Even if you request it in code, message text arrives empty until you enable the Message Content Intent toggle in the Developer Portal for your application.

BLANCO

Q: How do I calculate the intents number?

Combine the bit value of each intent you need with a bitwise OR. For example Guilds (1) plus Guild Messages (512) plus Message Content (32768) equals 33281.

Q: Why is my bot not receiving message content?

Message Content is a privileged intent. Even if you request it in code, message text arrives empty until you enable the Message Content Intent toggle in the Developer Portal for your application.

Developer · blancodagoat.dev

Guides

DISCORD GATEWAY INTENTS

Gateway intents are a bitfield you send when your bot connects. They tell Discord which categories of events to stream to you. Request only what you use — and know that three intents are privileged and need extra setup.

→ OPEN THE INTENTS CALCULATOR

THE THREE PRIVILEGED INTENTS

GUILD_MEMBERS = 2 (1 << 1) — member join/leave/update events and the full member list.
GUILD_PRESENCES = 256 (1 << 8) — presence/status updates.
MESSAGE_CONTENT = 32768 (1 << 15) — the actual text/attachments of messages.
Enable each in the Developer Portal. At 100+ servers your bot must be verified and approved to keep them.

COMMON NON-PRIVILEGED INTENTS

GUILDS = 1 (1 << 0)
GUILD_MODERATION = 4 (1 << 2)
GUILD_VOICE_STATES = 128 (1 << 7)
GUILD_MESSAGES = 512 (1 << 9)
GUILD_MESSAGE_REACTIONS = 1024 (1 << 10)
DIRECT_MESSAGES = 4096 (1 << 12)

WORKED EXAMPLE

A bot that reads slash-adjacent messages needs: Guilds + Guild Messages + Message Content.
1 | 512 | 32768 = 33281
Pass that number as intents when you connect — but only after enabling Message Content in the portal.

FAQ

What are gateway intents?

A bitfield sent on connect that tells Discord which event groups to stream. Requesting only the intents you use cuts the traffic your bot processes.

Which intents are privileged?

Guild Members (2), Guild Presences (256), and Message Content (32768). Enable each in the Developer Portal; at 100+ servers you must be verified to keep them.

Why is message content empty?

Message Content is privileged. Text stays empty until you flip the Message Content Intent toggle in the Developer Portal, even if you request it in code. The intents calculator shows which of your selected intents are privileged.