Discord
A two-way bridge between your flows and a Discord server: depending on how it is wired, the same connector either listens for incoming events over the Discord Gateway or posts messages out through Discord's REST API.
Working with it
Opening a Discord launches a connection manager — its dedicated working surface.
How it appears
The same element type rendered as a definition, a circle instance, and a live workspace card.
When to use / not
When to use
- Driving a chat-native assistant or bot inside an existing Discord community — react to messages, member joins, and reactions, then reply in the channel.
- Sending notifications, alerts, or run results into a Discord channel from an automation or action.
- Routing slash-command interactions to a flow without standing up a full Gateway bot — use the interactions connection mode.
When not to use
- Talking to a Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mattermost, or Rocket.Chat workspace instead of Discord — reach for that platform's own IO connector.
- Calling an arbitrary HTTP/REST endpoint that happens to be Discord-adjacent — use the generic http element.
- One-off outbound messages with no community context, like transactional mail — email fits better.
Topology
Created from the library and placed inside an app or circle. It is a top-level building block you compose with other elements.
Properties
bot_token_refstring- Reference to secret element containing Discord bot token
application_idstring- Discord application ID
connection_modestring- Connection mode: gateway for full bot (WebSocket), interactions for slash-command-only (webhook)
intentsarray- Discord Gateway Intents (message_content is a privileged intent)
guild_idsarray- Optional filter: only listen to these Discord server (guild) IDs (when receiving)
channel_typesarray- Discord channel types to listen for (when receiving)
default_channel_idstring- Default Discord channel ID to send messages to (when sending)
message_formatstring- Default message format: plain text, Markdown, or rich embed (when sending)
Capabilities
Inherited from io
- Network
- Observe
Operations
- activityGET
- attachmentsGET
- batch_statsGET
- channelsGET
- composePOST
- contextGET
- createPOST
- deleteDELETE
- disablePOST
- enablePOST
- export_bundleGET
- getGET
- guildsGET
- import_bundlePOST
- intentionGET
- promotePOST
- readmeGET
- readme_updatePOST
- receivePOST
- remove-modifierPOST
- restorePOST
- schemaGET
- sendPOST
- sourceGET
- source_branchesGET
- source_promotePOST
- source_repairPOST
- source_statusGET
- source_validatePOST
- statsGET
- test_connectionPOST
- treeGET
- updatePATCH
- update_metaPATCH
- versionGET
Ports
Inputs
- triggerevent
- requestrequest
- messageevent
- resultevent
Composition
Errors / when it fails
- bot_token_ref is required for Discord integration
- Fails unless:
bot_token_ref != null && len(bot_token_ref) > 0
Discord (discord)
Category: io | Form: | Symbol: Di
Connect flows to Discord for receiving and sending messages
Unified Discord connector — receives messages and sends them depending on wiring topology. When the trigger port is exposed (unwired input), acts as a listener via Discord Gateway WebSocket or Interactions webhook. When the request port is driven (wired from another element), acts as a sender via Discord REST API v10. Configure spec.bot_token_ref with a Discord Bot token. For inbound: spec.connection_mode selects gateway (full bot) vs interactions (slash commands only); spec.intents controls privileged Gateway Intents (message_content requires approval in Discord Developer Portal); spec.guild_ids filters to specific servers. For outbound: spec.default_channel_id sets the fallback channel. The guilds operation lists servers the bot is in — call it first to get guild_id values needed by the channels operation. Common mistake: calling channels without guild_id.
Guide
Connect flows to Discord for receiving and sending messages
What It Does
Discord is an IO connector that bridges your Triform flows with Discord servers. It can receive incoming events (messages, reactions, member joins) and send messages to channels or threads. Connects via bot token using the Discord Gateway (WebSocket).
Element Definition
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | discord |
| Category | io |
| Form | atom |
Key Properties
| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bot_token_ref | string | — | Reference to secret containing Discord bot token |
event_types | array | [message_create] | Discord event types to listen for |
guild_id | string | — | Discord server ID to connect to |
default_channel_id | string | — | Channel ID for outbound messages |
Usage
- Create a Discord Bot in the Developer Portal and add it to your server
- Create a secret element for the bot token
- Configure the Discord element with token reference and guild ID
- Wire it to an automation or action element to process incoming events
Relationships
- Attaches to: rate-limit, auth-policy
- Uses: variable
Capabilities
- discord-gateway: Receive messages via Discord Gateway WebSocket
- discord-interactions: Receive slash commands via Discord Interactions webhook
- channel-filtering: Filter messages by channel type, guild, and intent
- discord-send: Send messages to Discord channels via REST API
- threading: Reply to Discord messages via message_reference
- rich-embeds: Send rich embed cards with fields, images, and colors
- components: Send interactive components (buttons, select menus)
Properties
| Property | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
bot_token_ref | string | — | Reference to secret element containing Discord bot token |
application_id | string | — | Discord application ID |
connection_mode | string | "gateway" | Connection mode: gateway for full bot (WebSocket), interactions for slash-command-only (webhook) |
intents | array | ["guild_messages","direct_messages"] | Discord Gateway Intents (message_content is a privileged intent) |
guild_ids | array | — | Optional filter: only listen to these Discord server (guild) IDs (when receiving) |
channel_types | array | ["dm","text","thread"] | Discord channel types to listen for (when receiving) |
default_channel_id | string | — | Default Discord channel ID to send messages to (when sending) |
message_format | string | "markdown" | Default message format: plain text, Markdown, or rich embed (when sending) |
Operations
activity
Get /ops/activity | Auth: Read
Get activity events for this element
Scope depends on element capabilities: individual elements query by element_id, project-form elements with activity-scope-members include member activities, circle-level elements with activity-scope-all query the entire circle. Gracefully returns empty list if activities table is missing (old circles).
attachments
Get /ops/attachments | Auth: Read
List all modifiers and resources attached to this element
Returns both modifiers (policy enforcement) and resources (data injection) with is_modifier flag to distinguish. Items in the generated MODIFIER_TYPES list are modifiers; everything else is a resource. Includes cascade_policy and version pin info.
batch_stats
Get /ops/batch_stats | Auth: Read
Get per-element statistics for all children of this element
Returns per-child stats plus an aggregate. Most meaningful on compound or manifest form elements (repositories, circles, projects); atoms have no children so the result is an empty children array with a zeroed aggregate. Uses efficient GROUP BY SQL. Weighted averages for eval scores.
channels
Get /ops/channels | Auth: Read
List Discord channels the bot has access to in a guild
Lists channels for a specific Discord guild. Requires guild_id in the request — call the guilds operation first to obtain guild_id values. Returns channel id, name, type (0=text, 2=voice, etc.), position, and topic. Uses Discord API v10 /guilds/{guild_id}/channels. Requires spec.bot_token_ref.
compose
Post /ops/compose | Auth: Execute
Batch add and remove modifiers on this element in a single call
Declarative composition: add modifiers by ref path (slug or path@version) and remove by attachment ID, all in one atomic call on the target element. Each ‘add’ entry resolves the source element, validates topology, attaches with optional priority and cascade policy. Each ‘remove’ entry deletes the attachment row. Returns a summary of what was added and removed. Example: compose({ add: [{ref: “my-prompt”}, {ref: “rate-limit/api@v2”, priority: 50}], remove: [{attachment_id: “uuid”}] })
context
Get /ops/context | Auth: Read
Get connected elements (graph traversal)
Graph traversal showing all connected elements with their relationship type (contains, contained_by, references, referenced_by, attaches, etc.). Use ?depth=N to control traversal depth (default 1) and ?types=actor,data to filter by element types.
create
Post /ops/create | Auth: Write
Create child element
POST to the parent path — element_type goes in the request body, NOT the URL. Both element_type and slug are required and must be non-empty. Name is derived from slug if omitted. Writes to both Git and PostgreSQL. All elements are stored flat under the circle — no intermediate library wrapper rows.
delete
Delete /ops/delete | Auth: Admin
Delete element (soft delete)
Soft delete — sets state to ‘deleted’ but retains the record. Cannot delete elements that have children (has_no_bond precondition) or active runs. Requires admin auth and confirmation.
disable
Post /ops/disable | Auth: Admin
Disable element (hides and prevents use)
Idempotent — safe to call on already-disabled elements. Optionally pass a reason string. Disabled elements cannot be invoked or executed. Inverse of enable.
enable
Post /ops/enable | Auth: Admin
Enable element (makes usable and visible)
Idempotent — safe to call on already-enabled elements. Transitions element to ready/enabled state. Cannot enable deleted elements. Inverse of disable.
export_bundle
Get /ops/export/bundle | Auth: Read
Export element as downloadable git bundle
On non-root-namespace elements, returns a binary git bundle. On root-namespace (circle) elements, dispatch hands off to the circle’s own export_bundle op, which returns a multi-element JSON envelope with one base64 bundle per child element — this is intentional, not an error.
get
Get /ops/get | Auth: Read
Get element details
Element is already resolved by the routing layer — this returns the cached element, not a fresh DB query. Use the path /api/{circle}/{slug} to address elements.
guilds
Get /ops/guilds | Auth: Read
List Discord servers (guilds) the bot is in
Calls Discord API v10 /users/@me/guilds with the configured bot token. Returns guild id, name, icon, and owner status. Call this first to get guild_id values needed by the channels operation. Requires spec.bot_token_ref.
import_bundle
Post /ops/import/bundle | Auth: Write
Import git bundle into element
Accepts a base64-encoded git bundle in the JSON bundle_base64 field. Use overwrite=true to replace existing elements with same slug (default skips duplicates). Imported elements get new UUIDs. Returns counts of imported/skipped elements and any errors.
intention
Get /ops/intention | Auth: Read
Get element intention with full inheritance chain
Returns three levels: direct (this element’s intention), inherited (from category and root), and resolved (final merged intention). Useful for understanding an element’s purpose in context of its hierarchy.
promote
Post /ops/promote | Auth: Admin
Promote element configuration to a target environment
Only for manifest-form elements (projects). Environments advance: dev → demo → live. dev→demo requires member+ role, demo→live requires admin. Freezes member versions at promotion time (creates snapshot). Persists environment config to spec.environments.
readme
Get /ops/readme | Auth: Read
Get element README.md content
Reads README.md from the element’s git repository. Returns empty content (not an error) if no README exists. Always returns markdown format.
readme_update
Post /ops/readme_update | Auth: Write
Update element README.md content
Creates or overwrites README.md in the element’s git repo. Commits to the draft branch. Content must be provided as a markdown string.
receive
Post /ops/receive | Auth: None
Receive incoming external traffic
Entry point for external traffic reaching this IO element. Declared auth: none to bypass platform auth — element-level auth is enforced by IoReceiveExecutor before dispatching into the flow graph. The flow/app that wires this element as an entry point determines what happens next.
remove-modifier
Post /ops/remove-modifier | Auth: Execute
Remove an attached modifier from this element by attachment ID
Removes a modifier/resource attachment by its row ID. The ID comes from the attachments or context API. This is the reverse of attach — called on the target element, not the source.
restore
Post /ops/restore | Auth: Admin
Restore element to a specific version
Automatically snapshots the current state before restoring (creates a ‘Before restore to vN’ version entry). Writes restored spec to git as .triform/spec.yaml. Git failures warn but don’t fail the operation — DB state is authoritative. Cannot restore deleted elements.
schema
Get /ops/schema | Auth: Read
Get element input/output schema (MCP tools/list compatible)
Returns type-level port schemas from the TypeRegistry — not instance-specific overrides. Includes direction (input/output), required flag, and JSON schema per port. Useful for understanding what data an element accepts and produces.
send
Post /ops/send | Auth: Write
Send a message to a Discord channel
Posts a message to a Discord channel via POST /channels/{channel_id}/messages on the Discord API v10. Requires spec.bot_token_ref. The
channel_idinput is OPTIONAL whenspec.default_channelis set — if omitted, the executor falls back to the spec-configured default. If neither is provided, the op returns InvalidInput pointing at both remedies. The message text comes frommessage(preferred) ortext(legacy alias). At least one must be non-empty or the op returns InvalidInput. Use thechannelsop to discover channel_id values to set in spec.default_channel or pass per-call.
source
Get /ops/source | Auth: Read
Get any file’s content from the element’s git repository
Reads an arbitrary file from the element’s CAS-backed git tree by its relative path. Same store as
readme, just generalized. Path safety: rejects..traversal, leading/, and null bytes. Use this to viewmain.pyfor action elements, asset files for SPAs, etc. Returns empty content (not an error) if the file doesn’t exist.
source_branches
Get /ops/source/branches | Auth: Read
List Source branches for this element
Returns the standard draft/demo/live Source branches, their current commits, and promotion relationships. Use GET /api/{element_path}/ops/source/branches.
source_promote
Post /ops/source/promote | Auth: Write
Promote Source branch forward
Promotes draft to demo or demo to live through the generated element op path. Direct Git pushes to demo/live are blocked by Source policy.
source_repair
Post /ops/source/repair | Auth: Write
Inspect or repair the element Source index
Runs Source repair through the element operation path. Defaults to dry_run=true; set dry_run=false only after reviewing a dry-run report.
source_status
Get /ops/source/status | Auth: Read
Get Source control status for this element
Returns the branch-aware clone URL, checkout commands, current draft commit, child source-link count, portable export summary, Source health, warnings, and auth hints for the addressed element. Use the element-first path: GET /api/{element_path}/ops/source/status.
source_validate
Post /ops/source/validate | Auth: Read
Validate Source branch contents
Validates a Source branch before accepting local Git workflow changes or promotion. Defaults to branch=draft and rejects runtime data, generated output, secret material, and unreadable CAS refs.
stats
Get /ops/stats | Auth: Read
Get aggregate statistics for this element
Health status is computed: error if errors_per_day > 5 or success_rate < 0.8, warning if errors_per_day > 0 or success_rate < 0.95. Firing alerts escalate health to error/warning. Default period is ‘day’. Returns runs_per_day, success_rate, avg_duration_ms, and more.
test_connection
Post /ops/test-connection | Auth: Execute
Test Discord configuration
Validates that the Discord element has the required spec fields configured (bot_token). Does not call the Discord API — this is a configuration check only. Returns which fields are configured vs missing.
tree
Get /ops/tree | Auth: Read
Get the element’s position in the graph — ancestors, children, references, and subtree statistics
Uses per-circle ElementGraph cache for O(1) lookups. Returns ancestors (containment chain), children (direct), members (references), referenced_by (reverse refs), attachments, and subtree stats. Default depth is 3, max is 10. Pass ?include_metadata=true for name/state on each node.
update
Patch /ops/update | Auth: Write
Update element
Partial update — send only the fields you want to change.
spec,name, andintentionare all independently optional.specMUST be a JSON object when present; deep-merged into the existing spec by default. Empty{"spec":{}}preserves existing spec content but still records a new version (no-op for content, not for version state). To clear/replace the entire spec wholesale send{"spec":{...},"deep":false}. List-typed spec fields use replace semantics (the patch list replaces the existing list, no array merging). Coordinates Git + DB writes. Slug cannot be changed after creation.
update_meta
Patch /ops/update_meta | Auth: Write
Update element metadata (lightweight merge — does NOT bump version or snapshot spec)
Shallow JSONB merge into element.meta. Top-level keys in the provided value replace existing meta values; other keys are preserved. Used for UI metadata like canvas positions, panel state, viewer preferences. Wire-shape op_name is
update_meta(distinct fromupdate) so SSE subscribers + the cache auto-invalidator can distinguish lightweight metadata changes from spec edits without inspecting the payload. The MutatingElementStore wrapper stamps this op_name on the lifecycle event emitted byupdate_element_metastorage calls.
version
Get /ops/version | Auth: Read
Get current version or full history
Returns current version by default. Pass ?history=true for full version history (up to ?limit=N, default 50). Versions are backed by the element_versions table. Every spec update creates a new version entry.
Error Codes
| Code | Class | Retryable | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
DISCORD_AUTH_FAILED | auth | no | Discord bot token invalid or revoked |
DISCORD_INTENT_DENIED | auth | no | Privileged intent not granted in Discord Developer Portal |
DISCORD_GATEWAY_FAILED | internal | yes | Discord Gateway connection failed or disconnected |
DISCORD_SEND_FAILED | internal | yes | Failed to send message to Discord |
DISCORD_CHANNEL_NOT_FOUND | validation | no | Target Discord channel not found |
DISCORD_RATE_LIMITED | internal | yes | Discord API rate limit exceeded |
Lifecycle / runtime
Inherited from io
Before request
- validate_auth
- check_rate_limit
After request
- record_metrics
On error
- log_error
- retry_if_transient
Execution model: async
Observability
Defined for this element
Metrics
- message_sent_count
- message_received_count
- api_call_count
- api_latency_ms
- delivery_failure_count
- rate_limit_count
Events
- discord.message.sent
- discord.message.received
- discord.send.failed
- discord.connection.established
- discord.connection.lost
- discord.api.rate_limited
Pricing / cost
Platform default
Operation costs
- create: free
- update: free
- delete: free
- get: free
- list: free
- invoke: 10000 micro-AU
- tool_use: free
Set it up
- Bot Tokenstring
- Discord bot token — stored encrypted
- Connection Modestring