Bot fails to deliver private messages to users

Other Questions Discord bot
1

I’m working on a Discord bot that should send direct messages when users type certain keywords. Here’s my current implementation:

bot.on("messageCreate", async (msg) => {
  if (msg.content.includes("trigger word")) {
    msg.author.send({embeds: [helpEmbed]});
  }
});

However, I keep getting this error response:

{
  "rawError": {
    "message": "Cannot send messages to this user",
    "code": 50007
  },
  "code": 50007,
  "status": 403,
  "method": "POST"
}

The bot should send an embed with command information directly to the user’s private messages when they use the trigger phrase. What could be causing this issue and how can I fix it? I’ve checked that the embed object is properly structured.

2

Error 50007 occurs when users disable DMs from server members or block your bot. It’s also common when your bot lacks the necessary permissions or you aren’t in a mutual server anymore. In my experience, DM success rates can hover around 60-70% depending on your server demographics. The best approach is to catch this error and provide alternatives like ephemeral replies or temporary channel messages. Additionally, consider implementing an opt-in command for DMs, as this encourages users to adjust their privacy settings and can significantly improve delivery rates.

3

This happens when users block DMs from bots or people they don’t share servers with. Discord’s privacy settings are pretty strict by default - lots of people turn off DMs from non-friends to avoid spam. You can’t fix this on the bot side since it’s the user’s choice. I’d wrap your DM attempt in a try-catch block. If it fails, either send the response in the same channel (maybe with auto-delete) or react to their message with an emoji so they know the bot tried to DM but couldn’t. Your bot stays functional no matter what privacy settings people use.

4

Yeah, super annoying but totally normal. 403 means Discord’s blocking the DM - privacy settings, blocked bot, or they left the server. I always add a fallback like msg.reply() when DMs fail so users get some response in chat instead of nothing.