Discord bot startup notification not working in C# - getting null reference error

Other Questions Discord bot
1

I want my Discord bot to send a message to a certain channel when it starts up. But whenever I run my code, I keep getting this error: System.NullReferenceException: ‘Object reference not set to an instance of an object.’

I’m pretty new to C# programming so I might be missing something obvious. Can someone help me figure out what’s wrong?

Here’s the code I’m using:

botClient.RunAsync(async () =>
{
    var targetChannel = botClient.GetChannel(myChannelID);
    
    await targetChannel.SendMessageAsync("Bot is now online!");
});
2

The error you’re encountering seems to stem from trying to access the channel too early in the bot’s lifecycle. Instead of using RunAsync, you should handle the Ready event, which ensures that your bot has finished connecting and caching data. Here’s a brief example of how to implement this:
botClient.Ready += async () =>
{
var targetChannel = botClient.GetChannel(myChannelID) as ITextChannel;
await targetChannel.SendMessageAsync(“Bot is now online!”);
};
This way, you ensure that the channel is accessible.

3

hey, i think that null ref error is bc the bot isn’t ready yet. try using the ‘Ready’ event to send the msg or maybe add a short delay before accessing the channel. that worked for me when i ran into the same prob!

4

Had this exact same problem when I started with Discord.NET. GetChannel() returns null because your bot hasn’t loaded its cache yet - you’re trying to grab channel data too early. Here’s what worked for me: cast the channel to ITextChannel when you get it, since that’s what you need for sending messages. Always check if the channel object is null before calling SendMessageAsync. This prevents the crash and tells you if it’s a timing issue or permissions problem. Also double-check your channel ID is correct and the bot can actually access that channel. The Ready event approach mentioned above is spot on.