Discord.js bot not responding to prefix commands - what's wrong?

Other Questions Discord bot
1 
const { Client, GatewayIntentBits, Partials } = require('discord.js');
const botPrefix = '#';

const myBot = new Client({
  intents: [GatewayIntentBits.Guilds, GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages, GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent],
  partials: [Partials.Channel, Partials.Message]
});

myBot.on('messageCreate', message => {
  if (message.author.bot || !message.content.startsWith(botPrefix)) return;
  const cmdArgs = message.content.slice(botPrefix.length).trim().split(/\s+/);
  const cmdName = cmdArgs.shift().toLowerCase();

  if (cmdName === 'hello') {
    message.reply('Hello there!');
  }
});

myBot.login('YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE');

Hey everyone! I’m having trouble with my Discord bot. The slash commands are working fine but the prefix commands aren’t responding at all. I’ve tried different versions of the code but nothing seems to help. The bot comes online and everything looks good but when I type a prefix command nothing happens. What am I missing here? Any ideas would be really helpful!

2

I encountered a similar issue when developing my Discord bot. The problem often lies in the intents configuration. While you’ve included the necessary intents in your code, it’s crucial to ensure they’re also enabled in the Discord Developer Portal. Navigate to your application settings, select the ‘Bot’ tab, and verify that ‘Message Content Intent’ is activated. This step is often overlooked but essential for prefix commands to function properly. Additionally, double-check your bot’s permissions in the server to ensure it has the necessary access to read and send messages in the channels where you’re testing the commands.

3

hey mate, looks like u forgot to enable MessageContent intent in ur Discord Developer Portal. go to the app settings, click on Bot, and toggle the Message Content Intent. that should fix it. good luck with ur bot!

4

As someone who’s been tinkering with Discord bots for a while, I’ve run into this exact problem before. One thing that’s not immediately obvious is that Discord has been gradually phasing out prefix commands in favor of slash commands. They’ve made it a bit trickier to use prefix commands by requiring additional steps.

First, make sure you’ve enabled the Message Content intent in your Developer Portal as others have mentioned. But beyond that, you might want to consider switching to slash commands entirely. They’re more reliable, offer better autocomplete features for users, and are Discord’s preferred method now.

If you absolutely need prefix commands, try adding a console.log in your messageCreate event to see if it’s being triggered at all. This can help narrow down if it’s an issue with the event firing or with your command logic. Also, double-check your bot’s permissions in the server - sometimes it’s a simple oversight that it doesn’t have the right to read or send messages in certain channels.