Python Discord Bot Crashes with PrivilegedIntentsRequired Error

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1

Hey everyone, I’m having trouble with a basic Discord bot example in Python. The code runs fine until it tries to log in, then it crashes with a PrivilegedIntentsRequired error. I’ve tried giving the bot admin privileges in the Discord dev portal, but no luck.

Here’s a simplified version of my code:

import chatbot
from settings import BOT_SECRET as TOKEN

perms = chatbot.Permissions.standard()
perms.read_messages = True

bot = chatbot.Bot(permissions=perms)

@bot.on('startup')
async def hello():
    print(f'Bot {bot.name} is online!')

@bot.on('message')
async def reply(msg):
    if msg.author != bot.name and msg.text.startswith('!greet'):
        await msg.respond('Hi there!')

bot.start(TOKEN)

The error happens on the line where I set perms.read_messages = True. If I remove this, the bot can’t see messages from other users.

I’ve double-checked my bot token and reset it just in case. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? Thanks for your help!

2

I experienced a similar issue before, and the error is typically linked to missing intents rather than improper permissions. You need to enable the Message Content intent via the Discord Developer Portal. In the portal, navigate to your application, access the Bot section, and activate the Message Content intent under Privileged Gateway Intents. Once you do that, adjust your code so that you create and pass the appropriate intents to the bot. This change should allow your bot to read messages without triggering the PrivilegedIntentsRequired error.

3

I ran into this exact problem when I first started working with Discord bots. The issue isn’t actually with permissions, but with intents. Discord changed their policy a while back, requiring explicit enabling of certain intents for bots.

To fix this, you need to do two things:

  1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal, find your bot application, and enable the ‘Message Content Intent’ under the Bot section.

  2. In your code, you need to specify the intents when creating the bot. Something like:

intents = chatbot.Intents.default()
intents.message_content = True
bot = chatbot.Bot(intents=intents)

This should resolve the PrivilegedIntentsRequired error. Just remember, enabling these intents means your bot has access to more user data, so make sure you’re handling it responsibly.

4

yo, ive seen this before. its not about permissions, its about intents. u gotta enable the message content intent in the discord dev portal for ur bot. then in ur code, do somethin like:

intents = chatbot.Intents.default()
intents.message_content = True
bot = chatbot.Bot(intents=intents)

that should fix it. good luck!