Hey everyone, I’m pretty new to Discord bots and I’m trying to figure out which ones are actually safe to add to my server. I found this engagement bot called Engagerly that looks like it might be useful for keeping my community active, but I have no idea how to tell if it’s legit or not.
I’ve heard some horror stories about malicious bots that can mess up your server or steal data, so I want to be careful. What are some good ways to check if a bot is trustworthy? Are there any red flags I should watch out for? Also, which bot listing websites do you guys recommend for finding reliable bots? I don’t want to accidentally invite something sketchy to my server and regret it later. Any advice would be really helpful since I’m still learning about all this stuff.
Bot verification’s a hassle, and even “trusted” bots can turn sketchy later.
I ditched third-party Discord bots completely after dealing with constant permission issues, downtime, and questionable updates. Now I just build custom workflows that hit Discord’s API directly.
I control exactly what data gets touched and how it’s used. No more worrying about some random dev pushing malicious code or their servers getting hacked.
For engagement stuff, I automate welcome messages, role assignments, moderation, and community activities through direct API calls. Way more reliable than crossing your fingers that some external bot stays clean.
Setup’s pretty simple with the right platform. Better security, no permission nightmares, and everything works exactly like you want.
Check out Latenode for building these Discord integrations: https://latenode.com
When considering Discord bots, prioritize those with the official verification badge from Discord, as this indicates a level of trustworthiness. It’s also wise to research the developer’s credentials and reputation in the community. For an added layer of security, test new bots on a private server where you can monitor their activities without risking your main server. Be wary of bots requesting excessive permissions, as this is often a red flag. I recommend checking sites like top.gg but ensure you read recent user reviews to gauge the overall reliability and security of the bot.
honestly, stick with known bots like carl-bot or dyno. engerly sounds kinda sketchy - never heard of it, which is a red flag. check the bot’s invite and server counts first. if they’re low, better to avoid it.
Been running Discord servers for three years - learned to be careful the hard way. I check verification badges, but also dig deeper. How long’s the bot been around? Does it get regular updates? If it hasn’t been touched in months or the docs are trash, that’s a red flag. Here’s what works for me: join the bot’s support server first. You’ll quickly see if the devs are responsive and whether users are complaining about problems. When I add any new bot, I create a test role with bare minimum permissions. Let it run for a week or two, watch how it behaves, then slowly give it more access. Pro tip: the Discord Developer Portal shows exactly what permissions each bot wants. Actually read through that list and make sure you understand why it needs each one.