I didn't want a stranger's code holding my Discord bot token, so I wrote my own MCP server

Description and use

The author built a self‑hosted MCP server to manage a Discord bot without exposing the token to third‑party code. Running in Docker, it offers 67 tools, safety settings, and clear error reporting.

Problem

The author needed a Discord bot management tool that did not expose the bot token to third‑party code, while still providing a wide range of administrative functions.

Outcome

The self‑hosted MCP server provides 67 Discord management tools, strict safety settings, and clear error reporting, allowing the author to manage a real Discord server without exposing the bot token to external code.

Workflow

• 1. Create a Discord bot with desired permissions. 2. Pull the discord‑mcp Docker image. 3. Store the bot token in a .env file. 4. Add the MCP server to Claude Code with the docker run command. 5. Optionally set READ_ONLY=true to inspect the server before enabling write tools.
• 6. Use the MCP client to invoke tools such as audit_permissions, export_template, apply_template, etc.
• 7. Monitor logs for permission errors or rate‑limit issues.
• 8. Adjust configuration (READ_ONLY, ALLOWED_GUILD_IDS, DISABLED_TOOLS) as needed.

Evidence

I wanted Claude Code to manage my Discord server. Create channels, sort out roles, clean up messages, check the audit log, the boring admin stuff.

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Every one of them needs your bot token. My bot has admin-level permissions on a server with real people in it.

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It's small enough to read end to end, it runs locally in Docker, and it only does what I put in it.

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Three settings narrow down what the bot can do beyond its Discord permissions: READ_ONLY, ALLOWED_GUILD_IDS, DISABLED_TOOLS.

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The first release with write tools came after a release that was only safety rails.

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The README walks through that.

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