Setup Guide

How to Create a Discord Bot

Follow these 5 steps to create your bot, get your token, and configure the right settings.

Step 1

Open the Discord Developer Portal

Head to the Discord Developer Portal and sign in with your Discord account. Once you're in, look for the "New Application" button in the top-right corner and click it.

Open Developer Portal

Discord Developer Portal — New Application button

Step 2

Name Your Bot & Create

A dialog will appear asking you to name your application. Enter the name you want for your bot (you can change it later). Check the box to agree to Discord's Developer Terms of Service, then click the "Create" button.

Choose a memorable name that represents your bot's purpose. This will be the name users see in Discord.

Create a new app dialog — enter name and click Create

Step 3

Navigate to Bot Settings

After creating the application, you'll land on the General Information page. In the left sidebar, find and click the "Bot" tab to access your bot's settings. This is where you'll find your token and configure intents.

Developer Portal sidebar — navigate to Bot tab

Step 4

Reset & Copy Your Bot Token

On the Bot page, find the Token section. Click "Reset Token" to generate a new token. Discord may ask you to complete 2FA verification for security. Once the token appears, click "Copy" immediately.

Save your token somewhere safe! You can only view it once. If you lose it, you'll need to reset it again. Never share your token publicly — anyone with it can control your bot.

If Discord prompts for 2FA, enter your authentication code to proceed. This is a security measure to protect your bot.

Step 5

Enable Privileged Gateway Intents

Scroll down on the same Bot page to find the Privileged Gateway Intents section. Enable the intents your bot needs. For BotNinja, here are the recommended settings:

Presence IntentTrack member online/offline status

Server Members IntentRequired to access guild member list and events

Message Content IntentRead message content in guilds

Don't forget to click "Save Changes"! Discord shows a green bar at the bottom of the page — make sure you save before navigating away or your changes will be lost.

Bot settings — Privileged Gateway Intents with all toggles enabled and Save Changes button

You're All Set!

Your bot application is created, your token is ready, and intents are configured. You can now paste your token into BotNinja to bring your bot to life.