Contents
What Can Apps Access Without the Intent?
Alternatives to Message Content Intent
- Interactions & Message Components
- Buttons
What Can Apps Access Without the Intent?
Bots will always have access to:
- Messages received in DMs
- Messages where the bot is @mentioned
- Messages the bot sends
For other messages, these fields will return empty:
- content
- attachments
- components
- polls
- embeds
Alternatives to Message Content Intent
After August 31, 2022, message content became a privileged intent for verified apps. Here's how to build functionality without this intent.
Messaging and Communication
Bot-Sent Messages
Bots can always read and edit their own messages.
Useful for:
- Updating a leaderboard that refreshes regularly
Direct Messages
Bots have full access to message content in DMs.
Useful for:
- Support tickets
- Modmail systems
Best practices:
- Be transparent about DM data handling
- Implement opt-in mechanics
- Encrypt and anonymize stored data
- Delete unused data after 30 days
@Mentions
Bots can access content in messages where they're @mentioned.
- Alternative for a command prefix
Interactions & Message Components
Application Commands
Ideal for commands that don't need to know message content.
Interactions provide:
- interactionID
- applicationID
- member (user who sent command)
- channelID
- guildID
- message (for component interactions)
To learn more about application commands, check out our developer documentation here.
Message Commands
Message commands are application commands that appear on the context menu (right click or tap) of messages.
Useful for:
- Translation
- Text/Image Alteration
To learn more about message commands, check out our developer documentation here.
Buttons
Useful for verification systems, polls, and other interactive features.
Common use cases for buttons:
- Verification systems to prevent spam and automated accounts
- Polls and voting mechanisms
To learn more about buttons, check out our help center Buttons FAQ or the developer documentation here.
Select Menus
Perfect for role selection and other multi-choice interfaces.
Use cases for select menus:
- Role assignment systems
- Language preference selection
To learn more about select menus, check out our help center Select Menus FAQ or the developer documentation here.
Text Inputs
Text inputs (also known as modals) allow bots to collect freeform text responses from users in a structured way.
Use cases for modals include:
- Form submissions
- Surveys
To learn more about text inputs, check out our developer documentation here.
Conclusion
Interactions provide powerful alternatives to message content intent. They enable users to engage more easily with bots while maintaining functionality.
For more information:
After reviewing this and other linked articles, if you have any questions, please reach out to our Developer Support team!