How to add a music bot to your Discord server

Before you start

You need the Manage Server permission in the server you want to add the bot to. Discord asks for it whenever anyone adds a bot. A server's owner always has it. If you don't, ask someone who runs the server to add the bot, or to give you a role with that permission.

Step 1: open the bot's invite link

Music bots put an invite link on their website, usually a button called Add to Discord or Invite. For Orpheus it's the Add to Discord button at the top of every page on this site. You can also find bots in Discord's App Directory, inside the Discord app.

The link opens a Discord page. If you aren't signed in to Discord in that browser, it asks you to sign in first.

Step 2: pick your server

Discord shows a list of servers to add the bot to. It only lists servers where you have Manage Server, so if yours is missing, that permission is the reason. Pick the server and continue.

Step 3: check the permissions, then authorize

Next Discord lists the permissions the bot asks for. A music bot needs to join and speak in a voice channel, and to post messages so it can show what's playing. Orpheus asks for these seven:

• View Channels, Send Messages and Embed Links, to post the player card and reply to commands
• Read Message History, to check whether chat has pushed the player card out of view
• Connect, Speak and Use Voice Activity, to join your voice channel and play

A music bot has no use for Administrator, which gives it control of the whole server. If a music bot asks for it, you can untick it on this screen or choose a different bot.

Press Authorize. Discord may ask you to prove you're human with a quick check. When it's done, the bot shows up in your server's member list.

Step 4: join a voice channel and play a song

Bots that use slash commands add them to your server along with the bot.

1. Join a voice channel.
2. In any text channel, type /play and give it a song name or a link, for example /play query: redbone childish gambino.
3. Orpheus joins your voice channel, starts the song and posts a player card with buttons in the text channel.

If you aren't in a voice channel when you run /play, Orpheus asks you to join one first.

If the bot doesn't join or you can't hear it

• The channel keeps it out. A voice channel's own permissions can take away what the bot's role allows. Open the channel's settings, go to Permissions, and make sure the bot can View Channel, Connect and Speak there.
• The channel is full. When a voice channel has a user limit, Discord only lets members with Move Members join once it's full. Orpheus doesn't ask for that permission, so raise the limit or free a spot.
• It's already playing somewhere else. A bot plays in one voice channel per server. Join the channel it's in, or stop it there first.
• You can't hear it. Right-click the bot in the voice channel, or tap and hold it on a phone, and check its user volume isn't turned down. Orpheus also has /volume, which changes the volume for everyone.
• The commands don't show up. Someone with Manage Server can limit who sees a bot's commands under Server Settings, Integrations. Check the bot's entry there.

If Orpheus still won't play, the support page covers the common problems, and the status page shows whether it's working right now.

Removing a bot later

Someone with the Kick Members permission can remove a bot the same way they'd remove a person: right-click it in the member list, or tap and hold it on a phone, and choose Kick.