1What FoxPlug reads from Discord
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Your server's name | the server name, cut to 100 characters |
| Member count | the approximate number of members in the server |
| Online count | the approximate number of members online when you press Read my community |
| The list of channels, so you can pick | text and announcement channels only: channel id, name and whether it is an announcement channel |
| Messages in the channels you picked | the latest 15 messages of each of up to 3 channels you pick; bots, system lines and empty messages are skipped; for each kept message: its id, time and text cut to 300 characters with people's mentions turned into 'someone'; up to 10 kept in all |
| Your recent updates, for the 'already announced' check | titles and times of your last 30 days of updates (up to 120) in FoxPlug, matched by words to what you wrote in your channels |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Discord worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
Your server's member count passes a round number: 50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 or 10,000
The moment is titled like this: Your Discord passed 500 members
You press Read my community and the server (called 'Example Makers' here) has 812 members. FoxPlug writes 'Your Discord passed 500 members' with the line 'Example Makers now has more than 500 members (counted from Discord).' The brain offers it as a say card. A server that first connects at 812 says 500, never 50.
You wrote an announcement in a picked channel that matches your biggest not-yet-posted update (last 14 days)
The moment is titled like this: no new update is written; the 'You shipped N things' card starts with 'Already announced in Discord on Nov 09.'
You told your server about 'dark mode' on Nov 09, and your biggest unposted update is 'Shipped dark mode'. The brain card says it is already announced in Discord and to post it where you have not yet (X, LinkedIn), not in Discord again. The update stays in your list; only the duplicate in that community is dropped.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Discord. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- The highest round member number your server has passed (50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000) becomes a say line, 'Your Discord passed 500 members'. A server that connects at 800 says 500, not 50. How the brain decides
- The latest messages you wrote in the up to 3 channels you pick are shown on the Community card so you can see what is already announced before you post. How the brain decides
- When your biggest unposted update matches something written in your Discord in the last 14 days (at least two of the update's words and half of them), the 'You shipped N things' line says it is already announced there and suggests posting elsewhere. Matching is by words, so check it. How the brain decides
- FoxPlug reads only when you press a button, never in the background for someone who is not looking. How the brain decides
4Set up Discord in a few steps
Access: OAuth install of FoxPlug's own bot onto your server (permissions View Channel and Read Message History); you need the Manage Server permission. What to give it: Opens Discord's own page, where you pick the server and press Authorize. FoxPlug asks only to see channels and read their history.
- Press Add FoxPlug to Discord.
- On Discord's page, pick your server. You need the Manage Server permission there.
- Check the two permissions listed (View Channels, Read Message History) and press Authorize.
- Back in FoxPlug, press Choose channels and tick where you announce things.
- Press Read my community.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Up to 3 channels, the latest 15 messages of each, up to 10 announcements kept, 300 characters each.
- Bot messages, non-standard messages and empty messages are skipped.
- Only the highest member round number reached is turned into a moment, once per step (the moment's id carries the step).
- The member and online counts are Discord's approximate counts.
- Disconnecting makes FoxPlug's bot leave your server.
- Needs FoxPlug's bot to be switched on; if not the read fails with an error.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Your member list, member names or any author id
- Direct messages, voice channels and forum channels: only text and announcement channels are listed
- Any channel you did not pick: at most 3 chosen channels are read
- Anything it could write: the bot never posts, reacts, kicks or edits, and has no permission to
7How Discord differs from the tools next to it
Not a near-twin of another tool in this group, but two things to keep apart. (1) Discord read (this sheet, counted as a source and tested live) versus Discord as a place to post a ship into a channel with a webhook URL (code-path-only, separate connector, in the posts list). (2) Slack, the sibling community install, gives announcements only and no member count, because that needs permission to list every person.
8Questions
What permissions does the FoxPlug Discord bot ask for?
Two: View Channels and Read Message History. It cannot post, react, kick or edit. You pick the server on Discord's own page and need the Manage Server permission there.
Does FoxPlug read my members' messages or see who is in my server?
It reads the member count and the text of recent messages in up to 3 channels you pick, with no author or member list stored and people's mentions turned into 'someone'. Pick an announcement channel where you post, because a regular chat channel would put members' messages into the text it keeps.
When does FoxPlug read my server?
Only when you press Read my community. Nothing is fetched on a timer for your project.
How do I remove it?
Press Disconnect. The saved connection is removed and FoxPlug's bot leaves your server.
Is this the same as posting to a Discord channel?
No. Reading your server (this page) is a separate thing from posting a ship to a channel with a webhook URL, which is a different connection.
Checked with a real connected account of ours: real read of a community server through the FoxPlug bot (read-only: View Channels and Read Message History): Read my community on project groupfinds.com stored community {name GroupFinds, members 63, online 9} at 2026-11-10T23:24:27Z, last error null (T1712).
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.