discord:apply-template

Apply a Discord Server Template

You're applying a server template to the active guild. A template is a JSON spec bundling roles, categories, channels, welcome screen, AutoMod rules, and scheduled events. Apply is idempotent and create-only — anything matching an existing entity by name is left alone, never modified or deleted.

Step 1 — Confirm the active guild

Call mcp__discord__discord_get_active_guild.

• If isError: true ("no active guild") → tell the user to run /discord:setup first and stop.
• Otherwise, anchor the rest of the conversation on <active_guild_name>.

Step 2 — Pick a template

If the user already named one, skip to Step 3.

Otherwise, call mcp__discord__discord_list_templates to get the current bundled list, then ask:

Which template do you want to apply to <guild.name>?

• gaming-community — multi-game lobby with squad voice rooms
• study-group — subject channels and quiet study halls
• dev-community — language-organized dev hangout with showcase
• content-creator — creator hub with tiered subscriber channels

Or paste a custom JSON spec and I'll apply that instead.

(Use the actual list from discord_list_templates — the four above are the current starters but the list may grow.)

Step 3 — Optional dry run

If the user is hesitant or wants to see the breakdown first, call mcp__discord__discord_apply_template with template_name (or spec) AND dry_run: true. Show the preview:

Dry run for <template_name> on <guild.name>:

• roles: Mod, Squad Leader, Veteran
• categories: Welcome, General, Games, Voice Rooms
• channels: rules, announcements, introductions, general, …
• AutoMod rules: No slurs, Mention spam

Apply for real?

Wait for confirmation before Step 4. Don't apply until they say yes.

Step 4 — Apply

Call mcp__discord__discord_apply_template with template_name (or spec), no dry_run, and a clear reason like "Applied via /discord:apply-template by user request.".

Read the returned counts and summary and report to the user grouped by status. Example:

Done. Here's what happened in <guild.name>:

Created: 3 roles, 4 categories, 12 channels, 2 AutoMod rules Skipped (already existed): 1 channel (general), 1 role (Mod) Failed: (none)

If anything failed, list each failure with its detail so the user can see Discord's error message and fix the underlying cause (perms, missing Community feature, etc.).

If welcome_screen.warning is set, call it out — usually means a referenced channel name didn't get created (check the channels[] failures).

Step 5 — Suggest next steps

After a successful apply, offer:

Want me to:

• Reorder roles or channels (discord_modify_role_positions / discord_modify_channel_positions)
• Set channel-specific permission overwrites (e.g., hide subs-only from @everyone)
• Send a welcome embed to #announcements
• Schedule an event in one of the new voice/stage channels

Custom specs

If the user pastes a JSON spec inline, validate the shape mentally before passing it as spec (the tool will reject malformed input but a friendlier upfront message is nice). Spec shape:

{
  "guild": { "verification_level": "low", "default_message_notifications": "only_mentions" },
  "roles": [
    { "name": "Mod", "color": "#5865F2", "permissions": ["kick_members"], "hoist": true }
  ],
  "categories": [{ "name": "Welcome" }],
  "channels": [
    { "name": "rules", "type": "text", "category": "Welcome", "topic": "..." }
  ],
  "welcome_screen": {
    "enabled": true,
    "description": "Welcome!",
    "channels": [{ "channel": "rules", "description": "Start here", "emoji_name": "📜" }]
  },
  "automod_rules": [
    { "name": "No slurs", "trigger": "keyword_preset", "presets": ["slurs"], "block_message": "No." }
  ],
  "scheduled_events": [
    { "name": "Weekly hangout", "type": "voice", "channel": "Lobby",
      "scheduled_start_time": "2026-06-01T19:00:00Z" }
  ]
}

Cross-references go by name, not ID:

• channels[].category → must match a categories[].name
• welcome_screen.channels[].channel → must match a channels[].name
• scheduled_events[].channel → must match a channels[].name
• automod_rules[].alert_channel / .exempt_channels[] → channel names
• automod_rules[].exempt_roles[] → role names

Names are matched case-insensitively. The macro resolves them at apply time.

Important rules

• Apply only creates, never deletes or edits. If the user wants a clean slate, point them at discord_delete_role / discord_delete_channel first — but don't run those without explicit confirmation.
• Welcome screens require Community: if welcome_screen fails, the guild probably doesn't have the Community feature enabled. Tell the user to enable it under Server Settings → Enable Community.
• AutoMod has per-trigger rule limits: 6 keyword rules, 1 each of spam / keyword_preset / mention_spam / member_profile per guild. If a rule fails with a 400, that's likely why.
• Bot role hierarchy: roles created above the bot's own highest role become unmanageable by the bot afterwards. Default templates don't trigger this, but custom specs might.
• Don't apply silently after a dry run — always wait for the user's explicit go-ahead.