My Bot's Slash Commands Aren't Showing: Syncing in discord.py and discord.js

Why they don't appear: they have to be published

Discord stores each bot's list of commands. Your code defines the commands and handles them, but the list only changes when the bot sends it to Discord (syncing, or registering). If you never send it, or send it before defining the commands, nothing shows up on Discord when you type /.

You only need to publish them once, and again whenever you change a command's name, description or options. Changing what it does inside doesn't need republishing. Watch the limit: Discord lets you create 200 commands a day per server.

Global or per server: how long they take

There are two ways to publish a command. Global: it shows up on every server your bot is in (and in its direct messages). Per server (guild): only on that server, and not in direct messages.

Per-server commands show up straight away, according to Discord's documentation, which recommends using them for testing and switching to global when they're ready. For global ones, Discord's documentation no longer gives a timeframe; the official discord.py example says they can take up to an hour to arrive. If a global command doesn't show up for you, close and reopen Discord before changing anything.

If you publish the same command as global and on your server, both show up on your server (Discord allows it). When you switch to global, delete the ones on your server as explained below.

Syncing in discord.py: tree.sync()

In discord.py 2.7, slash commands live in the CommandTree (tree; with commands.Bot it already comes as bot.tree). tree.sync() publishes the global ones; tree.sync(guild=…) the ones for a server, and tree.copy_global_to(guild=…) first copies the global ones to your test server so they show up straight away.

Do the sync in setup_hook, which runs once at startup with the commands already defined. on_ready works too, but on_ready can run again on every reconnect. You copy your server's ID with Discord's Developer Mode turned on: right-click the server → “Copy Server ID”.

import os

import discord
from discord import app_commands
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

MY_GUILD = discord.Object(id=int(os.environ["GUILD_ID"]))  # your test server


class MyBot(discord.Client):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(intents=discord.Intents.default())
        self.tree = app_commands.CommandTree(self)

    async def setup_hook(self):
        # For testing: copy the commands to your server (they show up straight away)
        self.tree.copy_global_to(guild=MY_GUILD)
        published = await self.tree.sync(guild=MY_GUILD)
        print(f"Published {len(published)} commands to your server")
        # Ready for everyone: replace the two lines above with
        # await self.tree.sync()


client = MyBot()


@client.tree.command(name="hello", description="Says hello")
async def hello(interaction: discord.Interaction):
    await interaction.response.send_message(f"Hello, {interaction.user.mention}!")


client.run(os.environ["DISCORD_TOKEN"])

Registering in discord.js: REST.put and Routes

In discord.js 14, commands are published with a request to the API: rest.put with Routes.applicationGuildCommands(application id, server id) for a server's commands, or Routes.applicationCommands(application id) for global ones. put replaces the whole list with the one you send: a command that isn't in the list gets deleted.

The official discord.js guide does it in a separate script you run only when you change the commands (“node deploy-commands.js”), not on every startup. Since it only talks to Discord's API, you can run it on your computer even if the bot is hosted somewhere else. The application id is in the portal, under “General Information” → “Application ID”.

DISCORD_TOKEN=paste-your-token-here
CLIENT_ID=the-application-id
GUILD_ID=your-server-id

require("dotenv").config();
const { REST, Routes, SlashCommandBuilder } = require("discord.js");

const commands = [
  new SlashCommandBuilder().setName("hello").setDescription("Says hello"),
].map((c) => c.toJSON());

const rest = new REST().setToken(process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN);

(async () => {
  // For testing: only on your server (they show up straight away)
  const route = Routes.applicationGuildCommands(process.env.CLIENT_ID, process.env.GUILD_ID);
  // Ready for everyone: Routes.applicationCommands(process.env.CLIENT_ID)
  const published = await rest.put(route, { body: commands });
  console.log(`Published ${published.length} commands`);
})().catch(console.error);

1. Publish the commands

   With the .env filled in, run “node deploy-commands.js”. It should say “Published 1 commands”; if it gives an error, read it: it's usually the token, the id or the scope.

2. Handle them in the bot

   Your index.js has to listen for Events.InteractionCreate and reply to each command (as in your first bot in JavaScript). Published but not handled, they appear and fail when used.

3. Try it with /

   Type / on your server and look for your bot in the list. When it works, change the route to Routes.applicationCommands and run the script again.

Still not showing: the applications.commands scope

For a bot to have commands on a server, it has to be authorised there with the applications.commands scope. Discord's documentation says the bot scope already includes it; even so, if syncing to a server gives a Forbidden error in discord.py (its documentation puts it down to that missing scope) or error 50001 (Missing Access) in discord.js, open the invite link again with “bot” and “applications.commands” ticked. There's no need to kick the bot first. You can build the link with the bot permissions calculator.

Also check that GUILD_ID is the server you're looking at and CLIENT_ID is your application's, not another one's.

You see them but others don't: “Use Application Commands” permission

Whether someone sees your bot's commands depends on their permissions, not the bot's. If their role, or the channel, has “Use Application Commands” denied, they don't get them. Check it in the role settings and under “Edit Channel” → “Permissions”.

On top of that, server admins can limit each bot's commands by role or channel in Server Settings → “Integrations”, and your code can require permissions to use a command (default_permissions in discord.py, setDefaultMemberPermissions in discord.js): anyone without them doesn't see it. Test with an account that isn't an admin, because an admin sees them all.

Duplicate or old commands: how to delete them

If a command shows up twice, it's published both as global and on your server. If one shows up that no longer exists in your code, it's still in Discord's list. You fix it by publishing the right list again, or an empty list where there are extras:

In discord.py, to clear your server's: tree.clear_commands(guild=MY_GUILD) and then await tree.sync(guild=MY_GUILD). In discord.js: rest.put(Routes.applicationGuildCommands(CLIENT_ID, GUILD_ID), { body: [] }). Global ones are deleted the same way, with tree.sync() without that command in your code or with Routes.applicationCommands.

If your bot is on NapNodes

Publishing commands is your code's job: it works the same on your PC as hosted. In discord.py, the setup_hook above publishes when the bot starts, and its “Published N commands” appears in the panel's “Console”. In discord.js, run deploy-commands.js on your computer, or publish from the bot itself at startup as in your first bot in JavaScript. If the bot doesn't even connect, start with my Discord bot isn't responding.

Frequently asked questions