Discord has no scheduler for announcements and no need for a bot to post one: a webhook, created in the channel's settings in a minute, can post text and files to that channel and nothing else. Preflight connects a channel with a webhook, posts Markdown and files through it, and can edit and delete what it posted. How to schedule Discord posts is the walkthrough; this page is the integration.
| Discord through Preflight | What the API allows |
|---|---|
| Text limit | 2,000 characters |
| Media | Pictures and video, up to 10 files |
| Pictures | Up to 10 MB each |
| Video | 10 MB, no limit enforced |
| Thread in one go | No |
| First comment | No |
| Alt text | Yes |
| Edit after publishing | Yes |
| Delete from Preflight | Yes |
| Comments | Not available through the API |
| Figures reported | None |
| Retention and traffic sources | No |
What goes out
A message of up to 2,000 characters with Discord's own Markdown, up to ten files of 10 MB each and 25 MB together, a name and avatar the message is posted under, a silent flag that skips notifications, and, in a forum channel, the name of the thread the message opens. Pictures take alt text, which Discord shows as the attachment's description.
Connecting a channel
In Discord, open Server Settings, Integrations, Webhooks, create one for the channel and copy its URL; paste that URL into Preflight. The webhook is read back once to prove it exists and to learn which channel and server it points to. There is no OAuth, no bot to invite and no permission to grant beyond creating the webhook, which anyone with Manage Webhooks on the server can do. A second channel is a second webhook.
What is checked before publishing
Text against 2,000 characters. Each file against 10 MB and all of them against 25 MB together, with the total named when it is over. More than ten files are warned about as not sent. A custom name containing "discord" or "clyde" is refused, because Discord refuses it. The checks are the same for a message sent through the public API or by an agent through the MCP server.
What the API will not do
A webhook can write and nothing else. It cannot read the channel, so there are no figures and no replies to show, and Preflight does not pretend there are: the analytics columns are off for Discord. Editing and deleting a message the webhook posted both work, because Discord allows them to the webhook that wrote it. Embeds, role mentions and a bot presence are things a bot does, and Preflight stays a webhook on purpose, since that is the smallest thing that can do the job.
Why a webhook and not a bot
A bot in a server can read every channel it is allowed into, which is more than a scheduler needs and more than a server owner should have to grant. A webhook is scoped to one channel, can be deleted from Discord's settings at any time, and takes nothing with it. Discord is on every plan at pricing, including the free one.
Questions people ask
- Does Preflight need a bot in my Discord server?
- No. It posts through a webhook you create in the channel's settings and paste as a URL. A webhook can post to that one channel and nothing else, and you can delete it in Discord at any time.
- Can Preflight post to a Discord forum channel?
- Yes. Create the webhook on the forum channel and set a thread name on the post; the message opens a thread with that name.
- Does Preflight show reactions or replies on Discord?
- No. A webhook cannot read the channel, so Discord reports nothing back; the analytics columns are left off for Discord rather than shown empty.