Discord Communication Guide

This document defines the communication channels and rules for Discord integration with protoLabs, which serves as the real-time coordination layer for development teams.

Server Setup

Create a Discord server for your protoLabs team. The channel structure below is the recommended layout.

Channel Structure

INFO

Server-level information and onboarding.

Channel	Purpose
#rules	Server rules and code of conduct. Read-only.
#announcements	Major updates, releases, milestones. Read-only for agents.
#introductions	New member introductions and role assignments.

TEAM

Day-to-day team communication.

Channel	Purpose
#standups	Daily async standups. Post what you did, what's next, blockers.
#general	General team discussion. Default channel for non-specific topics.
#random	Off-topic, fun, non-work discussion.
#suggestions	Feature ideas, process improvements, tooling suggestions.

ENGINEERING

Domain-specific technical discussion. Each channel maps to a team role in the agent hierarchy.

Channel	Purpose	Team Role
#frontend	UI/UX, React, CSS, component architecture	`frontend`
#backend	API design, database, server, services	`backend`
#ai-ml	Agent prompts, model config, AI features, fine-tuning	`ai-ml`
#devops	Docker, CI/CD, deployment, infrastructure	`devops`
#code-review	PR reviews, architecture discussions, code quality	all teams
#infra	Infrastructure, networking, Docker, backups	`devops`

AUTOMAKER

protoLabs system activity and monitoring. Primarily bot/webhook-driven.

Channel	Purpose
#agent-logs	Agent start/stop/complete events, error summaries
#pr-notifications	PR created/merged/reviewed notifications from GitHub
#deployments	Deployment status, release notes, environment changes
#bugs-and-issues	Bug reports, system issues, incident tracking
#alerts	Health checks, CI failures, monitoring, error alerts
#approvals	Agent HITL requests, trust escalations, merge gates

PROJECTS

Project coordination and team-specific workspaces. Used for cross-team planning and issue escalation.

Channel	Purpose
#project-planning	Epic planning, milestone tracking, roadmap discussions
#project-issues	Cross-project issues, blockers, dependency conflicts
#team-frontend	Frontend team workspace - sprint items, questions, updates
#team-backend	Backend team workspace - sprint items, questions, updates
#team-ai-ml	AI/ML team workspace - sprint items, questions, updates
#team-devops	DevOps team workspace - sprint items, questions, updates

RESOURCES

Reference material and learning resources.

Channel	Purpose
#papers-and-research	Research papers, blog posts, technical writeups
#tools-and-links	Useful tools, libraries, bookmarks
#tutorials	Tutorials, guides, how-tos, learning resources

AI DISCUSSION

Open discussion about AI/ML topics (not project-specific).

Channel	Purpose
#language-models	LLM discussion, benchmarks, model comparisons
#prompt-engineering	Prompt techniques, templates, best practices
#ai-news	AI industry news, releases, announcements

FEEDS

Automated content feeds from external sources. These channels are bot-driven, read-only for users, and provide a curated stream of industry knowledge. Users discuss articles by creating threads on individual messages.

Channel	Source	Bot	Status
#feed-ai-research	ArXiv, HuggingFace, lab blogs	MonitoRSS	Active
#feed-hackernews	HackerNews best + front page	MonitoRSS	Active
#feed-reddit	r/LocalLLaMA, ML, programming	MonitoRSS	Active
#feed-github	GitHub trending repos by language	MonitoRSS	Active
#feed-youtube	AI/ML content creators	MonitoRSS	Active
#feed-engineering	Node, React, JS weekly	MonitoRSS	Active
#feed-twitter	AI researchers on X/Twitter	TBD	Setup

Feed Channel Permissions

Each feed channel should have these permission overrides:

Permission	@everyone	Bot Role
View Channel	Allow	Allow
Send Messages	Deny	Allow
Create Public Threads	Allow	-
Send Messages in Threads	Allow	-

This ensures only bots post to the main channel. Users discuss articles by creating threads on specific messages. Discord auto-archives inactive threads after 24 hours.

MonitoRSS Setup

MonitoRSS powers all RSS-based feed channels (paid plan, 75 feeds). Dashboard: https://monitorss.xyz/me

Settings per feed:

Threads: Don't use (users create threads manually for discussion)
Check interval: Default (~10 min)

#feed-ai-research (6 feeds):

Feed Title	RSS URL
ArXiv AI Papers	`https://arxiv.org/rss/cs.AI`
ArXiv ML	`https://arxiv.org/rss/cs.LG`
ArXiv NLP	`https://arxiv.org/rss/cs.CL`
HuggingFace	`https://papers.takara.ai/api/feed`
OpenAI News	`https://openai.com/news/rss.xml`
Google DeepMind	`https://deepmind.google/blog/rss.xml`

#feed-hackernews (2 feeds):

Feed Title	RSS URL
HN Best	`https://hnrss.org/best`
HN Front Page	`https://news.ycombinator.com/rss`

#feed-reddit (3 feeds):

Feed Title	RSS URL
r/LocalLLaMA	`https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/hot/.rss`
r/MachineLearning	`https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/hot/.rss`
r/programming	`https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/hot/.rss`

#feed-github (4 feeds):

Feed Title	RSS URL
Python	`https://mshibanami.github.io/GitHubTrendingRSS/daily/python.xml`
TypeScript	`https://mshibanami.github.io/GitHubTrendingRSS/daily/typescript.xml`
Go	`https://mshibanami.github.io/GitHubTrendingRSS/daily/go.xml`
Rust	`https://mshibanami.github.io/GitHubTrendingRSS/daily/rust.xml`

#feed-youtube (8 feeds):

Feed Title	RSS URL
Sam Witteveen	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC55ODQSvARtgSyc8ThfiepQ`
LangChain	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCC-lyoTfSrcJzA1ab3APAgw`
NerdyRodent	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC4-5v-f-xKnbi1yaAuRSi_w`
aiDotEngineer	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCLKPca3kwwd-B59HNr-_lvA`
Yannic Kilcher	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCZHmQk67mSJgfCCTn7xBfew`
Two Minute Papers	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCbfYPyITQ-7l4upoX8nvctg`
AI Explained	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCNJ1Ymd5yFuUPtn21xtRbbw`
3Blue1Brown	`https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw`

#feed-engineering (3 feeds):

Feed Title	RSS URL
Node Weekly	`https://nodeweekly.com/rss`
React Status	`https://react.statuscode.com/rss`
JavaScript Weekly	`https://javascriptweekly.com/rss`

Remaining Feed Channel (Setup Needed)

Channel	Recommended Bot	Setup Steps
#feed-twitter	Readybot or TweetShift	Invite bot → Configure accounts to follow (Anthropic, OpenAI, key researchers) → Set output

Bot Summary

Bot	Feeds It Powers	Dashboard	Cost
MonitoRSS	ai-research, hackernews, reddit, github, youtube, engineering	https://monitorss.xyz	Paid
TBD	twitter	-	-

Communication Rules

General Rules

Use the right channel. Keep discussions in their designated channels. Off-topic messages go in #random.
Be concise. Prefer short, clear messages over walls of text. Use threads for extended discussions.
Use threads. Any discussion that exceeds 3-4 messages on a topic should be moved to a thread.
No sensitive data. Never post API keys, tokens, passwords, or credentials in any channel.
Search first. Before asking a question, search the channel history and #resources channels.

Standup Format

Post in #standups daily (async, no specific time required):

**Yesterday:** Completed feature X, reviewed PR #123
**Today:** Working on feature Y, pair with @name on Z
**Blockers:** Waiting on API endpoint from backend team

Engineering Channels

Use the domain channel that matches your topic (#frontend, #backend, #ai-ml, #devops)
Cross-cutting concerns go in #code-review
Tag relevant team members with @mention when you need their input
Post code snippets using markdown code blocks with language hints

Project Channels

#project-planning is for high-level roadmap and epic discussions
#project-issues is for escalating blockers that affect multiple teams
#team-* channels are team workspaces for day-to-day sprint coordination
Keep project-specific discussions in the appropriate team channel

protoLabs Channels

These channels are primarily automated:

#agent-logs - Agents post status updates here via webhooks
#pr-notifications - GitHub webhook integration for PR activity
#deployments - CI/CD pipeline notifications
#bugs-and-issues - Manual bug reports and automated error alerts

Human messages in protoLabs channels should be limited to:

Responding to alerts
Adding context to automated notifications
Reporting manual observations

Agent Communication Protocol

AI agents in the protoLabs hierarchy use Discord for status updates and coordination.

Which agents post where

Agent Role	Primary Channel	Also Posts To
product-manager	#project-planning	#announcements
project-manager	#project-planning	#project-issues
engineering-manager	#code-review	#team-* channels
frontend team	#team-frontend	#frontend
backend team	#team-backend	#backend
ai-ml team	#team-ai-ml	#ai-ml
devops team	#team-devops	#devops, #infra
trust system	#approvals	#alerts
health monitor	#alerts	#infra

Message Format for Agents

Agents should use a consistent format:

**[Role] Status Update**
Feature: <feature name>
Status: <started|completed|blocked|failed>
Details: <brief description>

Event-Driven Notifications

protoLabs emits events that can be routed to Discord channels:

Event	Channel	Message
`agent:started`	#agent-logs	Agent started working on feature X
`agent:completed`	#agent-logs	Agent completed feature X
`agent:failed`	#agent-logs	Agent failed on feature X (error summary)
`pr:created`	#pr-notifications	PR #N created for feature X
`pr:merged`	#pr-notifications	PR #N merged into main
`pr:review`	#pr-notifications	CodeRabbit review on PR #N
`deploy:started`	#deployments	Deployment started (version X)
`deploy:completed`	#deployments	Deployment completed successfully
`deploy:failed`	#deployments	Deployment failed (error summary)
`epic:completed`	#announcements	Epic "X" completed (N features)
`milestone:completed`	#announcements	Milestone "X" reached
`health:degraded`	#alerts	Service health check failed
`health:recovered`	#alerts	Service recovered from degraded state
`trust:approval`	#approvals	Agent requesting trust level promotion
`policy:denied`	#approvals	High-risk action needs human approval
`infra:backup`	#infra	Backup completed/failed
`infra:secret-rotated`	#infra	Secret rotation completed

Server Configuration

The protoLabs server uses Discord for event routing, agent notifications, and the idea submission bot. All Discord IDs are configured via environment variables — no channel IDs are hardcoded.

Required Environment Variables

Add these to your .env file (see apps/server/.env.example):

bash

# Bot token — required for any Discord integration
DISCORD_TOKEN=your_bot_token

# Guild (server) ID
DISCORD_GUILD_ID=your_guild_id

# Channel IDs — the bot routes events to these channels
DISCORD_CHANNEL_SUGGESTIONS=       # #suggestions — !idea command and feature voting
DISCORD_CHANNEL_PROJECT_PLANNING=  # #project-planning — epic discussions
DISCORD_CHANNEL_AGENT_LOGS=        # #agent-logs — agent start/stop/complete
DISCORD_CHANNEL_CODE_REVIEW=       # #code-review — PR notifications
DISCORD_CHANNEL_INFRA=             # #infra — health checks, Ava Gateway heartbeat

How to Get Channel IDs

Open Discord User Settings > Advanced > Developer Mode (toggle on)
Right-click any channel > Copy Channel ID
Right-click the server name > Copy Server ID (this is the Guild ID)

Plugin Environment Variables

The MCP plugin uses a separate .env at packages/mcp-server/plugins/automaker/.env:

bash

DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your_bot_token   # Same token as DISCORD_TOKEN above

If channel IDs are not configured, the bot service will start but skip routing to unconfigured channels. No errors are thrown — events are silently dropped.

Integration Points

Discord MCP

The Discord MCP server provides programmatic access to all channels. Available via Claude Code:

bash

claude mcp add discord -s user -- docker run --rm -i \
  -e "DISCORD_TOKEN=<token>" \
  -e "DISCORD_GUILD_ID=<guild-id>" \
  discord-mcp:amd64

Key tools: send_message, read_messages, create_webhook, send_webhook_message

See Discord MCP setup for details.

Webhooks

Webhooks can be created per-channel for automated notifications:

POST https://discord.com/api/webhooks/{id}/{token}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "content": "Message text",
  "username": "protoLabs Bot"
}

Recommended webhooks:

Channel	Webhook Name	Source
#agent-logs	protoLabs Agent	protoLabs server
#pr-notifications	GitHub	GitHub webhook
#deployments	CI/CD	GitHub Actions
#ai-news	AI News Feed	RSS/Atom aggregator
#alerts	protoLabs Alerts	Health monitor
#approvals	Trust System	Policy engine
#infra	DevOps Bot	Backup/deploy scripts

Channel Lifecycle

Creating New Channels

New channels should only be created when:

A new project team is formed (add #team-<name> to PROJECTS)
A new engineering domain is added (add to ENGINEERING)
A temporary channel is needed for a large initiative (use ARCHIVE when done)

Archiving Channels

When a channel is no longer needed:

Move it to the ARCHIVE category
Set it to read-only
Post a final message explaining why it was archived
Do NOT delete channels with valuable discussion history

Channel Naming Conventions

Use lowercase kebab-case: #my-channel-name
Team channels: #team-<domain>
Project channels: #project-<name> (if project-specific channels are needed)
Prefix automated channels with their source where helpful

Self-Hosting - Deployment and system architecture
Claude Plugin - MCP tools and plugin setup

Discord Communication Guide ​

Server Setup ​

Channel Structure ​

INFO ​

TEAM ​

ENGINEERING ​

AUTOMAKER ​

PROJECTS ​

RESOURCES ​

AI DISCUSSION ​

FEEDS ​

Feed Channel Permissions ​

MonitoRSS Setup ​

Remaining Feed Channel (Setup Needed) ​

Bot Summary ​

ARCHIVE ​

Communication Rules ​

General Rules ​

Standup Format ​

Engineering Channels ​

Project Channels ​

protoLabs Channels ​

Agent Communication Protocol ​

Which agents post where ​

Message Format for Agents ​

Event-Driven Notifications ​

Server Configuration ​

Required Environment Variables ​

How to Get Channel IDs ​

Plugin Environment Variables ​

Integration Points ​

Discord MCP ​

Webhooks ​

Channel Lifecycle ​

Creating New Channels ​

Archiving Channels ​

Channel Naming Conventions ​

Related Documentation ​

Discord Communication Guide

Server Setup

Channel Structure

INFO

TEAM

ENGINEERING

AUTOMAKER

PROJECTS

RESOURCES

AI DISCUSSION

FEEDS

Feed Channel Permissions

MonitoRSS Setup

Remaining Feed Channel (Setup Needed)

Bot Summary

ARCHIVE

Communication Rules

General Rules

Standup Format

Engineering Channels

Project Channels

protoLabs Channels

Agent Communication Protocol

Which agents post where

Message Format for Agents

Event-Driven Notifications

Server Configuration

Required Environment Variables

How to Get Channel IDs

Plugin Environment Variables

Integration Points

Discord MCP

Webhooks

Channel Lifecycle

Creating New Channels

Archiving Channels

Channel Naming Conventions

Related Documentation