# discord-reader

Read-only Discord skill for financial research using [opencli](https://github.com/jackwener/opencli).

## What it does

Reads Discord for financial research — reading trading server messages, searching for market discussions, monitoring crypto/market groups, and tracking sentiment in financial communities. Capabilities include:

- **Servers** — list all joined servers
- **Channels** — list channels in the active server
- **Messages** — read recent messages from the active channel
- **Search** — find messages by keyword in the active channel
- **Members** — list online members in the active server

**This skill is read-only.** It does NOT support sending messages, reacting, editing, deleting, or any write operations.

## Authentication

No bot account or token extraction needed — opencli connects to Discord Desktop via Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). Just have Discord running with `--remote-debugging-port=9232`.

## Triggers

- "check my Discord", "search Discord for", "read Discord messages"
- "what's happening in the trading Discord", "show Discord channels"
- "Discord sentiment on BTC", "what are people saying in Discord about AAPL"
- "monitor crypto Discord", "list my servers"
- Any mention of Discord in context of financial news or market research

## Platform

Works on **Claude Code** and other CLI-based agents. Does **not** work on Claude.ai — the sandbox restricts network access and binaries required by opencli.

## Setup

```bash
# Choose finance-social-readers when prompted.
npx plugins add himself65/finance-skills

# Or install just this skill
npx skills add himself65/finance-skills --skill discord-reader
```

See the [main README](../../../../README.md) for more installation options.

## Prerequisites

- Node.js >= 20 (for `npm install -g @jackwener/opencli`)
- Discord Desktop running with `--remote-debugging-port=9232`
- Environment variable: `export OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT="http://127.0.0.1:9232"`

The Browser Bridge extension is **not** required for the Discord adapter — it only uses CDP.

## Reference files

- `references/commands.md` — Complete read command reference with all flags, research workflows, and usage examples

---
name: discord-reader
description: >
  Read Discord for financial research through opencli connected to the Discord
  desktop app: servers, channels, members, recent messages in the active channel,
  and message search. Use this skill whenever the user wants to check their Discord,
  list servers or channels, read or search messages in trading, crypto, or market
  communities, or gauge what a Discord community is saying about a ticker or coin.
  Read-only: it cannot send, react to, edit, or delete messages.
---

# Discord Skill (Read-Only)

If your host has not already executed the shell probes below (for example, in Codex), run the commands inside the `!` wrappers with its shell tool before choosing a setup path. Use the actual output; if shell access is unavailable, report that limitation.

Reads Discord for financial research using [opencli](https://github.com/jackwener/opencli), a universal CLI tool that bridges desktop apps and web services to the terminal via Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP).

**This skill is read-only.** It is designed for financial research: searching trading server discussions, monitoring crypto/market groups, tracking sentiment in financial communities, and reading messages. It does NOT support sending messages, reacting, editing, deleting, or any write operations.

**Important**: opencli connects to the Discord desktop app via CDP — no bot account or token extraction needed. Just have Discord Desktop running.

---

## Step 1: Ensure opencli Is Installed and Discord Is Ready

**Current environment status:**

```
!`(command -v opencli && opencli discord-app status 2>&1 | head -5 && echo "READY" || echo "SETUP_NEEDED") 2>/dev/null || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"`
```

If the status above shows `READY`, skip to Step 2. If `NOT_INSTALLED`, install first:

```bash
# Install opencli globally
npm install -g @jackwener/opencli
```

If `SETUP_NEEDED`, guide the user through setup:

### Setup

opencli requires Node.js >= 20. It connects to Discord Desktop via CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) — no Browser Bridge extension is needed for the Discord adapter. Two things are required:

1. **Start Discord with remote debugging enabled:**

```bash
# macOS
/Applications/Discord.app/Contents/MacOS/Discord --remote-debugging-port=9232 &

# Linux
discord --remote-debugging-port=9232 &
```

2. **Set the CDP endpoint environment variable:**

```bash
export OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT="http://127.0.0.1:9232"
```

Add this to your shell profile (`.zshrc` / `.bashrc`) so it persists across sessions.

3. **Verify connectivity:**

```bash
opencli discord-app status
```

### Common setup issues

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| `CDP connection refused` | Ensure Discord is running with `--remote-debugging-port=9232` |
| `OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT not set` | Run `export OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT="http://127.0.0.1:9232"` |
| `status` shows disconnected | Restart Discord with the CDP flag and retry |
| Discord not on expected port | Check that no other app is using port 9232, or use a different port |

### Tip: create a shell alias

```bash
alias discord-cdp='/Applications/Discord.app/Contents/MacOS/Discord --remote-debugging-port=9232 &'
```

---

## Step 2: Identify What the User Needs

Match the user's request to one of the read commands below, then use the corresponding command from `references/commands.md`.

| User Request | Command | Key Flags |
|---|---|---|
| Connection check | `opencli discord-app status` | — |
| List servers | `opencli discord-app servers` | `-f json` |
| List channels | `opencli discord-app channels` | `-f json` |
| List online members | `opencli discord-app members` | `-f json` |
| Read recent messages | `opencli discord-app read` | `N` (count), `-f json` |
| Search messages | `opencli discord-app search "QUERY"` | `-f json` |

**Note:** opencli operates on the **currently active** server and channel in Discord. To read from a different channel, the user must navigate to it in the Discord app first, or use the `channels` command to identify what's available.

---

## Step 3: Execute the Command

### General pattern

```bash
# Use -f json or -f yaml for structured output
opencli discord-app servers -f json
opencli discord-app channels -f json

# Read recent messages from the active channel
opencli discord-app read 50 -f json

# Search for financial topics in the active channel
opencli discord-app search "AAPL earnings" -f json
opencli discord-app search "BTC pump" -f json
```

### Key rules

1. **Check connection first** — run `opencli discord-app status` before any other command
2. **Use `-f json` or `-f yaml`** for structured output when processing data programmatically
3. **Navigate in Discord first** — opencli reads from the currently active server/channel in the Discord app
4. **Start with small reads** — use `opencli discord-app read 20` unless the user asks for more
5. **Use search for keywords** — `opencli discord-app search` uses Discord's built-in search (Cmd+F / Ctrl+F)
6. **Read-only** — opencli also exposes `discord-app send` and `discord-app delete`; don't invoke them, and don't send messages, react, edit, delete, or manage server settings.

### Output format flag (`-f`)

| Format | Flag | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Table | `-f table` (default) | Human-readable terminal output |
| JSON | `-f json` | Programmatic processing, LLM context |
| YAML | `-f yaml` | Structured output, readable |
| Markdown | `-f md` | Documentation, reports |
| CSV | `-f csv` | Spreadsheet export |

### Typical workflow for reading a server

```bash
# 1. Verify connection
opencli discord-app status

# 2. List servers to confirm you're in the right one
opencli discord-app servers -f json

# 3. List channels in the current server
opencli discord-app channels -f json

# 4. Read recent messages (navigate to target channel in Discord first)
opencli discord-app read 50 -f json

# 5. Search for topics of interest
opencli discord-app search "price target" -f json
```

---

## Step 4: Present the Results

Lead with what matters for the user's research question rather than a raw dump. Attribute each message (username, timestamp, content), group search results by theme, and note the bullish or bearish lean and where views are consensus or contrarian. Show server and channel listings as a table of names and types. Keep CDP endpoints and session details private.

---

## Step 5: Diagnostics

If something isn't working, check:

1. **Is Discord running with CDP?**
```bash
# Check if the port is open
lsof -i :9232
```

2. **Is the environment variable set?**
```bash
echo $OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT
```

3. **Can opencli connect?**
```bash
opencli discord-app status
```

If all checks fail, restart Discord with the CDP flag:
```bash
/Applications/Discord.app/Contents/MacOS/Discord --remote-debugging-port=9232 &
export OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT="http://127.0.0.1:9232"
opencli discord-app status
```

---

## Error Reference

| Error | Cause | Fix |
|-------|-------|-----|
| `CDP connection refused` | Discord not running with CDP or wrong port | Start Discord with `--remote-debugging-port=9232` |
| `OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT not set` | Missing environment variable | `export OPENCLI_CDP_ENDPOINT="http://127.0.0.1:9232"` |
| `No active channel` | Not viewing any channel in Discord | Navigate to a channel in the Discord app |
| Rate limited | Too many requests | Wait a few minutes, then retry |

---

## Reference Files

- `references/commands.md` — Complete read command reference with all flags and usage examples

Read the reference file when you need exact command syntax or detailed flag descriptions.