In the latest versions of discord.js, specifically starting from v13.0.0 and continuing in v14, GatewayIntentBits is an enumeration that contains different intents necessary to interact with Discord’s Gateway API. Intents are used to define what kind of data your bot will receive from Discord, such as message content, member updates, and reactions. It’s important to enable only the necessary intents to reduce overhead and comply with Discord’s privacy policies.

In version 14.16.3 (as of December 2024), GatewayIntentBits is part of the discord.js package and is imported from discord.js. You can use these intents to ensure your bot has access to specific event types that it needs to work properly.

To use it in your bot’s setup, you would initialize the Client with a specific set of intents. Here’s an example demonstrating how to use GatewayIntentBits to create a simple bot:

Example:

const { Client, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');

// Initialize the Discord client with specific intents
const client = new Client({
    intents: [
        GatewayIntentBits.Guilds,                // Access guilds (servers)
        GatewayIntentBits.GuildMembers,          // Access member updates
        GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages,         // Access message events
        GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent,        // Access the message content
    ]
});

// Log when the bot is ready
client.once('ready', () => {
    console.log('Bot is online!');
});

// Log the content of a message
client.on('messageCreate', message => {
    if (message.content === '!hello') {
        message.reply('Hello! I am here.');
    }
});

// Log in with your bot token
client.login('YOUR_BOT_TOKEN');

Key Points:

• GatewayIntentBits: This is an object that holds various intent flags, and you need to specify which intents your bot should have access to.
• Example Intents:
  • GatewayIntentBits.Guilds – Allows the bot to track guilds (servers).
  • GatewayIntentBits.GuildMembers – Allows the bot to track member updates (like joining or leaving a server).
  • GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent – Allows the bot to access the content of messages sent in servers.

These intents are mandatory for bots that require access to specific data. For example, if you want to track messages, you must request the GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages intent and possibly MessageContent if you need the content of the messages. Make sure you only request the necessary intents to prevent your bot from being flagged by Discord for over-permissioning.

Where to Find GatewayIntentBits:

You can find it in the official discord.js documentation or GitHub repository for the latest stable version. It’s typically included in the API reference under the ClientOptions section.

Links:

• discord.js Documentation
• GitHub Repository

But I can’t find GatewayIntentBits when I search for it in discord.js. Where can I find it?