How to Build Discord Verification Bot With Email or Phone Step

You want to add an email or phone verification step to your Discord server so that new members must verify their identity before gaining full access. Without this step, bots and spammers can join and cause problems. A verification bot can send a one-time code to a user’s email or phone and only grant roles after the code is entered. This article explains how to build a Discord verification bot using Python that requires an email or phone verification step.

What the Verification Bot Does and What You Need Before Building It

A verification bot automates the process of confirming a new member’s identity using an email address or phone number. When a user joins, the bot sends a unique code to the provided contact method. The user then types the code in a Discord channel, and the bot grants a verified role that unlocks the rest of the server.

Before you start coding, you need the following prerequisites:

• A Discord account and a server where you have administrator permissions.
• A Discord application and bot token created from the Discord Developer Portal.
• Python 3.8 or higher installed on your computer or hosting server.
• The discord.py library installed via pip.
• For email verification: access to an SMTP server (Gmail, Outlook, or a custom email service).
• For phone verification: a Twilio account with SMS capabilities and a verified sender phone number.

How the Verification Flow Works

The bot listens for new members joining the server. When a member joins, the bot sends a private message asking for their email or phone number. The user replies with the contact info. The bot generates a random 6-digit code and sends it to that contact method via email or SMS. The user then types the code in the private channel. If the code matches, the bot assigns a verified role and removes the unverified role.

Steps to Build the Verification Bot

Follow these steps to create a working verification bot. The example uses email verification, but you can adapt it for SMS by replacing the email sending function with Twilio’s API.

1. Create a Discord Application and Bot
   Go to the Discord Developer Portal at discord.com/developers/applications. Click “New Application” and give it a name. In the left menu, click “Bot”, then “Add Bot”. Copy the bot token. Under the “OAuth2” > “URL Generator”, select the “bot” scope and the “Send Messages”, “Manage Roles”, and “Read Message History” permissions. Use the generated URL to invite the bot to your server.
2. Set Up the Python Environment
   Open a terminal and run pip install discord.py to install the library. If you plan to send emails, install smtplib (built-in) or yagmail for easier Gmail integration. For SMS, install twilio with pip install twilio.
3. Write the Bot Code
   Create a new Python file named verification_bot.py. Start with the basic bot structure:

   import discord
   from discord.ext import commands
   import smtplib
   import random
   import string
   
   intents = discord.Intents.default()
   intents.members = True
   bot = commands.Bot(command_prefix='!', intents=intents)
   
   @bot.event
   async def on_ready():
       print(f'Logged in as {bot.user}')
   
   bot.run('YOUR_BOT_TOKEN')

   Replace YOUR_BOT_TOKEN with the token from the Developer Portal.

4. Add the Verification Command
   Add a command that starts the verification process. For example, !verify email or !verify phone. The bot will ask for the contact info in a DM. Use this code:

   @bot.command()
   async def verify(ctx, method: str):
       if method.lower() not in ['email', 'phone']:
           await ctx.send('Please specify email or phone.')
           return
       await ctx.author.send(f'Please enter your {method} address:')
       def check(m):
           return m.author == ctx.author and isinstance(m.channel, discord.DMChannel)
       msg = await bot.wait_for('message', check=check)
       contact = msg.content
       # Generate a 6-digit code
       code = ''.join(random.choices(string.digits, k=6))
       # Store code in a dictionary (use database in production)
       verification_codes[ctx.author.id] = code
       # Send the code
       if method.lower() == 'email':
           send_email(contact, code)
       else:
           send_sms(contact, code)
       await ctx.author.send('A verification code has been sent. Please reply with the code.')
       msg_code = await bot.wait_for('message', check=check)
       if msg_code.content == code:
           role = discord.utils.get(ctx.guild.roles, name='Verified')
           await ctx.author.add_roles(role)
           await ctx.author.send('Verification successful!')
       else:
           await ctx.author.send('Incorrect code. Please try again.')

5. Implement the Email Sending Function
   Add a function that sends an email using SMTP. For Gmail, you need an app password. Example:

   def send_email(to_email, code):
       from_email = 'your_email@gmail.com'
       password = 'your_app_password'
       subject = 'Your Discord Verification Code'
       body = f'Your verification code is: {code}'
       message = f'Subject: {subject}\n\n{body}'
       server = smtplib.SMTP('smtp.gmail.com', 587)
       server.starttls()
       server.login(from_email, password)
       server.sendmail(from_email, to_email, message)
       server.quit()

6. Implement the SMS Sending Function (Optional)
   If you use Twilio, add this function:

   from twilio.rest import Client
   
   def send_sms(to_phone, code):
       account_sid = 'your_account_sid'
       auth_token = 'your_auth_token'
       client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)
       message = client.messages.create(
           body=f'Your Discord verification code is: {code}',
           from_='+1234567890',
           to=to_phone
       )

7. Configure Server Roles
   In your Discord server, create two roles: “Unverified” and “Verified”. Set the “Unverified” role to have no permissions to see channels except a single verification channel. Set the “Verified” role to have access to all channels. Ensure the bot has the “Manage Roles” permission and its role is above both roles in the role hierarchy.
8. Run the Bot
   Save the file and run it with python verification_bot.py. The bot should come online. Test by having a new member use the !verify email command.

Common Mistakes and Limitations

Bot Cannot Send Direct Messages to New Members

Discord may block DMs from bots if the user has privacy settings set to allow only friends to DM them. To work around this, use a dedicated verification channel where users can type commands instead of relying on DMs.

Email or SMS Delivery Fails

Email may land in spam or SMS may be blocked by carriers. Always test with a real email or phone number. For email, use a service like SendGrid for better deliverability. For SMS, ensure your Twilio number is verified and has sufficient credits.

Code Expiration and Security

The example stores codes in a Python dictionary, which resets when the bot restarts. In production, use a database like SQLite or Redis. Add a code expiration timer (e.g., 5 minutes) to prevent reuse. Never log or expose the verification codes.

Item	Email Verification	Phone (SMS) Verification
Cost	Free with SMTP (Gmail has limits)	Paid per SMS via Twilio
Delivery Speed	Seconds to minutes	Usually within seconds
User Privacy	Email may be shared with third parties	Phone number is more sensitive
Setup Complexity	Requires SMTP credentials	Requires Twilio account

You now have a working Discord verification bot that can verify users via email or phone. Next, consider adding a database to store verification codes persistently and implementing rate limiting to prevent abuse. For advanced protection, integrate a CAPTCHA step before the code is sent to reduce bot registrations further.