Fix Discord Permission Calculator Including Deprecated Bits in Output

When using Discord’s permission calculator to generate a permission integer for a bot or role, the output sometimes includes bits for deprecated permissions. These are old permission values that Discord no longer uses or supports. This causes the final integer to be larger than expected and may trigger warnings or errors in your bot code. This article explains why deprecated bits appear, how to identify and remove them, and how to adjust your workflow to avoid this issue going forward.

Why Discord Permission Calculator Includes Deprecated Bits

Discord maintains a permission system based on a 64-bit integer. Each permission is assigned a specific bit position. Over time, Discord has removed or renamed some permissions. For example, the old VIEW_CHANNEL permission (bit 10) was replaced by VIEW_CHANNEL at a different position, and the old MANAGE_WEBHOOKS (bit 29) was deprecated. However, the permission calculator in the Discord Developer Portal and some third-party tools still include these obsolete bits in the dropdown list. When you select a deprecated permission, its bit gets added to the calculated integer. The calculator does not warn you that the permission is no longer active. This leads to an integer that contains bits for permissions that Discord ignores, potentially causing confusion when the integer is used in OAuth2 URLs or bot invite links.

How Deprecated Bits Affect Your Bot or Application

When your bot requests a permission integer that includes deprecated bits, Discord’s API may still process the invite or OAuth2 flow. However, the extra bits do nothing. They inflate the integer value unnecessarily. More importantly, if you later try to compare or validate the integer programmatically, the presence of unknown bits can cause your code to misinterpret the actual permissions granted. For example, a permission check that expects exactly 0x400 for a specific permission might fail if the integer also contains a deprecated bit at position 10. This can lead to false positives or negatives in permission verification.

Steps to Remove Deprecated Bits from the Permission Integer

Follow these steps to clean the permission integer after using Discord’s calculator or to build a clean integer from scratch.

1. Get the current permission integer from the calculator
   Open the Discord Developer Portal, select your application, go to the Bot section, and scroll to the Permission Calculator. Select the permissions you want. Copy the integer shown at the bottom. For example, you might see 268435456.
2. Apply a bitmask to remove deprecated bits
   Perform a bitwise AND operation between your integer and the mask 0x3FFFFFFF (decimal 1073741823). In many programming languages, this looks like: cleanInteger = dirtyInteger & 1073741823. This mask keeps only the lower 30 bits, which correspond to currently valid permissions. All bits above 30 are deprecated or reserved. For example, if your integer was 268435456, the result after masking is still 268435456 because it does not include any high bits. But if it included a deprecated bit at position 31, that bit would be cleared.
3. Verify the cleaned integer against Discord’s official permission list
   Visit the Discord Permissions Documentation and cross-check each bit position you intended to include. Ensure the cleaned integer matches the sum of only the active permissions. You can also use a permission calculator tool that explicitly filters out deprecated options, such as discordapi.com/permissions.html.
4. Build the integer manually using only current constants
   Instead of relying on the calculator, construct the integer in your code using Discord’s current permission constants. For example, in JavaScript: const permissions = (1 << 0) | (1 << 5) | (1 << 10); for CREATE_INSTANT_INVITE, BAN_MEMBERS, and VIEW_CHANNEL. Use only the bit positions listed in the official documentation. This method guarantees no deprecated bits are included.
5. Test the integer with a bot invite or OAuth2 URL
   Generate an invite URL using the cleaned integer. For example: https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&permissions=CLEAN_INTEGER&scope=bot. Open the URL in a browser and verify that only the expected permissions appear on the consent screen. If you see any permission you did not select, the integer still contains a deprecated bit. Repeat the masking step.

If Discord Permission Calculator Still Shows Deprecated Bits

Calculator Dropdown Includes Old Permissions

The Discord Developer Portal’s permission calculator dropdown may list permissions that are no longer valid. This is a known issue with the interface. To avoid selecting them, cross-reference every permission you plan to check against the official documentation. Do not select any permission that is marked as “deprecated” or that does not appear in the current API reference. If you accidentally select a deprecated permission, the integer will include its bit. The only fix is to redo the calculation without that permission.

Third-Party Permission Calculators Show Different Results

Some third-party calculators use outdated permission lists. They may include bits that Discord has retired. Always verify the result using the official Discord Developer Portal or a trusted tool like discordapi.com/permissions.html, which is maintained by the Discord API community and usually stays up to date. If you get a different integer from two calculators, compare the bit positions manually. The correct integer should only include bits for permissions that exist in the current API documentation.

Bot Invite Link Shows Extra Permissions

If your bot invite link displays permissions you did not intend to request, the integer likely contains deprecated bits that Discord still interprets as valid permissions. For example, the old MANAGE_WEBHOOKS bit (position 29) might be interpreted as a different permission in the invite UI. To fix this, recalculate the integer using only the current permission constants and apply the mask 0x3FFFFFFF before using it. Then regenerate the invite URL.

Item	Deprecated Bits Included	Deprecated Bits Removed
Method	Using Discord Developer Portal calculator as-is	Applying bitmask 0x3FFFFFFF or building manually
Integer Example	268435456 (no deprecated bits in this case)	268435456 (same, but safe)
Risk	Accidentally including a deprecated bit from the dropdown	No risk of deprecated bits
Effort	Low — just select permissions	Medium — requires manual masking or coding

After applying these steps, your permission integer will contain only currently valid bits. This ensures your bot requests exactly the permissions you intend and that your code can accurately verify permissions later. For future projects, consider building the integer programmatically using the official permission constants to avoid the deprecated bit problem entirely. If you maintain a permission calculator tool, update its permission list to match Discord’s latest API documentation.