Forward Exec Approval Requests to Discord: Never Miss a Sensitive Command Again

When your OpenClaw agent hits a command that requires approval (anything matching your exec security rules), you need to see it and respond quickly. If you're not watching WebChat 24/7, those approval requests can pile up or timeout. Here's how to forward them to a Discord channel so you can approve or deny from wherever you are.

The Problem

OpenClaw's exec security system is powerful — you can require approval for dangerous commands, network access, or anything you deem sensitive. But by default, approval prompts only show in the session where the command was triggered. If you're not actively watching that session, you might miss critical requests.

The Solution: Discord Approval Forwarding

OpenClaw can forward exec approval requests to Discord DMs or a specific channel. This means you can approve rm -rf or curl commands from your phone while grabbing coffee.

Step 1: Enable Discord Exec Approvals

In your config, add yourself as an approver and enable Discord notifications:

{
  channels: {
    discord: {
      execApprovals: {
        enabled: true,
        approvers: ["YOUR_DISCORD_USER_ID"],
        target: "dm"  // or "channel" or "both"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_DISCORD_USER_ID with your actual Discord snowflake ID. You can find this by enabling Developer Mode in Discord settings, then right-clicking your name and selecting "Copy ID".

Step 2: Choose Your Target

The target field controls where notifications go:

• dm — Approval requests go to your Discord DMs (private, but requires bot DM permissions)
• channel — Requests go to a specific Discord channel (good for team visibility)
• both — Sends to both DM and channel

If using channel or both, you'll also need to specify which channel:

execApprovals: {
  enabled: true,
  approvers: ["123456789"],
  target: "channel",
  channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID"
}

Step 3: Check Discord Privacy Settings

If you chose dm and aren't receiving messages, check your Discord privacy settings. The bot needs permission to DM you. In the server settings where the bot lives, make sure "Allow direct messages from server members" is enabled.

How to Respond

When an approval request comes through, you'll see the command details and an ID. Respond with:

The <id> is shown in the approval prompt message.

Pro Tips

Timeout awareness: Approval requests have a timeout (configurable in exec security settings). If you don't respond in time, the command fails. Set reasonable timeouts for your workflow.

Team approvals: Add multiple user IDs to the approvers array for team scenarios. Any approver can respond.

Channel-based review: For audit purposes, forwarding to a dedicated #agent-approvals channel creates a searchable log of all sensitive commands your agents attempted.

Documentation

Full details on exec approvals and forwarding: docs.openclaw.ai/tools/exec-approvals

Now your agent's most sensitive operations will ping you on Discord, and you can approve them from anywhere with a quick slash command.