ADR-0010: Discord as Hermes Messaging Gateway over Telegram
Discord is chosen as the messaging gateway for the Hermes Agent (replacing the originally planned Telegram) because Telegram now requires a €1.39 SMS verification fee for new account signups in France — violating the free tier budget constraint and the sovereignty principle (“don’t depend on any single provider”). Discord offers equivalent functionality: free forever, email-only signup (no phone fee), mobile + desktop apps, a clean bot API supported natively by Hermes, and better markdown rendering in chat. Signal was considered but rejected for bot setup complexity (requires signal-cli + Java). WhatsApp was rejected due to Meta ownership (sovereignty concern). The Telegram fee may be temporary; if it becomes free again, Telegram remains a valid alternative — but Discord is the day-one gateway.
Considered Options
Section titled “Considered Options”| Option | Cost | Signup | Markdown | Bot setup | Sovereignty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discord ✅ | Free | Email only | ✅ Good | Simple | US company |
| Telegram | €1.39 (FR, new accounts) | Phone + fee | 🟡 Partial | Simple | EU-founded |
| Signal | Free | Phone (OK) | ❌ None | Complex (signal-cli) | Best |
| Free | Phone (OK) | ❌ None | Simple | Meta-owned ❌ | |
| Slack | Free (90d limit) | ✅ Good | Simple | US company |
Consequences
Section titled “Consequences”- All docs previously referencing “Telegram” for Hermes gateway must use “Discord”
- Telegram bot token in ADR-0007 secrets list → Discord bot token
hermes-gatewaysystemd service config uses Discord token, not Telegram token- Health Dashboard alerts (Uptime Kuma) route via Discord, not Telegram
- Djuly roadmap access: Discord account (email signup, no barrier)
- If Telegram drops the France SMS fee, revisit — Telegram has better webhook-via-tunnel integration