> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.discord.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Provisional Accounts
> Implement provisional Discord accounts for users who don't have Discord accounts yet.
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export const WrenchIcon = props => ;
export const RobotIcon = props => ;
export const ManualAnchor = ({id}) => {
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};
## Overview
Provisional accounts let players use Social SDK features in your game without linking a Discord account so all players can have a consistent gameplay experience.
With provisional accounts, players can:
* Add friends and communicate with other players
* Join voice chats in game lobbies
* Send direct messages to other players
* Appear in friends lists and game lobbies
All of this works seamlessly whether your players have Discord accounts or not.
Two terms show up throughout these guides: *linking* is the player-facing action of connecting a Discord account,
and *merging* is the operation that carries it out — the provisional account's data is merged into the Discord
account. They describe the same flow from different angles.
This section will show you how to:
1. [Choose an authentication method](#choosing-an-authentication-method) and [configure your identity provider](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/identity-providers)
2. [Create](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/bot-token-endpoint) and [manage](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/managing-accounts) provisional accounts for your game
3. [Merge](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/merging-accounts) accounts when users link a full Discord account, and [unmerge](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/unmerging-accounts) them when the link is severed
## Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
* A basic understanding of how the SDK works from the [Getting Started Guide](/developers/discord-social-sdk/getting-started)
* An external authentication provider set up for your game
***
## What Are Provisional Accounts?
Think of provisional accounts as temporary Discord accounts that:
* Work only with your game
* Can be merged into a full Discord account later
* Persist between game sessions
* Use your game's authentication system
With provisional accounts, players can use Discord features like chat and voice and interact with game friends without creating a full Discord account. They are "placeholder" Discord accounts for the user that your game owns and manages.
For existing Discord users who have added a provisional account as a game friend, the provisional account will appear in their friend list, allowing you to send direct messages and interact with them for text and voice in lobbies.
### Benefits
* Instant Access: Players can use social features immediately
* Seamless Experience: Works the same for all players
* Easy Linking: Simple to merge into a full Discord account
* Data Persistence: Friends and history are preserved
* Cross-Platform: Works on all supported platforms
### Provisional Account Lifecycle
The diagram below shows the general lifecycle of a provisional account, from creation through an optional merge with a
full Discord account.
```mermaid theme={"system"}
sequenceDiagram
autonumber
actor P as Player
participant G as Your Game
participant D as Discord
P->>G: Sign in with your auth (OIDC, Steam, EOS, ...)
G->>D: Request provisional token (external identity)
alt No account for identity
D->>D: Create provisional account
D-->>G: Access token (new provisional account)
else Provisional account exists
D-->>G: Access token (existing provisional account)
else Full Discord account exists
D-->>G: Error — use OAuth2 flow
end
G->>D: Use Social SDK features (friends, DMs, voice)
Note over P,D: Later, the player can link a full Discord account
P->>G: Choose to link a Discord account
G->>D: Merge provisional account into Discord account
D-->>G: Full Discord account (friends, DMs, lobbies migrated)
```
***
## Choosing an Authentication Method
Discord offers a number of authentication methods, the one you use depends on how your game and account system are
set up:
1. Use the [Bot Token Endpoint](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/bot-token-endpoint)
if your game has an account system which uniquely identifies users. **This is the recommended approach when possible.**
2. Use [Server Authentication with External Credentials Exchange](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/external-credentials-exchange)
if you have a hard requirement for a server side custom OIDC integration.
3. Use the [Public Client Integration](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/public-client)
method if you don't have a server authoritative backend, and therefore require using a Public Client for
authentication.
If you are using (2) or (3), you must [configure your identity provider](/developers/discord-social-sdk/development-guides/provisional-accounts/identity-providers) before being able to create provisional accounts.
## Implementing Provisional Accounts
Whichever method you choose, creating a provisional account and requesting an access token for it always happens in a single step.
You provide external authentication that uniquely identifies the user, and Discord finds a user associated with that identifier.
* If there is no account associated with the identity, a new provisional account is created along with a new access token for the user.
* If there is a provisional account associated with the identity, an access token is returned.
* If there is an existing *full Discord account* associated with the identity, the request is aborted.
Once authentication is complete, you can use the access token as you would a full Discord user's access token.
***
## Next Steps
}>
Recommended. Create accounts from your game's own unique user IDs using your bot token.
}>
Refresh access tokens and set display names.
}>
Merge a provisional account into a full Discord account.
Need help? Join the [Discord Developers Server](https://discord.gg/discord-developers) and share questions in the `#social-sdk-dev-help` channel for support from the community.
If you encounter a bug while working with the Social SDK, please report it here: [https://dis.gd/social-sdk-bug-report](https://dis.gd/social-sdk-bug-report)
***
## Change Log
| Date | Changes |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| July 14, 2026 | Split the provisional accounts guide into its own section |
| March 17, 2025 | Initial release |