TL;DR

WordPress (PHP) can poll Discord via REST, but it cannot reliably maintain a Gateway WebSocket connection inside the normal WP request lifecycle. That means:

• ✅ Bot works via REST polling
• ✅ Tools/agent logic stays fully inside WordPress
• ❌ Bot won’t appear online (presence requires Gateway WS)
• ❌ True realtime events require an always-on WS client

Why WebSockets aren’t WordPress-native

• WP requests are short-lived; WebSocket clients are long-running
• Many hosts kill long-running PHP processes
• Shared hosting often blocks sockets
• WP has no built-in daemon/process supervisor

Current Approach (WP-only)

• Action Scheduler polling every 60s (with async runs triggered on inbound webhooks when possible)
• REST API for inbound/outbound
• Works today, no extra services

Optional Companion (for parity)

A tiny gateway companion (Node/Go or Sweatpants module) can:

• Maintain Discord Gateway WS
• Forward events to wp-agent REST
• Provide online presence + realtime response

This companion is optional — the WP-only path remains fully functional.

Status

We are not blocked by WebSocket limitations. It’s a parity enhancement, not a blocker.