Installation

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up AutoResponse on your own server. Self-hosting gives you full control over the bot’s behavior, data storage, and deployment environment.

AutoResponse requires Node.js and uses SQLite for data storage, making it lightweight and easy to deploy on most systems.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Node.js 16.x or higher
npm or yarn package manager
Git for cloning the repository
At least 100MB free disk space
Stable internet connection

Discord Developer Account

You’ll need access to the Discord Developer Portal to create a bot application:

Visit Discord Developer Portal
Sign in with your Discord account

Creating a Discord Bot

Create Application

Go to Discord Developer Portal
Click “New Application”
Enter a name (e.g., “AutoResponse”)
Accept the Developer Terms of Service
Click “Create”

Configure Bot

Navigate to the “Bot” section in the left sidebar
Click “Add Bot”
Click “Reset Token” and copy your bot token

Keep your bot token secret! Never commit it to version control or share it publicly. Anyone with your token can control your bot.

Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable:
- ✅ Message Content Intent
- ✅ Server Members Intent
- ✅ Presence Intent

Generate Invite Link

Go to the “OAuth2” → “URL Generator” section
Under Scopes, select:
- ✅ bot
- ✅ applications.commands
Under Bot Permissions, select:
- ✅ Read Messages/View Channels
- ✅ Send Messages
- ✅ Read Message History
- ✅ Add Reactions
- ✅ Use Slash Commands
Copy the generated URL at the bottom
Open the URL in your browser and invite the bot to your server

Installation Steps

Clone Repository

Clone the AutoResponse source code to your server:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/autoresponse.git
cd autoresponse

Replace yourusername/autoresponse with the actual repository URL.

Install Dependencies

Install required Node.js packages:

npm install

This installs all dependencies from package.json:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "discord.js": "^14.17.3",
    "dotenv": "^16.4.7",
    "sqlite3": "^5.1.7",
    "mongoose": "^8.9.5",
    "express": "^4.21.2",
    "colors": "^1.4.0",
    "node-cron": "^3.0.3"
  }
}

Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root directory:

touch .env

Add your configuration:

# Required: Your Discord bot token
TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token_here

# Required: Bot owner user ID for admin commands
OWNERID=your_discord_user_id

# Required: Command prefix for owner commands
PREFIX=!

# Optional: Enable debug logging
DEBUG_MODE=false

How to find your Discord User ID

Enable Developer Mode in Discord:
- User Settings → Advanced → Developer Mode (toggle on)
Right-click your username anywhere in Discord
Click “Copy User ID”
Paste into the OWNERID field

The .env file is automatically ignored by git (listed in .gitignore). Never commit this file to version control.

Initialize Data Directory

Create the data directory structure:

mkdir -p data/media

The bot will automatically create these database files on first run:

data/{serverId}.db - Per-server configuration
data/optoutlist.db - User opt-out list
data/replyCooldowns.db - Reply cooldown tracking
data/disabledEvents.json - Optional event configuration

Running the Bot

Start the Bot

Linux/macOS
Windows

node src/client.js

Use the included batch file:

run.bat

Or run directly:

node src/client.js

Verify Startup

You should see output similar to:

DiscordJS v14.17.3
[INFO] Event: ready loaded
[INFO] Event: messageCreate loaded
[INFO] Event: interactionCreate loaded
Bot is ready!

The bot logs all activity with color-coded output using the colors package. Check the console for message events, errors, and command execution.

Understanding the Architecture

Project Structure

autoresponse/
├── src/
│   ├── client.js              # Main bot initialization
│   ├── intents.js             # Discord Gateway intents
│   ├── partials.js            # Discord partials configuration
│   └── events/
│       ├── messageCreate.js   # Message event handler
│       ├── ready.js           # Bot ready event
│       └── interactionCreate.js # Slash command handler
├── commands/
│   ├── slash/                 # Slash commands
│   │   ├── addphrase.js
│   │   ├── addReplyChannel.js
│   │   ├── listPhrases.js
│   │   └── ...
│   └── message/               # Text-based owner commands
│       ├── update.js
│       └── ...
├── utils/
│   ├── reply.js               # Core reply logic
│   ├── getSettings.js         # Database settings retrieval
│   ├── logging.js             # Logging utilities
│   └── ...
├── data/                      # Generated at runtime
│   ├── {serverId}.db          # Per-server databases
│   ├── optoutlist.db
│   └── replyCooldowns.db
├── .env                       # Environment configuration (create this)
└── package.json

Core Components

Client Initialization (src/client.js)

The main entry point creates the Discord client with required intents:

const client = new Discord.Client({
    intents: INTENTS,
    partials: PARTIALS,
});

client.login(process.env.TOKEN);

Loads all event handlers from src/events/
Registers slash commands
Sets bot presence every 15 seconds
Starts express server for health checks

Message Handler (src/events/messageCreate.js)

Processes every message in monitored channels:

const db = initializeDatabase(serverId);
const settings = await getSettings(serverId, message.client);
const replyChannels = settings.replyChannels || [];
const replyChannel = replyChannels.find(channel => channel.id === message.channel.id);

if (replyChannel) {
    const randomChance = Math.random() * 100;
    if (randomChance <= chance) {
        replyToUser(message);
    }
}

Key features:

Filters out bots, webhooks, and system messages
Checks opt-out list
Manages probability system
Downloads attachments to data/media/
Tracks cooldowns

Database Schema

Each server gets an SQLite database with these tables:replyChannels table:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS replyChannels (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
    chance INTEGER
)

phrases table:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS phrases (
    phrase TEXT PRIMARY KEY
)

trustedRoles table:

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS trustedRoles (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY
)

Production Deployment

Using PM2 (Recommended)

PM2 is a production process manager for Node.js applications:

Install PM2

npm install -g pm2

Start Bot

pm2 start src/client.js --name autoresponse

Configure Auto-Restart

pm2 startup
pm2 save

Monitor

pm2 status          # Check status
pm2 logs autoresponse  # View logs
pm2 restart autoresponse  # Restart bot

Using systemd

Create a systemd service file at /etc/systemd/system/autoresponse.service:

[Unit]
Description=AutoResponse Discord Bot
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=your-user
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/autoresponse
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node src/client.js
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
Environment=NODE_ENV=production

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable autoresponse
sudo systemctl start autoresponse
sudo systemctl status autoresponse

Using Docker

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production

COPY . .

CMD ["node", "src/client.js"]

Build and run:

docker build -t autoresponse .
docker run -d \
  --name autoresponse \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data \
  --env-file .env \
  autoresponse

Mount the data/ directory as a volume to persist databases across container restarts.

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Required	Description	Example
`TOKEN`	Yes	Discord bot token from Developer Portal	`MTEx...`
`OWNERID`	Yes	Discord user ID of the bot owner	`123456789012345678`
`PREFIX`	Yes	Command prefix for owner commands	`!`
`DEBUG_MODE`	No	Enable verbose logging (true/false)	`false`

Owner commands (using PREFIX) are restricted to the user specified in OWNERID. These commands bypass normal permissions and should be protected.

Backup and Maintenance

Backup Database

Regularly backup your data/ directory:

tar -czf autoresponse-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/

Update Bot

git pull origin main
npm install
pm2 restart autoresponse  # or your process manager

View Logs

The bot uses colored console output for logging:

// From utils/logging.js
messageCreate(`${serverName.cyan} - ${channelName.cyan} - ${authorUsername.cyan}`);
Error(`Error message here`);
Warn(`Warning message`);

Redirect logs to a file:

node src/client.js >> bot.log 2>&1

Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't start

Check:

Node.js version: node --version (should be 16+)
Dependencies installed: npm install
.env file exists with correct TOKEN
Token is valid in Discord Developer Portal

Common errors:

Error: TOKEN is not defined
→ Check your .env file

Error: Incorrect token provided
→ Generate a new token in Developer Portal

Bot connects but commands don't work

Verify:

Bot has slash command permission when invited
Privileged intents enabled in Developer Portal

Command registration completed:

// Commands are registered automatically on startup
// Check console for: "Registered X commands"

Bot has proper permissions in the channel

Database errors

Check:

data/ directory exists and is writable
SQLite3 installed correctly: npm rebuild sqlite3
No file permission issues: chmod 755 data/

Database files aren’t corrupted:

sqlite3 data/123456789.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

High memory usage

The bot stores some data in memory:

Event handler cache
Command collections
Database connections

Reduce memory:

Disable attachment downloads (comment out download logic)
Close database connections properly
Restart bot periodically with PM2 or cron

Security Best Practices

Protect Credentials

Never commit .env to version control
Use environment variables or secrets manager
Rotate bot token if exposed
Restrict OWNERID commands to trusted users

File Permissions

chmod 600 .env              # Owner read/write only
chmod 755 data/             # Directory accessible
chmod 644 data/*.db         # Database files readable

Firewall Configuration

If running a web server (Express), restrict access:

# Only allow local connections to web interface
ufw allow from 127.0.0.1 to any port 3000

Regular Updates

Keep dependencies updated:

npm outdated
npm update
npm audit fix

Next Steps

Your bot is now running! Continue with:

Quickstart Guide

Configure channels, add phrases, and test your first auto-reply

Advanced Features

Explore cooldowns, trusted roles, and database configuration

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

Check console output for detailed error messages
Review Discord Developer Portal for permission issues
Verify .env configuration matches requirements
Test with a minimal configuration first
Check database file permissions in data/ directory

Get Started

Features

Commands

Configuration

Advanced

Overview

Prerequisites

Creating a Discord Bot

Installation Steps

Running the Bot

Start the Bot

Verify Startup

Understanding the Architecture

Project Structure

Core Components

Production Deployment

Using PM2 (Recommended)

Using systemd

Using Docker

Environment Variables Reference

Backup and Maintenance

Backup Database

Update Bot

View Logs

Troubleshooting

Security Best Practices

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Advanced Features

Getting Help

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Features

Commands

Configuration

Advanced

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Creating a Discord Bot

​Installation Steps

​Running the Bot

​Start the Bot

​Verify Startup

​Understanding the Architecture

​Project Structure

​Core Components

​Production Deployment

​Using PM2 (Recommended)

​Using systemd

​Using Docker

​Environment Variables Reference

​Backup and Maintenance

​Backup Database

​Update Bot

​View Logs

​Troubleshooting

​Security Best Practices

​Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Advanced Features

​Getting Help

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Creating a Discord Bot

Installation Steps

Running the Bot

Start the Bot

Verify Startup

Understanding the Architecture

Project Structure

Core Components

Production Deployment

Using PM2 (Recommended)

Using systemd

Using Docker

Environment Variables Reference

Backup and Maintenance

Backup Database

Update Bot

View Logs

Troubleshooting

Security Best Practices

Next Steps

Getting Help