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Setup

Get Aphonos up and running in your Discord server with this step-by-step guide.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

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Installation

1

Clone or download the repository

Get the Aphonos source code on your local machine or server.
2

Install dependencies

Navigate to the project directory and install the required packages:
npm install
This will install:
  • discord.js (v14.25.1+) - Discord API wrapper
  • canvas - For image generation in fun commands
  • dotenv - Environment variable management
  • TypeScript and related dev dependencies
3

Configure environment variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with your Discord bot token:
.env
DISCORD_TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token_here
Never commit your .env file to version control. Keep your bot token secret!
4

Build the project

Compile the TypeScript code to JavaScript:
npm run build
This command compiles the TypeScript files and copies necessary assets (images for commands) to the dist/ directory.
5

Start the bot

Launch Aphonos with:
npm start
You should see a message confirming the bot is online:
Altershaper bot hath awakened as YourBotName#1234

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Development mode

For development with hot-reloading, use: 
npm run dev
This skips the compilation step and runs the TypeScript code directly using tsx, making development faster.

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Discord Developer Portal setup

1

Create a new application

  1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal
  2. Click “New Application”
  3. Give your bot a name (e.g., “Aphonos”)
2

Create a bot user

  1. Navigate to the “Bot” tab
  2. Click “Add Bot”
  3. Copy your bot token (you’ll need this for the .env file)
3

Configure bot settings

Enable the following Privileged Gateway Intents:
  • Server Members Intent - Required for member join events and member management
  • Message Content Intent - Required for reading message content
4

Generate invite link

  1. Go to the “OAuth2” → “URL Generator” tab
  2. Select scopes:
    • bot
    • applications.commands
  3. Select permissions (see permissions page for details)
  4. Copy the generated URL and use it to invite the bot to your server

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Verifying the installation

Once the bot is running, you can verify it’s working correctly: 
# The bot will log visible channels and permissions on startup
# Look for output like:
Permissions:
================================
Server: Your Server Name (ID: ...)
  Text: #general (ID: ...) - CAN READ
================================

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Troubleshooting

  • Ensure the bot is online and shows as active in your server
  • Check that you’ve enabled the required Privileged Gateway Intents
  • Verify the bot has the necessary permissions in your server
  • Check the console for any error messages
  • Make sure you’ve created a .env file in the root directory
  • Verify the file is named exactly .env (not .env.txt)
  • Confirm the token is on a line that starts with DISCORD_TOKEN=
  • Ensure there are no extra spaces or quotes around the token
  • Review the permissions page for required permissions
  • Ensure the bot’s role is positioned high enough in the role hierarchy
  • Check channel-specific permission overrides
  • Make sure you have Node.js v16 or higher installed
  • Try deleting node_modules and package-lock.json, then run npm install again
  • Check that all dependencies are properly installed

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Next steps

Now that Aphonos is running:
  1. Configure the required permissions
  2. Explore available commands
  3. Set up wiki integration if needed
  4. Customize bot behavior for your server

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Package information

Aphonos uses the following key dependencies:
package.json
{
  "name": "altershaper-bot",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "A Discord moderation bot for ALTER EGO Wiki server",
  "dependencies": {
    "canvas": "^3.2.0",
    "discord.js": "^14.25.1",
    "dotenv": "^17.2.3"
  }
}

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