Discord bot setup

Before running Yato, you need to create a Discord bot application and configure it with the necessary permissions and intents.

Creating the bot application

Access Discord Developer Portal

Go to the Discord Developer Portal
Log in with your Discord account
Click “New Application” in the top right
Enter a name for your application (e.g., “Yato Bot”)
Click “Create”

Configure general information

On the “General Information” tab, you can:
- Add an app icon
- Write a description
- Add tags
Copy your Application ID (also called Client ID) and save it as CLIENT_ID in your .env file

The Application ID is used for generating invite links and OAuth2 authorization.

Create the bot user

Click on the “Bot” tab in the left sidebar
Click “Add Bot”
Click “Yes, do it!” to confirm
Customize your bot:
- Set a username
- Upload a bot avatar
- Disable “Public Bot” if you want only you to invite it

Get your bot token

Under the “TOKEN” section, click “Reset Token”
Click “Yes, do it!” to confirm
Click “Copy” to copy the token
Save this token as TOKEN in your .env file

Your bot token is sensitive information. Never share it publicly or commit it to version control. If compromised, regenerate it immediately.

Configuring bot intents

Intents define which events your bot receives from Discord. Yato requires specific intents to function properly.

What are intents?

Intents control which gateway events Discord sends to your bot. They help Discord scale by reducing unnecessary events sent to bots.

Required intents for Yato

Yato was built with discord.js v12, which has different intent requirements than modern versions. The bot currently uses basic client configuration without explicit intents.

In the Discord Developer Portal, under the “Bot” tab, enable these Privileged Gateway Intents:

Server Members Intent

Enable SERVER MEMBERS INTENT (Privileged)Required for:

Detecting when members join/leave servers
Fetching member information for commands
Welcome messages and member tracking
User info commands

Message Content Intent

Enable MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT (Privileged)Required for:

Reading message content for legacy prefix commands
Message-based command handling
Content moderation features

As of September 2022, this is a privileged intent required for bots to read message content. Without it, message content will appear empty for non-slash commands.

Presence Intent (Optional)

Enable PRESENCE INTENT (Privileged) if you want:

Member status tracking (online, idle, etc.)
Custom status information
Activity tracking

This is optional for Yato’s core functionality but may be required for certain features.

Current implementation

Yato’s current client initialization (src/index.js:7):

const client = new Discord.Client({ 
  allowedMentions: { parse: ['users', 'roles'] } 
});

For modern Discord.js versions (v13+), you should explicitly specify intents:

const { Client, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');

const client = new Client({
  intents: [
    GatewayIntentBits.Guilds,
    GatewayIntentBits.GuildMembers,
    GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages,
    GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent
  ],
  allowedMentions: { parse: ['users', 'roles'] }
});

Bot permissions

Yato requires specific Discord permissions to function properly.

Permission calculator

The bot uses permission value 1879436407 for its invite link (src/commands/information/botinfo.js:35). This includes:

Permission	Description
View Channels	See channels to interact in
Send Messages	Send messages in text channels
Embed Links	Send rich embeds with images and formatting
Attach Files	Upload images and files
Read Message History	Read previous messages in channels
Add Reactions	Add emoji reactions to messages
Use External Emojis	Use emojis from other servers
Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles	Mention mass groups (use carefully)
Manage Messages	Delete messages (for moderation)
Manage Roles	Create, edit, and assign roles
Kick Members	Kick members from the server
Ban Members	Ban members from the server
Manage Channels	Create, edit, and delete channels
Use Slash Commands	Use application commands

Required permissions

Minimum permissions for basic functionality:

View Channels
Send Messages
Embed Links
Read Message History
Use Slash Commands

Recommended permissions

For full functionality (moderation, role management, etc.):

All basic permissions
Manage Messages (for purge/moderation)
Kick Members (for kick command)
Ban Members (for ban command)
Manage Roles (for role management)
Attach Files (for Canvas-generated images)
Add Reactions (for interactive commands)

Generating invite links

Using Discord Developer Portal

Navigate to OAuth2

In the Discord Developer Portal, select your application
Click “OAuth2” in the left sidebar
Click “URL Generator”

Select scopes

Under “SCOPES”, select:

✅ bot
✅ applications.commands

Select permissions

Under “BOT PERMISSIONS”, select the permissions your bot needs.For Yato, you can use the permission integer 1879436407 or select permissions individually.

Copy and use invite URL

Copy the generated URL at the bottom
Paste it in your browser
Select a server to add the bot to
Click “Authorize”

Manual invite URL

You can also construct the invite URL manually:

https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&permissions=1879436407&scope=bot%20applications.commands

Replace YOUR_CLIENT_ID with your Application ID.

https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize?client_id=123456789012345678&permissions=1879436407&scope=bot%20applications.commands

Avoid using Administrator permission in production. Only grant the specific permissions your bot needs.

Slash commands setup

Yato uses the gcommands library for slash command handling.

Automatic registration

Slash commands are automatically registered when the bot starts, configured in src/index.js:15-25:

const GCommandsClient = new GCommands(client, {
  cmdDir: 'src/commands/',
  language: 'english',
  ownLanguageFile: require('./config/message.json'),
  unkownCommandMessage: true,
  slash: {
    slash: 'both',
    prefix: `^<@!?${client.user.id}> `
  },
  defaultCooldown: '3s'
});

Configuration options

cmdDir: Directory containing command files
slash: 'both' enables both slash commands and mention-based commands
prefix: Regex pattern allowing commands via bot mentions
defaultCooldown: Prevents command spam (3 seconds between uses)

Development vs. Production

Development: Use GUILD_ID in .env to register commands to a specific server (instant updates)Production: Omit GUILD_ID to register commands globally (updates take up to 1 hour but work in all servers)

Testing your bot

Invite bot to test server

Use your invite link to add the bot to a test Discord server where you have admin permissions.

Start the bot

Run the bot locally:

npm run dev
# or
node src/index.js

You should see:

➤ Logged in as YourBot#1234 (123456789012345678)
✔ Connected to MongoDB

Test slash commands

In Discord, type / in any channel where the bot has access. You should see Yato’s commands in the autocomplete menu.Try:

/help - View available commands
/botinfo - View bot information
/ping - Test bot responsiveness

Test mention commands

You can also use commands by mentioning the bot:

@YourBot help

Common issues

Bot appears offline

Possible causes:

Invalid or expired token
Bot not invited to server
Network/firewall blocking Discord connections

Solutions:

Verify TOKEN in .env is correct
Regenerate token in Developer Portal if needed
Check bot is in the server’s member list
Ensure no firewall blocks Discord’s gateway

Slash commands not appearing

Possible causes:

Bot missing applications.commands scope
Commands not yet registered globally
Bot lacks necessary permissions

Solutions:

Re-invite bot with applications.commands scope
For development, add GUILD_ID to .env for instant registration
Wait up to 1 hour for global command registration
Ensure bot has “Use Slash Commands” permission

Bot can’t read messages

Possible causes:

Missing Message Content intent
Missing “View Channel” or “Read Message History” permissions

Solutions:

Enable Message Content Intent in Developer Portal
Grant “View Channels” and “Read Message History” permissions
Re-invite bot with updated permissions

Permission errors

Error: Missing Permissions Solutions:

Ensure bot’s role is high enough in the role hierarchy
Grant specific permissions in channel or server settings
Re-invite bot with correct permission integer
Check bot isn’t trying to moderate members with higher roles

Security best practices

Follow these security guidelines:

Never share your bot token: Treat it like a password
Use minimal permissions: Only grant what’s necessary
Restrict bot access: Use channel permissions to limit bot visibility
Implement rate limiting: GCommands includes cooldown protection
Validate user input: Sanitize user-provided data (especially for Canvas rendering)
Monitor bot activity: Review logs for suspicious behavior
Keep dependencies updated: Regularly update discord.js and other libraries
Disable public bot: If for personal use, disable “Public Bot” setting

Next steps

Now that your Discord bot is set up:

Configure your environment variables
Set up MongoDB for data persistence
Deploy your bot to a hosting service
Explore available commands and features

Get Started

Configuration

Core Features

Deployment

Creating the bot application

Configuring bot intents

What are intents?

Required intents for Yato

Current implementation

Bot permissions

Permission calculator

Required permissions

Recommended permissions

Generating invite links

Using Discord Developer Portal

Manual invite URL

Slash commands setup

Automatic registration

Configuration options

Development vs. Production

Testing your bot

Common issues

Bot appears offline

Slash commands not appearing

Bot can’t read messages

Permission errors

Security best practices

Next steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Configuration

Core Features

Deployment

​Creating the bot application

​Configuring bot intents

​What are intents?

​Required intents for Yato

​Current implementation

​Bot permissions

​Permission calculator

​Required permissions

​Recommended permissions

​Generating invite links

​Using Discord Developer Portal

​Manual invite URL

​Slash commands setup

​Automatic registration

​Configuration options

​Development vs. Production

​Testing your bot

​Common issues

​Bot appears offline

​Slash commands not appearing

​Bot can’t read messages

​Permission errors

​Security best practices

​Next steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Creating the bot application

Configuring bot intents

What are intents?

Required intents for Yato

Current implementation

Bot permissions

Permission calculator

Required permissions

Recommended permissions

Generating invite links

Using Discord Developer Portal

Manual invite URL

Slash commands setup

Automatic registration

Configuration options

Development vs. Production

Testing your bot

Common issues

Bot appears offline

Slash commands not appearing

Bot can’t read messages

Permission errors

Security best practices

Next steps