discord-bot-architect

# Discord Bot Architect ## Patterns ### Discord.js v14 Foundation Modern Discord bot setup with Discord.js v14 and slash commands **When to use**: ['Building Discord bots with JavaScript/TypeScript', 'Need full gateway connection with events', 'Building bots with complex interactions'] ```javascript ```javascript // src/index.js const { Client, Collection, GatewayIntentBits, Events } = require('discord.js'); const fs = require('node:fs'); const path = require('node:path'); require('dotenv').config(); // Create client with minimal required intents const client = new Client({ intents: [ GatewayIntentBits.Guilds, // Add only what you need: // GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages, // GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent, // PRIVILEGED - avoid if possible ] }); // Load commands client.commands = new Collection(); const commandsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'commands'); const commandFiles = fs.readdirSync(commandsPath).filter(f => f.endsWith('.js')); for (const file of commandFiles) { const filePath = path.join(commandsPath, file); const command = require(filePath); if ('data' in command && 'execute' in command) { client.commands.set(command.data.name, command); } } // Load events const eventsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'events'); const eventFiles = fs.readdirSync(eventsPath).filter(f => f.endsWith('.js')); for (const file of eventFiles) { const filePath = path.join(eventsPath, file); const event = require(filePath); if (event.once) { client.once(event.name, (...args) => event.execute(...args)); } else { client.on(event.name, (...args) => event.execute(...args)); } } client.login(process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN); ``` ```javascript // src/commands/ping.js const { SlashCommandBuilder } = require('discord.js'); module.exports = { data: new SlashCommandBuilder() .setName('ping') .setDescription('Replies with Pong!'), async execute(interaction) { const sent = await interaction.reply({ content: 'Pinging...', fetchReply: true }); const latency = sent.createdTimestamp - interaction.createdTimestamp; await interaction.editReply(`Pong! Latency: ${latency}ms`); } }; ``` ```javascript // src/events/interactionCreate.js const { Events } = require('discord.js'); module.exports = { name: Event ``` ### Pycord Bot Foundation Discord bot with Pycord (Python) and application commands **When to use**: ['Building Discord bots with Python', 'Prefer async/await patterns', 'Need good slash command support'] ```python ```python # main.py import os import discord from discord.ext import commands from dotenv import load_dotenv load_dotenv() # Configure intents - only enable what you need intents = discord.Intents.default() # intents.message_content = True # PRIVILEGED - avoid if possible # intents.members = True # PRIVILEGED bot = commands.Bot( command_prefix="!", # Legacy, prefer slash commands intents=intents ) @bot.event async def on_ready(): print(f"Logged in as {bot.user}") # Sync commands (do this carefully - see sharp edges) # await bot.sync_commands() # Slash command @bot.slash_command(name="ping", description="Check bot latency") async def ping(ctx: discord.ApplicationContext): latency = round(bot.latency * 1000) await ctx.respond(f"Pong! Latency: {latency}ms") # Slash command with options @bot.slash_command(name="greet", description="Greet a user") async def greet( ctx: discord.ApplicationContext, user: discord.Option(discord.Member, "User to greet"), message: discord.Option(str, "Custom message", required=False) ): msg = message or "Hello!" await ctx.respond(f"{user.mention}, {msg}") # Load cogs for filename in os.listdir("./cogs"): if filename.endswith(".py"): bot.load_extension(f"cogs.{filename[:-3]}") bot.run(os.environ["DISCORD_TOKEN"]) ``` ```python # cogs/general.py import discord from discord.ext import commands class General(commands.Cog): def __init__(self, bot): self.bot = bot @commands.slash_command(name="info", description="Bot information") async def info(self, ctx: discord.ApplicationContext): embed = discord.Embed( title="Bot Info", description="A helpful Discord bot", color=discord.Color.blue() ) embed.add_field(name="Servers", value=len(self.bot.guilds)) embed.add_field(name="Latency", value=f"{round(self.bot.latency * 1000)}ms") await ctx.respond(embed=embed) @commands.Cog. ``` ### Interactive Components Pattern Using buttons, select menus, and modals for rich UX **When to use**: ['Need interactive user interfaces', 'Collecting user input beyond slash command options', 'Building menus, confirmations, or forms'] ```python ```javascript // Discord.js - Buttons and Select Menus const { SlashCommandBuilder, ActionRowBuilder, ButtonBuilder, ButtonStyle, StringSelectMenuBuilder, ModalBuilder, TextInputBuilder, TextInputStyle } = require('discord.js'); module.exports = { data: new SlashCommandBuilder() .setName('menu') .setDescription('Shows an interactive menu'), async execute(interaction) { // Button row const buttonRow = new ActionRowBuilder() .addComponents( new ButtonBuilder() .setCustomId('confirm') .setLabel('Confirm') .setStyle(ButtonStyle.Primary), new ButtonBuilder() .setCustomId('cancel') .setLabel('Cancel') .setStyle(ButtonStyle.Danger), new ButtonBuilder() .setLabel('Documentation') .setURL('https://discord.js.org') .setStyle(ButtonStyle.Link) // Link buttons don't emit events ); // Select menu row (one per row, takes all 5 slots) const selectRow = new ActionRowBuilder() .addComponents( new StringSelectMenuBuilder() .setCustomId('select-role') .setPlaceholder('Select a role') .setMinValues(1) .setMaxValues(3) .addOptions([ { label: 'Developer', value: 'dev', emoji: '💻' }, { label: 'Designer', value: 'design', emoji: '🎨' }, { label: 'Community', value: 'community', emoji: '🎉' } ]) ); await interaction.reply({ content: 'Choose an option:', components: [buttonRow, selectRow] }); // Collect responses const collector = interaction.channel.createMessageComponentCollector({ filter: i => i.user.id === interaction.user.id, time: 60_000 // 60 seconds timeout }); collector.on('collect', async i => { if (i.customId === 'confirm') { await i.update({ content: 'Confirmed!', components: [] }); collector.stop(); } else if (i.custo ``` ## Anti-Patterns ### ❌ Message Content for Commands **Why bad**: Message Content Intent is privileged and deprecated for bot commands. Slash commands are the intended approach. ### ❌ Syncing Commands on Every Start **Why bad**: Command registration is rate limited. Global commands take up to 1 hour to propagate. Syncing on every start wastes API calls and can hit limits. ### ❌ Blocking the Event Loop **Why bad**: Discord gateway requires regular heartbeats. Blocking operations cause missed heartbeats and disconnections. ## ⚠️ Sharp Edges | Issue | Severity | Solution | |-------|----------|----------| | Issue | critical | ## Acknowledge immediately, process later | | Issue | critical | ## Step 1: Enable in Developer Portal | | Issue | high | ## Use a separate deploy script (not on startup) | | Issue | critical | ## Never hardcode tokens | | Issue | high | ## Generate correct invite URL | | Issue | medium | ## Development: Use guild commands | | Issue | medium | ## Never block the event loop | | Issue | medium | ## Show modal immediately | --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io) | [Claim this content](https://tomevault.io/claim/davila7/claude-code-templates) <!-- tomevault:2.0:skill_md:2026-04-05 -->