ramirez/docs/setup.md

2.5 KiB

🛠️ Setting up the bot

Note: This bot is run on your own machine or a server.
To keep it online, you need to keep the bot process running.

Terminology

  • Main server (or main guild) is the server where users will be contacting modmail from
  • Inbox server (or inbox guild, or mail guild) is the server where modmail threads will be created. In a "single-server setup" this is the same server as the main server.
  • A modmail thread is a channel on the inbox server that contains the current exchange with the user. These threads can be closed to archive them. One user can only have 1 modmail thread open at once.
  • A moderator, in modmail's context, is a server staff member who responds to and manages modmail threads
  • A user, in modmail's context, is a Discord user who is contacting modmail by DMing the bot

Prerequisites

  1. Create a bot account through the Discord Developer Portal
  2. Invite the created bot to your server
  3. Install Node.js 10, 11, or 12
    • Node.js 13 is currently not supported
  4. Download the latest bot version from the releases page and extract it to a folder
  5. In the bot's folder, make a copy of the file config.example.ini and rename the copy to config.ini

Two-server setup

In this setup, modmail threads are opened on a separate inbox server.

  1. Create an inbox server on Discord
  2. Invite the bot to the inbox server.
  3. Open config.ini in a text editor and fill in the values
  4. Make sure the bot has the Manage Channels, Manage Messages, and Attach Files permissions on the inbox server
  5. 🏃 Start the bot!
  6. Want to change other bot options? See 📝 Configuration

Single-server setup

In this setup, modmail threads are opened on the main server in a special category.

  1. Open config.ini in a text editor and fill in the required values. mainGuildId and mailGuildId should both be set to your server's id.
  2. On a new line at the end of config.ini, add categoryAutomation.newThread = CATEGORY_ID_HERE
    • Replace CATEGORY_ID_HERE with the ID of the category where new modmail threads should go
  3. Make sure the bot has Manage Channels, Manage Messages, and Attach Files permissions in the category
  4. 🏃 Start the bot!
  5. Want to change other bot options? See 📝 Configuration