#Getting started: your first bot

This page walks through creating a bot, getting its token, and inviting it to a server. It takes about two minutes.

#1. Create the bot

Open Settings → Bots in Disband (or the Developers portal) and click New bot.

• Give it a name. The name is what appears in the member list and on messages.
• Pick the scopes it needs. Start small — you can always create another bot with more scopes, or edit them later. The full list is on the bots overview.
• Click Create.

Disband returns a token, shown once. Copy it somewhere safe now: it is never shown again and cannot be retrieved later. If you lose it, revoke the bot and create a new one.

The token is what your code uses to authenticate:

Authorization: Bot <token>

#2. Customize your bot (optional)

From the Developers portal, click Edit on your bot to set:

• Avatar URL — profile picture (any HTTPS image).
• Banner URL — banner image for the bot's profile.
• Bio — a short description shown on the bot's profile.
• Scopes — add or remove permissions.

#3. Invite the bot to a server

In Settings → Bots, open the bot you just created:

1. Click Generate invite.
2. Choose targeted (pick a specific server) or general (anyone with the link can pick a server they manage).
3. Pick the scope set to grant.
4. Send the resulting link to the server's owner or a channel manager.

Targeted invites lock to a specific server and require you to be a member. General invites work for anyone — the recipient signs in and picks a space.

Only owners and channel managers can approve a bot invite. Invites expire after 7 days.

#4. The owner approves

The owner opens the link and clicks Approve. The bot becomes a member of the server, limited to the scopes that were approved. (The approved scopes are the intersection of the bot account's scopes and what the owner granted — you cannot approve more than the bot was created with.)

#5. Install a client and connect

# JavaScript / TypeScript
npm install @disband/bot

# Python
pip install disband-bot

Save the token to an environment variable and run one of the clients:

// JavaScript
import { Client } from "@disband/bot";

const client = new Client({ token: process.env.DISBAND_BOT_TOKEN });

client.on("ready", (me) => {
  console.log(`Logged in as ${me.name} (${me.scopes.join(", ")})`);
});

client.on("messageCreate", async (message) => {
  if (message.author?.is_bot) return;
  if (message.content !== "!ping") return;
  await message.reply("pong");
});

await client.connect();

# Python
from disband_bot import Client

client = Client(token=DISBAND_BOT_TOKEN)

@client.on("ready")
def on_ready(me):
    print(f"Logged in as {me['name']} ({', '.join(me['scopes'])})")

@client.on("messageCreate")
def handle(message):
    if message.author_is_bot:
        return
    if message.content == "!ping":
        message.reply("pong")

client.run()

The client connects to the gateway, fires ready, and then streams message events. See JavaScript and Python for the full API.

#What's next

• If the bot needs to keep running permanently, see Hosting your own bot.
• If you want to talk to the API directly (curl, another language, a webhook), see the API reference.