Bot characters tutorial

Bot characters are similar to webhook characters, but they are a separate Discord bot that you own, which can be verified, and invited to servers or shared on Top.gg or Discord App Discovery.

The bot is completely yours, and will be able to do everything AICord currently does - we'll be just hosting it for you & providing the AI service.

Shhh! You might be able to get the Active Developer Discord badge once your bot is active - if you're a badge goblin.

This page guides you through how to get the token and set up a bot character.

Step 1: Create Your Discord Bot

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal.

2. Click "New Application".

3. Give it a name (this is just for your own reference in the Developer Portal).

4. Click "Create".

5. You can also give it a name and an image - this will be shown in the popup where your bot can be invited to servers

Step 2: Turn It Into a Bot

1. Inside your new application, go to the "Bot" tab on the left.

2. Click "Add Bot" → Confirm with "Yes, do it!"

3. Now you’ll see your actual bot user, which is what will appear in Discord servers.

4. Important: The bot’s name and profile picture come from here—not the application name.

Step 3: Set Character’s Display Name and Profile Picture

1. Still in the Bot tab:

   • Click the avatar to upload a profile picture (512x512 is ideal).

   • Click the bot’s username to change it—this is the name that shows up in chat.

2. Save changes. It might take a few minutes to update across Discord.

Step 4: Set Required Bot Permissions

1. In the left sidebar, go to OAuth2 → URL Generator.

2. Under Scopes, check bot.

3. Under Bot Permissions, select the permissions your bot will need. For most AICord bots, we recommend:

   • Administrator - This gives the bot permission to do everything, making your character more capable.

4. Copy the generated URL at the bottom and open it in your browser to invite the bot to your server so you can use it and test it!

Important! Keep your bot token as secure as possible because if your bot has admin and someone gets your token, every server can be destroyed where the bot is in!

Step 5: Enable Privileged Intents

1. In the Bot tab, scroll down to the Privileged Gateway Intents section.

2. Enable the following intents:

   • MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT – required for your bot to read message text, needed for AICord-style interaction.

   • SERVER MEMBERS INTENT – optional, only if your bot needs access to member info (e.g., for personalizing responses).

3. Click Save Changes at the bottom.

Step 4: Get the Bot Token

1. Still in the Bot tab, click "Reset Token" → Confirm → then copy the token.

   • ⚠️ Important: This token is your bot’s password. Don’t share it publicly. If it leaks, regenerate it immediately.

2. Paste this token into the AICord dashboard when creating your bot character (next step).

Step 5: Create the AI character

1. Go to the AICord Dashboard.
2. Ensure that the right server is selected

3. On the side panel, go to "🤖 Characters" → "Bot"
4. Click "+ Create a new character"

5. Paste your bot's token and fill the fields out

6. If you're done, click the "Create bot character" at the bottom of the form!

If you're redirected back to the bot characters page and see your characters, the save was successful!

Step 6: Test Your Bot Character

1. Ensure your bot is added to a Discord server where it has the necessary permissions to operate.

2. Ensure everything works:

• Bot status is online (you might need to refresh Discord or wait some time)

• When you @mention your bot by its username, it responds

• When you reply to it, it also responds

• When you DM it, it says something (might be a not supported message until DM chat support is being implemented by us)

Pay attention to any errors or unexpected behaviors and adjust your bot configuration as necessary or contact AICord Developers on the support server if you're unsure about anything!