Discord Bot with OpenAI Integration

This project is a Discord bot that responds to /ask commands by using OpenAI (ChatGPT) to generate answers. The bot is built with discord.js and openai and follows best practices for environment variable management.

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1. Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• Node.js & npm installed (latest LTS version recommended)
• A Discord Developer Account
• An OpenAI API key

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2. Install Node.js & npm

Ensure you have the latest Node.js installed:

# Install NVM (Node Version Manager)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.5/install.sh | bash

# Reload shell to use nvm (if necessary)
source ~/.zshrc  # or `source ~/.bashrc`

# Install and use the latest LTS version of Node.js
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

# Verify installation
node -v   # Should output the Node.js version
npm -v    # Should output the npm version

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3. Create the Project

Step 1: Create a Project Directory

mkdir discord_bot
cd discord_bot

Step 2: Initialize a Node.js Project

npm init -y

This creates a package.json file.

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4. Install Dependencies

Step 3: Install Required Packages

npm install discord.js dotenv openai

(Optional) Step 4: Install ESLint for Linting

npm install --save-dev eslint @eslint/js

# Create ESLint config file
touch eslint.config.js

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5. Set Up Environment Variables

Step 5: Create a .env File

touch .env

Add the following content, replacing placeholders with your actual API keys:

DISCORD_TOKEN=your-discord-bot-token
OPEN_AI_KEY=your-openai-api-key

Ensure this file is ignored by Git:

echo .env >> .gitignore

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6. Start the Bot

Run the bot using:

node index.js

You should see:

Started refreshing application (/) commands.
Successfully reloaded application (/) commands.
Logged in as botgpt#5318!

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7. Test the Bot in Discord

Try These Commands:

• Ping test:

  /ping
  

  Expected Response: Pong!

• ChatGPT Integration:

  /ask What is the meaning of life?
  

  Expected Response: A response from ChatGPT.

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8. Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, try:

• Check your Node.js version:

  node -v

  Ensure it's the latest LTS version.

• Check your environment variables:

  cat .env

  Ensure DISCORD_TOKEN and OPEN_AI_KEY are set correctly.

• Check bot permissions: Ensure your bot has the necessary permissions in the Discord Developer Portal.

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9. Useful Links

• Setting Up a Bot Application
• Adding Your Bot to Servers

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License

MIT License

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Happy coding! 🚀

botGPT