Set up a bot from zero

This is the complete first-run path for a new Kompendium bot. Do the steps in this order. You do not need to understand every advanced setting before the bot can work; the goal is to get one bot, one test server, one collectible, and one spawn working safely.

What you are making

There are three separate things involved:

• A Discord application is the entry in Discord’s Developer Portal. It owns the bot identity, token, install link, slash commands, and intent permissions.
• A Kompendium instance is one self-contained bot configuration. It stores that bot’s token, collectibles, player data, modules, messages, artwork, and settings.
• A Discord server is where players use the bot.

One Kompendium instance should use one Discord application and its own bot token. Do not paste the same token into two running instances. Every instance is isolated, so changes made while one instance is selected do not affect another instance.

Before you begin

Have a Discord account that owns or can manage a small test server, dashboard access, one image you are allowed to use for a test collectible, and a password manager. The bot token is a password for the bot: never put it in a screenshot, Discord message, GitHub repository, or support ticket. If it leaks, reset it in Discord and replace it in Kompendium.

Part 1: create the Discord application

Open Discord Developer Portal and sign in with the account that should own the bot.

1. Select New Application.
2. Enter the public name players should see, such as Kompendium Test.
3. Press Create.
4. You arrive at General Information. Add an icon and description if you want; the icon becomes the bot’s Discord profile picture.

Discord creates the bot user for a new application. In the left navigation, select Bot. This page is where you configure the bot account, token, username, profile picture, and privileged intents.

Get the bot token

On Bot, find the Token section. Select Reset Token when Discord asks you to generate one, then copy the value. Discord will not show that same token again after you leave the screen. Store it temporarily in a password manager, not a shared note. You will paste it into Kompendium in Part 3.

Do not use the Application ID or Public Key in the token field. They are different values and cannot start a bot.

Part 2: turn on the correct Discord intents

Scroll down the Bot page to Privileged Gateway Intents. Intents decide which kinds of live Discord events Discord is allowed to send to the bot. Kompendium has matching switches in Config; a feature only works when both Discord and Kompendium agree.

Discord Bot-page switch	Turn it on?	Why
Server Members Intent	Turn on when you use member-based features, leaderboards, member lookups, or player/member data.	Discord otherwise withholds member-related information.
Message Content Intent	Turn on when players catch drops by typing answers in chat.	Discord otherwise hides ordinary user message text from the bot.
Presence Intent	Leave off unless you deliberately use presence/activity-aware features.	It is not needed for ordinary slash commands or normal spawning.

Save the changes. Then, after Part 3, open Kompendium Config and enable the same corresponding switches. A mismatch is a common cause of a bot that looks online but cannot process catches or member features.

For a bot in a large number of servers, Discord may require verification and approval for privileged intents. Until then, request only the intents the bot actually needs. Discord explains the current rules in its Gateway intents documentation.

Part 3: make an install link and invite the bot

In the Developer Portal left navigation, open Installation. This page controls where the app can be installed and what permissions the bot asks for.

1. Under Installation Contexts, enable Guild Install. A guild is Discord’s name for a server.
2. Under Install Link, use Discord Provided Link.
3. In Default Install Settings for Guild Install, add bot and applications.commands.
4. Once bot is selected, choose: View Channels, Send Messages, Embed Links, Attach Files, Read Message History, and Use Application Commands.
5. Save changes and copy the generated install link.

Paste the link into a browser, choose your test server, and approve the installation. The bot should appear in the member list, usually offline until Kompendium starts it. Do not grant Administrator just because it is convenient; channel-specific overrides can still grant the bot exactly what it needs.

Part 4: create and connect the Kompendium instance

Sign in to Kompendium. Create an instance if you need one, give it a clear name, and use the Instance Switcher to confirm it is selected. Open Setup, choose Start fresh, enter the bot name, paste the bot token from Discord, and press Complete setup.

If you are moving an existing bot, use the migration route instead; see Imports and migration. Do not mix a migration import with a fresh setup simply to test it.

Return to Dashboard. Press Provision / Deploy if the bot is not running, then wait for it to report as running. Use Restart after changing a token, intent, or runtime setting.

Part 5: complete the first Config pass

Open Config and work from top to bottom:

1. Check Bot name. Discord profile changes still happen in the Developer Portal.
2. Set singular and plural labels such as card / cards or character / characters.
3. Match Kompendium’s intent switches to your choices on Discord’s Bot page. Turn on Message Content here for typed catches, and Server Members here for member features. Restart afterwards.
4. Enable Currency only if you want an economy, then set its public name.
5. Add only trusted co-owner IDs, admin-server IDs, and staff-role IDs.
6. Save. Restart when Kompendium tells you a restart is needed.

The Config guide covers every field. For a first run, leave advanced limits at their defaults until normal play works.

Part 6: choose modules, then add one collectible

Open Modules. Required core modules stay on; enable optional systems such as Currency, Trading, Packs, and Auctions only when you need them. Each Manage page controls that module for this instance.

A card template controls the visual frame; it does not create a card that can spawn. Follow Add your first collectible to create one enabled record with artwork and a rarity above zero. Do this before expecting natural spawns.

Part 7: configure a safe test spawn

In the Discord test server, run /spawn channel and select a private test channel. Then open Spawn in the dashboard, choose the catch method, configure a conservative minimum/maximum time and timeout, and save. Use a short interval only in that private test channel.

If catches use a typed player answer, Message Content intent must be enabled both in Discord and in Kompendium Config, and the bot must be able to view that channel. The Spawn System guide and Spawn controls reference cover the advanced settings.

Part 8: test like a player

1. Confirm the bot appears online.
2. Type / and check its commands appear.
3. Trigger one test spawn.
4. Catch the collectible using its displayed name or a catchable name.
5. Open a collection/inventory command and confirm the card appears.
6. If Currency is enabled, check the reward and balance label.

Use Sync commands from Dashboard if slash commands are missing after a change. Check Logs & Activity if an action fails. Test in a private server first, then configure your live spawn channel.

First-day safety checklist

• The token is only in Discord and the selected Kompendium instance.
• The bot has no unnecessary Administrator permission.
• Discord and Kompendium intent switches match.
• A private test channel is configured before a public spawn channel.
• At least one enabled collectible has valid artwork and rarity above zero.
• You made a Data-page backup before major migrations or destructive changes.

See Screenshot checklist for a visual version of every step.