Plan your Bot’s communication with the community
Even without a user interface, your Bot needs a clear communication plan. That includes deciding what to say, who to say it to, and how to send it.
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to:
- Decide what your Bot should communicate—and what it should stay quiet about
- Choose the right channel for each kind of message
- Avoid over-communicating or disrupting the community
Step 1: Decide what needs to be communicated
Start by asking: What information does the community need from this Bot?
- Does it take visible action that should be acknowledged?
- Does it perform background tasks that only admins care about?
- Does it need to respond to user input?
Not every Bot needs to post in public channels. In fact, many don’t.
Step 2: Use the appropriate communication type
Root gives you three ways to communicate:
| Method | Who sees it | Use when... |
|---|---|---|
| Client-side log file | Admins only | You need to share info with community leaders |
| Channel message | Visible to members | The community needs to see the info |
| Create new channel | Visible to members | You’re organizing new discussions or topics |
Think carefully about which type fits each kind of output. If your Bot is mostly doing automation or moderation, the log file may be all you need.
Step 3: Know your audience
Split your communication by audience:
- Admins: Logs about decisions, exceptions, actions taken, or errors
- Members: Messages that require action or show meaningful results
Ask yourself for each message: Does a regular member need to see this?. If the answer is no, send it to the client-side log.
Step 4: Don’t overdo it
Even useful messages become noise if you send too many. Some common signs of overcommunication:
- A message every time a minor action happens
- Repeating the same message for every member
- Posting updates that nobody needs in real time
Instead, batch messages when possible, or keep quiet unless something changes.
Examples
AutoRoleBot
This Bot assigns roles based on user activity. There's no reason to announce each role change to the entire community. Instead, it logs each action to the client-side log so admins can review them if needed.
→ Use: client-side log only
PollBot
This Bot runs member polls and tracks votes. Since the whole point is participation, it reads and writes to channel messages so everyone can see and interact.
→ Use: channel messages
Conclusion
A well-behaved Bot stays useful without being annoying. It doesn’t spam channels. It doesn’t force awkward text input for things that should really have a UI.