# Getting Started

### 🛠️ 1. Creating your Discord Application

Before you can run the bot, you need to create a bot instance on the Discord Developer Portal.

1. **Open the Dashboard**: Go to the [Discord Developer Portal](https://discord.com/developers/applications).
2. **New Application**: Click **New Application** and give it a name (e.g., "SupportBot").
3. **Create Bot**: Navigate to the **Bot** tab on the left sidebar and click **Reset Token** (or **Copy Token**) to save your bot's unique token. **Keep this token safe!**
4. **Privileged Gateway Intents**: Scroll down and enable all three intents. This is **required** for the bot to function correctly:
   * `Presence Intent`
   * `Server Members Intent`
   * `Message Content Intent`

***

### 🔗 2. Inviting the Bot

To invite the bot to your server with the correct permissions, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the **Installation** page in the developer portal.
2. Set **Install Link** to `Discord Provided Link`.
3. Under **Default Install Settings**, set the following scopes:
   * **User Install Scopes**: `application.commands`
   * **Guild Install Scopes**: `application.commands`, `bot`
4. Set **Permissions** to `Administrator` (this ensures the bot can manage tickets and channels without issues).
5. Copy the generated **Install Link** and open it in your browser to invite the bot to your server.

***

### 📦 3. Installing Node.js

SupportBot requires **Node.js v20 or newer**. Choose the guide for your operating system below:

#### Windows 11

1. Download the latest **LTS** version from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/).
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.

#### Ubuntu (Linux)

Run the following commands in your terminal:

```bash
# Download the setup script for Node.js v20
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x -o nodesource_setup.sh

# Run the setup script
sudo -E bash nodesource_setup.sh

# Install Node.js and NPM
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs npm
```

#### Verify Installation

Check that you are running a supported version:

```bash
node -v
```

*Expected Output: `v20.x.x` or higher.*

***

### 🚀 4. Starting the Bot

After setting up your Discord Application and installing Node.js, follow these steps to launch your SupportBot instance:

1. **Open Terminal**: Navigate to the bot's root directory.
2. **Run Setup**: Run the automated setup script:

```bash
npm run setup
```

1. **Manual Installation** (If setup fails):

```bash
# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the bot
npm run start
```

> Once your bot is online, check out our Dashboard Setup Guide to manage your bot via the web interface!


---

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