Helix: A Modular, Security-Focused Discord Automation App

Published

August 14, 2024

Helix: A Modular, Security-Focused Discord Automation App

Published

August 14, 2024

Goals

Strong module isolation (enable/disable without code edits)
Predictable data model
Clean command + event structure via Sapphire
Safe evolution path for future UI and AI integrations
Minimal runtime assumptions (no hard coupling to unfinished dashboard)

Current Capabilities (Bot Side)

Modular loader (base services + feature scaffolding)
Planned features: Verification, Reaction Roles, Moderation, Administration (scaffolds / interfaces staged)
Structured startup diagnostics (ready listener)
Guild configuration persistence model (prototype shape)
Consistent logging + placeholder hooks for metrics

Architecture Overview

Layer	Tech	Responsibility
Core Bot	discord.js + Sapphire	Gateway, commands, events
Module System	@kbotdev/plugin-modules	Feature segmentation
Persistence	MongoDB (planned models)	Guild + module state
Config	TypeScript config object	Central runtime settings
Future (Planned)	Nuxt4 dashboard	Remote management UI
Future (Planned)	AI (Ollama)	Intelligent moderation / assistance

Module Philosophy

Each module:

Declares metadata (name, description, enabled state)
Registers commands & listeners conditionally
Owns its config slice
Fails soft (one module error ≠ total failure)
Will later expose a serializable schema for the dashboard

Example descriptor (concept):

interface ModuleDescriptor {
  key: string;
  name: string;
  description: string;
  enabledByDefault: boolean;
}

Simplified Data Model (Concept)

let GuildConfig {
  guildId: string
  modules: {
    verification?: { enabled, channelId?, messageId?, flowType?, rules? }
    reactionRoles?: [{ messageId, emoji, roleId }]
    moderation?: { enabled, logChannelId?, thresholds?, filters? }
    administration?: { enabled, prefix?, locale? }
  }
  createdAt: Date
  updatedAt: Date
}

Key Files (Bot Core)

File	Purpose
`src/index.ts`	Bootstrap + client creation
`src/listeners/ready.ts`	Startup banner + diagnostics
`src/routes/*.ts`	API endpoints (early internal surface)
`src/config.ts`	Central config export
`src/lib/setup.ts`	Environment + framework setup

Logging & Diagnostics

Startup emits:

Guild count aggregate
Loaded store/resource counts
Module availability (when registered)

Future:

Structured JSON logs (optional)
Latency + command usage metrics

Security / Stability Considerations

No dashboard auth surface exposed yet (reduces attack surface)
Token usage isolated to bot process
Planned: permission guards per module + rate limiting on mutating endpoints

Roadmap (Condensed)

Phase	Focus
1	Solidify core module contracts
2	Implement Verification + Reaction Roles minimum viable flows
3	Moderation + logging scaffolds
4	Administration utilities & config persistence
5	Public dashboard (read-only → interactive)
6	AI augmentation (moderation suggestions, natural language config)

Troubleshooting Quick Table

Symptom	Check
Commands not registering	Startup logs for registry sync
Module inactive	Config flag / descriptor enabled?
Missing guild documents	Sync routine ran on ready?
High latency	Gateway / shard status

Extending (Pattern Sketch)

src/modules/example/index.ts

export const descriptor = {
  key: 'example',
  name: 'Example',
  description: 'Demonstrates module shape',
  enabledByDefault: true
};

// Precondition sample (pseudo)
if (!guildConfig.modules.example?.enabled) return;

Future Integration Notes (Planned Dashboard)

The dashboard will eventually:

Mirror Discord's visual semantics
Provide per-guild module toggles
Offer live previews and schema-driven forms (Excluded here until stable enough for public usage.)

Conclusion

Helix is laying groundwork: a modular bot core made for a later management UI and intelligent extensions. Early feedback on module boundaries, data shape, and logging approach is welcome before the dashboard layer lands.

Star the project on GitHub to follow updates, and join the community on Discord for discussions and support.

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