Design

The Root platform enables developers to create powerful automation and integration tools that automate community workflows. This section serves as a blueprint for designing Bots that fit into the Root ecosystem.

📄️ Is your Bot right for Root?

Root Bots let you add community features without building a GUI. Bots rely entirely on Root's built-in UI and API for user interaction. This makes them much faster to develop than Apps.

📄️ Define your features

Before you write code, take time to plan. This article covers key planning steps tailored for Root Bots. If you’ve built background or automation tools before, you may be able to skim through this.

📄️ Plan your communication

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.

📄️ Save data early and often

Your Bot automatically gets a SQLite database. Use it to store anything important. Don’t keep data only in memory—if your Bot restarts, that data is gone.

📄️ Choose your settings

Global Settings let community admins configure how your code behaves—either during installation or later. The settings apply to everyone in the community.

📄️ Choose your permissions

Permissions define exactly what your code can do inside a community, and they’re granted by the community at install time. This page helps you pick the smallest set you need, understand the difference between community and channel scopes, and declare those permissions in your manifest. You’ll also see how Root enforces permissions at runtime.