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Setup Guide

Get CircuitBot running in under 10 minutes. This guide walks you through installation, account setup, and connecting your first project.

[ 10 min read ]

01 Prerequisites

Before installing CircuitBot, make sure you have the following:

  • Python 3.11+ -- CircuitBot uses Python for local tool execution. Verify with python --version.
  • Git -- Required for version control operations. Verify with git --version.
  • Discord account -- You need admin or "Manage Server" permissions on the Discord server where you want to add CircuitBot.
prerequisite_check.sh
$ python --version
Python 3.12.4
$ git --version
git version 2.45.1

02 Download and Install

Download the CircuitBot desktop app from the official site:

>_ Download CircuitBot

Available for:

  • Windows -- .msi installer. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
  • macOS -- .dmg disk image. Drag CircuitBot to your Applications folder.
  • Linux -- .AppImage or .deb package. Make the AppImage executable or install the deb with your package manager.

03 First Launch

When you open CircuitBot for the first time, you will see the login screen. If you already have an account, enter your credentials. If not, the next section covers account creation.

After logging in, the Setup Wizard launches automatically to walk you through the remaining configuration. The wizard handles Discord bot connection, project setup, and channel mapping.

04 Create Your Account

If you do not have a CircuitBot account yet:

  1. Go to circuit-bot.com and click Sign Up.
  2. Choose a plan and subscribe. Plans start at $29/month and include AI inference credits with usage-based billing beyond the included amount.
  3. After subscribing, you will receive your account credentials (email and password).
  4. Return to the desktop app and log in.

05 Setup Wizard

The setup wizard walks you through four steps to connect everything.

01

Login with Your CircuitBot Account

Enter the email and password from your CircuitBot subscription. The app authenticates against the cloud API and stores your session token locally.

02

Enter Discord Bot Token

Paste the bot token you copied from the Discord Developer Portal. If you have not created a Discord bot yet, follow the Discord Bot Setup guide first.

WARNING
Keep your token secret. Never share your bot token publicly. Anyone with the token can control your bot. If it is ever leaked, regenerate it immediately in the Developer Portal.
03

Add Your First Project

Configure the project that CircuitBot will work on:

  • Project Name -- A human-readable name (e.g., "My Game" or "Backend API").
  • Project Path -- The absolute path to the project's root directory on your machine.
  • Short Code -- A short identifier used in logs and dispatch (e.g., "GAME", "API").
setup_wizard --step=3
Project Name: My Awesome Game
Project Path: C:/Users/dev/projects/my-game
Short Code: GAME
[OK] Project added successfully.
04

Map Discord Channels to Projects

Tell CircuitBot which Discord channels correspond to which projects. When someone @mentions the bot in a mapped channel, the task is dispatched to the correct project.

You can map multiple channels to the same project or have different channels route to different projects.

06 Verify It Works

After completing the wizard, CircuitBot connects to Discord and your bot should appear online in your server's member list.

Test it by mentioning the bot in a mapped channel:

discord://dev-chat
@CircuitBot list the files in the project root
[...] CircuitBot is typing...

Check the CircuitBot dashboard to see the task being processed. The dashboard shows live status, logs, and token usage.

INFO
Tip: If the bot does not respond, check the dashboard for error messages. Common issues include an invalid bot token or missing Message Content Intent.

07 Configuration

After setup, you can fine-tune CircuitBot from the Settings panel in the desktop app.

Model Selection

CircuitBot uses the Standard model by default for task dispatch and code generation. You can opt in to the Advanced model for more complex tasks -- it is more capable but uses more credits.

  • Standard (default) -- Fast, cost-effective, great for most tasks.
  • Advanced (opt-in) -- Higher capability for complex reasoning, architecture decisions, and large refactors.

Spend Caps

Set daily or monthly spend limits to control costs. When a cap is reached, CircuitBot pauses new tasks and notifies you in Discord. You can adjust or remove caps at any time.

Channel Routing

You can update channel-to-project mappings at any time from Settings. Add new channels, remove old ones, or reassign channels to different projects.

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