Operational Playbook

Quick checklist and verification steps after adding the bot to a new server.

Pre-flight checklist

  • DATABASE_URL environment variable is set
  • Bot has administrator permissions in the server
  • All required channels exist and bot can read/send messages
  • Bot can create channels and roles (for ticket system)

Startup verification

After starting the bot, confirm in the logs:

  • “DB pool created”
  • “audit_logs table created” or “audit_logs table verified”
  • “health_check_history table created” or “health_check_history table verified”
  • “Command tracker: Database pool set”
  • “Bot has successfully started and connected to X server(s)!”
  • Guild enumeration with server names and IDs

Testing functionality

1. Embed-driven reminder

  • Post an embed in the announcements channel with date/time.
  • Bot should detect it and schedule a reminder.
  • Check /config system show to verify channel settings.

2. Manual reminder

  • Use /add_reminder.
  • Verify the reminder appears in the list and triggers at the correct time.
  • Test /reminder_edit to modify it.

3. Import (owner only)

  • Use /import_onboarding and /import_invites after configuring the required channels.
  • Check WATCHER_LOG_CHANNEL for “created”, “sent”, and “deleted” log embeds.

4. Recurring reminder

  • Create a recurring reminder (days + time).
  • It should send only on the matching weekday at the configured time and not be deleted afterward.

5. Idempotency

  • Restart the bot within the same minute window of a scheduled send.
  • Verify only one send occurs (duplicates prevented via last_sent_at).

Troubleshooting reminders

  • No sends? Verify timezone is Brussels and system clock is correct.
  • Check that time in the DB equals the intended trigger minute (HH:MM).
  • Inspect WATCHER_LOG_CHANNEL for parsing or SQL errors.
  • Optional indexes for performance: 
    CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_reminders_time ON reminders (time);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_reminders_reminder_date ON reminders ((event_time - interval '60 minutes')::date);