Thicket Bot Configuration#

This directory contains configuration files for the Thicket Zulip bot.

Setup Instructions#

1. Zulip Bot Configuration#

Copy zuliprc.template to zuliprc:

cp bot-config/zuliprc.template bot-config/zuliprc

Create a bot in your Zulip organization:
- Go to Settings > Your bots > Add a new bot
- Choose "Generic bot" type
- Give it a name like "Thicket" and username like "thicket"
- Copy the bot's email and API key

Edit bot-config/zuliprc with your bot's credentials:

[api]
email=thicket-bot@your-org.zulipchat.com
key=your-actual-api-key-here
site=https://your-org.zulipchat.com

2. Bot Behavior Configuration (Optional)#

Copy botrc.template to botrc to customize bot behavior:
```
cp bot-config/botrc.template bot-config/botrc
```
Edit bot-config/botrc to customize:
- Sync intervals and batch sizes
- Default stream/topic settings
- Rate limiting parameters
- Notification preferences

Note: The bot will work with default settings if no botrc file exists.

File Descriptions#

`zuliprc` (Required)#

Contains Zulip API credentials for the bot. This file should never be committed to version control.

`botrc` (Optional)#

Contains bot behavior configuration and defaults. This file can be committed to version control as it contains no secrets.

Template Files#

zuliprc.template - Template for Zulip credentials
botrc.template - Template for bot behavior settings

Running the Bot#

Once configured, run the bot with:

# Run in foreground
thicket bot run

# Run in background (daemon mode)
thicket bot run --daemon

# Debug mode (sends DMs instead of stream posts)
thicket bot run --debug-user your-thicket-username

# Custom config paths
thicket bot run --config bot-config/zuliprc --botrc bot-config/botrc

Bot Commands#

Once running, interact with the bot in Zulip:

@thicket help - Show available commands
@thicket status - Show bot status and configuration
@thicket sync now - Force immediate sync
@thicket schedule - Show sync schedule
@thicket claim <username> - Claim a thicket username
@thicket config <setting> <value> - Change bot settings

Security Notes#

Never commit zuliprc with real credentials
Add bot-config/zuliprc to .gitignore
The botrc file contains no secrets and can be safely committed
Bot settings changed via chat are stored in Zulip's persistent storage

Troubleshooting#

Check bot status: thicket bot status
View bot logs when running in foreground mode
Verify Zulip credentials are correct
Ensure thicket.yaml configuration exists
Test bot functionality: thicket bot test