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Interaction In

Listens for Discord interactions including slash command invocations, button clicks, modal submissions, and autocomplete requests. This node has no inputs and acts as a trigger node.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.
info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

Options​

  • Bot Token - Discord bot token credential for authentication.
  • Server Id - (Optional) Filter by Discord server (guild) ID.
  • Channel Id - (Optional) Filter by Discord channel ID.
  • Sender Id - (Optional) Filter by Discord user ID.
  • Command Name - (Optional) Filter by command name (only for command interactions).
  • Interaction Type - The type of interaction to listen for:
    • All - Listen for all interaction types
    • Command - Slash command invocations
    • Message Component - Button clicks, select menu selections
    • Autocomplete - Autocomplete requests
    • Modal Submit - Modal form submissions

Output​

  • Interaction - The complete Discord interaction object with all interaction details.
  • Modal Data - (For modal submissions) Key-value pairs of modal form data.

How It Works​

The Interaction In node creates a persistent WebSocket connection to Discord and listens for interactions. When executed, the node:

  1. Retrieves the bot token from credentials
  2. Creates a Discord bot session
  3. Opens a WebSocket connection to Discord
  4. Adds an interaction event handler
  5. Applies filters based on type, server, channel, sender, and command name
  6. Emits the interaction object when a matching interaction is received
  7. Continues listening until the flow is stopped

Requirements​

  • A valid Discord bot token
  • The bot must be added to servers where it will receive interactions
  • Slash commands must be registered (for command interactions)
  • Appropriate intents enabled in Discord Developer Portal

Error Handling​

The node will emit errors in the following cases:

  • ErrInvalidArg - Invalid or missing bot token
  • ErrInvalidArg - Interaction type not selected
  • Discord WebSocket connection errors

Interaction Object Structure​

For command interactions:

{
  "ID": "123456789012345678",
  "Type": 2,
  "Token": "interaction_token_here",
  "GuildID": "987654321098765432",
  "ChannelID": "111111111111111111",
  "Member": {
    "User": {
      "ID": "222222222222222222",
      "Username": "JohnDoe"
    }
  },
  "Data": {
    "Name": "ping",
    "Options": []
  }
}

For button clicks:

{
  "ID": "123456789012345678",
  "Type": 3,
  "Token": "interaction_token_here",
  "Data": {
    "CustomID": "approve_btn"
  }
}

For modal submissions:

{
  "ID": "123456789012345678",
  "Type": 5,
  "Token": "interaction_token_here",
  "Data": {
    "CustomID": "feedback_modal",
    "Components": [...]
  }
}

For modal submissions, the Modal Data output contains parsed form values:

{
  "field_name_1": "User entered value 1",
  "field_name_2": "User entered value 2",
  "user_id": "222222222222222222"
}

Interaction Types​

  • Type 2 - Application Command (slash command)
  • Type 3 - Message Component (button, select menu)
  • Type 4 - Autocomplete request
  • Type 5 - Modal Submit

Example: Handle Slash Command​

Configuration:

  • Bot Token: (your credentials)
  • Interaction Type: "Command"
  • Command Name: "hello"

Flow:

1. Interaction In → interaction
2. Interaction Out
   - Interaction Id: {{interaction.ID}}
   - Response: {"type": "message", "response_message": "Hello!"}

Result: Bot responds to /hello command.

Example: Handle Button Click​

Configuration:

  • Interaction Type: "Message Component"

Flow:

1. Send message with buttons (using Send Channel Message)
2. Interaction In → interaction
3. Condition: interaction.Data.CustomID == "approve_btn"
4. If True:
   - Interaction Out with approval message
5. If False:
   - Interaction Out with rejection message

Result: Bot handles button clicks.

Example: Modal Form Submission​

Configuration:

  • Interaction Type: "Modal Submit"

Flow:

1. Interaction In → interaction, modal_data
2. Extract form data:
   - Name: {{modal_data.name_field}}
   - Email: {{modal_data.email_field}}
3. Process submission
4. Interaction Out with confirmation

Result: Process form submissions from modals.

Example: Command with Options​

Configuration:

  • Interaction Type: "Command"
  • Command Name: "greet"

Flow:

1. Interaction In → interaction
2. Get options:
   - User: {{interaction.Data.Options[0].Value}}
   - Message: {{interaction.Data.Options[1].Value}}
3. Interaction Out
   - Response: "{{Message}} {{User}}"

Result: Handle command with user-provided options.

Example: Autocomplete​

Configuration:

  • Interaction Type: "Autocomplete"

Flow:

1. Interaction In → interaction
2. Get partial input: {{interaction.Data.Options[0].Value}}
3. Search database for matches
4. Interaction Out
   - Response with choices array

Result: Provide autocomplete suggestions.

Accessing Interaction Data​

Use mustache syntax to access interaction properties:

For commands:

  • {{interaction.Data.Name}} - Command name
  • {{interaction.Data.Options[0].Value}} - First option value
  • {{interaction.Member.User.ID}} - User who invoked

For components:

  • {{interaction.Data.CustomID}} - Button/component ID
  • {{interaction.Message.ID}} - Original message ID

For modals:

  • {{modal_data.field_name}} - Form field values
  • {{modal_data.user_id}} - User who submitted

Response Requirement​

warning

Discord interactions must be responded to within 3 seconds or they will fail. Always follow Interaction In with Interaction Out or use deferred responses for longer operations.

Deferred Responses​

For operations taking longer than 3 seconds:

1. Interaction In → interaction
2. Interaction Out (deferred message)
   - Response: {"type": "deferred message"}
3. Perform long operation
4. Update Interaction Respond
   - With final result

Use Cases​

  • Slash commands - Handle user command invocations
  • Interactive buttons - Respond to button clicks
  • Form submissions - Process modal form data
  • Menu selections - Handle select menu choices
  • Autocomplete - Provide dynamic autocomplete suggestions
  • Multi-step workflows - Chain interactions for complex flows

Filtering​

By Command Name:

  • Only receive specific command interactions
  • Useful when multiple commands exist

By User:

  • Only process interactions from specific users
  • Good for admin-only features

By Channel:

  • Only handle interactions in specific channels
  • Useful for feature-specific channels

Tips and Best Practices​

  • Response timing - Respond within 3 seconds or use deferred responses
  • Error handling - Always handle interaction errors gracefully
  • Validation - Validate user input from interactions
  • Permissions - Check user permissions before executing actions
  • User feedback - Always provide clear feedback to users
  • Ephemeral responses - Use ephemeral messages for private responses
  • Testing - Test interactions thoroughly before deployment
  • Logging - Log interactions for debugging and analytics