remy-bot

A versatile WhatsApp bot designed to manage and enhance communication within a college or community group, built using Go and the whatsmeow library.

Prerequisites

To host and run this bot, you need:

1. A Dedicated WhatsApp Account: The bot operates by linking to a WhatsApp account (like WhatsApp Web). This account must remain logged in, active, and should ideally be a separate number specifically for the bot.
2. Docker & Docker Compose: For the easiest setup and hosting.

Quick Start (Docker Compose)

The easiest way to get remy-bot running and ensure its session data persists is by using Docker Compose.

Step 1: Configuration

Before building, you must configure the bot's settings by editing the config.json file in the root directory.

{
  "database": "data/remy.db",
  "session_dir": "data/session",
  "prefix": ".",
  "target_group_name": "Test Group", // <--- IMPORTANT: Change this to your target group's name
  "timezone": "Asia/Kolkata"
}

Step 2: Running

Either use build the docker image yourself from the provided Dockerfile or pull the docker image of the bot from DockerHub:

# compose.yml
services:
  remy-bot:
    image: kaezr/remy-bot:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - remy_data:/app/data
      - ./config.json:/app/config.json

volumes:
  remy_data:

docker compose up -d

Step 3: Initial Login (Scan QR Code)

Since this is the first time running the bot, you need to link the WhatsApp account. The bot will print a QR code to the container's logs.

1. View Logs: Access the live logs to find the QR code:

   docker compose logs -f

2. Scan: Use the WhatsApp account you wish to dedicate to the bot to Link a Device (WhatsApp on your phone -> Settings/Menu -> Linked Devices).
3. Wait: Once the QR code is scanned and the connection is successful, the log messages will show a connection status. You can stop viewing the logs with Ctrl+C. The bot will continue running in the background.

Development Commands

If you prefer to build and run the application without Docker, you can use the standard Go commands (provided in a Makefile).

Build (Linux/macOS)

make build

Run (Local)

make run