Build with AI: Developing Discord Bots Conversationally (Deno TypeScript)

A comprehensive course for building production-ready Discord bots with conversational AI capabilities using Deno TypeScript, MCP (Model Context Protocol), and PMAT quality standards.

🎯 Course Overview

Duration: 10 weeks (45 hours)
Level: Intermediate
Format: Project-based learning with hands-on examples
Runtime: Deno TypeScript (No Node.js required!)

Learn to build sophisticated Discord bots that leverage AI for natural conversations, implement enterprise-grade quality standards, and scale to production environments.

📚 What You'll Learn

• Deno TypeScript Fundamentals: Master modern TypeScript with Deno's secure runtime
• Discord Bot Development: Build bots using Discordeno (Native Deno Discord library)
• Conversational Design: Create stateful, context-aware conversation flows
• AI Integration: Implement MCP protocol for AI-powered features
• Quality Engineering: Apply PMAT standards for production-ready code
• DevOps Practices: Deploy to Deno Deploy with zero configuration

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Deno 1.39+ (install from https://deno.land)
• Discord account and server for testing
• Git and command line familiarity

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/course/discord-bot-conversational.git
cd discord-bot-conversational

# Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your Discord bot token

# Cache dependencies
make cache

# Run the basic example
make week1

📖 Course Structure

Week 1-2: Foundations

• Deno runtime and permissions model
• Discord API with Discordeno library
• Event handling and commands
• Error handling patterns

Week 3-4: Conversational Architecture

• State management
• Conversation flows
• Natural language processing
• Context persistence

Week 5-6: MCP Integration

• Model Context Protocol setup
• AI tool implementation
• Prompt engineering
• Quality validation with PMCP

Week 7-8: Production Engineering

• PMAT quality gates
• Testing strategies
• CI/CD with GitHub Actions
• Deno Deploy

Week 9-10: Advanced Features

• Multi-server architecture
• Specialized bot types
• Advanced Discord features
• Final project

💻 Examples

Basic Bot (Week 1)

import { BasicBot } from './src/examples/week1_basic/mod.ts';

const bot = new BasicBot();
await bot.start();

Conversational Bot (Week 3)

import { ConversationalBot } from './src/examples/week3_conversational/mod.ts';

const bot = new ConversationalBot();
await bot.start();

🛠️ Development

Available Commands

make help          # Show all commands
make dev           # Start development server
make test          # Run tests
make test-coverage # Run tests with coverage
make lint          # Check code quality
make format        # Format code
make compile       # Build standalone executable
make deploy        # Deploy to Deno Deploy

Quality Standards (PMAT)

All code must pass:

• ✅ Deno linting rules
• ✅ 80% test coverage
• ✅ Cyclomatic complexity < 10
• ✅ No self-admitted technical debt
• ✅ Full documentation coverage

📁 Project Structure

discord-conversational-bot/
├── src/
│   ├── deps.ts                    # Central dependencies
│   ├── main.ts                    # Entry point
│   └── examples/
│       ├── week1_basic/           # Basic bot
│       ├── week3_conversational/  # Stateful conversations
│       └── week5_mcp/            # AI integration via MCP
├── scripts/
│   └── calculate_tdg.ts          # PMAT TDG calculator
├── docs/
│   ├── course-structure.md       # Course outline
│   └── todo/
│       └── course-discord-bot.md # PDMT task specification
├── deno.json                     # Deno configuration
├── Makefile                      # Build commands
└── .github/
    └── workflows/               # CI/CD pipelines

🔧 Deno Configuration

The project uses Deno's built-in tools:

• Formatter: deno fmt
• Linter: deno lint
• Test Runner: deno test
• Type Checker: deno check
• Compiler: deno compile

No package.json, no node_modules, no build step required!

📊 Assessment

• Continuous Assessment (60%)

  • Weekly labs and exercises
  • Code reviews
  • Quizzes and participation

• Project Assessment (40%)

  • Midterm project
  • Final production bot

🎓 Certification

Upon successful completion:

• Course certificate
• GitHub portfolio showcase
• Deno Deploy credits
• Alumni network access

🤝 Support

• Discord Server: Join our community for help
• Office Hours: Live support sessions 3x weekly
• Documentation: Comprehensive guides and API references
• Issue Tracker: Report bugs and request features

🚢 Deployment

Deploy your bot to Deno Deploy:

# Compile standalone executable
make compile

# Deploy to Deno Deploy
make deploy

📝 License

This course is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Deno team for the amazing runtime
• Discord.js and Discordeno communities
• MCP protocol contributors
• PMAT/PDMT methodology creators
• Course participants and contributors

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Ready to build amazing Discord bots with Deno? Start with Week 1 and progress at your own pace!

For detailed course information, see docs/course-structure.md.
For the complete task list, see docs/todo/course-discord-bot.md.