What Are Bots?

Automated users that interact with spaces, channels, and members via the Argon Bot API.

Overview

Bots are special Argon accounts controlled by code instead of a human. They can send messages, moderate channels, stream audio, respond to slash commands, and react to real-time events — all through a simple REST + SSE API.

Every bot has a linked user account (with a _bot username suffix) and appears in member lists like any other user. Under the hood, bot requests are authenticated with a secret token and processed through the same permission system as regular users.

Architecture

Your Bot Any language/runtime
REST API Authenticated requests
SSE Events Real-time stream
Spaces & Channels Users see bot actions

REST API — Send messages, manage channels, query members, register commands. All endpoints require Authorization: Bot <token>.

SSE Stream — Open a single persistent connection to receive events in real time. Filter events by intent bitmask. Automatically replay missed events on reconnection.

Voice WebSocket — Stream Opus audio directly to voice channels via a WebSocket ingress endpoint. No WebRTC needed.

Bot vs. User

Feature Bot User
Authentication Token (secret string) JWT (login session)
Username Ends with _bot Free choice
Rate limits Per-interface token buckets Standard user limits
Real-time events SSE with intent filtering Ion RPC (binary)
Voice WebSocket audio ingress WebRTC (browser/app)
Slash commands Register and handle Invoke only

Bot Lifecycle

  1. 1

    Create

    Register a bot application at console.argon.gl. Get your bot token.

  2. 2

    Install

    Add the bot to a space. The bot appears as a member and can interact with channels.

  3. 3

    Connect

    Open an SSE stream with your desired intents. Receive a Ready event with your active spaces.

  4. 4

    React

    Handle incoming events (messages, commands, member changes) and respond via REST API calls.

  5. 5

    Scale

    Apply for verification to unlock privileged intents, higher rate limits, and advanced APIs like voice egress and calls.

Verified Bots

Verified bots have been reviewed by the Argon team and gain access to:

  • Privileged intents — Members, Presence, and other sensitive event categories
  • Higher rate limits — Increased token buckets for all interfaces
  • Voice egress — Listen to individual audio tracks from voice channels
  • Calls API — Accept incoming calls from users
  • Verified badge — Displayed next to the bot name in member lists

Apply for verification through the Developer Console.

Next Steps

→ Getting Started — create your first bot → Real-time Events — subscribe to SSE → Glossary — key terms explained