CuraBot - AI-Powered Article Summarizer for Discord

A Discord bot that automatically summarizes IT articles and blog posts using OpenAI's GPT models. Built with TypeScript, Express, and Discord Interactions.

Features

• 🤖 AI-powered article summarization using OpenAI GPT-3.5-turbo
• 🏷️ Automatic tag generation based on article content
• 📖 Extracts and summarizes web articles using Cheerio
• 💡 Generates "Why it's interesting" explanations
• 🔄 Regenerate summaries with one click
• ✏️ Edit summaries through interactive modals
• 🎨 Rich embeds with formatted output

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18
• npm
• Discord Application with bot token
• OpenAI API Key
• ngrok or similar service for local development
• Docker and Docker Compose for local Redis server
• Optional: Upstash Redis account for production Redis

Setup

1. Clone and Install Dependencies

npm install

Run a Local Redis Server (for development)

Using Docker Compose, you can quickly spin up a local Redis server:

docker-compose up -d

2. Create a Discord Application

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal
2. Click "New Application" and give it a name
3. Go to the "Bot" section and click "Add Bot"
4. Under the bot's token section, click "Reset Token" and copy it (this is your DISCORD_TOKEN)
5. Go to "OAuth2" > "General"
   • Copy your Application ID (this is your APP_ID)
   • Copy your Public Key (this is your PUBLIC_KEY)
6. Go to "OAuth2" > "URL Generator"
   • Select scopes: bot and applications.commands
   • Select bot permissions: Send Messages, Use Slash Commands, Embed Links
   • Copy the generated URL and invite the bot to your test server

3. Configure Environment Variables

1. Copy .env.example to .env:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Edit .env and fill in your values:

   # Discord Configuration
   APP_ID=your_application_id
   DISCORD_TOKEN=your_bot_token
   PUBLIC_KEY=your_public_key
   GUILD_ID=your_test_server_id  # Optional: for faster command registration during development
   
   # OpenAI Configuration
   OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key
   
   # Redis Configuration (optional, for production)
   UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL=your_upstash_redis_rest_url
   UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN=your_upstash_redis_rest_token

   Where to find these values:

   • APP_ID: Discord Developer Portal > Your App > General Information > Application ID
   • DISCORD_TOKEN: Discord Developer Portal > Your App > Bot > Token
   • PUBLIC_KEY: Discord Developer Portal > Your App > General Information > Public Key
   • GUILD_ID: Right-click your Discord server > Copy Server ID (requires Developer Mode)
   • OPENAI_API_KEY: OpenAI API Keys
   • UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL and UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN: From your Upstash Redis database dashboard (if using Upstash)

4. Set Up ngrok (for local development)

Discord requires a public HTTPS endpoint for interactions. Use ngrok to expose your local server:

# Install ngrok
npm install -g ngrok
# or download from https://ngrok.com/download

# Authenticate (one-time setup)
ngrok config add-authtoken YOUR_NGROK_TOKEN

# Start ngrok tunnel
ngrok http 3000

Copy the HTTPS URL (e.g., https://abc123.ngrok-free.app)

5. Configure Discord Interactions Endpoint

1. Go to your Discord Application in the Developer Portal
2. Navigate to "General Information"
3. Set Interactions Endpoint URL to: https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok-free.app/interactions
4. Discord will verify the endpoint (make sure your bot is running!)

Development

Start the Development Server

npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:3000

Then run ngrok as described above to expose it publicly.

Register Commands with Discord

After making changes to commands, register them with Discord:

npm run register

Note: If you set GUILD_ID, commands will be registered to that specific server (instant). Without it, commands are registered globally (takes up to 1 hour to propagate).

Usage

Once the bot is running and invited to your server:

Use the slash command /summarize in any channel:

/summarize url:https://marmelab.com/blog/2025/12/08/supabase-edge-function-transaction-rls.html

The bot will:

1. Fetch the article content
2. Generate automatic tags
3. Create a summary
4. Explain why it's interesting
5. Display everything in a formatted embed with interactive buttons

Troubleshooting

Commands not showing in Discord

1. Make sure you ran npm run register
2. If using GUILD_ID, commands appear instantly in that server only
3. Global commands take up to 1 hour to appear
4. Try kicking and re-inviting the bot

"Invalid Signature" error

• Check that PUBLIC_KEY in .env matches your Discord application
• Ensure the interaction endpoint URL is correct
• Verify ngrok is running and URL hasn't changed

Bot not responding

1. Check that npm run dev is running
2. Verify ngrok tunnel is active
3. Check server logs for errors
4. Ensure OPENAI_API_KEY is valid## API Costs

OpenAI Usage

The bot makes 3 OpenAI API calls per summarization:

1. Tag generation (~50 tokens)
2. Summary generation (~300 tokens)
3. Interest explanation (~200 tokens)

Estimated cost per summary: ~$0.001 - $0.002 (using GPT-3.5-turbo)

License

MIT