Configuration — djs-core

The djs.config.ts file is the heart of your djs-core project. It defines secrets, Discord gateway settings, database, plugins, and experimental flags.

`djs.config.ts`

Use defineConfig from @djs-core/runtime for full type inference on plugins and pluginsConfig:

import { defineConfig } from "@djs-core/runtime";
import { IntentsBitField, InteractionContextType } from "discord.js";

if (!process.env.TOKEN) {
  throw new Error("TOKEN environment variable is required");
}

export default defineConfig({
  token: process.env.TOKEN,
  servers: ["YOUR_GUILD_ID"],
  intents: [IntentsBitField.Flags.Guilds],
  commands: {
    defaultContext: [InteractionContextType.Guild],
  },
});

You can also use satisfies Config from @djs-core/dev if you do not need plugin type inference.

Core options

tokenstringrequired

Your Discord bot token from the Discord Developer Portal.

serversstring[]required

Guild IDs where slash commands and context menus are registered.

Specific guild IDs → near-instant updates during development.
Empty array [] → global commands (can take up to 1 hour to propagate).

Never commit your bot token. Store it in .env and add .env to .gitignore.

Gateway: intents & partials

The runtime defaults to Guilds intent only and no partials. Add what your bot actually listens to.

import { IntentsBitField, Partials } from "discord.js";

export default defineConfig({
  // ...
  intents: [
    IntentsBitField.Flags.Guilds,
    IntentsBitField.Flags.GuildMessages,
    IntentsBitField.Flags.MessageContent,
    IntentsBitField.Flags.GuildMembers,
  ],
  partials: [Partials.Message, Partials.Channel],
});

Intent	Needed for
`Guilds`	Default — slash commands, basic guild data
`GuildMessages`	`messageCreate` and message content
`MessageContent`	Reading message text (privileged)
`GuildMembers`	Member join/leave events, member lists

Enable matching intents in the Discord Developer Portal under Bot → Privileged Gateway Intents.

Command defaults

commands: {
  defaultContext: [InteractionContextType.Guild],
},

Sets where new slash commands are available by default (guild only, DMs, etc.). Override per command with .setContexts() on the Command builder.

Database

db: {
  dialect: "sqlite",       // sqlite | postgresql | mysql | turso
  url: "file:./db.sqlite", // optional
  autoMigrate: false,      // default — prefer CI migrations in prod
},

Adds interaction.client.db with Drizzle. See Database.

Plugins

import { myPlugin } from "my-djs-plugin";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [myPlugin],
  pluginsConfig: {
    myPlugin: {
      apiKey: process.env.MY_PLUGIN_KEY,
    },
  },
});

defineConfig infers pluginsConfig keys from each plugin’s name. Third-party plugins attach APIs to interaction.client.<pluginName>. See Plugins.

Official database plugins are deprecated — use native db: instead. See Migrate from plugins.

Experimental features

Flag	Purpose
`experimental.cron`	Enable `src/cron/` tasks — Cron Tasks
`experimental.userConfig`	Load `config.json` into `client.config` — User Config
`experimental.bundle`	Embed `config.json` in production builds — Bundle

Environment variables

TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token_here
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...   # when using postgresql dialect

Bun loads .env automatically — no dotenv needed.

Development hot reload

djs-core dev hot-reloads handlers under src/. It does not reload djs.config.ts changes.

After editing djs.config.ts (token, servers, db, plugins, intents, experimental flags), restart djs-core dev.

config.json is different — when experimental.userConfig is enabled, types regenerate on save, but restart dev to pick up new runtime values.

During long dev sessions, Bun keeps cache-busted module imports in memory. Restart djs-core dev if memory grows.

Full example

import { demoPlugin } from "my-djs-plugin";
import { defineConfig } from "@djs-core/runtime";
import { IntentsBitField, InteractionContextType } from "discord.js";

export default defineConfig({
  token: process.env.TOKEN!,
  servers: ["YOUR_GUILD_ID"],
  intents: [
    IntentsBitField.Flags.Guilds,
    IntentsBitField.Flags.GuildMessages,
    IntentsBitField.Flags.MessageContent,
  ],
  commands: {
    defaultContext: [InteractionContextType.Guild],
  },
  db: {
    dialect: "sqlite",
  },
  plugins: [demoPlugin],
  pluginsConfig: {
    demo: { message: "hello" },
  },
  experimental: {
    cron: true,
    userConfig: true,
  },
});