botserver/docs/src/chapter-01

Chapter 01: Run and Talk

Getting started with BotServer is incredibly simple: just run it!

Quick Start

# Download and run
./botserver

# Or build from source
cargo run

That's it! The bootstrap process handles everything automatically.

What You'll Learn

This chapter covers everything you need to get started:

1. Installation - How the automatic bootstrap works
2. First Conversation - Start chatting with your bot
3. Understanding Sessions - How conversations are managed

The Bootstrap Magic

When you first run BotServer, it automatically:

• ✅ Detects your operating system
• ✅ Installs PostgreSQL database
• ✅ Installs MinIO object storage
• ✅ Installs Valkey cache
• ✅ Generates secure credentials
• ✅ Creates default bots
• ✅ Starts the web server

No manual configuration needed! Everything just works.

Your First Bot

After bootstrap completes (2-5 minutes), open your browser to:

http://localhost:8080

You'll see the default bot ready to chat! Just start talking - the LLM handles everything.

The Magic Formula

📚 Documents (.gbkb/) + 🔧 Tools (.bas) + 🤖 LLM = ✨ Intelligent Bot

No programming required! Just:

1. Drop documents in .gbkb/ folders
2. Create simple tools as .bas files (optional)
3. Start chatting - the LLM does the rest!

Example: Student Enrollment Bot

1. Add Course Documents

edu.gbai/
  edu.gbkb/
    policies/
      enrollment-policy.pdf
      course-catalog.pdf

2. Create Enrollment Tool

edu.gbdialog/enrollment.bas:

PARAM name AS string     LIKE "John Smith"        DESCRIPTION "Student name"
PARAM email AS string    LIKE "john@example.com"  DESCRIPTION "Email"
PARAM course AS string   LIKE "Computer Science"  DESCRIPTION "Course"

DESCRIPTION "Processes student enrollment"

SAVE "enrollments.csv", name, email, course, NOW()
TALK "Welcome to " + course + ", " + name + "!"

3. Just Chat!

User: I want to enroll in computer science
Bot: I'll help you enroll! What's your name?
User: John Smith
Bot: Thanks John! What's your email?
User: john@example.com
Bot: [Executes enrollment.bas]
     Welcome to Computer Science, John Smith!

The LLM automatically:

• ✅ Understands user wants to enroll
• ✅ Calls the enrollment tool
• ✅ Collects required parameters
• ✅ Executes when ready
• ✅ Answers questions from your documents

Key Concepts

Tools = Just .bas Files

A tool is simply a .bas file that the LLM discovers and calls automatically.

Knowledge = Just Documents

Drop PDFs, Word docs, or text files in .gbkb/ - instant searchable knowledge base!

Sessions

Each conversation is a session that persists:

• User identity (authenticated or anonymous)
• Conversation history
• Context and variables
• Active tools and knowledge bases

Sessions automatically save to PostgreSQL and cache in Redis for performance.

Next Steps

• Installation - Understand the bootstrap process
• First Conversation - Try out your bot
• Understanding Sessions - Learn about conversation state
• About Packages - Create your own bots

Philosophy

BotServer follows these principles:

1. Just Run It - Bootstrap handles everything
2. Just Chat - No complex dialog flows needed
3. Just Add Content - Documents + tools = intelligent bot
4. LLM Does the Work - No IF/THEN logic required
5. Production Ready - Built for real-world use

Ready to get started? Head to Installation!