tflows.py

tflows.py is a lightweight automation and Discord bot framework built around a scripting engine. Instead of writing Python event handlers for every action, you define bot behavior as simple text scripts:

from tflows import FlowBot

bot = FlowBot(prefix="!")

bot.command(
    name="ping",
    code="""
    // Send a reply with the current latency
    reply Pong! $ping
    """,
)

bot.run("YOUR_BOT_TOKEN")

It is designed for fast bot development, easy customization, and extensible command logic — while staying fully compatible with discord.py so you can mix scripts and regular commands.

Features

• Script-based command system — write bot logic as plain text
• Built-in $variable templates ($user, $server, $args, $ping, ...)
• Command arguments: $args, $arg(0), $argcount
• Locals and expressions: let name = ..., arithmetic, $name interpolation
• Loops: for item in ... / repeat N with break / continue
• Script functions: function greet(name): / return / $greet(Ada)
• Conditionals: if / elif / else / endif with comparisons and nesting
• Interactive components: button, select, modal, defer, ephemeral
• Slash commands and user/message context menus
• Cooldowns (cooldown 5s per user) and permission guards (require ...)
• SQLite persistent state with user. / channel. / guild. / global. scopes
• Scheduled tasks (bot.schedule(...), every 1h, cron) and event triggers (bot.on_event("join", ...))
• Event filters: on message where channel == "general"
• Opt-in sandboxed HTTP/JSON (http.get, json.parse)
• Member/role/channel management (role add, kick, timeout, ...)
• import of .flow files (restricted to the script root)
• bot.load / reload / watch and tflows check CLI
• Rich embeds, both as blocks and single-line commands
• Built-in help command, aliases, and command descriptions
• Comment support in scripts (//, #, --)
• Async Discord integration using discord.py 2.x
• Extensible registry: add your own functions and variables
• Mixing with regular discord.py commands, cogs, and listeners

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md for the planned next releases and feature priorities.

Installation

pip install tflows

Requires Python 3.10+.

Quick Start

from tflows import FlowBot

bot = FlowBot(prefix="!")

bot.command(
    name="hello",
    code="""
    reply Hello $user(display)!
    """,
)

bot.run("YOUR_BOT_TOKEN")

Command registration

FlowBot.command(name, code, description="", aliases=()) registers a script command:

bot.command(
    name="greet",
    code="reply Hello $args",
    description="Greets the given name.",
    aliases=("hi", "hey"),
)

Both !greet, !hi and !hey now trigger the same script.

The built-in help command

By default !help lists every script command, and !help <command> shows its description, aliases, usage, and source script. Disable it with FlowBot(prefix="!", help_command=False).

Variables

Variables are replaced anywhere in a script, including inside function arguments. Usage is $name or $name(option).

Locals created with let name = ... are interpolated as $name. Path access works on objects and JSON: $data[name], $data.name, $user(display). Unknown variables are left untouched so typos never silently corrupt output.

Example:

!greet world

reply Hello $args            # -> Hello world
reply First: $arg(0)         # -> First: world
reply Count: $argcount       # -> Count: 1

Functions

Every line of a script calls one function:

<function-name> <arguments...>

Core functions

Embeds

The block form is best for rich, multi-line embeds:

embed
$title[Server Stats]
$desc[
Members: $membercount
Uptime: $uptime(full)
]
$footer[Requested by $user(display)]
$color[blurple]
$thumbnail[$bot(avatar)]
endembed

Supported keys: $title, $desc, $footer, $color (hex or named), $thumbnail, $image, $author, $timestamp. Named colors include white, black, red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple, pink, grey, blurple, gold, teal, cyan, and brown.

A single-line form using the embed function is also available, with keys separated by | and fields via field: Name;Value;inline:

embed $embed<title: $user(display) | desc: Level 42 | color: green | field: Role;Admin;true>

Comments

Lines starting with //, #, or -- are ignored.

Conditionals

Branch directly in scripts — no Python needed:

if $argcount > 1:
    reply Multiple arguments: $args
elif $argcount == 1:
    reply One argument: $arg(0)
else:
    reply Give me something to echo!
endif

• endif is optional when the block runs to the end of the script, or when dedentation shows where it ends (a dedented line after an indented block closes it). Use endif when unconditional code follows, or when lines are not indented.
• Operators: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=, contains, startswith, endswith, in. Numbers compare numerically, everything else case-insensitively as text.
• Combine clauses with and / or, negate with not. A bare value is truthy unless empty or 0 / false / no / none.
• Blocks nest. Conditions see all $variables, so guards like if $hasrole(Moderator):, if $hasperm(manage_messages):, if $channel == announcements: and if $user == SomeName: all work.

Cooldowns and permission guards

Declare controls at the top of a command script:

cooldown 5s per user
require manage_messages
require role Moderator
require owner

• cooldown <duration> [per user|channel|guild|global] (default per user). Durations accept s, m, h, d suffixes. While on cooldown the script is skipped and the user is told how long to wait.
• require <permission> checks Discord permissions (manage_messages, administrator, kick_members, ...), require role <name> checks a role (with admin/mod shortcuts), require owner checks server ownership. Unauthorized users get a denial message and the script never runs. Unparseable require lines fail closed.

Persistent state

SQLite-backed storage that survives restarts and is isolated per server:

set points[$user] +10
get points[$user]

set <key> <value> stores text; a +N/-N value increments atomically (counters, safe under concurrency). get <key> [fallback] sends the value, del <key> forgets it, incr <key> [amount] bumps a counter silently, and $get(key, fallback) reads state inline. Because variables resolve first, dynamic keys like points[$user] just work.

bot = FlowBot(prefix="!")                      # state in ./tflows.db
bot = FlowBot(prefix="!", state_path=":memory:")  # tests / no persistence
bot = FlowBot(prefix="!", state_path=None)        # disable state

Scheduled tasks

Run scripts on a timer without blocking the bot:

bot.schedule("hourly", "send Hourly check-in", interval="1h")
bot.schedule("standup", code="send Standup time!", interval="5m", channel=123456789)
bot.schedule("midnight", code="send New day!", cron="0 0 * * *")

• Intervals accept seconds or "30s" / "5m" / "1h" / "1d" strings; cron accepts 5-field expressions (minute hour day month weekday).
• A leading every 1h: / cron ...: header inside code also works and is ignored when the same script runs as a command.
• Re-scheduling a name replaces the old task (no duplicates). Tasks start with the bot, stop cleanly via await bot.scheduler.stop_all() / await bot.close(), and await bot.scheduler.run_once("hourly") triggers a run on demand. bot.unschedule("hourly") removes one.

Event triggers

React to Discord events with plain scripts — no command invocation needed:

bot.on_event("join", "send Welcome $user(mention)!")   # member joins
bot.on_event("leave", "send Bye $user(name)!")         # member leaves
bot.on_event("react", "send $user(display) reacted!")  # reaction added

A leading on <event>: header inside the code is accepted verbatim. Supported names include join, leave/remove, react/reaction, unreact, message, typing (see tflows.events.EVENT_MAP); new events are added by extending that map without changing the language. Handlers are removed with bot.remove_event("join", name).

Slash commands

Add a slash variant to any script command — the prefix command keeps working:

bot.command(
    name="greet",
    code="reply Hello $arg(0)!",
    description="Greet someone",
    slash=True,
    slash_params=["name"],
)

bot.slashcommand(
    name="roll",
    code="send Rolled $arg(0)!",
    description="Roll dice",
    params=["sides: int"],
)

# after the bot is ready:
await bot.sync_commands()

Parameters map positionally into $args / $arg(0) / $argcount and by name into $arg(name). Params accept "name", "name: int|float|bool|str", ("name", type) tuples, or dicts. Slash, prefix, event, and scheduled scripts can all coexist in one bot.

Locals and expressions

let name = $arg(0)
let n = 1 + 2 * 3
n = n + 1
send Hello $name, n=$n

• let name = expr creates a local. Bare name = expr reassigns an existing local.
• $name interpolates the local as text. A lone $name on the right-hand side of let keeps the underlying value (lists, JSON objects, HTTP responses).
• Operators: + - * / %, comparisons, and / or / not, contains / startswith / endswith / in.
• Locals are per-script-run and isolated inside function bodies.

Loops

for item in a, b, c:
    send $item
endfor

repeat 3:
    send $i
endrepeat

• for name in expr iterates lists, comma/newline-separated strings, JSON arrays, $members, $roles, $channels.
• repeat N runs the body N times (capped at 10_000) and sets $i / $index (0-based).
• break leaves the innermost loop; continue skips the rest of the current iteration.
• endfor / endrepeat are optional when indentation shows the end of the block.

Script functions

function greet(name):
    return Hello $name
endfunction

send $greet(Ada)
greet("Ada")

• Defined with function name(params): ... endfunction (or indentation).
• Call as a statement (greet Ada) or interpolate the return value (send $greet(Ada)).
• return expr leaves the function (or the whole script when used at top level).
• Recursion is capped (64 frames). Parameters default to empty string when omitted.

Buttons, selects, and modals

button "Click me" id="hello" style="primary":
    reply You clicked!
send Choose:

select id="color" placeholder="Pick a color":
    option "Red" value="red"
    option "Blue" value="blue"
    send You picked $value

modal "Feedback" id="fb":
    input "message" placeholder="Your feedback"
    send Thanks: $input.message

• Components attach to the next send / reply / embed.
• Persistent handlers are keyed by id (custom id). on button "hello": also binds a handler.
• defer / defer ephemeral acknowledges an interaction; ephemeral marks the next reply as only visible to the user.
• show_modal id opens a previously defined modal.

HTTP and JSON (opt-in)

HTTP is fail-closed. Enable it explicitly:

bot = FlowBot(prefix="!", allow_http=True, http_allowlist=["api.example.com"])

Or set TFLOWS_ALLOW_HTTP=1. Without that, http.get stores an error and does not open a socket.

let response = http.get "https://api.example.com/data"
let data = json.parse $response.body
send $data[name]

Limits and security:

• HTTPS only unless allow_insecure_http=True.
• Localhost and cloud-metadata hosts are blocked unless allowlisted.
• Optional http_allowlist of exact hostnames; redirects to another host are not followed.
• 10s timeout, 1 MiB body cap, custom User-Agent.
• http.post / put / patch / delete accept body=, header="Name: Value", query=k=v, timeout=.

json.parse returns {} on invalid input. json.stringify / json.dump serialize values.

Importing scripts

import helpers.flow
send $greet(Ada)

• Paths are resolved under script_root (the directory of the first bot.load(...) file, or FlowBot(script_root=...)).
• .., absolute paths outside the root, remote URLs, and non-script suffixes are rejected.
• Circular imports error; a file already imported is skipped (not re-executed).
• Imported function definitions are registered globally; remaining top-level lines run once.

Loading files, reload, and tflows check

bot.load("bot.flow")
await bot.reload()          # all loaded files; syntax errors keep the previous version
bot.watch(interval=1.0)     # reload when files change

A .flow file may contain command, function, on ..., every / cron, and context user|message blocks.

tflows check bot.flow
tflows check scripts/
tflows --version

tflows check reports unclosed blocks, break outside loops, import with .., and unknown function names (warnings). Exit status is 1 when errors are found.

State scopes

Unprefixed keys stay per-guild (as in 1.0). Prefixes change the namespace:

set user.points 10          # per user, across guilds
set channel.topic hello     # per channel
set guild.flag 1            # same as unprefixed (per guild)
set global.flag 1           # shared across guilds
get user.points 0

$get(user.points, 0) reads inline. Persistent state is not touched by reload.

Event filters and extra variables

on message where channel == "general":
    send hi

on join where role == "Member":
    send Welcome $user(mention)!

where uses the same operators as if. Bare identifiers channel, user, message, emoji, value, role resolve from the event. Extra $variables on events: $user, $message, $emoji, $content.

Context menus:

context user Inspect:
    send Looking at $target

context message Quote:
    send $content

Or bot.context_menu("user", "Inspect", "send $target").

Mixing with discord.py

Because FlowBot subclasses discord.ext.commands.Bot, everything discord.py offers keeps working: cogs, listeners, @bot.event, app commands, etc. When a message matches the prefix but not a script command, it is passed through to discord.py's command processor automatically.

import discord
from discord.ext import commands
from tflows import FlowBot

class Moderation(commands.Cog):
    @commands.command()
    async def purge(self, ctx, limit: int):
        await ctx.channel.purge(limit=limit)

bot = FlowBot(prefix="!")
bot.command(name="hello", code="reply Hi $user(display)!")
bot.add_cog(Moderation(bot))
bot.run("YOUR_BOT_TOKEN")

Custom functions and variables

Functions are callables fn(ctx, args) and variables are callables var(ctx, args) that return a string (or an awaitable). Register them on the shared registry:

from tflows import FlowBot
from tflows.registry import registry

@registry.register("shrug")
async def shrug(ctx, args):
    await ctx.channel.send("¯\\_(ツ)_/¯")

@registry.register_var("uptime_hours")
def uptime_hours(ctx, args):
    return str(bot_uptime_seconds() // 3600)

bot = FlowBot(prefix="!")

Alternatively, create an isolated bot with its own registry: FlowBot(prefix="!", registry=FunctionRegistry()).

FlowBot options

Examples

See the examples/ directory:

• basic_bot.py — minimal bot
• variables.py — variable showcase
• embeds.py — block and single-line embeds
• automation.py — wait, react, delete, clear
• mixing.py — scripts alongside discord.py cogs
• advanced.py — conditionals, guards, state, schedules, events, slash
• language.py — locals, loops, functions, components, JSON, import

Run any example after installing the package:

python examples/basic_bot.py

License

Apache License 2.0 — see the License file. Attribution to the original author is required when redistributing or embedding the software; see NOTICE.