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Overview

Create an automated bot that listens for incoming messages and sends automatic replies. This example demonstrates how to process incoming messages, extract sender information, and respond programmatically.

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Basic Auto-Reply Bot

This bot responds to every incoming message by prefixing it with “Hey!”: 
import { createSDK, handleExit } from "./utils";

async function main() {
    const sdk = createSDK();

    sdk.on("ready", () => {
        console.log("Auto-reply started");
    });

    sdk.on("new-message", async (message) => {
        console.log(`\nReceived: ${message.text || "(no text)"}`);
        console.log(`From: ${message.handle?.address || "unknown"}`);

        // Skip messages from self
        if (message.isFromMe) {
            return;
        }

        // Get chat guid from message
        const chat = message.chats?.[0];
        if (!chat) {
            return;
        }

        try {
            const originalText = message.text || message.attributedBody?.[0]?.string || "";
            const replyText = `Hey! ${originalText}`;

            const response = await sdk.messages.sendMessage({
                chatGuid: chat.guid,
                message: replyText,
            });

            console.log(`Replied: ${response.guid}`);
        } catch (error) {
            console.error("Failed to reply:", error);
        }
    });

    await sdk.connect();
    handleExit(sdk);
}

main().catch(console.error);

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How It Works

1

Listen for Messages

The SDK fires a new-message event for every incoming message
2

Filter Self Messages

Check message.isFromMe to avoid responding to your own messages
3

Extract Chat Context

Get the chat GUID from message.chats[0].guid to reply in the same conversation
4

Send Reply

Use sdk.messages.sendMessage() with the chat GUID and your reply text

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Advanced Patterns

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Keyword-Based Responses

sdk.on("new-message", async (message) => {
    if (message.isFromMe) return;
    
    const text = message.text?.toLowerCase() || "";
    const chat = message.chats?.[0];
    if (!chat) return;

    let reply = "";

    if (text.includes("hello") || text.includes("hi")) {
        reply = "Hello! How can I help you today?";
    } else if (text.includes("help")) {
        reply = "I'm a bot! Send 'status' to check system status.";
    } else if (text.includes("status")) {
        reply = "All systems operational!";
    } else {
        reply = "I received your message!";
    }

    await sdk.messages.sendMessage({
        chatGuid: chat.guid,
        message: reply,
    });
});

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Time-Based Responses

sdk.on("new-message", async (message) => {
    if (message.isFromMe) return;
    
    const chat = message.chats?.[0];
    if (!chat) return;

    const hour = new Date().getHours();
    let greeting = "";

    if (hour < 12) {
        greeting = "Good morning!";
    } else if (hour < 18) {
        greeting = "Good afternoon!";
    } else {
        greeting = "Good evening!";
    }

    await sdk.messages.sendMessage({
        chatGuid: chat.guid,
        message: `${greeting} Thanks for your message: "${message.text}"`,
    });
});

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Contact-Specific Responses

const VIP_CONTACTS = ["+1234567890", "+0987654321"];

sdk.on("new-message", async (message) => {
    if (message.isFromMe) return;
    
    const sender = message.handle?.address;
    const chat = message.chats?.[0];
    if (!chat || !sender) return;

    const isVIP = VIP_CONTACTS.includes(sender);
    const reply = isVIP 
        ? "VIP message received! Processing immediately..." 
        : "Thank you for your message. We'll get back to you soon.";

    await sdk.messages.sendMessage({
        chatGuid: chat.guid,
        message: reply,
    });
});

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Best Practices

Always check message.isFromMe to prevent infinite reply loops where the bot responds to its own messages!
Consider implementing rate limiting to avoid sending too many messages:
const replyTimes = new Map();
const COOLDOWN = 60000; // 1 minute

sdk.on("new-message", async (message) => {
    const sender = message.handle?.address;
    const lastReply = replyTimes.get(sender);
    
    if (lastReply && Date.now() - lastReply < COOLDOWN) {
        console.log("Cooldown active, skipping reply");
        return;
    }
    
    // Send reply...
    replyTimes.set(sender, Date.now());
});
Always wrap sendMessage in try-catch blocks to handle network errors gracefully:
try {
    await sdk.messages.sendMessage({...});
} catch (error) {
    console.error("Failed to send reply:", error);
    // Optionally: retry logic or error notifications
}
Handle different message formats:
const text = message.text || 
             message.attributedBody?.[0]?.string || 
             "";

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Next Steps

Scheduled Messages

Send messages at specific times

Message Effects

Add effects to auto-replies

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