Build a Lo-fi Cafe for Your Discord Server in Minutes

Build a Lo-fi Cafe for Your Discord Server in Minutes

4 min read

Ever wanted a dedicated chill zone in your Discord server? A virtual space where you and your friends can co-work, relax, or just vibe together with some smooth lo-fi beats playing in the background? Let's build just that!

We'll create a simple Discord bot using Node.js that automatically joins a specific voice channel when someone enters, starts streaming lo-fi music, and politely leaves after a short period of inactivity.

TL;DR: The complete code is available on GitHub with a one-click deploy button for Heroku if you want to jump straight in.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js LTS installed.
  • A Discord account and a server where you have "Manage Server" permissions.
  • Your favorite code editor (like VS Code).

Setup Steps

  1. Initialize Your Project:

    mkdir lofi-bot
cd lofi-bot
npm init -y
npm install discord.js@^12.5.3 dotenv ytdl-core-discord lodash # Using discord.js v12 for compatibility with example

    Note: discord.js v12 is used here to match the original post's likely context. Newer versions have significant changes.

  2. Create a Discord Bot Application:

    • Go to the Discord Developer Portal.
    • Click "New Application". Give it a name (e.g., "Lofi Cafe Bot").
    • Navigate to the "Bot" tab in the left menu.
    • Click "Add Bot" and confirm.
    • Under the bot's username, click "Copy" to get the Bot Token. Keep this secret!

  3. Configure Environment Variables:

    • Create a file named .env in your project root.
    • Add your bot token: 
      # .env
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN="YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE"
DISCORD_GUILD_ID="YOUR_SERVER_ID_HERE"
DISCORD_CHANNEL_NAME="lofi-cafe" # Or your desired channel name
# Find some YouTube lo-fi stream URLs (Live streams work best)
VOICE_URLS="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKfPfyJRdk,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qap5aO4i9A"
    • Find your Server ID (Right-click server icon -> Copy ID. Enable Developer Mode in Discord settings if needed).
    • Create a voice channel in your server with the name specified in DISCORD_CHANNEL_NAME.

  4. Invite the Bot:

    • Go back to the Developer Portal -> Your Application -> OAuth2 -> URL Generator.
    • Select the bot scope.
    • In "Bot Permissions," select:
      • Connect
      • Speak
      • View Channels
      • Use Voice Activity
    • Copy the generated URL at the bottom.
    • Paste the URL in your browser, select your server, and authorize the bot.

  5. Ignore Files:

    • Create a .gitignore file: 
      # .gitignore
node_modules/
.env

Coding the Bot

client.js: Sets up and logs in the Discord client.

// client.js
const Discord = require('discord.js');
require('dotenv').config(); // Load variables from .env

const client = new Discord.Client();

client.login(process.env.DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN)
  .catch(err => {
    console.error("Login failed:", err);
    process.exit(1); // Exit if login fails
  });

module.exports = client;

index.js: Contains the main bot logic.

// index.js
const client = require('./client');
const ytdl = require('ytdl-core-discord');
const _ = require('lodash');
require('dotenv').config();

const GUILD_ID = process.env.DISCORD_GUILD_ID;
const CHANNEL_NAME = process.env.DISCORD_CHANNEL_NAME;
const VOICE_URLS = process.env.VOICE_URLS.split(',');
const INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT = 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5 minutes in milliseconds

let inactivityTimer = null; // To track inactivity timeout

client.on('ready', () => {
  console.log(`Logged in as ${client.user.tag}! Ready to play lo-fi.`);
  // Optionally set bot status
  client.user.setActivity('lo-fi beats', { type: 'LISTENING' })
    .catch(console.error);
});

// Function to play music
const play = async (connection) => {
  try {
    const stream = await ytdl(_.sample(VOICE_URLS), { filter: 'audioonly', quality: 'highestaudio' });
    const dispatcher = connection.play(stream, { type: 'opus', highWaterMark: 50, volume: 0.6 });

    dispatcher.on('finish', () => {
      console.log('Song finished, playing next...');
      // Simple loop: play next immediately. Add delay if needed.
      play(connection).catch(err => console.error("Error playing next track:", err));
    });

    dispatcher.on('error', (error) => {
      console.error('Dispatcher error:', error);
      // Try playing again after a short delay
      setTimeout(() => play(connection).catch(err => console.error("Retry play failed:", err)), 5000);
    });

    console.log(`Now playing in ${connection.channel.name}`);

  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error getting audio stream or playing:", error);
    // Handle specific errors like video unavailable if possible
    if (connection.channel) {
       // Maybe leave if persistent errors occur? For now, just log.
    }
  }
};


// Main logic handler
const lofiCafeHandler = async (oldState, newState) => {
  const guild = client.guilds.cache.get(GUILD_ID);
  if (!guild) return console.error("Guild not found!");

  const voiceChannel = guild.channels.cache.find(ch => ch.name === CHANNEL_NAME && ch.type === 'voice');
  if (!voiceChannel) return console.error(`Voice channel "${CHANNEL_NAME}" not found!`);

  const botMember = guild.members.cache.get(client.user.id);
  if (!botMember) return console.error("Bot member not found in guild cache.");

  const botCurrentChannel = botMember.voice.channel;

  // User joins the target channel
  if (newState.channelId === voiceChannel.id && oldState.channelId !== voiceChannel.id) {
    console.log(`${newState.member.user.tag} joined ${voiceChannel.name}`);
    clearTimeout(inactivityTimer); // Clear inactivity timer if someone joins

    // If bot is not already in the channel, join and play
    if (!botCurrentChannel || botCurrentChannel.id !== voiceChannel.id) {
      try {
        const connection = await voiceChannel.join();
        console.log(`Joined ${voiceChannel.name}`);
        await play(connection); // Start playing
      } catch (error) {
        console.error(`Could not join or play in ${voiceChannel.name}:`, error);
      }
    }
  }
  // User leaves the target channel OR switches away from it
  else if (oldState.channelId === voiceChannel.id && newState.channelId !== voiceChannel.id) {
     console.log(`${oldState.member.user.tag} left ${voiceChannel.name}`);
     // Check if the channel is now empty (only bot left)
     if (botCurrentChannel && botCurrentChannel.id === voiceChannel.id && voiceChannel.members.size === 1) {
       console.log(`Channel ${voiceChannel.name} is empty. Starting inactivity timer.`);
       clearTimeout(inactivityTimer); // Clear previous timer just in case
       inactivityTimer = setTimeout(() => {
         if (voiceChannel.members.size === 1 && botMember.voice.channelId === voiceChannel.id) {
            console.log(`Inactivity timeout reached. Leaving ${voiceChannel.name}.`);
            voiceChannel.leave();
         } else {
            console.log(`Inactivity timer cancelled (someone joined or bot left).`);
         }
       }, INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT);
     }
  }
};

client.on('voiceStateUpdate', lofiCafeHandler);

// Optional: Handle disconnects gracefully
client.on('disconnect', () => {
    console.log('Bot disconnected, attempting to reconnect...');
});
client.on('reconnecting', () => {
    console.log('Bot reconnecting...');
});

console.log('Bot script loaded, waiting for client ready event...');

Running the Bot

node index.js

Your bot should log in and announce itself in the console. When someone joins the designated voice channel, the bot should join and start playing lo-fi music! It will leave automatically after 5 minutes if the channel becomes empty (except for the bot).

Deployment (Example: Heroku)

  1. Install Heroku CLI and log in (heroku login).
  2. Create Heroku App: heroku create your-lofi-bot-name
  3. Add Procfile: Create a file named Procfile (no extension) in your root: 
    worker: node index.js
  4. Set Config Vars: In your Heroku app dashboard (Settings -> Config Vars), add:
    • DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN: Your bot token
    • DISCORD_GUILD_ID: Your server ID
    • DISCORD_CHANNEL_NAME: Your channel name
    • VOICE_URLS: Your comma-separated YouTube URLs
  5. Push to Heroku: 
    git init # If not already a git repo
git add .
git commit -m "Initial lofi bot setup"
heroku git:remote -a your-lofi-bot-name
git push heroku main # Or your default branch name
  6. Scale the Worker: In Heroku dashboard (Resources tab), enable the worker dyno.

Enjoy your new virtual lo-fi cafe! 🎉

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