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Aerostack v1.0-beta

Create Your First Bot

This guide walks you through creating a bot using the Admin Dashboard at app.aerostack.dev. By the end, you will have a working bot connected to a messaging platform with access to MCP tools.

Prerequisites:

  • An Aerostack account
  • An MCP workspace with at least one MCP server (or create one during setup)
  • A messaging platform account (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, or Slack)

Dashboard Walkthrough

Section titled “Dashboard Walkthrough”

  1. Open the Bot Builder

    Log in to app.aerostack.dev and click Bots in the left sidebar. Click the New Bot button in the top right.

  2. Name Your Bot

    Enter a name for your bot. This is displayed in the dashboard and used to generate the bot’s slug. Choose something descriptive — “Acme Support Bot” is better than “Bot 1”.

  3. Choose a Platform

    Select the messaging platform where your bot will live.

    What you need: A bot token from @BotFather on Telegram.

    1. Open Telegram and message @BotFather
    2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts
    3. Copy the bot token (looks like 123456789:ABCdefGhIJKlmNoPQRsTUVwxyz)
    4. Paste it into the Bot Token field
    5. Set a Webhook Secret — any random string (recommended for production)

  4. Connect a Workspace

    Select an existing MCP workspace or create a new one. The workspace determines what tools your bot can access.

    If you do not have a workspace yet:

    1. Click Create New Workspace
    2. Give it a name
    3. Add MCP servers from the marketplace (e.g., a database MCP for data queries, a Stripe MCP for payments)

    The bot inherits all tools from every MCP server, Skill, and Function in the workspace. You can add or remove tools later without changing the bot.

  5. Write a System Prompt

    The system prompt defines your bot’s personality, role, and behavior. This is the most important configuration field — it shapes every response.

    A good system prompt includes:

    • Role definition — who the bot is and what it does
    • Behavioral guidelines — tone, style, boundaries
    • Tool guidance — when to use specific tools
    • Escalation rules — when to hand off to humans

    Example:

    You are a customer support agent for Acme Corp. You help customers with order
    inquiries, billing questions, and returns.
    

    Rules:
    - Always verify the customer's identity before accessing account data
    - Use the orders__get_order tool when customers ask about order status
    - Use the stripe__create_refund tool for refunds under $100
    - Escalate refunds over $100 to a human agent
    - Be concise and professional
    - If you do not know the answer, say so honestly

  6. Choose an LLM

    Select the LLM provider and model. The default is Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 — a strong balance of capability and cost.

    If your bot needs…Choose
    Complex reasoning, nuanced responsesClaude Opus 4, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro
    Good quality at lower costClaude Sonnet 4, GPT-4o
    Maximum speed and lowest costClaude Haiku, GPT-4o Mini, Gemini 2.5 Flash
    Fastest inferenceGroq Llama 3.3 70B

    Billing mode: Leave on Wallet to use Aerostack’s pooled keys (charges deducted from your balance). Switch to BYOK and enter your own API key if you have negotiated rates or free credits.

  7. Create and Activate

    Click Create Bot. Your bot is created in draft status.

    Review the configuration on the bot detail page, then click Activate to go live. Activation registers the webhook with your platform (Telegram and Discord do this automatically; Slack and WhatsApp require a manual step in the platform’s settings).

  8. Test It

    Send a message to your bot on the platform you chose. You should see a response within a few seconds.

    You can also use the Test Console in the dashboard — click the Test button on your bot’s detail page to send messages without going through the platform.

Using a Template (Shortcut)

Section titled “Using a Template (Shortcut)”

If you prefer to start from a pre-built configuration, use the Template option when creating a bot:

  1. Click New Bot and select From Template
  2. Choose a template (Customer Support, Community Manager, or Sales Assistant)
  3. Fill in the template’s config values (company name, support hours, etc.)
  4. Select a platform and enter credentials
  5. Click Create Bot — the wizard creates a workspace, connects the template’s suggested MCPs, and builds the bot in one step

Templates come with pre-written system prompts and optional workflows. You can customize everything after creation.

What Happens Under the Hood

Section titled “What Happens Under the Hood”

When you create a bot, Aerostack:

  1. Stores credentials securely — platform tokens and LLM API keys are encrypted at rest
  2. Links the workspace — the bot gets a managed access token for the workspace gateway
  3. Sets status to draft — the bot exists but does not receive messages yet

When you activate, Aerostack:

  1. Registers the webhook — calls the platform’s API to set the webhook URL (Telegram, Discord) or provides the URL for manual setup (Slack, WhatsApp)
  2. Sets status to active — the bot begins receiving and processing messages
  3. Reports any warnings — missing webhook secrets, manual setup steps, etc.

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”