Development mode

Every new bot starts in development mode: a sandbox where you can build and test it without strangers adding it to their rooms.

What development mode allows#

Adding a development bot to any other room is refused in the app (“dev_bot_room”). Start links work from day one: https://qivuna.com/b/<username>?start=<param>, where param is up to 64 characters of A–Z a–z 0–9 _ - and arrives as bot_started.start_param.

A test setup#

1. Create a public group of your own with one or two test accounts. Public groups let you try privacy mode both ways, because “read all messages” can be granted only in public groups.
2. Create a channel of your own to try channel_post and posting.
3. If your bot is encrypted, create a private group too. Private groups on Qivuna become end-to-end encrypted; there the bot works only in addressed mode (see Encrypted groups).
4. Add the bot from each room's Bots section. Try granting and removing rights and watch the my_chat_member updates and the lines in the room.

Things to test before publishing#

• Your bot handles the same update twice (deliveries are at least once) and ignores updates of types it does not know.
• It respects retry_after on 429 and does not retry 4xx answers unchanged.
• It answers button presses within a few seconds (the app stops waiting after 15).
• It copes with 403 user_blocked_bot, 403 forbidden_right and being removed from a room.
• Commands are registered for the right scopes, in Hebrew and English if you serve both.
• Nothing it sends asks people for codes, passwords or recovery phrases — that is refused (content_blocked) and counts against you.

Publishing#

In QivBot open the bot and tap Publish (or send /publish). Publishing needs:

• a description (setMyDescription or QivBot → Profile);
• at least one command, in any scope;
• your account to still meet the creation requirements (2-step verification, Developer Terms).

After publishing, the bot shows up in search by its username, and any admin can add it to their group or channel, with the rights they choose. QivBot has no way back to development mode, but you can stop the bot from joining new rooms (QivBot → Groups & channels) or delete it.