Create a Bot

A bot is an Inline identity that your integration controls through an API token. Create one when you are building a custom integration or configuring a plugin that asks for a bot token.

This guide takes you from a signed-in Inline account to a successful Bot API getMe response. Choose either the Mac or CLI procedure, then verify the token.

If you are connecting an existing agent, start with Set Up an Agent. The inline agents setup command and the Mac setup flow create or select a bot for you. For provider-specific instructions, see OpenClaw or Hermes Agent.

About Bots

A bot has three parts:

Part	Purpose
Name	The display name people see in conversations.
Username	The public handle people use to find the bot. Choose an available username ending in `bot`, such as `myinlinebot`.
Token	The credential your program uses to act as the bot. Keep it in your server's environment or secret store.

Creating a bot establishes its identity. Your integration must still run code that receives updates and sends replies. A bot can appear in search before that code is running.

The CLI uses your signed-in account to create and manage bots. Bot API requests use the bot's token. Keep the token out of source code, browser code, and logs: anyone who has it can act as the bot.

Inline for Mac

Sign in to Inline for Mac and open Inline → Settings → Bots.
Enter a name and a username ending in bot.
Select Create Bot.
Find the new bot in the bot list. Reveal its token if it is hidden, then copy it.

You can find the bot by entering its username in ⌘K on Mac or the Search tab on iOS. Continue with Verify before connecting your integration.

CLI

First, install the CLI and sign in with the account that will own the bot. Confirm the account:

inline me

Create the bot, replacing the name and username with your own:

inline bots create --name "My Inline Bot" --username myinlinebot

The command prints the bot's ID and a command for revealing its token. Normal text output does not include the token.

To find an existing bot's ID, list your bots:

inline bots list

Reveal the token using the ID from creation or the list. Replace 123 below with that ID. This command prints the secret, so run it in a private terminal without session recording or shared logs:

inline bots reveal-token --bot-user-id 123

Verify

Make the token available to your shell as INLINE_BOT_TOKEN. The following command uses curl and a POSIX-compatible shell; it fails before sending a request if the variable is empty. It calls Bot API 0.1:

curl -sS --max-time 15 "https://api.inline.chat/bot/getMe" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${INLINE_BOT_TOKEN:?Set INLINE_BOT_TOKEN}"

Check the JSON response. Success has ok: true; result.user.id and result.user.username identify the bot. Confirm that they match the bot you created. A successful response verifies authentication; it does not mean that a reply handler is running.

If ok is false, use error_code and description to diagnose the failure. Do not treat curl's exit status alone as API success.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
Bot creation fails	Use a nonempty name and an available username ending in `bot`. Usernames are case-insensitive; use letters, digits, and underscores.
The CLI cannot list or create bots	Run `inline me` and confirm that you are signed in with the intended owner account.
`getMe` rejects the token	Reveal the token again for the intended bot and update `INLINE_BOT_TOKEN`. Check for missing characters or extra whitespace.
The bot appears in search but does not reply	Start your integration's update consumer and reply handler. Creating the bot alone does not run either.

Next Steps

To receive your first message, follow Receive Bot Updates. Initialize delivery before sending the test message; earlier messages are not backfilled. To send replies or choose a client library, continue with the Bot API guide.