How do I know the first Bot really works?

A running process is only the beginning. Send /hello in a Remote Console Sandbox conversation and receive a reply. That checks the HTTP Host, authentication, Endpoint, command discovery, and outbound path together.

This check is for a newly created IM project. It needs no platform account or model key. Scaffolded TypeScript projects require Node.js >=22.12.0 and pnpm 9 or newer.

Start from an empty directory

npm create zhin-app my-bot -y
cd my-bot
pnpm dev

The terminal prints the API Base. New projects currently default to port 8068, but use the terminal output or zhin.config.yml for your project.

At console.zhin.dev, enter that API Base and the HTTP_TOKEN from the project's .env. Open a Sandbox conversation and send /hello.

If Console cannot connect, check the API Base and Token, then run npx zhin doctor. If it connects but the Bot does not reply, check command discovery, the Sandbox Endpoint state, and terminal errors.

What to change next

Edit the reply in commands/hello/index.ts, save, and send /hello again to check hot reload. Add a real adapter or AI only when you need it.

The Getting Started guide has the complete first-run steps and version requirements. Configuration explains which file owns each kind of setting.