Everything you need to handle
reports & appeals.

Put HelperCore on a Node.js VPS

HelperCore is the engine, so it goes up first. It's a Node.js app that needs to run 24/7, so host it on a Node.js VPS — we recommend bot-hosting.net, which is free. (For quick testing you can run it on your own machine with Node.js 20+ instead.)

Set up the VPS:

1. Go to bot-hosting.net and sign in with Discord.
2. Click New Deployment → type Application. Set the Source to ZIP and upload your HelperCore.zip — it's extracted during creation.
3. For Runtime, pick Node.js — version 20 or newer (HelperCore needs at least Node 20). Choose your resources and launch.
4. If the files landed inside a wrapper folder, open the Files tab and move them to the root so index.js and package.json sit at the top level.

Create ngrok & claim a static domain

Discord's client can only open a secure WebSocket — wss://, over HTTPS. A VPS only gives you a plain port with no certificate, so ngrok tunnels it out through a stable HTTPS/WSS domain Discord will accept. Set this up before the environment step, because ngrok gives you a token you'll add there.

1. Create an account at dashboard.ngrok.com/signup.
2. Copy your authtoken from Your Authtoken — you'll add it in the next step.
3. Claim a static domain under Domains — ngrok includes one at no cost (e.g. your-name.ngrok-free.app). A static domain never changes, so you set it up once.

Put that domain into HelperCore's config/config.json so the tunnel always binds to it:

"Ngrok": {
  "Enable": true,
  "Domain": "your-name.ngrok-free.app"
}

Set the environment variables

HelperCore reads three secrets: TOKEN, NGROK_AUTH and SECRET. There are two ways to provide them — pick one.

Option A — the panel's environment variables (recommended on bot-hosting). bot-hosting has environment variables built into the panel, so add each one there:

TOKEN        = your_discord_account_token
NGROK_AUTH   = your_ngrok_authtoken
SECRET       = choose-a-long-random-passphrase

Option B — a .env file. Create a .env in HelperCore's root folder (upload it via the Files tab, or use it when running locally):

# your Discord account token — HelperCore signs in as you
TOKEN=your_discord_account_token

# ngrok authtoken from the previous step
NGROK_AUTH=your_ngrok_authtoken

# handshake secret — HelperCord must send this exact value
SECRET=choose-a-long-random-passphrase

Start HelperCore

Start the engine now — before you touch HelperCord — so it's live when the plugin tries to connect.

On bot-hosting: open the Startup tab and set the Entry File to index.js, then press Start. The panel has no shell, so it installs the dependencies from package.json automatically on start (you can also add them under the Packages tab).

Locally (or any host with a shell): run this in the HelperCore folder — it installs dependencies, then starts:

npm install --omit=dev --no-fund --no-audit && node index.js

Install the build tools

HelperCord is a custom Vencord plugin, so you build Vencord yourself from source on your desktop. Install the three tools it needs:

• Git — to clone the repository
• Node.js 20 or newer — the JavaScript runtime
• pnpm — Vencord's package manager

Confirm each one is on your PATH:

git --version
node --version
pnpm --version

Clone Vencord and create the userplugins folder

Grab the Vencord source, install its dependencies, and make the reserved folder custom plugins live in.

git clone https://github.com/Vendicated/Vencord
cd Vencord
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
mkdir -p src/userplugins

Download HelperCord with your domain built in

Enter your ngrok/WebSocket domain and download a copy of HelperCord with that domain already written into native.ts (the CSP allow-list). It all happens in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Unzip it into src/userplugins on your local machine, so the entry file sits at src/userplugins/HelperCord/index.tsx. Then delete the HelperCord.zip — Vencord tries to compile everything under userplugins, so a leftover archive breaks the build.

Build Vencord and inject it into Discord

Compile the client (now including HelperCord), then inject the build into your Discord install. Fully close Discord first.

pnpm build
pnpm inject

On Vesktop, run pnpm build, then Settings → Vencord Location → Change and select the dist folder. Restart Discord, open Settings → Plugins, and enable HelperCord. Leave the connection blank for now — you'll fill it in the last step.

Point HelperCord at HelperCore

HelperCore is already running from step 4, so all that's left is telling the plugin where to find it. In Discord, open Settings → Plugins → HelperCord and fill in the Websocket Connection box:

• Server URL — your ngrok domain, e.g. wss://your-name.ngrok-free.app (the plugin converts https↔wss automatically).
• Handshake Secret — the exact same SECRET you set in step 3.

That's it — your handled tickets start highlighting, the toolbar appears inside tickets, and every ,command now routes to HelperCore.