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Hubot

A framework for building your own chat bots that run scripts and connect to chat services.

GitHub Download v14.1.1
Stars
16.8k
Forks
3.7k
Licence
MIT
Language
JavaScript
Last update
5 days ago
Type
Library

What it is

Hubot is a JavaScript framework for building chat bots, modeled after GitHub's original Campfire bot. It is distributed as an npm library: you create your own bot instance, extend it with scripts, and connect it to chat services through adapters. The README also describes a command system for slash-style commands with confirmation for actions that have side effects, permissions, and built-in help.

  • Create a new bot instance pointed at a chat adapter such as Slack or Discord using npx hubot --create
  • Write scripts in the scripts folder that respond to messages in chat
  • Register commands like ticket creation with arguments, aliases, and confirmation before side effects
  • Restrict sensitive commands to specific chat rooms or, with a permission provider, to user roles

Great for

  • Developers who want a self-hosted chat bot they can customize with JavaScript
  • Teams that use a chat service with an existing Hubot adapter such as Slack, Discord, MS Teams, or IRC
  • People who want scripted chat automation for their own internal workflows

Not ideal for

  • Non-developers looking for a ready-made bot with no coding, since the README says you build your own bot using scripts
  • People who only want a hosted chatbot service, because this is a framework you run yourself
  • Projects that need an AI assistant out of the box, since the README does not describe built-in AI features
Step-by-step guide: how to use HubotInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    You'll need: Node.js

    Create your own Hubot instance with the Slack adapter

    npx hubot --create myhubot --adapter @hubot-friends/hubot-slack
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Run npx hubot --create myhubot with an adapter flag for your chat service
    • Review scripts/example.mjs in the new myhubot folder
    • Create additional scripts in the scripts folder
    • Start your bot and address it in chat, for example @hubot help
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use robot.commands.register to define slash-style commands with typed arguments and aliases
    • Set sideEffects on commands that change external systems so users must confirm with yes or no
    • Use permissions.rooms to limit sensitive commands to specific chat rooms
    • Provide a permissionProvider to enable role-based permission checks
    • Use @hubot help search to discover commands by keyword, alias, or description

Downloads

Source code (.zip)main branch · straight from GitHubRelease v14.1.1Release notes and sourceOfficial website & docshubotio.github.io/hubot/

Strengths

  • Well-established project with a long history, modeled on a known GitHub bot
  • Adapter-based design lets one bot logic run on several chat services
  • Command bus includes confirmation for side-effect actions, room-based permissions, and built-in help

Trade-offs

  • Requires JavaScript or Node.js knowledge to write scripts and run a bot
  • Recent major versions changed the codebase (v11 removed CoffeeScript and moved to ESM), so older tutorials may not match
  • Role-based permissions are ignored unless you supply your own permissionProvider

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
hubot (this)16.8kLibraryintermediate5 days agoDevelopers who want a self-hosted chat bot they can customize with JavaScript
botkit11.6kLibraryintermediate2.4 years agoDevelopers maintaining an existing Botkit bot on Slack, Messenger, Twilio SMS, or Webex
EverydayWechat10.3kAppintermediate5.4 years agoDevelopers comfortable editing YAML and running Python scripts
ccxt44.7kLibraryintermediate4 days agoDevelopers building trading bots or algorithmic trading software
discord.py16.2kLibraryintermediate2 months agoPython developers who want to build a Discord bot
awesome-free-chatgpt21.3kCurated listbeginner1.4 years agoPeople who want to try a chatbot without paying or creating an account

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.