Overview
Watchlist bot mode (2026-09-16)
Recommendations now live only inside the Tv Kitty app and website (Top Recommended). In Discord this bot keeps: the submission channel (a personal watchlist channel for everyone; app testers can also recommend), the Games forum for upcoming and released games, content requests and the approval channel. The per-category recommendation forums, the general Upcoming forum and Random Weekly Picks are retired.
The Media Recommendation Bot is a comprehensive recommendation tracking system for Discord servers. Members can recommend and vote on various types of media including games, movies, TV shows, anime, manga, and more. Features automatic forum organization, voting, an approval system, Tv Kitty content requests, and optional Google Calendar integration for unreleased media.
15 Media Categories
From video games to anime movies, with new split categories for better organization
Like System
Like recommendations with persistent tracking - likes show live on each card
Forum Organization
Auto-creates forums and genre threads for each category
Calendar Integration
Add unreleased media to Google Calendar
Approval System
Optional admin approval before recommendations are posted
Media Info Lookup
Auto-fetch details from OMDB, TMDB, Jikan, AniList, Kitsu, and RAWG APIs
Media Categories
The bot supports 15 different media categories, each with its own dedicated forum channel. New categories provide better organization for anime, cartoons, and documentaries:
Commands
Setup Commands Admin Only
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| !teardown_recommendation_channels | One-time cleanup (2026-09-16): deletes every per-category recommendation forum, the general Upcoming forum and the Random Picks forum/threads after a confirmation. Keeps the submission channel and the Games forum. |
| !setup_recommend_channel [#channel] | Set the submission channel. Everyone can drop a title or link there to add it to their own watchlist; members with the Tv Kitty app-tester role also get the option to recommend it (Top Recommended in the app). |
| !setup_games_watchlist_channel [#channel] | Set a second submission channel just for games: only video/card/board-game matches are offered and everything goes to the personal games watchlist (no recommend option there). |
| !gamelist | Your games watch list (video, card and board games). It's a separate list from !watchlist, which is the media list shared with the Tv Kitty app; anything identified as a game lands here whichever channel it was submitted in. The monthly DM sends one card per list. |
Tv Kitty Content Requests Admin Only NEW
Requests to add a title to the Tv Kitty library (from the Tv Kitty app's Request to Add, or typed into the request channel) become cards in one channel. Members 👍 a card to get pinged; an admin presses "I'll download this" to claim it; the bot deletes the card and pings everyone once the title shows up in the library. No admin approval step.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| !set_content_request_channel [#channel] | Where request cards (and the "now available" pings) go. |
| !clear_content_request_channel | Unset it (cards fall back to the approval channel). |
| !set_content_request_role @role | Only this role can press "I'll download this" (default: administrators). |
| !close_content_request <id> | Close a request by hand. |
Approval System Commands Admin Only
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| !set_approval_channel [#channel] | Set up the approval channel for recommendation reviews. All recommendations will be sent here for admin approval. |
| !enable_approval | Enable the approval system for recommendations |
| !disable_approval | Disable the approval system - recommendations will be posted directly |
| !approval_status | Check the current approval system status |
Deletion Notification Commands Admin Only NEW
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| !set_deletion_channel [#channel] | Set up the channel for deletion notifications. When forum channels, posts, or threads are manually deleted, the bot will send a notification here allowing admins to confirm database cleanup. |
| !disable_deletion_notifications | Disable deletion notifications - deleted items will be auto-removed from database |
Category Management Commands Retired 2026-09-16
| Command | Description |
|---|
User Commands Everyone
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| !watchlist | Your watchlist as a card: pages of 10, mark as watched, remove, add. Works in DMs too. |
| DM the bot a title or link | Adds it to your watchlist (app testers can choose to recommend it instead, or both). Once a month the bot DMs everyone with a watchlist to tidy it. |
| !media_stats | View server statistics (total recommendations by category) |
Calendar Commands (Optional) Admin Only
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| !setup_calendar | View Google Calendar setup instructions |
| !authenticate_calendar | Authenticate with Google Calendar API |
| !set_calendar <id> | Set which calendar to use for release dates |
| !list_calendars | View all available Google Calendars |
New Features
Split Category Detection
The bot now automatically detects and categorizes media more accurately:
- Anime Movies vs Anime TV - Anime films (e.g., Studio Ghibli movies) go to anime_movies, while series go to anime_tv
- Cartoon Movies vs Cartoon TV - Western animated films (e.g., Pixar, Disney) go to cartoon_movies, while series go to cartoon_tv
- Documentary Films vs Docuseries - Documentary movies go to documentary_films, documentary series go to docuseries
Deletion Notifications
When forum posts or threads are manually deleted by admins:
- If a notification channel is set, the bot sends an alert with "Delete from Database" and "Keep in Database" buttons
- Admins can choose to remove the entry from the database or keep it for potential re-submission
- Bulk deletion notifications when an entire forum channel is deleted
Reorganize Command
Use !reorganize report to analyze all recommendations and find any that should be moved to different categories. Then use !reorganize execute to automatically move them.
Setup & Configuration
Installation
Bot Permissions
The bot requires these permissions:
- Manage Channels - Create forum channels for categories
- Send Messages - Post recommendations and request cards
- Create Public Threads - Create genre threads in forums
- Send Messages in Threads - Post in forum threads
- Manage Messages - Edit and clear request cards
- Read Message History - Track existing recommendations
- Add Reactions - Vote button functionality
Auto-Fetched Media Info
The bot automatically fetches information from multiple APIs:
| Media Type | API Source | Info Fetched |
|---|---|---|
| Movies & TV Shows | OMDB, TMDB | Year, Rating, Plot, Poster, Genre |
| Anime & Manga | Jikan, AniList, Kitsu | Synopsis, Score, Episodes, Type (Movie/TV), Image |
| Video Games | RAWG | Release Date, Rating, Description, Image |
| Documentaries | TMDB | Year, Synopsis, Type (Film/Series), Image |
| Cartoons | TMDB | Year, Synopsis, Type (Movie/TV), Image |
Command Summary
Total Commands: 18
Admin Commands: 16 (setup_media, setup_recommend_channel, setup_missing, remove_leaderboards, set_approval_channel, enable_approval, disable_approval, approval_status, set_deletion_channel, disable_deletion_notifications, reorganize, migrate_categories, set_content_request_channel, clear_content_request_channel, set_content_request_role, close_content_request)
User Commands: 2 (random_rec, media_stats)
Calendar Commands: 4 (setup_calendar, authenticate_calendar, set_calendar, list_calendars)