Discord Trakt Presence Bot

🎬 Automatically show what you're watching on Trakt.tv in your Discord status!

This bot connects your Trakt.tv account to Discord, displaying your current TV shows and movies as a "Watching" activity in your Discord profile.

✨ Features

• 🎭 Proper "WATCHING" status - Shows as "Watching [Show]" not "Playing [Show]"
• 🖼️ Show artwork - Displays movie/TV show posters as your activity image
• 🔄 Auto-sync - Updates every 15 seconds when you're watching something
• 🔌 Reconnects automatically - Handles Discord restarts and connection issues
• 📺 TV Shows & Movies - Works with both TV episodes and movies
• 🖥️ Cross-platform - Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7+ - Download here
• Discord Desktop App - Must be running on your computer
• Trakt.tv account - Sign up free

Step 1: Download & Install

1. Download this project:

   git clone git@github.com:trakt/discord-presence.git
   cd discord-presence

   Command tip: Use whichever command launches Python 3 on your system. On macOS this is usually python3 / pip3; on Windows it may just be python / pip.

2. Install Python dependencies:

   python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 2: Create a Trakt.tv App

1. Go to Trakt.tv API settings:

   • Visit: https://trakt.tv/oauth/applications
   • Click "New Application"

2. Fill out the application form:

   • Name: Discord Presence (or any name you like)
   • Description: Shows my Trakt activity in Discord
   • Redirect URI: urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob
   • Permissions: None needed

3. Save your credentials:

   • After creating, you'll see:
     • Client ID - Copy this code
     • Client Secret - Copy this (keep it secret! keep it safe!)
   • Click on your app name to see the Application ID (different from Client ID!). Easiest way is to read the ID from the end of the URL.

Step 3: Discord App (Optional - Default Provided)

Good news! This project includes a default Discord app called "TV with Trakt" that you can use immediately.

Option A: Use the default app (recommended for beginners)

• Skip this step! The default Discord Client ID is already in .env.example
• Your status will show as "Watching TV with Trakt"

Option B: Create your own custom Discord app

1. Go to Discord Developer Portal:

   • Visit: https://discord.com/developers/applications
   • Click "New Application"

2. Create your application:

   • Name: Choose any name (this appears in your Discord status)
   • Click "Create"

3. Get your Discord Client ID:

   • On the "General Information" page
   • Copy the Application ID (this is your Discord Client ID)
   • Replace the default value in your .env file

Step 4: Configure the Bot

1. Copy the example configuration:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Edit the .env file with your Trakt credentials:

   TRAKT_CLIENT_ID=your_trakt_client_id_here
   TRAKT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_trakt_client_secret_here
   TRAKT_APPLICATION_ID=your_trakt_application_id_here
   DISCORD_CLIENT_ID=1387827471822622850  # Default app (or use your own)
   

   Note: The Discord Client ID has a working default value. Only change it if you created your own Discord app.

Step 5: Run the Bot

Option A: Quick Test (Recommended First)

python3 main.py

Option B: Install as Daemon (Linux - Runs Automatically)

# Install and enable automatic startup
python3 service.py install

# Management commands
python3 service.py start    # Start the daemon
python3 service.py stop     # Stop the daemon  
python3 service.py status   # Check if running
python3 service.py logs     # View logs
python3 service.py uninstall # Remove daemon

First-time setup (both options):

• The bot will open a browser for Trakt.tv authentication
• Log in to Trakt.tv and authorize the app
• Copy the PIN code back to the terminal
• Your credentials will be saved for future use

Check Discord:

• Make sure Discord is running
• Start watching something on Trakt.tv (check-in to a show/movie)
• Your Discord status should update automatically!

📱 How to Use

Check-in to Something on Trakt

1. Go to Trakt.tv or use the Trakt mobile app
2. Find a TV show or movie you're watching
3. Click the "Check In" button (▶️ icon)
4. Your Discord status will update within 15 seconds!

What You'll See in Discord

🎬 Watching TV with Trakt
   Shark Tank
   S16E2 - Episode 2
   [Show poster image]
   Started watching 5 minutes ago

🤖 Daemon Mode (Linux)

The bot can run as a system daemon that automatically starts on boot and runs in the background.

Quick Daemon Setup:

# Test your configuration first
python3 service.py test

# Install and enable daemon
python3 service.py install

# Check if it's running
python3 service.py status

Daemon Features:

• ✅ Auto-start on login - No need to manually start
• ✅ Background operation - Runs silently in background
• ✅ Automatic restart - Restarts if it crashes
• ✅ System integration - Uses systemd for proper service management
• ✅ Log management - Logs to system journal

Daemon Management:

python3 service.py start     # Start the daemon
python3 service.py stop      # Stop the daemon  
python3 service.py restart   # Restart the daemon
python3 service.py enable    # Enable auto-start on login
python3 service.py disable   # Disable auto-start
python3 service.py status    # Show current status
python3 service.py logs      # View recent logs (Ctrl+C to exit)
python3 service.py uninstall # Remove daemon completely

🍎 Daemon Mode (macOS)

Launchd support lets the bot run automatically whenever you log in.

Quick LaunchAgent Setup:

# Test your configuration first
python3 service.py test

# Install and load the LaunchAgent
python3 service.py install

# Check if it's running
python3 service.py status

LaunchAgent Management:

python3 service.py start     # Load and start the LaunchAgent
python3 service.py stop      # Unload (stop) the LaunchAgent
python3 service.py restart   # Reload the LaunchAgent
python3 service.py enable    # Enable auto-start on login
python3 service.py disable   # Disable auto-start
python3 service.py status    # Show LaunchAgent status
python3 service.py logs      # Tail the launch agent logs
python3 service.py uninstall # Remove the LaunchAgent

Launchd writes stdout/stderr to logs/trakt-discord*.log. Use python3 service.py logs (Ctrl+C to exit) or tail -f logs/trakt-discord.log for live output.

Platform Support:

• ✅ Linux - systemd integration
• ✅ macOS - launchd integration
• ⚠️ Windows - Manual setup (instructions provided)

Windows daemon automation is planned for a future release.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

General Issues

"Could not connect to Discord"

• ✅ Make sure Discord Desktop app is running (not just web browser)
• ✅ Restart Discord completely
• ✅ Try running the bot as administrator (Windows)

"Authentication failed"

• ✅ Double-check your Trakt credentials in .env
• ✅ Make sure you copied the Application ID (not just Client ID)
• ✅ Verify redirect URI is exactly: urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob

"Not watching anything"

• ✅ Check-in to something on Trakt.tv first
• ✅ Make sure you're actively checked in (not just marked as watched)
• ✅ Try checking in to a different show/movie

Discord shows "Playing" instead of "Watching"

• ✅ Make sure your Discord app is named "TV with Trakt"
• ✅ Restart Discord to clear cache
• ✅ Wait a few minutes for Discord to update

Daemon Issues

"systemctl not found" or "systemd not available"

• ✅ You're not on a systemd Linux distribution
• ✅ Run manually: python3 main.py --daemon
• ✅ Use your distribution's service manager (upstart, OpenRC, etc.)

Daemon installed but not starting

• ✅ Check logs: python3 service.py logs
• ✅ Verify configuration: python3 service.py test
• ✅ Check if Discord is running: ps aux | grep -i discord

Daemon running but Discord not updating

• ✅ Make sure you're logged into the same user account where Discord runs
• ✅ Check if you're checked into something on Trakt.tv
• ✅ View daemon logs: journalctl --user -u trakt-discord-presence -f

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Running as a Daemon (Background Service)

Cross-Platform - Automatic Installation:

This project includes scripts to easily install the app as a daemon that starts automatically on login. The installer automatically detects your operating system:

# Install as daemon (runs automatically on login)
./scripts/install.sh

# Check daemon status and logs  
./scripts/status.sh

# Uninstall daemon (keeps project files)
./scripts/uninstall.sh

Platform Support:

• ✅ macOS - Uses LaunchAgents for proper user-level daemon management
• ✅ Windows - Uses Task Scheduler with PowerShell scripts
• 🚧 Linux - Coming soon (systemd user services)

What the daemon installer does:

• ✅ Creates and activates Python virtual environment
• ✅ Installs all dependencies automatically
• ✅ Sets up auto-start on login (macOS: LaunchAgent, Windows: Task Scheduler)
• ✅ Creates log files for monitoring
• ✅ Handles automatic restarts if the app crashes
• ✅ Runs in background without terminal/command prompt window

Manual Installation Examples:

Windows (Task Scheduler):

1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Create Basic Task → Daily → Start at computer startup
3. Action: Start a program → Point to your Python installation and script

Linux (systemd):

# Create a systemd user service
systemctl --user enable trakt-discord-presence.service

Custom Polling Interval

Edit main.py and change this line:

time.sleep(15)  # Change 15 to your preferred seconds

📁 Project Structure

discord-presence/
├── main.py                                    # Main application
├── discord_ipc.py                            # Custom Discord integration
├── requirements.txt                           # Python dependencies
├── .env.example                               # Configuration template
├── .env                                       # Your credentials (keep private!)
├── scripts/                                   # Cross-platform daemon scripts
│   ├── install.sh                            # Universal installer (detects OS)
│   ├── status.sh                             # Universal status checker  
│   ├── uninstall.sh                          # Universal uninstaller
│   ├── macos/                                # macOS-specific files
│   │   ├── install.sh                        # macOS daemon installer
│   │   ├── uninstall.sh                      # macOS daemon uninstaller
│   │   ├── status.sh                         # macOS status checker
│   │   └── README.md                         # macOS documentation
│   ├── windows/                              # Windows-specific files
│   │   ├── install.ps1                      # Windows PowerShell installer
│   │   ├── uninstall.ps1                    # Windows PowerShell uninstaller
│   │   ├── status.ps1                       # Windows PowerShell status checker
│   │   ├── install.bat                      # Windows batch wrapper
│   │   ├── uninstall.bat                    # Windows batch wrapper
│   │   ├── status.bat                       # Windows batch wrapper
│   │   └── README.md                        # Windows documentation
│   └── linux/                                # Linux-specific files (coming soon)
│       └── README.md                         # Linux documentation
├── logs/                                      # Daemon log files (created by installer)
│   ├── trakt-discord.log                     # Application output
│   └── trakt-discord-error.log               # Error messages
└── README.md                                  # This file

🤝 Contributing

Found a bug or want to add a feature?

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b my-new-feature
3. Make your changes and test them
4. Submit a pull request

⚠️ Security Note

Never share your .env file or commit it to version control! It contains your secret API keys.

The .env file is already in .gitignore to prevent accidental commits.

📄 License

This project is open source. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute!

🆘 Support

Having issues?

1. Check the troubleshooting section above
2. Search existing GitHub issues
3. Create a new issue with:
   • Your operating system
   • Python version (python3 --version or python --version)
   • Error messages (remove any API keys first!)

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Enjoy showing off what you're watching! 🍿