Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure that you have:

• LND up and running on your node

• Two email accounts

  • One for you, as the bot's owner. We'll call this owner@email.com.
  • One for the bot. Let's call this bot@email.com.

  Any email provider will do, as long as they offer IMAP and SMTP access. For good response times and a smooth interaction with your bot, see performance tips.

On your node

Let's set up the bot.

1. Install Oak on your node

   • If you're running Citadel or Umbrel, get it from their app store. Other installation options are described here.

2. Configure bot email account (bot@email.com)

   • In the Oak UI, go to the Bot tab and enter the bot's email credentials.
     • For most well known providers, you only need the username and password. If that fails, or if you're using a paid provider, also put in the SMTP and IMAP servers.

3. Restart Oak

   • On Citadel or Umbrel, this means restarting the entire node

4. Keep the bot's invite QR code ready

   • After the restart, navigate to the Bot tab in the Oak UI. The page will show a so-called DeltaChat invite QR code. It helps your DeltaChat phone app (setup in the next step) to establish a secure end-to-end encrypted email communication channel to the bot.

On your phone

Now let's set up a way to talk to the bot.

1. Get DeltaChat

   • This is a chat-over-email app we'll use to talk to the bot. It's available on all major app stores (iOS, Android, F-Droid).

2. Configure DeltaChat

   • Start the app and login with the credentials of the email account (owner@email.com)

3. Pair your account with the bot

   • In the DeltaChat app, go to QR Code > Scan QR Code
   • Scan the invite QR code shown by the bot in the previous section

4. After a few seconds, you will be notified that the bot's email address is verified. Pairing is complete.

Done!

At this point, you can communicate securely with your bot through this chat window.

Send h or help to get a list of the supported commands.

See here for more infos about the bot.