Build your own FounderLoop

How we wired FounderLoop to Switch, in the order we set it up. If you’re new to Switch, start with the quickstart: it gets one agent answering in a chat channel in about ten minutes.

1. Run a Switch server

   Install Switch Console or run Switch’s published Docker Compose deployment. FounderLoop uses the standalone Docker server with its Gateway, because the Console-managed local server didn’t expose a registration key for an external agent.

   Getting started

2. Register a custom agent

   Save the agent ID and API key in an ignored .env file.

   Add an agent

3. Connect Discord and Slack

   Attach both bridges to the same server. Map the channel where your users talk and the private founder, product, sales and support channels to rooms, and invite the agent.

   Discord setup · Slack setup

4. Fill in Switch room IDs

   Use Switch room IDs, not Slack or Discord channel IDs. Take your own Switch sender ID from a real message you send in the founder room.

   SWITCH_SOURCE_ROOM_IDS=...
   SWITCH_FOUNDER_ROOM_ID=...
   SWITCH_PRODUCT_ROOM_ID=...
   FOUNDER_SWITCH_SENDER_ID=...

5. Open the agent connection

   Bearer-authenticated WebSocket with scope=all and filter=all. Store the cursor so a restart resumes, and answer ping with pong.

   Agent connection

6. Run FounderLoop

   The demo needs no Switch server or credentials. npm run live starts the real agent once rooms are configured.

   npm ci
   npm test             # 30 tests
   npm run demo:product # Product-only walkthrough
   npm run demo         # all three categories
   npm run live         # real agent (needs .env)

What tripped us up

• Don’t run one bot token on two servers. If Slack or Discord is attached to another Switch server, stop it first or use separate test apps.
• Room IDs aren’t channel IDs. Switch room IDs, Slack channel IDs and Slack user IDs are all different values.
• Generic events may not carry native IDs. If you need a link to the exact source message, check what your events actually contain first.
• Control frames nest their fields. Connection state and ping arrive as {event, data}.
• Don’t blindly retry posts. A timeout could mean the post landed. FounderLoop marks it uncertain instead of sending twice.

FounderLoop is open source: GitHub. Built on Switch for the Flip the Switch hackathon.