Avi: is there an api for setting my Discord Avatar? the avatar is presented clipped to a circle. Could one write an app for instance that set it to a watch face showing the current time? Claude: Yes, Discord has an API that allows you to update your user avatar. The avatar is indeed displayed in a circular clip, but the image itself is square - Discord just applies the circular mask in the UI. You could definitely create an app that updates your avatar to show the current time! Here's a high-level approach: Use Discord's REST API - specifically the PATCH /users/@me endpoint The avatar must be sent as a base64-encoded image string You'd need to create an app with a user token that has the proper permissions Let me show you a basic example of how this could work: javascript const updateAvatar = async (imageBase64) => { const response = await fetch('https://discord.com/api/v10/users/@me', { method: 'PATCH', headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bot YOUR_TOKEN', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ avatar: `data:image/png;base64,${imageBase64}` }) }); return response.json(); }; For the watch face part, you could: Create a canvas element Draw your watch face design with the current time Convert the canvas to a base64 PNG Call the Discord API to update the avatar However, there are a few important considerations: Discord has rate limits on how often you can update your avatar (typically a few times per hour) Running this too frequently could get your account flagged You'd need to create a Discord application and get the proper tokens Would you like me to show you a more complete example of how to generate the watch face image? Avi: i've created a discord app before which ran a bot. this should be easier since it doesnt need to interact, or take any channel input. nor does it need access to any channels Claude: Yes, this would be simpler than a bot in many ways! You just need application permission to modify the user profile (which includes the avatar). Here's a more complete example of how you could implement this: javascript const { createCanvas } = require('canvas'); const fetch = require('node-fetch'); // Create a function to generate the watch face function generateWatchFace() { const canvas = createCanvas(512, 512); // Discord prefers 512x512 const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d'); // Clear canvas with a transparent background ctx.clearRect(0, 0, 512, 512); // Get current time const now = new Date(); const hours = now.getHours(); const minutes = now.getMinutes(); // Draw watch face background (white circle) ctx.beginPath(); ctx.arc(256, 256, 250, 0, Math.PI * 2); ctx.fillStyle = 'white'; ctx.fill(); // Draw hour markers for (let i = 0; i < 12; i++) { const angle = (i * Math.PI / 6) - Math.PI / 2; const x1 = 256 + Math.cos(angle) * 230; const y1 = 256 + Math.sin(angle) * 230; ctx.beginPath(); ctx.moveTo(x1, y1); ctx.lineTo( 256 + Math.cos(angle) * 250, 256 + Math.sin(angle) * 250 ); ctx.lineWidth = 8; ctx.stroke(); } // Draw hands // Hour hand const hourAngle = (hours % 12 + minutes / 60) * Math.PI / 6 - Math.PI / 2; ctx.beginPath(); ctx.moveTo(256, 256); ctx.lineTo( 256 + Math.cos(hourAngle) * 150, 256 + Math.sin(hourAngle) * 150 ); ctx.lineWidth = 12; ctx.stroke(); // Minute hand const minuteAngle = minutes * Math.PI / 30 - Math.PI / 2; ctx.beginPath(); ctx.moveTo(256, 256); ctx.lineTo( 256 + Math.cos(minuteAngle) * 200, 256 + Math.sin(minuteAngle) * 200 ); ctx.lineWidth = 8; ctx.stroke(); return canvas.toBuffer(); } async function updateDiscordAvatar() { const imageBuffer = generateWatchFace(); const base64Image = imageBuffer.toString('base64'); try { const response = await fetch('https://discord.com/api/v10/users/@me', { method: 'PATCH', headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bot YOUR_TOKEN', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ avatar: `data:image/png;base64,${base64Image}` }) }); if (!response.ok) { throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`); } console.log('Avatar updated successfully'); } catch (error) { console.error('Error updating avatar:', error); } } // Update every hour setInterval(updateDiscordAvatar, 60 * 60 * 1000); A few important notes: You'll need to install the canvas package (npm install canvas) Discord's rate limits for avatar updates are roughly per hour, so updating more frequently isn't recommended Make sure to replace 'YOUR_TOKEN' with your actual Discord token The watch design could be made much fancier with gradients, shadows, or different styles Would you like me to explain any part of this in more detail or help you enhance the watch face design? Avi: lets workshop the creative side. i mentioned the clockface as an example. it'd be a cute hack. but what i actually have in mind is some kind of "status" display. My avatar is a sea tortoise attached here. it's been exactly the same for a couple years. i was thinking of a subtle change first like flipping horizontally. and then get more overt as time passes. maybe the turtle can have a lightbulb over its head, or various emojis to show its mood. Claude: That's a creative idea! Using your avatar as a dynamic status indicator while maintaining its core identity as a sea turtle would be quite clever. Let me suggest some progression ideas: Subtle variations: Horizontal flip (as you mentioned) Slight color tint shifts (maybe bluer for "busy", warmer for "available") Minor rotations (turtle looking slightly up or down) Medium changes: Adding small background elements (like bubbles) Changing the circular frame (like ripple effects) Simple overlays (like a "zzz" for away status) Small accessories (tiny headphones, reading glasses) More overt signals: Thought/speech bubble with simple emoji Light effects (your lightbulb idea) Weather indicators (little rain cloud, sun) Time-of-day variations (stars/moon for night mode) The key would be maintaining the turtle's recognizable silhouette while adding these elements. Since Discord avatars are displayed fairly small, any added elements would need to be bold enough to be visible at that scale. Would you like me to sketch out how we could implement one of these variations? We could start with something simple like the horizontal flip and then build up to more complex modifications. Avi: the user side can just be that i create the images manually and put them in a folder. i'm on mac. then a shell command that sets the avatar to a given image file. Claude: Ah yes, that's a much simpler approach! Let's break it down: First, create a folder of your avatar variations: bash mkdir ~/turtle_avatars Create a simple script that uses curl to update the Discord avatar. You'll need your Discord token and to read the image file. Here's how that might look: bash #!/bin/bash # Usage: ./set_avatar.sh path/to/image.png IMAGE_PATH=$1 TOKEN="your_discord_token" # Read image and convert to base64 BASE64_IMAGE=$(base64 -i "$IMAGE_PATH") # Send to Discord API curl -X PATCH "https://discord.com/api/v10/users/@me" \ -H "Authorization: Bot $TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d "{\"avatar\": \"data:image/png;base64,$BASE64_IMAGE\"}" Then you could just call: bash ./set_avatar.sh ~/turtle_avatars/turtle_thinking.png For your image variations, you could use Preview.app or any image editor to create them, saving each variation. Some ideas: turtle_normal.png - your current image turtle_flipped.png - horizontally flipped version turtle_lightbulb.png - with added lightbulb turtle_sleep.png - with Zzz's etc. Would you like me to refine the script further or add any error handling? Avi: in uploading with that curl command are you saying i dont need an app running, but there's a simple user API for setting avatar? Claude: No, sorry for any confusion - you still need a Discord application and token. There isn't a simple user API - Discord specifically prevents that for security reasons. You'll need to: Create a Discord application in the Developer Portal Get an OAuth2 token with the proper scopes (likely the identity scope) Use that token in the API calls I was a bit imprecise in my previous response with Bot $TOKEN - that's actually for bot accounts. For a user-level change like this, you'll need the proper OAuth2 token and the right scopes/permissions. The overall approach of having a folder of images is still good, but we'll need to wrap it in a proper Discord application authentication flow. Would you like me to show you how to set that up correctly? Avi: i retired my previous discord app & bot - meaning i stopped running it, but it's still valid as far as i know. can i reuse its token? Claude: If you still have the token for your previous Discord app/bot, you could potentially reuse it, but there are a few important points: If it's a bot token (starts with "Bot "), it won't work for changing user avatars, as bot tokens can only perform bot-related actions If the token was ever compromised or you shared it publicly, you should definitely create a new one If you deleted the application from the Discord Developer Portal, the old token would no longer be valid The safest approach would be to: Go to the Discord Developer Portal Check if your old application is still there Either generate a new token for that application or create a new application Make sure you have the correct permissions scoped for user profile modifications Would you like me to walk you through setting up the correct token and permissions in the Developer Portal?