After connecting your Discord server and configuring your AI provider, you should test Novus AI before making it available to your entire community.
Testing helps confirm that your Discord permissions, AI configuration, Knowledge Base, routing, and response settings are working correctly.
Step 1: Check the Bot Status
Open your Discord server and make sure Novus AI is present and available.
If the bot appears offline or is no longer a member of the server, check your Novus AI dashboard and server connection before continuing.
Step 2: Choose a Test Channel
Use a Discord channel where Novus AI has permission to:
View the channel
Read messages
Send messages
Read message history
Using a dedicated test channel is recommended while you are still configuring your assistant.
This allows you to test different settings without affecting normal community conversations.
Step 3: Send a Basic Test Message
Start with a simple question or greeting.
For example:
Hello Novus, can you help me?
If your configuration requires the bot to be mentioned, mention Novus AI when sending your test message.
The bot should receive your message and generate an appropriate response using your configured AI provider.
Step 4: Test Your AI Instructions
Send questions that allow you to verify whether Novus AI is following the behavior you configured.
Check whether the assistant:
Uses the expected tone
Follows your custom instructions
Responds in the appropriate language
Avoids information it was instructed not to provide
Follows your configured fallback or escalation behavior
If the response does not match your intended behavior, review your AI instructions and test again.
Step 5: Test Your Knowledge Base
If you have already added Knowledge Base information, ask Novus AI questions that can be answered using that information.
Use questions similar to what real members might ask.
For example, if your Knowledge Base contains information about your community rules, ask a question about one of those rules.
Check whether the response accurately reflects the information you provided.
If the answer is missing or incorrect, review the relevant Knowledge Base content and make sure the information is clear and complete.
Step 6: Test AI Routing
If you have configured multiple AI routes, test questions that belong to each route.
For example, if you have separate routes for general support and technical support, send questions related to both topics.
Verify that Novus AI identifies the appropriate route and follows the instructions associated with that route.
If messages are frequently being routed incorrectly, improve the route descriptions so the AI can distinguish between them more clearly.
Step 7: Test Different Languages
If your community is multilingual, try asking the same or similar questions in different languages.
Verify that Novus AI understands the question and responds appropriately based on your configured language behavior.
This is especially useful before deploying the assistant to communities with members from different regions.
Step 8: Test Your Response Settings
Verify when Novus AI responds to Discord messages.
If you configured mention-only responses, try sending:
A normal message without mentioning the bot
A message that directly mentions Novus AI
Confirm that the assistant responds only under the conditions you configured.
Step 9: Review the Response
Do not only check whether Novus AI responded.
Also check the quality of the response.
A successful test should confirm that:
The bot responds in the correct channel.
The AI provider is working.
The response follows your instructions.
Knowledge Base information is used correctly.
The correct AI route is selected.
Language behavior works as expected.
Discord permissions are configured correctly.
If Novus AI Does Not Respond
If you do not receive a response, check the most common causes:
Make sure Novus AI is online and still installed on your Discord server.
Check the bot's Discord channel permissions.
Verify that you are testing in a configured channel.
Check whether mention-only mode is enabled.
Verify your AI provider and API key.
Make sure the selected AI model is available.
Check your AI provider's usage limits or quota.
Review your server and AI configuration.
Test again after correcting the configuration.
Continue Improving Your Assistant
A successful test means your basic Novus AI setup is working.
You can now continue building your assistant by adding more Knowledge Base information, improving AI instructions, creating specialized routes, configuring moderation, enabling translation, and adjusting other features available to your server.
Your initial setup is complete.
Continue to the AI Configuration documentation to learn how to customize your assistant's behavior in more detail.