A developer has published an open-source Discord bot on GitHub that keeps track of upcoming anime for individual users and entire servers. According to the project's repository page, the bot notifies subscribers when a release date changes, when a new episode airs, or when a season finishes. The project, titled Anime Announcer Discord Bot and hosted under the account bmisz, was listed on GitHub with a date of 12 October 2026. It is aimed at communities that want shared alerts about the shows they follow, rather than checking release calendars by hand.
What the bot does
The repository describes the tool as a Discord bot for following anime that you and your server care about. Users add titles they want to watch for, and the bot watches for updates on their behalf. When something changes, it posts a message to the relevant people, so a server can rely on one channel for scheduling news.
The README also highlights informational panels for any show. These are summaries of what the bot currently knows about a title, which can help members decide whether a series is worth following before they subscribe.
How the tracking works
The bot relies on the AniList API to monitor changes. AniList is an online anime and manga tracking service with a public programming interface that developers can query for information about titles, airing status and episode schedules. By polling that data, the bot can detect when something in the database has shifted and then pass the update along to the people tracking the show.
This approach means the bot is only as current as the data it reads. If AniList updates a release date, the bot can report the change, but the project's documentation does not explain how often it checks for updates or how quickly alerts are sent. Server administrators who depend on exact timing should test the bot before relying on it for time-sensitive announcements.
Setting it up
The repository gives two main routes for running the bot. Both start in the same place: the developer creates an application in the Discord Developer Portal, then copies the bot token from the 'Bot' section.
Docker Compose
- Create an application in the Discord Developer Portal and copy the bot token.
- Paste the token into the docker-compose.yml file.
- Find the ID of the Discord channel where the bot should post announcements.
Systemd
- Clone the repository to any directory on the host machine.
- Create a service file, such as animebot.service, in a systemd configuration directory. The README's example places it under /etc/systemd/system/.
- Fill in the User and ExecStart fields to match the local setup.
For a non-Docker installation, the README says the token should go into a .env file in the cloned directory, using the provided .env.example as a template. It also notes that the .env approach is intended for systemd setups, while Docker users should place the token directly in docker-compose.yml.
Commands for everyday use
Once the bot is running, members interact with it through text commands. The README lists the following:
- !info {id | name} shows the current information known about a show.
- !track {id | name} adds a show to the database and starts checking the API for updates.
- !untrack {id | name} removes a show from tracking.
- !list displays the shows the user who sent the command is currently tracking.
- !toggle_reminders {id | name} turns reminders on or off for a currently airing show for that user.
- !ping returns the current ping in milliseconds.
- !shutdown stops the bot.
The commands accept either an AniList ID or a show name, which gives users flexibility when a title has several similar entries. The reminder feature is limited to shows that are currently releasing, so it will not apply to completed series.
What readers should keep in mind
The repository is a community project, and the README is brief. It does not include detailed documentation on permissions beyond the setup steps, rate limits, hosting requirements or how the bot handles errors from the AniList service. Anyone considering a deployment should read the full repository, review the code and check the Discord permissions the bot requests before adding it to a server.
Even so, the project addresses a practical need. Anime release schedules often shift because of production delays, broadcast changes or late announcements, and fans can miss those updates when they are spread across websites and social feeds. A single bot that posts changes to a shared channel offers a simple way to keep a community informed.
The project's future will depend on whether the developer keeps the code current and whether users find the alerts reliable enough to rely on. For now, it is a clear example of how public anime databases and Discord's bot framework can be combined into a lightweight notification tool.
Related: Lightweight Server Monitoring: Beszel Adds Docker Stats and Alerts · Termix: Free Self-Hosted Server Management Platform Built on Plugins
Comments (0)