Introduction
Managing a homelab can get messy fast. Between system updates, backups, and service failures, I was getting alerts from multiple sources—Discord, email, text—making it hard to keep track of everything. I needed a central notification system, so I decided to build a Discord bot to handle all my homelab alerts.
Originally, my bot was flavored as a servo-skull from Warhammer 40K, but that got stale over time. I wanted something more fun, engaging, and with a bit of personality. Inspired by the aesthetic of uwu-underground, I decided to create Net-chan, a cute anime-style server assistant with a stubborn and proud personality. Not only does she keep me informed, but she also makes notifications more enjoyable to receive!
Building Net-chan
I relied on ChatGPT more than usual for this project, mainly because I was experimenting and having fun. However, I still learned a lot about bot development while tweaking her responses and reading through API documentation.
Features
- Webhook Event Handling – Net-chan listens for webhook events like:
- update – Notifies me when my homelab systems receive updates.
- sync – Alerts me when my file sync processes complete.
- backup – Confirms my automated backups ran successfully.
- unraid – Keeps track of my Unraid server status.
- failure – Warns me when something goes wrong in my network.
- Snarky Commentary – If a webhook notification comes in that I haven't integrated into her system yet, she playfully reminds me that she could make it cuter.
- Personality-Driven Responses – Net-chan doesn't just deliver messages; she reacts! I built a response bank for various commands to keep interactions fresh and entertaining.
- HuggingFace API Integration – She can fetch cute AI-generated artwork on request, adding a fun visual element to our interactions.
Making Notifications Fun
One of the best things about Net-chan is that she makes my homelab feel alive. Instead of dry, technical logs, I now get messages like:
"Onii-chan! Your backup is done! I worked so hard, praise me! 💕"
Or, when something fails:
"Uwaaa! Something broke again! It wasn't my fault... probably! 😤"
These small touches make managing my network feel a lot more interactive and enjoyable.
What’s Next for Net-chan?
- More Scripts to Connect to – Right now, she mainly handles system-related updates, but I want to integrate her with more services and automation tasks.
- New Interactions – More varied responses, dynamic personality quirks, and maybe even some memory of past conversations so she can pretend to hold grudges.
- Better Personality Interactions – Right now, her replies are random from a response bank, but I’d like her to react a bit more to context.
Final Thoughts
Building Net-chan was a fun way to mix homelab management, automation, and creative flair. While she started as a simple alert bot, she’s evolved into a project that makes my setup more engaging and enjoyable.
If you have ideas on how to improve her or want to try something similar, let me know! I’d love to hear thoughts from other homelab and bot enthusiasts.
Would you ever build a personality-driven bot for your own setup? Let’s chat in the comments! 🚀