Frequently Asked Questions¶

Installation¶

What Go version do I need?¶

Dexter requires Go 1.25 or later. Check with go version.

Can I run Dexter alongside PoracleJS?¶

Yes, but they should use different databases and different bot tokens. They can both receive webhooks from the same scanner — just add both endpoints to your scanner's webhook config.

How do I validate my config file?¶

Dexter validates the config on startup. If the file is invalid, it will log the error and exit. Config files support JSON with comments (JSONC).

Configuration¶

How do I test geocoding?¶

Set up a tracking filter and trigger an alert. The alert should include address information if geocoding is configured correctly. Check the logs for geocoding errors.

What's the difference between `locale` and `language`?¶

general.locale — the primary language for the bot (e.g. "en", "de")
locale.language — the secondary/"alt" language for DTS templates (allows showing names in two languages)

How do I increase throughput?¶

Add worker bot tokens: discord.token: ["main", "worker1", "worker2"]
Increase processing workers: tuning.webhookProcessingWorkers
Increase concurrent destinations: tuning.concurrentDiscordDestinationsPerBot
Ensure tuning.fastMonsters is true (default)

Tracking¶

Why am I not receiving alerts?¶

Check you're registered (/start)
Check you have a location set (/profile location set)
Check you have active filters (/filters show)
Verify the alerts aren't being suppressed by quiet hours
Check the bot has permission to DM you (Discord privacy settings)

How does distance tracking work?¶

When you set a location and specify a distance on a tracking command, Dexter only sends alerts for events within that radius of your location. If you don't specify a distance, it defaults to tracking.defaultDistance (0 = unlimited, area-based only).

What does "everything" do?¶

The everything keyword in tracking commands matches all Pokemon/raids/etc. Use with caution — it can generate a lot of alerts. The admin can control this with tracking.everythingFlagPermissions.

How do I track PvP Pokemon?¶

Use the PvP options on /pokemon:

/pokemon pokemon:Azumarill pvp_league:Great pvp_ranks:1-50

See PvP Tracking for configuration.

Operations¶

How do I check if Dexter is healthy?¶

Check the logs for regular webhook processing activity. The process should show steady memory usage without growth.

How do I back up user data?¶

Back up your MySQL/MariaDB database regularly. The humans and tracking tables contain all user configuration.

Can I run multiple instances?¶

Yes, for different communities or servers. Each instance needs its own database and bot token.

How do I handle duplicate alerts?¶

Dexter deduplicates incoming webhooks automatically. If you're seeing duplicates, check that your scanner isn't sending the same webhook to Dexter twice.

Migration¶

I'm migrating from PoracleJS — is the database compatible?¶

Dexter uses the same database schema as PoracleJS. In most cases you can point Dexter at an existing PoracleJS database. See Migration Guide for details.

Can I reuse my PoracleJS tileserver templates?¶

Yes — set "tileserverTemplatePrefix": "poracle-" to use your existing templates without renaming them.