Introducing the r/NEO GasBot

GasBot is a new service developed by NNT which aims to lower the barrier to entry for the Neo ecosystem. Users can control their own accounts on the GasBot through supported social platforms, gaining access to core Neo N3 wallet functionality without needing to download any software or save private keys. 

Important: GasBot is not an alternative to a non-custodial wallet and should not be used to store large amounts of tokens. Our vision for its application is to provide a way to activate new Neo users, and to provide an initial stepping stone to the wallets, applications, and benefits of the Neo ecosystem.

About GasBot

GasBot was created in response to a request from a Neo subreddit member for a GAS tipping service that worked on the Reddit platform. Over time, we hope to expand the number of supported social platforms and increase the range of functionality that the bot can provide to the Neo ecosystem.

The GAS tipping service aligns closely with the motivations driving the GasBot project—activating new users of the Neo ecosystem and encouraging a sharing culture that rewards contributors for their efforts. With GasBot, any Reddit account can become a full-fledged Neo blockchain user, whether as a result of a small act of charity or as compensation for helpful information which the tipper found beneficial.

Each account in GasBot has its own address and balance, which can be controlled by the user through a list of supported commands performed in Reddit comments on /r/NEO. The service is custodial, with all wallets managed by GasBot. Setting up two-factor authentication and a recovery email for any Reddit account used with the bot is recommended, as losing control of the Reddit account means losing control of the corresponding GasBot account.

In its initial form, the bot supports only the N3 GAS token, which can be tipped in response to a comment or post on the Neo subreddit or directly sent to a user-defined address. This feature opens the possibility for the GasBot’s use with N3 smart contracts, via the onNep17Payment function, and simplifies the process of transferring GAS to an exchange.

Users can also deposit GAS to their GasBot account in order to increase the balance available for tipping, or withdraw their full balance to another wallet for safe keeping.

To get started, follow the guide below. To learn about what we have planned for the GasBot in the future, head to the roadmap section.

Getting started

GasBot works by listening to new posts and comments made in the Neo subreddit. To summon the bot and access its functionality, you can use supported commands inside comments on any post in the Neo subreddit. You can now also send commands as direct messages to the /u/gas_bot account; all commands except tip are supported.

GasBot attaches no additional fees for the services rendered to users. The only fees involved are the normal network and system fees applied when performing the transaction on the Neo N3 blockchain.

When tipping or sending GAS, the bot will attempt to send the full amount specified to the user or address, rather than sending the specified amount minus the blockchain fees. Since these fees come out of the user’s GasBot balance, you’ll need to leave a little overhead to account for fees when triggering a transaction—you won’t be able to tip your entire balance without leaving some GAS to pay the fees.

Here’s the current command list:

1. Getting help

The help command is a good entrypoint for any new GasBot user. Using it will retrieve the latest help information and an up-to-date command list.

I’ve typed !help inside this comment, so the bot should reply to this post with some helpful usage instructions.

2. Creating an account

If a user receives a tip but doesn’t have an account, one will be created for them to access. For everyone else, the create command can be used to manually open an N3 wallet for the Reddit account.

!create - I just made my own GasBot account.

3. Depositing GAS for use with GasBot

If you’ve received a tip from another GasBot user, you’ll already have a starting balance which you can use to tip other users or send elsewhere. If your account is empty, you’ll need to deposit some GAS to your personal GasBot account. The deposit command will send the Reddit user a private message containing their personal N3 public address for the bot.

!deposit getting ready to send some tips!

4. Checking your balance

Whether you deposited GAS yourself or have received tips already, you will now have a balance in your GasBot account. You can get the latest numbers with the balance command.

I wonder how my GasBot !balance is looking..

5. Tipping a user

The core functionality of GasBot for now is tipping. You can perform a tip by replying to any post or comment in the Neo subreddit with the tip command, specifying an amount of GAS to send the author. You can tip any Reddit user this way—if they don't have a GasBot account, one will be created for them.

This was a really useful post, thank you for sharing it !tip 0.1

Sending GAS directly

Tipping is nice, but sometimes you may need to make a proper transfer to another N3 address. For this purpose, we have the send command. Designate the amount of GAS to send and the recipient address, and the GasBot will perform the transaction.

This functionality becomes a lot more powerful when combined with the onNep17Payment method of smart contracts, especially as other Neo N3 tokens become supported in GasBot. It will make it possible to interact with compatible contracts without needing a dedicated Neo wallet.

Wow, 10 GAS from tips in the subreddit. I’ll keep half for tipping others, and send the rest to an exchange to buy NEO with :) !send NcCqY4PQCdTBKjn4v2XTAZGUQFBDMHxjKx 5

7. Withdrawing GAS

The withdraw command works in a similar way to the send command, in that the user has to specify an address to withdraw their GAS to. Withdraw is used to empty a GasBot account by sending the full GAS balance to the provided address. To send a partial amount to a given address, use the send command instead.

That’s enough tipping for me for now, and my balance is still pretty big. Time to move my balance to a non-custodial wallet like Neon: !withdraw Naebbz6nHckijeEbWjSJCYnMVYZREr6Leq

Roadmap

GasBot has begun its life as a tipping service, but we have a lot more planned. Take a look at our priorities for future updates below.

Private message support

The ability to interact and execute commands from the GasBot in private messages.

Discord and Telegram integrations

The ability to send and receive tips in Neo Discord and Telegram communities.

Custom NEP-17 and NEP-11 token support

The ability to use the GasBot to send NFTs and other non-GAS tokens.

Metadata in send

Enables more advanced smart contract interaction with onNep17Payment and other applications.

New utilities (giveaway command, etc.)

Additional functionality providing more unique ways to interact with the GasBot.