Interaction Flow Keeper

Skill: interaction-flow-keeper

Use this skill when work touches:

• src/Discord/Parts/Interactions/*
• src/Discord/WebSockets/Events/InteractionCreate.php
• application command registration or autocomplete routing
• modal or component interaction response behavior

This is typed-interaction flow skill. Load it when work affects how interactions are received, interpreted, routed, or answered.

Goal

Keep interactions as a coherent pipeline:

• gateway payload enters through InteractionCreate
• payload is typed into correct interaction subclass
• resolved data warms caches
• registered command callbacks route correctly
• response builders and helpers stay aligned with interaction protocol

Read in this order

1. src/Discord/Parts/Interactions/Interaction.php
2. src/Discord/WebSockets/Events/InteractionCreate.php
3. src/Discord/Helpers/RegisteredCommand.php
4. Related request data parts under src/Discord/Parts/Interactions/Request/*
5. Outbound builders:
   • src/Discord/Builders/CommandBuilder.php
   • src/Discord/Builders/ModalBuilder.php
   • component builders when component responses matter
6. Command repositories:
   • src/Discord/Repository/Interaction/GlobalCommandRepository.php
   • src/Discord/Repository/Guild/GuildCommandRepository.php

Core contract

Interaction flow in this repo has two distinct sides:

Inbound

• gateway dispatch handled by InteractionCreate
• Interaction::TYPES chooses concrete subtype
• nested data is exposed as typed interaction request parts
• resolved users/members/entitlements are cached

Outbound

• interaction response helpers or builders produce protocol-correct payloads
• commands are declared with command builders/repositories
• autocomplete and modal flows use interaction response types and component/modals builders

Do not mix inbound part modeling with outbound builder modeling.

Typing rules

Interaction::TYPES is central

If Discord adds or repo adds support for new interaction type:

1. update Interaction::TYPES
2. add subtype class if needed
3. inspect InteractionCreate
4. inspect builder/response paths if outbound behavior changes too

Resolved data should not stay loose if typed part exists

Interaction and its request data parts should expose:

• users
• members
• channels
• roles
• options

through typed parts or typed collections where repo already has models.

InteractionCreate rules

This handler is latency-sensitive and still responsible for cache correctness.

Preserve these patterns:

• type interaction early
• cache resolved users
• cache resolved members when guild/member context exists
• avoid unnecessarily slow cache lookups that delay interaction handling
• cache entitlements
• route registered command execution/autocomplete callbacks

The handler already overrides some cache behavior to stay fast. Do not "clean it up" into slower generic behavior without understanding timing tradeoffs.

Registered command routing rules

There is an interaction-specific registered command tree in RegisteredCommand.

Keep these facts straight:

• this is separate from prefix-command CommandClient\Command
• Discord::listenCommand() populates application_commands
• InteractionCreate routes slash/autocomplete events into that tree
• RegisteredCommand supports nested subcommand trees
• autocomplete uses suggest()
• execution uses execute()

If change touches application command routing, inspect both:

• Discord::listenCommand() path
• InteractionCreate callback routing path

Resolved data and cache rules

When payload provides users or members:

• warm global user cache
• warm guild member cache when guild is present
• preserve interaction speed by preferring cheap access patterns

When payload provides entitlements:

• sync them into application entitlements repo

Do not assume interaction payload is only for immediate response. It also updates local state for later code.

Performance rules

Interaction code has less patience for extra work than many other gateway paths.

Prefer:

• type from payload
• cache from payload
• direct route to callback

Avoid:

• broad cache scans
• avoidable REST fetches
• generic helper usage if it adds measurable delay in hot path

Outbound response rules

Use builders where they exist

• command definitions: CommandBuilder
• modals: ModalBuilder
• message/component payloads: message/component builders

Keep response type constants as public vocabulary

Interaction defines response type constants. Use them to keep protocol semantics readable.

Modal and component usage constraints matter

If interaction response uses components or modals:

• validate allowed component contexts
• preserve nested type + data response shape

Boundaries to preserve

Interaction system vs prefix command system

They are different layers:

• application commands / autocomplete / modals route through RegisteredCommand and interaction parts
• message-prefix commands route through DiscordCommandClient and CommandClient\Command

Do not unify them by shoving shared semantics into wrong layer. Shared ideas may exist, but execution paths are different.

Interaction part vs message part

An interaction may reference a message, but it is not a message event. Keep response and request semantics on interaction types.

Smells

Stop if you see:

• new interaction type added without Interaction::TYPES update
• resolved data left raw even though typed parts already exist
• application command routing pushed into prefix-command code
• autocomplete logic mixed with normal execute flow in confusing ways
• interaction handler slowed down by broad cache or REST work
• builders bypassed in favor of new raw response arrays for complex payloads

Checklist before commit

• Interaction::TYPES still complete for supported types
• InteractionCreate still types, caches, and routes correctly
• resolved users/members/entitlements handled intentionally
• registered command execution and autocomplete still work through existing tree
• modal/component response behavior stays builder-friendly and protocol-correct
• boundaries with prefix command layer preserved
• docs/tests updated if public interaction behavior changed

Bottom line

Interaction code in this repo is both protocol parsing and fast command routing. Keep it typed, cache-aware, and quick.