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Mini apps are interactive applications that run inside NodeLoc topics — they can be mini games, small tools, or bot-assisted moderation tools. They’re developed by community members, run in a server-side sandbox, can only use approved permissions, and cannot access your account.

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Browsing the Mini App Directory

The “Mini Apps” section of the sidebar lists your apps. Click “Browse more” (or visit /apps directly) to see all published mini apps. Each card shows the author, description, install count, and placement type.
Mini app directory page

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Viewing Details and Permissions

Click a card to open its detail page, where you can see the version, install count, interface type, placement type, and the full permission list — so you know exactly what it can do before opening it.
Mini app detail page showing the permission list

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Using Mini Apps in Topics

Mini apps run inside topics. Click “Open” on the detail page to jump to the topic where it lives and start playing right away:
Snake mini app running in a topic
  • Game scores are verified server-side before entering the leaderboard — the numbers shown on the page don’t count, so the rankings are authentic and trustworthy.
  • There’s a normal discussion area right below the mini app, so you can reply and chat after playing.

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Three Shapes

Carpool Assistant mini app built with native components
| Bot | No interface; installed into a node to do a job | Greeting newcomers, answering FAQs, a daily thread |

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Installing a Bot in Your Own Node

A bot is not placed in a topic — it is installed against an area. If you run a node, you can install one yourself, without asking an admin.
1

Pick one

Find the bot in the mini app directory and open its page.
2

Press Install

Choose which of your nodes it goes into.
3

Tell it what it needs

Some bots need to be told something — a category, a greeting, an API key. The form explains each field.
4

Manage it afterwards

/apps/nodes lists your nodes and the bots running in each. Change the settings or stop one at any time. Stopping only makes it quiet — what it stored stays where it is.
The nodes you run, with how many apps are at work in each
What it can do in your node is exactly what your node’s moderators can do, and no more. In somebody else’s node it can do nothing at all. It can never act on staff or on your node’s moderators — that is enforced by the platform, not chosen by the bot.
A bot speaks under an account of its own, named starting with app_ and carrying the “App accounts” group flair, so it reads as software rather than a person.

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Adding a Mini App to Your Own Topic

Mini apps whose placement type is “can be added to any topic” can be embedded in your own topics: paste the topic link on the detail page and click “Add to Topic”.
Adding a mini app to your own topic
Want to build your own mini app? Mini apps are currently in beta, and development access is granted by user group — contact an admin to get it enabled. Once you have access, see the mini app development docs.