1 files changed, 53 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/dev/README.rst b/dev/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..afff6255
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+Local Development & Testing
+===========================
+
+To test your features locally, there are a few possible approaches:
+
+1. Install your local copy of botcore into a pre-existing project such as bot
+2. Use the provided template from the :repo-file:`dev/bot <dev/bot>` folder
+
+See below for more info on both approaches.
+
+What's going to be common between them is you'll need to write code to test your feature.
+This might mean adding new commands, modifying existing ones, changing utilities, etc.
+The steps below should provide most of the groundwork you need, but the exact requirements will
+vary by the feature you're working on.
+
+
+Option 1
+--------
+1. Navigate to the project you want to install bot-core in, such as bot or sir-lancebot
+2. Run ``pip install /path/to/botcore`` in the project's environment
+
+   - The path provided to install should be the root directory of this project on your machine.
+     That is, the folder which contains the ``pyproject.toml`` file.
+   - Make sure to install in the correct environment. Most Python Discord projects use
+     poetry, so you can run ``poetry run pip install /path/to/botcore``.
+
+3. You can now use features from your local bot-core changes.
+   To load new changes, run the install command again.
+
+
+Option 2
+--------
+1. Copy the :repo-file:`bot template folder <dev/bot>` to the root of the bot-core project.
+   This copy is going to be git-ignored, so you're free to modify it however you like.
+2. Run the project
+
+   - Locally: You can run it on your system using ``python -m bot``
+   - Docker: You can run on docker using ``docker compose up -d bot``.
+
+3. Configure the environment variables used by the program.
+   You can set them in an ``.env`` file in the project root directory. The variables are:
+
+   - ``TOKEN`` (required): Discord bot token, with all intents enabled
+   - ``GUILD_ID`` (required): The guild the bot should monitor
+   - ``PREFIX``: The prefix to use for invoking bot commands. Defaults to mentions and ``!``
+   - ``ALLOWED_ROLES``: A comma seperated list of role IDs which the bot is allowed to mention
+
+4. You can now test your changes. You do not need to do anything to reinstall the
+   library if you modify your code.
+
+.. tip::
+   The docker-compose included contains services from our other applications
+   to help you test out certain features. Use them as needed.