Show HN: I put an AI agent on a $7/month VPS with IRC as its transport layer

1. 1
   Provision a Low-Cost VPS and Connect

   Acquire a basic VPS (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 1 CPU, 1GB RAM) from providers like Vultr or DigitalOcean. Once provisioned, use SSH to connect to your server.
2. 2
   Install Python and IRC Library

   Update your system packages, then install Python 3, pip, and the `irc` Python library required for building the bot.
3. 3
   Create the IRC AI Agent Script

   Using a text editor like `nano`, create a new Python file (e.g., `irc_ai_agent.py`) and paste the provided 'Copy-Paste Starter' code into it. This script contains both the simple AI logic and the IRC bot framework.
4. 4
   Configure and Run Your Agent

   Edit the `SERVER`, `CHANNEL`, and `NICKNAME` variables in the `irc_ai_agent.py` script to match your desired IRC network, channel, and bot name. Then, execute the script to start your AI agent.
5. 5
   Ensure Persistent Operation (Optional)

   To keep your AI agent running even after you disconnect from SSH, use a terminal multiplexer like `screen` or `tmux`. Start a new session, run your bot, then detach from the session.

import irc.client
import irc.bot
import time
import datetime

# --- AI Core Logic (simplified for starter) ---
def generate_ai_response(message_content: str) -> str:
    """
    Placeholder for your AI's response generation logic.
    This could call an LLM API or use local processing.
    """
    message_content_lower = message_content.lower()
    if "hello" in message_content_lower:
        return "Hello there! How can I assist you today?"
    elif "time" in message_content_lower:
        return f"The current time is {datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%H:%M:%S')} UTC."
    elif "how are you" in message_content_lower:
        return "I am a bot, functioning optimally!"
    else:
        return f"You said: '{message_content}'. I'm still learning!"

# --- IRC Agent Logic ---
class IRAIAgent(irc.bot.SingleServerIRCBot):
    def __init__(self, channel, nickname, server, port=6667):
        irc.bot.SingleServerIRCBot.__init__(self, [(server, port)], nickname, nickname)
        self.channel = channel
        self.nickname = nickname
        print(f"Connecting to IRC server {server}:{port} as {nickname} in channel {channel}...")

    def on_nicknameinuse(self, c, e):
        c.nick(c.get_nickname() + "_")

    def on_welcome(self, c, e):
        print(f"Connected to {e.source}. Joining channel {self.channel}...")
        c.join(self.channel)

    def on_pubmsg(self, c, e):
        message = e.arguments[0]
        sender_nick = e.source.nick
        # Respond if bot's nickname is mentioned at the start or anywhere in the message
        if message.startswith(self.nickname + ":"):
            query = message[len(self.nickname + ":"):].strip()
            print(f"[{self.channel}] <{sender_nick}> {message}")
            response = generate_ai_response(query)
            c.privmsg(self.channel, f"{sender_nick}: {response}")
        elif self.nickname.lower() in message.lower():
             print(f"[{self.channel}] <{sender_nick}> {message}")
             response = generate_ai_response(message)
             c.privmsg(self.channel, f"{sender_nick}: {response}")

    def on_privmsg(self, c, e):
        message = e.arguments[0]
        sender_nick = e.source.nick
        print(f"[PM] <{sender_nick}> {message}")
        response = generate_ai_response(message)
        c.privmsg(sender_nick, response)

def main():
    # --- Configuration: CHANGE THESE VALUES ---
    SERVER = "irc.libera.chat" # Example IRC server
    PORT = 6667
    CHANNEL = "#your_channel_name" # e.g., "#mybot_test". Must start with '#'
    NICKNAME = "MyAIBot" # Your bot's desired nickname
    # -----------------------------------------

    bot = IRAIAAgent(CHANNEL, NICKNAME, SERVER, PORT)
    try:
        bot.start()
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("\nBot stopped by user.")
    except Exception as ex:
        print(f"An error occurred: {ex}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()