Runtime Lifecycle

Startup Sequence

1. Load env (.env)
2. Load and normalize arcane.config.js
3. Scan and validate command/event/package JSON
4. Create Discord client with mapped intents/partials
5. Login and wait for ready
6. Register slash commands
7. Bind runtime handlers (interactionCreate, messageCreate)
8. Bind configured event listeners from events/**/*.json

Dev Reload Sequence

1. File watcher detects update
2. Project state reloads
3. Slash commands re-register
4. Event listeners are re-bound from current config
5. Existing process keeps running

Failure Modes

• Validation errors: block startup/deploy early
• Missing token: startup fails fast
• Network/DNS failures: login fails, surface error and retry externally