# New users: error starting Discobot tutorial
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** discobot
**Created:** [July 31, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380 "2024-07-31T02:50:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/1 "2024-07-31T02:50:45Z")
_EDIT – before anyone reads further: this problem was only with a link I’d added within text to start the Discobot tutorial via PM. I had created a conflict for user levels lacking permission to **initiate** PMs – but everyone can **receive** the tutorial PM from Discobot that appears in their notifications. I’ve deleted the unneeded link. Thanks to Hawk for helping me understand this._
===
I learned that new users were getting an error when clicking “Send message” to begin the first step of the Discobot tutorial.
I’d had “personal message enabled groups” limiting PMs to trust\_level\_1 (which I believe I had changed from default.)
Updating this to trust\_level\_0 allows new users to start the tutorial:
My question: shouldn’t the Discobot be accessible to any user, regardless of this PM setting? I’d still kind of like to restrict TL0 users from sending PMs to other users.
Is there a different setting elsewhere that I should have looked at instead?
---
### Author:  [@HAWK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/HAWK)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 3:56am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/2 "2024-07-31T03:56:02Z")
I don’t _think_ that’s actually the issue because that setting doesn’t stop people responding to existing messages. Our setting here on Meta is:
…and new users can use the tutorial.
What error were they getting when they tried to respond before you changed it?
---
### Author:  [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 4:17am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/3 "2024-07-31T04:17:18Z")
With PM limited to trust\_level\_1, this is the error I see for a new test user registered via Google login:
---
### Author:  [@HAWK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/HAWK)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 4:22am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/4 "2024-07-31T04:22:57Z")
Are you talking about [forum.tasat.org](https://forum.tasat.org/)? If so, I just signed up for a new account and have successfully responded to discobot.
---
### Author:  [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 5:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/5 "2024-07-31T05:25:26Z")
I am, thank you. Did you get into the tutorial via the notifications panel?
I’ve just found that starting the tutorial from the notifications panel does work. The thing that leads to an error is the tutorial link on our [About](https://forum.tasat.org/about) page, which I took from [elsewhere on Meta](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-arent-starting-the-discobot-tutorial/62995/88):
```plaintext
/new-message?username=discobot&title=Discobot%20Tutorial&body=%40discobot%20start%20tutorial%0A%0AHit%20the%20%27Message%27%20button%20below%20to%20launch%20the%20basic%20tutorial%20with%20our%20chatbot.
```
On clicking “Send message” here, the error appears:
Perhaps this link format/method is outdated..? Is there something else I could use here?
---
### Author:  [@HAWK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/HAWK)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 6:26am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/6 "2024-07-31T06:26:24Z")
> [@ToddZ](#):
>
> Did you get into the tutorial via the notifications panel?
I clicked the green PM notification on my avatar, which is how we assume people generally find it.
> [@ToddZ](#):
>
> I’ve just found that starting the tutorial from the notifications panel does work. The thing that leads to an error is the tutorial link on our [About](https://forum.tasat.org/about) page, which I took from [elsewhere on Meta](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-arent-starting-the-discobot-tutorial/62995/88):
Ah yeah – that’s the issue. That is bypassing the logic that allows people to respond to but not start a PM. I’d change that up on your About page to say something like “New users can get an interactive walk-through of forum features by clicking on the green notification on their avatar when they join” or similar. Alternatively, remove it altogether because the new user tips will guide them there automatically.
---
### Author:  [@ToddZ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ToddZ)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/7 "2024-07-31T16:37:39Z")
Thanks, Hawk – appreciate your time and responses!
I’d added that link early on because it seemed harmless, but I didn’t understand the implications of initiating a PM vs. responding to one. I’ve removed it & will rely on the user tips for now.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/new-users-error-starting-discobot-tutorial/319380/8 "2024-08-30T16:38:37Z")
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.