Preparing a ZIP archive for your bot

You need a ZIP archive to upload your bot code. Here is how to create one on each device, what to leave out, and the limits.

Steps

Zipping on Windows

Right-click the project folder → "Send to" → "Compressed (zipped) folder". Tip: open the folder, select all the files and zip them — otherwise the archive will contain an extra nested folder (not a problem, but be aware of it).

Zipping on macOS

Select the folder in Finder, right-click → "Compress". macOS sometimes adds a __MACOSX service folder — don't worry, Botxona ignores it automatically.

Zipping on Android

Select the folder in an app such as "Files" or "ZArchiver" and tap "Compress" (Zip).

Zipping on iPhone

In the Files app, press and hold the folder → "Compress". If your code is somewhere else (e.g. Google Drive), download it to Files first, then compress it.

What to leave out of the archive

It is not a problem if the following end up in the archive — the system removes or ignores them automatically:

• .env — deleted automatically (so tokens don't leak). Settings go into the dashboard, not the ZIP (Environment variables).
• venv/, .venv/, node_modules/, vendor/ (Go), __pycache__/, .git/ — skipped; they only bloat the archive, so don't include them.

Limits

Zipping with a single outer folder (e.g. mybot/mybot/main.py) is fine — the system detects the inner structure automatically.

Alternative: GitHub

Instead of a ZIP, you can provide a link to a public GitHub repository — no need to re-upload every time, and on the Pro/Business plans the bot redeploys automatically on push. Details: Connecting via GitHub. Only public repositories are supported — if you give a private repo link, the system rejects it with a clear error message.

Next step

Once the archive is ready: check that it follows the 6 rules, then upload it and read the check results.