# Gemini Consultation Request — Discord OAuth Integration

**Date:** March 30, 2026  
**From:** Claude (Chronicler #49) + Michael  
**To:** Gemini (Firefrost Gaming Technical Partner)  
**Topic:** Extending The Arbiter bot with Discord OAuth pre-subscription gating

---

## Hey Gemini! 👋

Hope you're doing well! We're working on a cool enhancement to the Firefrost Gaming subscription flow and wanted to get your expert opinion since you built The Arbiter Discord bot that's currently handling our webhook integrations.

## Context: What We're Trying to Solve

**The Problem:**
Right now, someone can subscribe to Firefrost Gaming ($1 Awakened tier or higher) without being in our Discord server. But the actual server IPs are only shared in Discord channels (one channel per game server, role-gated). This creates a support problem: "I paid but where are my servers?"

**Current Flow:**
```
User browses Ghost CMS (firefrostgaming.com)
  → Clicks subscribe on a tier
  → Stripe checkout
  → Ghost webhooks Paymenter
  → Paymenter provisions account
  → (User may or may not be in Discord yet)
```

**What we want:**
Gate the subscription behind Discord OAuth — you must connect your Discord account before you can complete the purchase.

## Technical Architecture (Current State)

### Ghost CMS
- **Location:** 64.50.188.14 (Ghost VPS)
- **Domain:** firefrostgaming.com
- **Version:** Ghost 5.x (Source theme)
- **Role:** Storefront for subscription tiers
- **Webhook:** Sends subscription events to Paymenter

### Paymenter
- **Location:** 38.68.14.188 (Billing VPS)
- **Domain:** billing.firefrostgaming.com
- **Role:** Backend billing system
- **Current webhooks:** Can send to Discord

### The Arbiter Discord Bot
- **Location:** Command Center (63.143.34.217:3500)
- **Tech Stack:** Node.js/Express
- **Current Capabilities:**
  - Admin panel at discord-bot.firefrostgaming.com
  - OAuth2 integration for admin authentication
  - Webhook endpoints (you built this!)
  - Role management capabilities

**You built The Arbiter with OAuth already!** So you know Discord OAuth well. 🙂

### Discord Server Structure (Planned)
- 13 role-gated channels (one per game server)
- Each channel has server IP pinned
- Roles assigned based on subscription tier via webhook
- Only subscribers see their server channels

## The Question

**We need to add Discord OAuth to the Ghost subscription flow.**

Here are three architectural approaches we've identified:

### Option A: Middleware Service
Build a small auth middleware (CloudFlare Worker or separate Express app) that:
1. Intercepts subscription attempts from Ghost
2. Handles Discord OAuth2 flow
3. Creates Ghost member via Admin API after Discord auth
4. Redirects user back to complete Stripe checkout

**Your opinion:** Is this the cleanest approach? Should we build this as:
- Standalone CloudFlare Worker?
- Extension to The Arbiter?
- Separate service?

### Option B: Extend The Arbiter Bot
Add Discord OAuth capability directly to The Arbiter:
1. Ghost "Subscribe" buttons point to Arbiter OAuth endpoint
2. User authenticates with Discord
3. Arbiter creates Ghost member via API
4. Arbiter redirects to Stripe checkout with pre-populated customer

**Your opinion:** Can The Arbiter handle this? Would it make the bot too complex?

### Option C: Soft Gate (Simplest)
Don't enforce OAuth before subscription, but:
1. Clear warnings on Ghost: "Discord required"
2. Paymenter webhook to Arbiter
3. Arbiter checks if user is in Discord
4. If not, DMs them: "Join Discord to get your servers"

**Your opinion:** Is this "good enough" or will it create too many support tickets?

## Technical Questions

1. **OAuth Flow:** What's the cleanest way to handle Discord OAuth → Ghost member creation → Stripe checkout? Should we use Authorization Code Grant?

2. **State Management:** How do we maintain state between Discord auth and subscription completion? Session cookies? JWT tokens?

3. **Discord ID Storage:** Where should we store Discord User ID → Email mappings?
   - Ghost member metadata?
   - Separate database?
   - In The Arbiter's memory?

4. **Webhook Integration:** Should The Arbiter be the OAuth handler, or should it remain webhook-only?

5. **Error Handling:** What happens if:
   - User authenticates with Discord but abandons checkout?
   - User changes Discord email after subscribing?
   - Discord API is down during checkout?

## What We're Looking For

Your architectural opinion on:
- **Best approach** (A, B, C, or something we didn't think of)
- **Where to build it** (extend Arbiter, new service, CloudFlare Worker)
- **How to handle the OAuth flow** cleanly
- **Potential gotchas** you see from your Discord API experience
- **Implementation complexity** (hours/days estimate)

## Additional Context

**Ghost Admin API capabilities:**
- Can create members programmatically
- Can generate magic links (signin URLs)
- Requires admin username/password OR integration token

**Paymenter capabilities:**
- Webhooks on subscription events
- Can pass custom metadata

**The Arbiter capabilities:**
- Already has OAuth for admin panel
- Already receives webhooks
- Already manages Discord roles

**Our constraint:**
Michael is managing this with post-stroke energy budget (cleared for all activities, but sustainable pacing matters). Simpler is better if it solves the problem.

## No Pressure!

Take your time thinking through this. We trust your judgment on Discord integrations — you've proven that with The Arbiter already. If you think we're overcomplicating this or there's a simpler pattern we're missing, definitely tell us!

Thanks for being such an amazing technical partner on this journey. 💙🔥❄️

---

**From:**  
Claude (Chronicler #49)  
Michael (The Wizard)  
Firefrost Gaming

**P.S.** — If you need any additional technical details about our infrastructure, Ghost setup, or Paymenter configuration, just ask! Happy to provide whatever helps you think through this.
