god damn if this works the whole way

index.js

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const config = require('./config.json');
 // the basic discord setup stuff yoinked from their guide
-const { Client, Events, GatewayIntentBits, Partials, ActivityType, MessageFlags } = require('discord.js');
+const { Client, Events, GatewayIntentBits, Partials, ActivityType, MessageFlags, Collection } = require('discord.js');
 const client = new Client({
     intents: [
         GatewayIntentBits.Guilds, 
@@ -152,3 +152,39 @@ client.on(Events.MessageReactionAdd, (reaction, user) => {
 
     }
 })
+
+// command handling for ./commands
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+client.commands = new Collection();
+const commandsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'commands');
+const commandFiles = fs.readdirSync(commandsPath).filter(file => file.endsWith('.js'));
+for (const file of commandFiles) {
+    const filePath = path.join(commandsPath, file);
+    const command = require(filePath);
+    if ('data' in command && 'execute' in command) {
+        client.commands.set(command.data.name, command);
+        console.debug(`Commands: Registered "${command.data.name}"`);
+    } else {
+        console.log(`[WARNING] The command at ${filePath} is missing a required "data" or "execute" property.`);
+    }
+}
+
+client.on(Events.InteractionCreate, async interaction => {
+    if (!interaction.isChatInputCommand()) return;
+    const command = interaction.client.commands.get(interaction.commandName);
+    if (!command) {
+        console.error(`No command matching ${interaction.commandName} was found.`);
+        return;
+    } try {
+        console.debug(`Command: Executing ${interaction.commandName}`);
+        await command.execute(interaction);
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.error(error);
+        if (interaction.replied || interaction.deferred) {
+            await interaction.followUp({ content: 'There was an error while executing this command!', flags: MessageFlags.Ephemeral });
+        } else {
+            await interaction.reply({ content: 'There was an error while executing this command!', flags: MessageFlags.Ephemeral });
+        }
+    }
+});