Security Settings
Learn how to use AI Bot Kit's security features to keep your chatbot safe and control who can interact with it.
AI Bot Kit gives you simple but powerful security controls to protect your chatbot from unwanted interactions. You can block specific words from being processed and prevent entire IP addresses from accessing your bot.
Plan Requirement: Security settings are available on the Essential and Business plans. Free and Basic plan users will see a locked card with an upgrade prompt.
Where to Find Security Settings
Log into your AI Bot Kit dashboard.
In the left sidebar, click Security.
You'll see two cards: Banned Words and Banned IPs.
Banned Words
Use Banned Words to prevent your chatbot from responding to messages that contain specific terms. This is useful for:
Blocking profanity or inappropriate language
Preventing discussions on topics outside your bot's scope
Maintaining brand safety
How to Add Banned Words
In the Banned Words card, click into the text field.
Type the words you want to block, separated by commas.
Example:
spam, scam, promo, discount code
Click Save.
What Happens When a Banned Word Is Used
When a visitor sends a message containing any banned word, your chatbot will not process the message. Instead, it replies with your configured fallback message (set in SETUP → Instructions):
"This message contains banned content"
The conversation is still saved in your dashboard so you can review it, but no AI response is generated and no message quota is used.
Tips for Banned Words
Be specific. Banning generic words like "free" might block legitimate questions. Use phrases like "free money" or "get rich quick" instead.
Case-insensitive. Banned words work regardless of capitalization (
Spamandspamare treated the same).Partial matches count. If you ban "scam", messages containing "scammer" or "scammed" will also be blocked.
Review regularly. Check your conversations periodically to see if banned words are triggering too often or missing new unwanted terms.
Banned IPs
Use Banned IPs to completely block specific IP addresses from interacting with your chatbot. This is useful when:
Someone is spamming your bot
You want to restrict access to specific geographic regions
You've identified malicious traffic
How to Add Banned IPs
In the Banned IPs card, click into the text field.
Type the IP addresses you want to block, separated by commas.
Example:
192.168.1.100, 203.0.113.45
Click Save.
What Happens When a Banned IP Visits
Visitors from a banned IP address will see an error message instead of your chatbot:
"This IP is not allowed."
The widget will not load, and no conversations or leads are recorded for that IP.
How to Find an IP Address
If someone is misusing your chatbot and you want to block them:
Go to your chatbot's Conversations tab.
Look for the unwanted conversation.
The visitor's IP address is shown in the conversation details panel on the right.
Copy the IP and paste it into your Banned IPs list.
Tips for Banned IPs
Use sparingly. IP bans affect everyone on that network (e.g., an entire office building might share one public IP).
Dynamic IPs change. Most home internet connections have dynamic IPs that change over time. A banned IP might eventually be assigned to a legitimate user.
VPNs bypass bans. Determined users can use VPNs to get a different IP address. Banned IPs are a first line of defense, not a complete solution.
Test before banning. Make sure you have the correct IP — banning your own IP will lock you out of your own chatbot.
Security Best Practices
Start with a small banned word list
Too many banned words can frustrate legitimate users
Monitor conversations weekly
Spot new spam patterns early
Combine with human takeover
For borderline cases, take over instead of blocking
Keep banned IP list short
Focus on repeat offenders, not one-time spam
Set a clear fallback message
Let users know why their message was blocked
Troubleshooting
I added a banned word but it's not working
Make sure you clicked Save after editing the list.
Remember that banned words only apply to new messages — existing conversations are not retroactively filtered.
Check that the word isn't being modified by the user (e.g., "sc@m" instead of "scam").
I accidentally banned my own IP
Log into your dashboard from a different network (e.g., mobile data instead of Wi-Fi).
Go to Security and remove your IP from the banned list.
The security section is locked
Security is a paid feature. Upgrade to Essential or Business plan to unlock it.
Related Topics
SETUP: General — Configure your fallback message
Live Chat & Human Takeover — Take over conversations manually
Conversation History — Review visitor interactions
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