> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://aibotkit.gitbook.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://aibotkit.gitbook.io/documentation/chatbot-editor/step-5-channels-integrations.md). # INTEGRATIONS Beyond the website chat widget, your AI Bot Kit chatbot can operate inside the messaging apps your customers already use. Connect once, and the same trained chatbot answers questions, captures leads, and hands off to a human across every channel. ## Supported Channels | Channel | Type | Auth Model | Capabilities | | --------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **WhatsApp** | Messaging | Embedded signup (via Pinnacle) | Two-way messaging, media, 24-hour customer-service window, owner takeover | | **Telegram** | Messaging | Bot token | Two-way messaging, automatic webhook registration | | **Instagram** | Messaging | Page access token (Meta Graph API) | Two-way DMs, page-scoped | | **Slack** | Workspace chat | Bot token + signing secret | Two-way messaging in any channel the bot is invited to | | **Discord** | Workspace chat | Bot token + application ID + public key | Two-way messaging, `/ask` slash command | | **Google Chat** | Workspace chat | Service-account managed (one-click) | Two-way messaging, space-scoped | > **Where to find these:** Open any chatbot, go to **INTEGRATIONS** in the left sidebar. Each channel has its own card with a **Connect** button and credential fields. ## Plan Availability | Plan | Channel Integrations | | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Free | ❌ Not available | | Basic | ✅ All channels (counts toward AI Action quota where applicable) | | Essential | ✅ All channels + 3 Custom AI Actions | | Business | ✅ All channels + 5 Custom AI Actions | Channel messages count against your **Monthly AI Messages** quota (the same pool used by the website widget). ## How a Channel Conversation Works ``` +---------------------+ +-------------------------+ +-------------+ | Customer messages | ---> | AI BotKit channel | ---> | RAG engine | | WhatsApp / Telegram | | webhook receives, | | + your KB | | / Slack / etc. | | parses, dedups | +------+------+ +---------------------+ +-------------------------+ | v +----------------------+ | Reply sent back via | | the channel client | +----------+-----------+ | v +----------------------------+ | Logged in Conversations, | | counts toward usage, | | available for handover | +----------------------------+ ``` Every inbound message: 1. Hits the channel-specific webhook (`/api/whatsapp/callback`, `/api/telegram/callback/[token]`, etc.) where its signature is verified. 2. Returns HTTP 200 immediately, then asynchronously runs the RAG pipeline. 3. The reply is cleaned (HTML stripped for WhatsApp, etc.) and sent back through the channel's outbound client. 4. The conversation appears in your dashboard's **Conversations** view, with a session ID prefix that identifies the source (`wa_`, `tg_`, `slack_`, `discord_`, `ig_`, `gc_`). ## Live Chat Takeover Works on Every Channel You can take over any channel-routed conversation from the dashboard — not just website chats. See [Live Chat & Human Takeover](/documentation/chatbot-editor/live-chat.md). For WhatsApp, Meta's 24-hour customer-service window applies. ## Human Handover vs. Channel Integration — what's the difference? These are two related but distinct features: * [**Channel Integrations**](/documentation/channels-and-integrations/channels-overview.md) make the chatbot *operate inside* a messaging app. A WhatsApp user chats with your bot in WhatsApp. * [**Human Handover**](/documentation/chatbot-editor/step-4-actions.md#human-support-request) lets a website widget user *switch off* to a human via WhatsApp/Email/Telegram/Instagram/Messenger. The bot stops; a human takes over in the chosen channel. Use both together: receive customers in WhatsApp *and* let website visitors escalate to WhatsApp. ## Security * All channel tokens and secrets are encrypted with **AES-256-GCM** before being stored. * Inbound webhooks verify HMAC-SHA256 (Slack, WhatsApp, Instagram), Ed25519 (Discord), or JWT (Google Chat) signatures. * Tokens cannot be reused on a different chatbot — the system detects conflicts and asks you to confirm a transfer. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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