Public Chat

Public chat lets anyone interact with your bot without logging in to Shawer. You get a dedicated URL for your bot and the option to embed it as a widget on any website.

Navigate to your bot's Settings page to configure public chat.

Enable public access

1. Go to your bot's Settings page
2. Toggle Public Chat to enabled
3. Set a URL Slug — this becomes your public URL: yourdomain.com/chat/your-slug
4. Save your changes

Your bot must be Active and Public for the public chat to work.

Welcome message and suggested prompts

Customize the experience visitors see when they first open the chat:

• Welcome Message — A greeting that appears before the first message. Example: "Welcome! I can answer questions about our services and policies. How can I help you?"
• Suggested Prompts — Clickable buttons that give visitors example questions to start with. Example: "What are your office hours?", "How do I apply?"

Good suggested prompts help visitors understand what the bot can do and reduce friction.

Branding

Public chat inherits branding from your organization's admin settings:

• Theme Color — Set a custom accent color for the chat interface
• The site name, logo, and visual identity are configured in Admin > Branding

Rate limiting

Rate limiting protects your bot from abuse and controls API costs. You can set two limits:

• Messages per minute — Maximum number of messages a single visitor can send per minute
• Messages per day — Maximum number of messages a single visitor can send per day

Rate limits are tracked by IP address. When a visitor hits the limit, they receive a message asking them to wait.

Recommended settings: 10 messages per minute, 100 messages per day. Adjust based on your expected usage.

Embedding on your website

You can embed your bot as a chat widget on any external website.

Enable embedding

1. In your bot's settings, enable Embed
2. Set Allowed Origins — the domains where the widget can appear (e.g., https://yourcompany.com)
3. Copy the embed code

Embed code

The embed code generates an iframe that loads your bot's chat interface. Add it to any webpage:

<iframe
  src="https://yourdomain.com/embed/your-slug"
  width="400"
  height="600"
  frameborder="0">
</iframe>

Origin security

The Allowed Origins setting prevents unauthorized websites from embedding your bot. Only domains you list will be able to load the embed.

Sharing your bot

Share your public chat URL directly:

• Direct link — yourdomain.com/chat/your-slug
• Share via email, messaging apps, or social media
• Link from your website's navigation or support page

Troubleshooting