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HelpAlive’s chat is the panel in your app where your users ask questions and get answers from your published docs. This page walks through it as your users see it, using the widget’s own words. It is for admins and support teams who want to know what users will meet before turning the agent on.

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The chat at a glance

  • The chat opens from a round launcher in a bottom corner of your app, and it appears only for people you identify.
  • Answers come from your published sources on Train. Your docs win when they disagree with the agent’s general knowledge.
  • When the agent can do a task in your app, an offer card appears under the answer with Let’s do it or Show me how.
  • Chats are saved per identified user, under Previous chats on any device where you identify them.
  • At your plan’s limits, users see quiet answers, never a limit named. See Limits and usage.

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Prerequisites

  • The script and identify() are installed. The chat appears only for people you identify. See Install the script.
  • At least one source is published on Train.
  • The agent is on for this person on Controls.

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The chat launcher

The launcher is a round button with the HelpAlive mark that sits in a bottom corner of your app. It has no text. Screen readers announce it as “Ask HelpAlive”. A badge counts unread replies. When a user gets stuck, a short note beside the launcher offers help. See Nudges. You choose the corner, the accent color and light or dark on Appearance. See Appearance.

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The chat home screen

Pressing the launcher opens the chat panel on its home screen:
  • The page’s name at the top, so the user knows which page the agent is looking at.
  • A box that says “What can I help you with?” The user types a question in their own words.
  • A short opening line written for the page the user is on.
  • “Continue last conversation”, when the user has an earlier chat, to pick it up.
  • “Ask about this page” refers to a few suggested questions for the page. One press asks the question.
  • “Previous chats” refers to the clock button at the top, which lists the user’s earlier chats. New conversation starts a fresh one.
The footer says “HelpAlive is AI and can make mistakes.”

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How the chat answers

Answers stream into the panel as they’re written. They are short, in plain words, and fit the page the user is on.
  • Answers come from your published sources on Train. Where your docs are silent, the agent can use general knowledge of your product. Your docs win when the two disagree.
  • The agent uses what’s on the page and what the user just did, such as an error they hit, to make the answer specific.
  • When your app can’t do something, it says so plainly, then helps with what it can.
Tone, length and custom responses are set on Train and apply after Publish.

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The offer to do a task

When a user asks for something to be done, and the agent can do it in your app, an offer card appears under the answer. The card shows the task’s name, a line about what will happen, and My plan behind a press. My plan refers to the task’s rough steps. The card’s button says Let’s do it when you allow Does the steps for this user, or Show me how when you allow Shows how. See Assists for what happens next.

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Chat history for each user

Chats are saved per identified user. The same person sees their earlier chats under Previous chats on any device where you identify them. When your app calls reset() at logout, the widget clears what it kept in that browser. Your team can read chat transcripts on Audience. See Audience and Reports.

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Check it works

  1. Sign in to your app as a user who has the agent.
  2. Press the launcher and check the page name at the top matches your page.
  3. Ask a question your published docs answer. The answer should reflect your docs.
  4. Close the panel, reload, and open Previous chats. Your chat should be listed.

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Troubleshooting

  • The launcher never appears. identify() didn’t run, the agent is off, or this person isn’t in Who gets it on Controls. A user already in your app sees the button only after a short delay and a few page loads once you turn it on.
  • “Chat isn’t available right now. Please try again later.” Your plan’s chat messages are used up, or a daily cap on Controls was reached. It appears as an ordinary answer: the question stays, and the person can ask again. Check Settings → Billing and usage and Controls.
  • Answers ignore a source you just added. New sources wait for Publish. Try drafts on Test first.

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Next

Assists

What happens after Let’s do it or Show me how.

Train

Add the docs the agent answers from.

Controls

Turn it on and choose who gets it.
Last modified on October 11, 2026