identify() call and a reset() call. This page is for the developer who adds HelpAlive to your app, and for the admin who plans the work. It covers what you add, what to decide first, and how you know you’re done.
The install at a glance
- You add one script tag,
identify()andreset(), and nothing on your server unless you verify users. - There is nothing to tag in your pages, and no API to connect.
- You can install with an AI coding agent, add the code yourself, or use Google Tag Manager.
- Three choices come first: which id identifies a user, whether your users belong to tenants, and whether to verify users.
- The install takes about 10 minutes, and verifying users about 15 more.
Prerequisites
- A HelpAlive account, with your project key from Settings → Setup & API Key.
- Access to the layout every page of your app shares.
- About 10 minutes for the install, and about 15 more to verify users.
What you add
HelpAlive runs in your users’ browsers, inside your app. You add three pieces of code, and nothing on your server unless you verify users:
There is nothing to tag in your pages, and no API to connect, because the agent reads your pages as they are. Make your app easy for the agent has a few tips that help.
Verifying users adds one more piece: a few lines on your server that sign each user id. Your signing secret stays on your server.
Choose how to install
With an AI coding agent
Paste one prompt into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or GitHub Copilot.
Add it yourself
Copy the tag, identify() and reset().
Google Tag Manager
Three Custom HTML tags and two data layer pushes.
Decide before you install
These three choices are hard to change later, because they shape the data HelpAlive keeps.1
Which id identifies a user
Use your app’s own user id: one that never changes and is unique across your app. Don’t use an email address if users can change theirs. A changed id starts a new user, with no chat history.
2
B2B or B2C: whether your users belong to tenants
A tenant refers to one of your customers: the company or workspace a user signs in under. In a B2B app, pass its id as
tenantId and its name as tenantName. Controls uses tenants to decide who gets the agent and to set limits, and Reports and Audience group users by them. In a B2C app, where people sign up on their own, leave both out: your dashboard groups those users as B2C customers. An app with both passes the tenant only for users who have one.3
Whether to verify users
Without verification, HelpAlive trusts the user id your page sends, which means that someone who edits the page could pose as another user. With it, your server signs each id. It is optional and recommended before you open the agent to all users. See Verify users.
When the install is done
The install is done when the first three of the four steps on Settings → Setup & API Key have a check. The band at the top then says “3 of 4 steps done. Your agent is ready for your users.” The four steps are:- Add HelpAlive to your app
- Train the agent on your product
- Test it on your app
- Verify your users (optional)
Troubleshooting
The install fails quietly when a piece is missing: no error appears on your page, and the agent doesn’t show. Troubleshooting lists each silent failure and how to spot it.Next
Install the script
The tag, identify() and reset().
Identify users
Every field, and logging out.
Verify users
Sign each user id on your server.