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AI chatbot & providers

03 Sep 2026 · Chatku Team · 3 min read

AI chatbot & providers

The AI chatbot can answer customers automatically, suggest replies to your agents, or hand off to a human when needed. Configure it under Settings → AI Chatbot (requires the AI Chatbot permission and a plan that includes AI).

Turn it on

  1. Open Settings → AI Chatbot and switch Enable AI Chatbot on.
  2. Choose an AI source (see below).
  3. Set the Mode, Activation, and System prompt.
  4. Save. Use the Playground at the bottom to test it before going live.

AI source: Chatku-provided vs your own key (BYOK)

  • Provided by Chatku — use the model and key that Chatku manages. Nothing to configure; your usage counts against a monthly token allowance from your plan.
  • Your own API key (BYOK) — bring a key from an AI provider. Token costs are billed directly by that provider to your account. Requires a plan that allows BYOK.

Choosing a provider (BYOK)

Pick a Provider, paste your API key, and click Test to verify it. Leave Model blank to use the recommended default, or enter a specific model name.

Provider Where to get a key Notes
Anthropic (Claude) console.anthropic.com High-quality general assistant; default is a current Claude model.
OpenAI platform.openai.com Default is a fast, low-cost GPT model.
Google Gemini aistudio.google.com Has a free tier; default is a Gemini Flash model.
Groq console.groq.com Has a free tier; very fast inference.

Your API key is stored securely and never shown again — you'll see a Key saved badge once it's set.

Mode

  • Hybrid — reply automatically, but hand off to an agent for complex questions.
  • Autonomous — always reply.
  • Copilot — don't send anything to the customer; instead suggest a reply for the agent to review.

Activation — when the AI steps in

  • Unassigned or after-hours (default)
  • After-hours only
  • Unassigned only
  • On demand — only when an AI reply automation action runs
  • Always

Other settings

  • System prompt — the instructions that shape the AI's tone and behaviour. Supports Markdown; keep it focused.
  • Temperature — 0 (precise) to 1 (creative). 0.3 is a good default.
  • Use Knowledge Base (RAG) — let the AI answer from your knowledge-base articles. Manage those under Settings → Knowledge Base.
  • Daily token limit (BYOK) — cap daily usage; 0 means unlimited.

Hand-off to a human

When the AI decides it can't help — or your mode is Hybrid and the question is complex — it hands the conversation to your team: the conversation is set to pending and an internal note is added. The AI won't reply again on that conversation until an agent reopens or resolves it. The customer never sees the hand-off note.

Usage & quota

The Usage card shows tokens used against your limit (monthly for Chatku-provided, daily for BYOK), all-time totals, per-provider status, and a 7-day chart. Admins are alerted at 80% and 100% of the quota. If you hit the limit, the AI pauses until the quota resets or you raise the limit.

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