> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://semantiks.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# External Chat

> Share a standalone chat link so users can talk to your AI agent from any browser—no embedding required. Optionally serve it from your own custom domain.

**External Chat** gives you a shareable URL that opens a full-page chat with your AI agent. It's the fastest way to get your agent in front of users—just copy the link and send it.

## Key Features

* **Instant sharing:** Copy the URL and share it via email, social media, QR codes, or any messaging platform.
* **No embedding needed:** The chat runs on its own page—no website changes required.
* **Full conversation experience:** Supports text, images, file attachments, escalation pills, and human agent takeover.
* **Custom domain support:** Serve the External Chat from your own domain (e.g. `chat.example.com/ai-agent`) for a branded experience.

### Message Grouping

Consecutive messages from the same sender are **visually grouped** together for a cleaner conversation view:

* Only the **last message** in a group displays a timestamp.
* Bubble shapes adapt with different border-radius for the first and last messages in a group, creating a modern threaded look.
* Groups from different senders are separated by a larger gap, while messages within a group are tightly spaced.

### Human Agent Identity

When a conversation is escalated to a human agent, end users see richer agent identification:

* The **agent's name** is displayed above the first message in each group of human agent replies.
* An **avatar circle with the agent's initials** appears next to the last message in the group (e.g., "AB" for Ana Bermúdez).
* If no name is available, a default "HA" label is shown.

This transparency helps users feel confident they are talking to a real person after an escalation.

<Tip>
  Human agent names are automatically pulled from the team member's profile in Semantiks. Make sure your team has their names configured in the platform.
</Tip>

## How to Set Up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Connect > Channels">
    Open your agent and navigate to the Connect page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open External Chat">
    Select the External Chat channel card.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the public URL">
    Click the share option and copy the generated link.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test as an end user">
    Open the link in an incognito window and run a few real use-case questions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Domain Setup tab

The External Chat configuration page has two tabs: **Appearance** (to customize the look and feel) and **Domain setup** (to manage URLs and custom domains).

When you open the **Domain setup** tab you will see two sections:

### Default URL

Every External Chat is always reachable at a Semantiks-hosted URL in the format:

```
https://<your-console-origin>/external-chat?agent_id=<agent_id>
```

This URL is displayed in a card at the top of the Domain setup tab. You can:

* **Copy** the URL to your clipboard using the copy button.
* **Open** it in a new browser tab using the external-link button.

<Note>
  Adding a custom domain creates an alias—it does **not** replace the default URL. Your External Chat remains accessible at both addresses.
</Note>

### Custom Domain

If you want users to reach your External Chat from your own branded domain (e.g. `chat.example.com`), you can connect a custom domain. Once active, the chat is served at:

```
https://your-domain/ai-agent
```

#### Connecting a custom domain

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter your domain">
    In the **Domain** field, type a fully-qualified subdomain you own (e.g. `chat.example.com`).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Connect domain">
    A Cloudflare Domain Connect flow will start automatically. If your registrar doesn't support Domain Connect, Semantiks will display the CNAME record you need to add manually at your DNS provider.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add DNS records (if required)">
    If manual setup is needed, go to your domain registrar and add the DNS record shown in the console (type, name, and value are provided).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check status">
    Back in the console, click the **Check status** button next to your domain. Semantiks will verify DNS propagation and SSL provisioning.
  </Step>
</Steps>

#### Domain statuses

| Status          | Meaning                                                    |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending DNS** | Waiting for you to add the required DNS records            |
| **Verifying**   | DNS records detected; SSL certificate is being provisioned |
| **Active**      | Domain is fully connected and serving your External Chat   |
| **Failed**      | Something went wrong—check the error message and retry     |
| **Disabled**    | Domain has been disabled                                   |

<Tip>
  DNS changes can take a few minutes to propagate. If your domain stays in **Pending DNS**, wait a moment and click **Check status** again.
</Tip>

#### Removing a custom domain

Click the **trash icon** next to a domain to remove it. A confirmation dialog will appear—once confirmed, the External Chat will stop being served on that domain.

<Warning>
  Removing a custom domain is immediate. Any users accessing the chat through that domain will no longer be able to reach it.
</Warning>

***

## Key Notes

* External Chat is ideal for demos, quick pilots, and sharing with users who don't visit your website.
* Conversations started through External Chat appear in the **Conversations** panel for supervision.
* All escalation, follow-up, and memory features work the same as on other channels.
* You can have one or more custom domains connected to the same agent.