Configuring Custom Agent Integration

Back to Agent Transfer Integrations

The Custom Integration uses the BotKit SDK to configure agent transfer for any system not covered by a pre-built integration.

BotKit source code is available at https://github.com/Koredotcom/BotKit.

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Prerequisites

• A fully functional AI Agent (example uses a Banking App)
• BotKit SDK downloaded from GitHub
• Node.js v10 or above — install from https://nodejs.org/en/download/ and verify with node -v
• NGROK to simulate the callback server:
  • Windows: Download the zip, unzip, and run ngrok.exe
  • Mac: Run ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)" < /dev/null 2> /dev/null in Terminal, then run brew cask install ngrok
• A live agent platform (example uses LiveChatInc.com — free 30-day trial available)

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Design and Configuration

1. Open Kore.ai App Builder.

2. Select the app to configure for Agent Transfer.

3. Open or create a dialog task (e.g., Support Call Back) and add an Agent Transfer node.

   

4. Enter a Name (e.g., LiveChat) and Description. Click Save.

5. If you see a message about SDK not being configured, proceed — SDK configuration is covered below.

6. Go to App Settings > Integration > Agent Transfer > Custom (BotKit).

7. In the App Name section, select an existing app or click Create App to create a new one.

   Note the App ID, Client ID, and Client Secret keys. RS256 and RS512 JWT signing algorithms are not supported for Custom BotKit.

8. Enter the Callback URL:

   1. In a terminal, run ngrok http 8003.

   2. Copy the ngrok forwarding URL (format: https://XXXXXXaa.ngrok.io).

      

   3. Use this URL as the Callback URL and save.

   The ngrok forwarding URL changes on every restart. Update the Callback URL each time ngrok is restarted.

9. Open the dialog task and the agent transfer node to verify the configuration is saved. Select the required Events.

   

10. Get the LiveChat license code:

    1. Sign in to your LiveChat account.
    2. Go to Settings and select the chat link.
    3. Copy the license code from the URL (e.g., from https://lc.chat/now/104xx297/, the code is 104xx297).

11. Edit the BotKit SDK files:

    livechatapi.js

    • Set the appId and appName from your app.
    • This file contains the Kore Initialization, Send Message, and Get Message APIs. Add any new agent transfer APIs here.
    

    config.json

    • Set Client ID, Client Secret, server ports, and the live agent license.
    • Client ID and Client Secret come from Events and Extensions – Agent Transfer.
    • The ngrok URL is the Callback URL — enter it as the URL field.
    • liveagentlicense is the LiveChat license code from the chat link.
    

    LiveChat.js

    • Set the appId and appName from your app.
    

    app.js

    • Add: sdk.registerBot(require('./LiveChat.js'))
    • Remove any existing sdk.registerBot statements that are not needed.
    

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Execution

1. In a terminal, run the BotKit SDK:

   node app.js
   

2. Install any missing modules if errors appear:

   npm install <module-name>       # Windows
   sudo npm install <module-name>  # Mac
   

3. ngrok and Node.js will be running in separate terminals.

4. When a user initiates chat, the app transfers to an agent and notifies the user.

   

5. The agent receives a notification on LiveChat.

   

6. The connection is established and the conversation continues.

   

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Events

The events and methods for sending messages between user, app, and agent are defined in LiveChat.js.

Event / Method	Description
on_user_message	Triggered when a user sends a message. Sends it to the app via sendBotMessage.
on_bot_message	Triggered when the app sends a message. Delivers it to the user via SendUserMessage.
on_agent_transfer	Triggered when the agent transfer node fires. Connects to the agent via connectToAgent, which calls initChat.
gethistory	Provides the user’s prior chat history with the app to the transferred agent.
scheduleJob	Polls for pending agent messages every 5 seconds via getPendingMessages.
getPendingMessages	Retrieves all pending messages from the agent and delivers them to the user.
chat_closed	Triggered when the agent closes the chat.