BotKit SDK Tutorial — Agent Transfer

This tutorial walks through setting up and running the BotKit SDK with live agent transfer using LiveChat. You will install the Airlines Travel Planning sample assistant, configure agent transfer, and test the full flow.

This tutorial may require a newer version of the BotKit SDK. If the downloaded files do not include LiveChat.js and LiveChatAPI.js, contact support.

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Prerequisites

Prerequisite	Notes
LiveChat account	Free 30-day trial is available. You need the license number.
ngrok	Simulates your callback server on localhost.
Node.js	Version 10 or above. Required to run the BotKit SDK.

Install the url-template and node-schedule Node modules (and any other modules referenced in the LiveChat JS files).

Get Your LiveChat License ID

1. Log into your LiveChat account and open Settings.

2. On the Website Channel Settings page, find the License ID under the manual install section.

   

Install and Run ngrok

1. Download ngrok from ngrok.com/download.

2. Start ngrok on port 8003:

   ngrok http 8003
   
   

3. Copy the HTTPS Forwarding URL (for example, https://1b47f1d2.ngrok.io). Leave ngrok running.

Install Node.js

1. Download from nodejs.org/en/download.

2. Verify the installation:

   node -v
   
   

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Configure the Assistant

Install the Airlines Travel Planning Assistant

1. Log into XO Platform and click New Bot > Start from the Store.
2. Find Airlines Travel Planning and click Install.
3. After installation, create an Agent Transfer dialog task. See Dialog Builder and Agent Transfer Node.

Register Your App and Generate Credentials

1. In the XO Platform, go to Build > Integrations > BotKit.

   RS256 and RS512 JWT signing algorithms are not supported for BotKit.

2. Click Add next to the App name dropdown, enter a name, and click Next.

3. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret. Click Done.

4. In Callback URL, paste the ngrok Forwarding URL (for example, https://1bXXXXd2.ngrok.io).

   Each ngrok session generates a new URL. Update the Callback URL field whenever you restart ngrok.

5. In Events, select:

   • OnMessage — Triggered when a user message is received.
   • OnAgentTransferNode — Triggered when an Agent Transfer node is reached.

6. Click Save. The Successfully subscribed message appears.

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Publish the Assistant

Publishing is required to share the assistant with other users. For testing only, skip to Configure the BotKit SDK.

For publishing steps, see Publishing an Assistant.

After publishing, deploy in the Admin Console:

• Enterprise Users — Go to Bots Management > Enterprise Bots, click Ellipses > Manage bot tasks, select all tasks, and assign the bot to users via Bot & task assignments.
• General Public — Go to Bots Management > Consumer Bots, click Ellipses > Manage bot tasks, and select all tasks.

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Configure the BotKit SDK

1. Download and extract the BotKit SDK from github.com/Koredotcom/BotKit. Verify that LiveChat.js and LiveChatAPI.js are included.

2. Edit config.json with your credentials:

   {
     "server": { "port": 8003 },
     "app": {
       "apiPrefix": "",
       "url": "<ngrok Forwarding URL>"
     },
     "credentials": {
       "apikey": "<Client Secret from XO Platform>",
       "appId": "<Client ID from XO Platform>"
     },
     "redis": { "options": { "host": "localhost", "port": 6379 }, "available": false },
     "examples": { "mockServicesHost": "https://localhost:8004" },
     "liveagentlicense": "<LiveChat License Key>"
   }
   

3. In both LiveChat.js and LiveChatAPI.js, update the following variables with your assistant’s Bot Name and Bot ID (found in Configurations > General Settings):

   var botId   = "st-26cfae3a-XXXX-XXXX-991a-376b7fe579d5";
   var botName = "Airlines Travel Planning_KORE ADMIN_10";
   

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Start and Test

1. In a Terminal window, navigate to your BotKit SDK folder and run:

   node app.js
   

   Expected output: app listening at https://:::8003

2. Testing checklist:

   • ngrok running: ngrok http 8003
   • Node.js running: node app.js
   • LiveChat: logged in, Chat page open
   • XO Platform: click Talk to Bot (bottom-right corner of any page)

3. After the Agent Transfer dialog triggers, messages are exchanged between LiveChat and the BotKit SDK.

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Next Steps

For production use, replace the ngrok Callback URL with your actual server URL. Have your Enterprise Admin publish and deploy the assistant to users.

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