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Overview

ChatAside is an embeddable AI chat widget for blogs and content sites. You install it with a single script tag, authenticate it with a widget key, and manage behavior server-side from the dashboard.

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Embed Snippet

Add this script tag to your site: 
<script src="https://chataside.com/widget.js" data-key="cwk_your_widget_key"></script>
The widget bundle is loaded from chataside.com/widget.js and reads the data-key value on page load.

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Widget Keys

ChatAside uses widget keys that start with cwk_. 
cwk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
These keys are separate from ChatAds API keys:
  • cwk_ keys authenticate the ChatAside widget
  • cak_ keys authenticate ChatAds API requests
ChatAside widget endpoints only accept cwk_ keys. A cak_ key will be rejected.

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Getting Your Widget Key

  1. Log into app.getchatads.com
  2. Switch to the ChatAside product
  3. Open Set-Up
  4. Generate your widget key
  5. Copy the embed snippet and add it to your site
If you regenerate the key, your current embed snippet stops working until you deploy the new one.

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Allowed Domains

You can restrict which domains are allowed to embed your widget.
  • Leave the list empty to allow the widget on any site
  • Add one or more domains such as example.com to prevent unauthorized use
  • Domain checks happen on widget requests to init, config, chat, and click
If you are using ChatAside in production, add at least one allowed domain.

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Page Rules

You can control where the widget appears with include and exclude path rules.
  • Paths without * are exact matches
  • /blog/* matches /blog and all subpages
  • *pricing* matches any pathname containing pricing
  • Exclude rules are evaluated after include rules
Examples: 
Include: /blog/*
Exclude: /blog/admin/*
This shows the widget on blog pages except admin pages.

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Mobile and Language Controls

ChatAside can be configured to stay hidden in a few cases:
  • hide_on_mobile: hides the widget on smaller screens
  • english_only: hides the widget when the browser language is not English
  • Path rules: hide the widget when the current page does not match your rules
  • Team daily limit reached before the visitor opens the widget that day
The widget also re-checks visibility when a single-page app changes routes.

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Customization

You can manage core widget behavior from the dashboard without changing your embed code.

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Appearance

Available settings include:
  • Theme color
  • Bubble text
  • Welcome message
  • Branding visibility
Free plans show ChatAside branding. Paid widget tiers can hide it.

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AI Behavior

You can also configure:
  • Page context on or off
  • Custom system prompt
When page context is enabled, the widget sends content from the current page so the assistant can answer questions about that article or post.

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Page Context

Page context makes ChatAside article-aware. The widget extracts content from the page and sends it with each message, including:
  • Headings
  • Paragraphs
  • List items
  • Table cells
  • Some affiliate links already present on the page
Navigation, footer, script, and widget UI content are excluded.
If you turn page context off, ChatAside behaves more like a standard site chatbot and relies less on the current page.

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What Happens on Load

At a high level, ChatAside works like this:
  1. The script reads your cwk_ key
  2. It calls GET /v1/widget/init
  3. The API returns whether the widget is enabled plus display rules and limits
  4. The bubble appears only if the current page passes those checks
  5. On first open, the widget calls GET /v1/widget/config to load the site name, theme color, monetization state, and welcome message
All of this happens automatically after you add the script tag.

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Best Practices

Restrict domains

Add your production domains so other sites cannot reuse your widget key.

Use page rules

Limit the widget to article or product pages where it is most useful.

Customize server-side

Change theme color, text, and behavior in the dashboard without editing your embed snippet.

Rotate carefully

If you regenerate your widget key, update your site immediately to avoid downtime.