---
title: Public AI Chat
description: >-
  Configure Public AI Chat for a Site, including origins, branding, guardrails,
  voice settings, lead capture, notifications, and widget-key management.
ogTitle: Public AI Chat Configuration Guide
ogDescription: >-
  Configure Public AI Chat in Clear Ideas with Site-level controls for branding,
  AI behavior, disclaimers, voice, and lead capture.
ogImage: /assets/images/og/guide-public-ai-chat.webp
navigation:
  icon: fasl fa-comment-dots
---

# Public AI Chat

Use Public AI Chat when you want a public-facing assistant grounded in approved Site content. It is configured at the Site level and is designed for controlled website experiences such as documentation assistants, support chat, and lead-capture workflows.

## Before You Start

- You need Site administrative access.
- The Site should contain the approved content you want the assistant to use.
- If your source content lives on a public website, use [Web Import](/site-administrator-guide/web-import) to keep the Site current.

## Core Setup

### 1. Enable Public AI Chat

Turn on Public AI Chat in the Site settings.

### 2. Add allowed origins

Allowed origins define which websites can embed the widget. Keep this list limited to domains you control.

### 3. Create a Site-level widget key

Public Chat uses a **Site-level widget key**, not the account-level [Access Keys](/security/access-keys) flow used for MCP and workflow webhooks.

Create and manage widget keys from the Site's Public AI Chat settings.

## Configure the Visitor Experience

Public AI Chat currently supports Site-level settings for:

- chat name and tagline
- greeting and hello bubble behavior
- branding color and theme mode
- quick links
- disclaimer text and disclaimer dialog
- default model

These settings shape the widget visitors actually see on your website.

## Configure Answer Behavior and Guardrails

Public AI Chat also includes controls for how the assistant responds, including:

- **Brand voice**
- **Audience**
- **Answer length**
- **Preferred terminology**
- **Disallowed topics**

Use these settings to keep public answers aligned with your brand, audience, and risk tolerance.

## Voice, Lead Capture, and Notifications

Where enabled in your environment, Public AI Chat can also support:

- voice chat
- meeting-link handoff
- lead-capture workflows
- notifications to selected Site admins or owners

See [Voice and Lead Capture](/public-chat/voice-and-lead-capture).

## Widget Keys

The Public Chat settings include Site-level widget-key management for embedding and runtime access.

Use separate widget keys when you need separate environments or deployment boundaries, and revoke old keys when they are no longer needed.

## How Public Chat Fits Into Clear Ideas

Public Chat works best when you treat the Site as the governed source of truth for the public assistant:

- approve the content in the Site
- keep imported website content current with [Web Import](/site-administrator-guide/web-import) when needed
- use indexing and AI settings to improve retrieval quality
- keep embeddable access limited through allowed origins and Site-level widget keys

This makes Public Chat more than a generic website chatbot. It becomes a governed, content-grounded assistant tied to approved documents and pages.

## Related Documentation

- [Embedding Public AI Chat](/public-chat/embedding-public-ai-chat)
- [Voice and Lead Capture](/public-chat/voice-and-lead-capture)
- [Site AI Settings](/site-administrator-guide/site-ai-settings)
- [Web Import](/site-administrator-guide/web-import)