How to Setup the Local Chat Bridge Add-On
You can extend your LifeBots bot’s capabilities with the growing library of LifeBots specialized add-ons.
LifeBots add-ons can be purchased in the LifeBots Add-On Store at https://lifebots.cloud/store.
This article walks through setting up the Local Chat Bridge add-on, which brings the local chat around your bot onto the LifeBots website so you can read it and talk back as your bot from a browser, without logging a viewer in.
What You Can Do With It
- Monitor all local chat within range of your bot
- Send messages as your bot to nearby users
- Provide automated responses or support via local chat
- Maintain a history of local chat activity
- Filter messages by chat type (Say, Shout, Whisper)
- Track conversation participants and chat statistics
- Schedule messages for future delivery with recurring options
Getting Started
- Purchase the Local Chat Bridge Add-On at https://lifebots.cloud/store/addon/local-chat-bridge
- Attach the add-on to one of your LifeBots bots.
- Note: Purchase an additional Local Chat Bridge Add-On for each bot you wish to configure.
Step 1: Enable the Add-On
- Visit your LifeBots Dashboard at https://lifebots.cloud/dashboard
- Click Local Chat Bridge in the ADDONS section of the Dashboard left panel
- Find your bot in the list and click Enable LocalChatBridge
[IMPORTANT:] Enable LocalChatBridge stays greyed out unless the bot is online. If the button will not click, bring the bot online first, then reload the page. This is the most common snag when setting the add-on up.
Each bot card shows one of these instead when something is missing:
| What You See | What It Means |
|---|---|
| No LocalChatBridge Bots Found | The add-on is not attached to any bot yet. |
| Addon Not Attached | This particular bot does not have the add-on. |
| No Manage Permission | Your account can see the bot but not change its add-on settings. |
| Not Available | The add-on is attached but not enabled, so Chat and Scheduler are locked. |
Once enabled, two buttons unlock on the bot card: View Chat and Schedule Messages.
Step 2: Start Monitoring
Click View Chat to open the chat view.
[IMPORTANT:] Local Chat Bridge has two separate switches, and this is the second place people get stuck. Enabling the add-on does not start capturing chat.
| Switch | Where | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Enabled | Local Chat Bridge page | The add-on is turned on for this bot. |
| Running | Chat view | The bot is actively listening to local chat right now. |
In the chat view, click the start button (the play icon) to begin monitoring. Until you do, the page shows LocalChatBridge Not Running with the prompt “Click start to begin monitoring local chat.” The stop button halts monitoring again.
Step 3: Read the Chat
Once running, messages appear as they are spoken near your bot. The view refreshes on its own, showing Auto-refreshing every 10 seconds, and there is a Refresh data button if you want it sooner.
Each message is tagged so you can see at a glance what it was:
- Incoming or Outgoing, so your bot’s own messages stand out
- Its chat type: Say, Shout or Whisper
- A BOT chip on your bot’s messages, and a NEW badge on messages you have not seen
Alongside the conversation you get Total Messages, a Participants count and a Recent Participants list.
If nothing has been said in range, the view shows No Local Chat.
Step 4: Send a Message as Your Bot
Type into the box marked “Type a message to send in local chat...” and send. The message is spoken in-world by your bot.
Before sending, use Send as: to choose the chat type. It defaults to Say.
| Type | Approximate Range | Use It For |
|---|---|---|
| Whisper | 10 metres | Quiet, close-range replies |
| Say | 20 metres | Normal conversation. The default and the usual choice. |
| Shout | 100 metres | Announcements across a wider area |
[NOTE:] If someone says they cannot hear your bot, they are probably outside Say range. Switch to Shout for that message.
Step 5: Schedule Messages (Optional)
Click Schedule Messages on the bot card to open the Message Scheduler. This is where you queue messages for your bot to say later, once or on a repeating schedule, which suits hourly shop announcements and event reminders.
A scheduled message carries its Message text, its chat Type (Whisper, Say or Shout), the date and time it is Scheduled For, and optionally a recurrence of daily, weekly, monthly or yearly with an interval, so every 2 weeks is possible. Recurring entries are marked Recurring in the list.
Tracking Scheduled Messages
The scheduler shows counts for Total, Pending, Completed and Failed, and the table lists Message, Type, Scheduled For, Status and Actions.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Waiting for its scheduled time |
| Completed | Sent successfully |
| Failed | Could not be sent, most often because the bot was offline |
Use the Filters panel to narrow by Status or tick Show only upcoming messages. With nothing queued you see No Scheduled Messages.
[IMPORTANT:] A scheduled message is only delivered if the bot is online and monitoring at that moment. If your bot has a login schedule, line the two up, or your messages will pile up as Failed.
Step 6: Give Staff Access (Optional)
You can let someone work the chat without handing over your account. Add them as a Sub Account with Local Chat Bridge permissions and they get LocalChatBridge-Only Access, confirmed on their screen with “You have LocalChatBridge-specific permissions for this bot”.
What they can do depends on the permission level. Someone with view rights can read the chat but will be told to “Contact someone with manage permissions to start it” if monitoring is stopped.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Enable LocalChatBridge is greyed out | The bot must be online to enable the add-on. It also needs manage permission. |
| LocalChatBridge Not Enabled | The add-on is off for this bot. Enable it on the Local Chat Bridge page. Sub accounts should contact the account owner. |
| LocalChatBridge Not Running | Enabled but not started. Click start in the chat view. |
| Bot Offline | The bot is not logged in and cannot send or receive chat. |
| View Chat or Schedule Messages shows Not Available | The add-on is attached but not enabled. |
| No Local Chat even though people are talking | They may be out of range, or monitoring is not running. Say only carries about 20 metres. |
| Distant users cannot hear the bot | Send as Shout rather than Say. |
| Scheduled message shows Failed | The bot was offline or not monitoring at the scheduled time. |
| Messages seem delayed | The view refreshes every 10 seconds. Click Refresh data for an immediate update. |
| Sub account cannot start monitoring | They have view but not manage permission for this bot. |