How to Setup Trigger Talk (Local Chat)

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 Trigger Talk (Local Chat) add-on, which makes your bot answer automatically when someone types one of your keywords in local chat.

Getting Started

• Purchase the Trigger Talk (Local Chat) Add-On at https://lifebots.cloud/store/addon/trigger-talk-local-chat
• Attach the add-on to one of your LifeBots bots.
  • Note: Purchase an additional Trigger Talk (Local Chat) Add-On for each bot you wish to configure.

Open the Add-On

• Visit your LifeBots Dashboard at https://lifebots.cloud/dashboard
• Click Trigger Talk (Local) in the ADDONS section of the Dashboard left panel
• Select the bot you want to configure

This opens the Trigger Talk Local Rules editor. If the page reports No Compatible Bots Found, the add-on has not been attached to a bot yet.

The Editor Toolbar

Five buttons sit along the top of the rules editor:

Button	What It Does
Add Rule	Opens the rule form to create a new rule.
Save Rules	Writes your changes. Greyed out until you have unsaved changes.
Reset Changes	Discards everything since your last save. Greyed out when there is nothing to discard.
Import	Loads rules from a JSON file.
Export	Saves your rules to a JSON file. Greyed out when you have no rules.

[IMPORTANT:] Your changes are not saved automatically. Adding, editing, deleting or reordering a rule only changes it on screen. You must click Save Rules before leaving the page, or the work is lost. The button lights up as soon as there is something to save, which is your cue.

Step 1: Turn the Add-On On

Open the settings dialog (the cog button) and switch on Enable Trigger Talk Local. This is the master switch for all trigger talk functionality. While it is off, no rule fires no matter how it is configured.

Response Targets

Under Response Targets, choose who the bot may answer:

Setting	What It Does
Respond to Agents	Respond to messages from other avatars. Leave this on for normal use.
Respond to Objects	Respond to messages from scripted objects.

[NOTE:] Think carefully before enabling Respond to Objects. Vendors, security orbs and traffic counters all talk in local chat, and your bot will answer them, burning through its hourly response allowance on machines.

Rate Limits

Trigger Talk applies a rate limit of 60 responses per hour and a 5 second cooldown between replies to the same person. These are applied automatically and are not editable from the settings dialog. They exist to keep your bot from being reported as spam.

Step 2: Add Your First Rule

Click Add Rule. The form has four required parts and a set of options.

Field	What to Enter
Rule Title	A descriptive name for your own reference, such as “Store Hours”. Visitors never see it. Required.
Keywords/Triggers	Type a word into Add keyword and press Enter, or click Add. Each keyword appears as a chip you can remove with its X. At least one is required.
Response Message	The message to send in local chat when the keywords are detected. Required.
Rule Enabled	On by default. Turn it off to keep a rule without it firing.

If you try to save with any of the three required parts missing, you get a prompt telling you which one: Please enter a rule title, Please enter a response, or Please add at least one keyword.

[NOTE:] Duplicate keywords are ignored. Adding a keyword that is already on the rule does nothing.

Response Options

Option	Default	What It Does
Case Insensitive	On	Match keywords regardless of case, so “PRICE” and “price” both work.
Exact Match Only	Off	Only trigger on exact keyword matches, not partial. Left off, the keyword price also matches “what is the price?”
Send Friend Request	Off	Automatically send a friend request to whoever triggered the rule.

Personalising the Response

Your response can include the visitor’s name. These placeholders are not listed in the rule form, but they work:

Placeholder	Alternative	Becomes
{firstname}	%FIRST_NAME%	The visitor’s first name
{lastname}	%LAST_NAME%	The visitor’s last name
{displayname}	%DISPLAY_NAME%	The visitor’s display name

Worked Example

Field	Value
Rule Title	Store Hours
Keywords	hours, open, closing
Response Message	Hi {firstname}! We are open 24/7, browse any time.
Case Insensitive	On
Exact Match Only	Off

Save the rule, then click Save Rules on the toolbar.

Step 3: Order Your Rules

Rules are checked in order and the first match wins. In the rules list, drag and drop rules using the drag handle to change their priority order.

Put specific rules above general ones. A rule for refund policy must sit above a rule for policy, or the general rule answers first.

[NOTE:] Reordering counts as an unsaved change. Click Save Rules afterwards.

Managing Existing Rules

Each rule in the list shows its Keywords and its Local Chat Response, with three actions:

• Edit rule: reopen the form
• Enable rule / Disable rule: toggle it without deleting
• Delete rule: remove it

Step 4: Set a Default Response (Optional)

In the settings dialog, the Default Responder Rule catches anything your keywords miss:

• Enable Default Response: respond to messages that don’t match any keyword rules
• Default Response Message: sent in local chat when no keyword rule matches, for example “Thank you for your message. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
• Send Friend Request: also send a friend request on the default reply

Keyword rules are checked first, then the default rule if none match.

[IMPORTANT:] Be cautious with the default response in local chat. It answers everything said near your bot, including conversations between other people. On a busy region this is disruptive and will exhaust the hourly limit quickly. Most shop and info bots should leave it off.

Step 5: Test It

1. Confirm you have clicked Save Rules.
2. Make sure the bot is online and in the right region.
3. Stand near the bot and type one of your keywords in local chat.
4. Confirm the reply is correct and any name placeholders were filled in.
5. Check the bot’s card, which shows Status, total Responses, unique Users, rule count and the hourly limit.

Import and Export

Export writes your rules to a JSON file that you can import into another bot.

Format	Contents
LifeBots Format (Recommended)	Rules plus global settings and metadata, with a digital signature for tamper protection.
Standard Format	Basic rule data only. Smaller file, compatible with other tools.

To import, either Select JSON file or paste the JSON directly.

[IMPORTANT:] Importing replaces all existing rules and settings on that bot. Export a backup first.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to Check
Changes vanished after leaving the page	You did not click Save Rules. Nothing is saved automatically.
Save Rules is greyed out	There are no unsaved changes, or your account cannot manage this bot.
Bot never replies	Check Enable Trigger Talk Local is on, the rule’s Rule Enabled is on, rules are saved, and the bot is online.
Bot ignores avatars	Respond to Agents is off.
Bot only answers the exact phrase	Exact Match Only is on for that rule.
Bot ignores capitalised words	Case Insensitive is off for that rule.
The wrong rule answers	A more general rule sits above the specific one. Drag it lower and save.
Placeholder appears as literal text	Check the spelling: {firstname}, {lastname}, {displayname}.
Replies stop partway through a busy period	The 60 per hour limit has been reached. Disable the default response and narrow your keywords.
Bot answers objects, not people	Respond to Objects is on. Turn it off.
Rule form will not submit	Title, response and at least one keyword are all required. The prompt names the missing one.