Getting Started

Getting Started is the walkthrough that takes a new Panelbot account from empty to a live chat widget answering real customers. It is written in the order the setup dashboard actually asks for things: create your account, hook up WHMCS or Blesta so ownership can be verified, connect each cPanel or DirectAdmin server over the panel API, configure the widget's behaviour and appearance, embed it in your client area, invite your team, and run the going-live checklist. The server agent is optional, for the few jobs a panel credential cannot reach. Every step has a page here, including switching from another chat tool and understanding what the optional installer places on your server. This is for the person doing the setup: an owner or ops engineer at the hosting company, not the end customer. Follow it top to bottom the first time and you will not miss a required piece.

What this section covers

Start free on WHMCS or Blesta

Set up Panelbot free: sign up with no card, connect a cPanel or DirectAdmin server over the panel API, embed the widget, and use your 30 chats a month.

Create your account and sign in

Set up your Panelbot account, sign in for the first time, pick a strong password, and switch on two-factor authentication to keep your team protected.

Onboarding checklist overview

Understand the five-step Panelbot setup checklist, what each step does, where every setting lives afterward, and how your first chat finishes onboarding.

Connect your billing portal (WHMCS / Blesta)

Create an API credential in WHMCS or Blesta, link it to Panelbot field by field, verify the connection, and set where escalated tickets are routed.

Connect a cPanel or DirectAdmin server

Connect a cPanel/WHM or DirectAdmin server over the panel API with a scoped credential. No agent, no root, and you see exactly what it can reach.

Server types explained

The server types in Panelbot: full access servers, reseller accounts on a server, reseller servers with limited access, and VPS or dedicated servers.

Install the optional server agent

The Panelbot agent is optional. When a panel credential is enough, when the agent helps, and how to enroll, update, or remove it if you install it.

What the installer puts on your server

Every file, service, and account the Panelbot agent installer creates, where each lives, what it can reach, and what the uninstaller removes.

Configure and enable the chat widget

Every chat widget setting in dashboard order: appearance, greeting, which capabilities the AI handles, and confirmed high-impact actions.

Add the chat widget to WHMCS or Blesta

Install the ready-made WHMCS hook or Blesta plugin from your dashboard, put the chat widget in your client area, and verify signed-in customers.

Invite your team and set roles

Invite teammates to your Panelbot account, assign built-in or custom roles, build a role from the permission catalog, and control sensitive access.

Going-live checklist

Run the final Panelbot pre-launch checks, classify your servers correctly, send one safe test chat, and know what to watch on your dashboard after launch.

Switching from another chat tool

How to run Panelbot alongside Crisp, Tawk, Intercom, or your existing helpdesk, how to evaluate it on real tickets, and how to phase a rollout.

Common questions

What order do I do this in?

Account first, then connect billing, then connect a server over the panel API, then configure and embed the widget, invite your team, and run the going-live checklist. The onboarding checklist page maps the whole path.

Does the installer need root?

Only if you choose the optional agent. The standard setup installs nothing: Panelbot connects over the cPanel/WHM or DirectAdmin API with a scoped credential, and a reseller credential is enough. The agent's installer needs root to set it up, and the agent then runs under an unprivileged account. What it puts on your server, and where, is documented in this section.

Do I need WHMCS or Blesta?

Yes. Ownership verification depends on your billing portal telling Panelbot who owns what. WHMCS and Blesta are supported today, each with a ready-made integration.

Can I try it alongside my current chat?

Yes. The switching guide covers running Panelbot next to Crisp, Tawk, Intercom, or a helpdesk so you can evaluate it on real tickets before cutting over.