Add live chat to Discourse. DeskCrew support widget
DeskCrew adds live chat and ticketing to a Discourse forum with an official theme component. Install it from GitHub, then set your widget key in the component settings.
A real plugin. Settings page, no code
Install the plugin on Discourse, paste your widget key on its settings page, and it registers your site's domain with DeskCrew automatically.
AI drafts, humans approve
The AI drafts replies grounded in the knowledge base you publish, and every draft waits in an approval queue until a human sends it.
Every conversation is a ticket
Widget chats, emails, and board posts land in one dashboard with full history; visitors who leave get their answer by email.
Free plan, no card
The free plan includes the chat widget, a public knowledge base, and ticketing. Start free and upgrade only when you outgrow it.
How to install DeskCrew on Discourse
In your Discourse admin, go to Customize → Themes → Install → From a git repository.
Paste https://github.com/webmilmind1/discourse-deskcrew and install. It adds as a theme component.
Open the component’s Settings, paste your widget key (pub_…) from the DeskCrew dashboard’s Install page, then add the component to your active theme(s). The widget stays hidden until the key is set.
<script src="https://deskcrew.io/desk.js" data-key="pub_YOUR_KEY" data-board="your-board" defer></script>
pub_YOUR_KEY and your-board are placeholders. Your real widget key and board slug are in your DeskCrew dashboard under Install (free signup, no card).
DeskCrew vs the usual suspects
| DeskCrew | Tidio | Crisp | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes. Free plan, no card | Yes (limited) | Yes (basic) | Free trial only |
| AI included | Yes. AI drafts on every plan, human-approved | Paid add-on | Higher plans | Paid add-on |
| Setup | About 2 minutes. One script tag or plugin | Minutes. Script tag | Minutes. Script tag | Longer. Full workspace setup |
| Price floor | $0 free plan · paid from $29/mo | Free plan; paid tiers above | Free plan; paid tiers above | Per-agent pricing, no free plan |
Competitor cells generalize their public pricing pages. Always check current plans.
DeskCrew has a free plan with no card. Chat widget, public knowledge base, and ticketing included. Every new workspace starts with full Team features free for 14 days, and paid plans start at $29/mo. Full details on the pricing page.
FAQ. add live chat to Discourse
How do I add live chat to a Discourse forum?
Create a theme component (Admin → Customize → Themes → Components), open Edit CSS/HTML, and paste the DeskCrew script tag into the </head> tab of the Common section. Add the component to your active theme and it loads forum-wide.
Should I edit the theme or make a theme component?
A component. It attaches to any theme, survives theme switches, and keeps one concern per component. Pasting into the active theme’s own </head> tab works too; a component is just cleaner.
Does Discourse’s Content Security Policy block third-party scripts?
Not ones added through Edit CSS/HTML. Discourse automatically adds a nonce to script tags in the </head> section so they satisfy its CSP with no extra configuration.
Isn’t a forum already a support channel?
It is a public one. The widget adds a private lane beside it for account, billing, and bug reports. Each conversation becomes a ticket with status and an assignee, and the AI drafts replies grounded in your knowledge base.
Is the DeskCrew widget free?
Yes. DeskCrew’s free plan includes the chat widget, a public knowledge base, and ticketing, no card required.
Where do chats from my forum go?
Every conversation becomes a ticket in your DeskCrew dashboard. The AI drafts a reply grounded in your knowledge base, a human approves it, and members who already left get the answer by email.