Add live chat to Hugo. DeskCrew support widget
DeskCrew adds AI live chat, an AI support chatbot and a help center to a Hugo site through the official hugo-deskcrew theme component: one partial and a few lines in hugo.toml, alongside any theme. A single script tag in your base template works too.
An official theme component
Import hugo-deskcrew as a module, add one partial call, and every page carries the widget. It stacks on top of any theme rather than replacing it.
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 Hugo
Import the official theme component as a Hugo module: hugo mod get github.com/webmilmind1/hugo-deskcrew, then add it under [[module.imports]] in hugo.toml. Not using modules? Clone it into themes/hugo-deskcrew and add it to your theme list.
Add a [params.deskcrew] block to hugo.toml with your key and board slug, then call {{ partial "deskcrew.html" . }} once before </body> in layouts/_default/baseof.html. Themes with a body-end hook (PaperMod, Docsy, Hextra) take the partial there, so you never copy baseof.html.
Rebuild with hugo. Every generated page carries the widget, and your existing theme is untouched. Your key and board slug are on the dashboard’s Install page.
<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).
Note: Prefer no module? Paste the tag below into layouts/_default/baseof.html before </body> instead, copying the file out of your theme first.
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 Hugo
Last updated: September 2026
How do I add live chat to a Hugo site?
Paste the widget script into layouts/_default/baseof.html, just before the closing body tag. Every page Hugo builds uses that base template, so one edit covers the entire site.
My theme owns baseof.html. What do I do?
Copy it from themes/<your-theme>/layouts/_default/ into your site’s own layouts/_default/ directory, then edit your copy. Hugo’s lookup order prefers your file, and a theme update can no longer overwrite it.
Should I use a partial instead?
If your theme has a partial included on every page, such as head.html or footer.html, that works equally well and is often cleaner. The requirement is only that it renders on every page.
Will it slow the build down?
No. Hugo is only copying a static tag into the output. The script itself loads deferred in the browser and does not affect build time at all.
Is there a free live chat widget for Hugo?
Yes. The DeskCrew free plan includes the chat widget, ticketing, a public help center, and a monthly AI answer allowance, with no credit card.