---
name: live-helper-chat
description: Live Helper Chat recipe for open-forge. Covers self-hosting the open-source live customer support chat platform. Upstream: https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat
---

# Live Helper Chat

Open-source live customer support chat platform. Handles thousands of chats per day with multiple operators; supports AI bot integrations (ChatGPT, Ollama, Gemini, Rasa, Dialogflow), mobile apps, and integrations with Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Discord, and more. Upstream: <https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat>. Docs: <https://doc.livehelperchat.com>.

**License:** Apache-2.0

## Compatible install methods

| Method | Upstream | First-party? | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download release + PHP web server (LAMP/LEMP) | https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat/releases | ✅ | Standard production install on existing PHP stack |
| Clone from git + Composer | https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat | ✅ | Development or latest code |
| Docker | https://doc.livehelperchat.com/docs/install | Community | Containerised deployment |

## Inputs to collect

| Phase | Prompt | Format | Applicability |
|---|---|---|---|
| database | "Database type?" | MySQL/MariaDB | All |
| database | "DB host, name, user, password?" | Free-text | All |
| app | "Site URL?" | e.g. https://support.example.com | All |
| app | "Admin email?" | Email address | All |
| php | "PHP version?" | Minimum 8.2 | All |

## Install (from release download — recommended)

```bash
# 1. Download latest release from:
#    https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat/releases

# 2. Extract to web root
unzip lhc_web-<version>.zip -d /var/www/html/chat

# 3. Set permissions
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/chat
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/chat

# 4. Create MySQL database
mysql -u root -p -e "CREATE DATABASE lhc CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;"
mysql -u root -p -e "CREATE USER 'lhcuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';"
mysql -u root -p -e "GRANT ALL ON lhc.* TO 'lhcuser'@'localhost';"

# 5. Open http://yoursite.com/chat/lhc_web/install/ in browser
# Follow installer: DB credentials, admin account, site URL
```

## Install (from git + Composer)

```bash
git clone https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat.git
cd livehelperchat/lhc_web
composer install   # requires PHP 8.2+
```

Then configure nginx/Apache to point to `lhc_web/` and run the web installer.

## Software-layer concerns

### PHP requirements

- PHP 8.2+ with extensions: mysqli, pdo_mysql, gd, mbstring, xml, curl, zip, intl, fileinfo

### Key directories

| Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `lhc_web/settings/` | Generated config files (DB, site settings) |
| `lhc_web/cache/` | Template and data cache; must be writable |
| `lhc_web/var/storage/` | Uploaded files and attachments; must be writable |
| `lhc_web/var/userphoto/` | Operator photos; must be writable |

### Settings file

`lhc_web/settings/settings.ini.php` is generated by the installer. Contains DB credentials, site URL, and feature flags (e.g. webhooks).

### Webhooks

Webhooks must be explicitly enabled in `settings.ini.php`:
```
webhooks.enabled = "1"
```
Required for bot integrations (ChatGPT, Ollama, n8n, etc.).

### Cron jobs

Schedule these cron entries for background processing:

```cron
*/2 * * * * php /var/www/html/chat/lhc_web/cron/cron.php
*/5 * * * * php /var/www/html/chat/lhc_web/cron/cron_notifications.php
```

## Upgrade procedure

```bash
# Official docs: https://doc.livehelperchat.com/docs/upgrade

# 1. Download new release, extract to web root (do NOT overwrite settings/)
# 2. Run DB migration via browser: http://yoursite.com/chat/lhc_web/upgrade/
# 3. Clear cache: rm -rf lhc_web/cache/*
```

## Gotchas

- **After release download, no Composer needed.** Composer dependencies are pre-bundled in the release ZIP; only needed for git clones.
- **Writable directories.** `cache/`, `var/storage/`, and `var/userphoto/` must be writable by the web server. Permissions issues are the most common post-install problem.
- **Webhooks disabled by default.** Bot integrations (ChatGPT, Ollama, Discord, etc.) require webhooks to be enabled in `settings.ini.php`.
- **No built-in TLS.** Put behind nginx/Caddy/Apache with HTTPS; websocket support (`proxy_http_version 1.1`, `Upgrade`, `Connection`) must be configured in the reverse proxy.
- **Cron jobs required.** Without cron, notifications and background tasks won't run.
- **Mobile apps.** iOS/Android apps use a separate [Flutter app repo](https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/lhc_messenger) and require API configuration.

## Upstream docs

- Documentation: https://doc.livehelperchat.com
- Install guide: https://doc.livehelperchat.com/docs/install
- Upgrade guide: https://doc.livehelperchat.com/docs/upgrade
- GitHub README: https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat
- Releases: https://github.com/LiveHelperChat/livehelperchat/releases
- Demo: http://livehelperchat.com/demo-12c.html
