ThreadHive Chat

Description

Build a helpful support corner without an account or AI usage charges:

• Five editable FAQs, stored in your WordPress database.
• Email, WhatsApp, and help-center links.
• Custom title, introduction, launcher label, button color, and position.
• Mobile visibility and page exclusions.
• Live appearance preview in a dedicated admin workspace.
• Optional WooCommerce shop, cart, and customer-account shortcuts.
• Optional product cards for up to three recent, publicly visible products.

The free panel makes no external service requests, uses no AI, and stores no visitor tracking data. Contact links open the selected service only when a visitor clicks. Contact email links open the visitor’s mail application. The optional order portal sends verification links and opted-in status emails through WordPress. Order access requires the owning customer account or an expiring verification link. Product cards link to product pages so shoppers can select variations and purchase normally.

Optional connected mode embeds your published ThreadHive chat widget instead of the local panel. It uses your existing ThreadHive subscription, trial, and usage limits; this plugin does not grant unlimited AI. The connected widget’s appearance is managed in ThreadHive. Chat cannot make refunds, cancellations, or order changes through this plugin.

WooCommerce is optional. WordPress sites without it still get the free FAQ/contact panel and optional connected chat.

Connected ThreadHive setup

1. Open Connect ThreadHive in the plugin and click Connect with ThreadHive.
2. Sign in or create an account on threadhive.io, choose your workspace, and approve the connection.
3. You return to WordPress connected. Published chat is enabled automatically; if your widget is not published yet, publish it in ThreadHive and enable Connected chat in Support studio.
4. With WooCommerce installed, an initial catalog sync is scheduled automatically through WP-Cron. You can also use Sync catalog now.

No API URLs or keys need to be copied. The site must use public HTTPS, with WordPress admin on the same host. One WordPress website can connect to each workspace. Reconnecting the same website rotates its private credential; disconnect the existing site before connecting another. Disconnect in the plugin revokes its catalog/quiz credential and stops connected chat. No charge or plan activation occurs on connection. Existing manually configured installations keep working until you choose to reconnect.

Page exclusions apply to either mode; local appearance and mobile controls apply to the free panel only.

External services

ThreadHive (optional hosted support service)

ThreadHive provides hosted chat, AI replies, the shared team inbox, product catalog indexing, and optional AI-generated quiz drafts. It is contacted only for configured connected features or when an administrator starts a connection. Connecting sends the website URL, WordPress callback URL, random connection state and verifier challenge to https://threadhive.io; completing approval exchanges a single-use code and verifier for a scoped credential. Disconnecting sends that credential for revocation. WordPress passwords are never sent. Clicking Generate AI draft asks the configured ThreadHive API to use the previously synced catalog; the request is authenticated with the saved credential.

Free mode: FAQ text and contact settings are stored locally. No visitor tracking or background external requests are made by the free panel. WhatsApp links open wa.me when clicked; email links open the visitor’s mail app; help-center and product links navigate to the configured destination.

Connected mode: the public widget loader is fetched from the configured ThreadHive API URL when a visitor opens a page on which chat is enabled. Chat messages and data collected by the connected widget are processed by that ThreadHive deployment according to its privacy policy and account settings. Catalog sync sends product names, descriptions, prices, images, URLs, stock, categories, SKU, and variant data to that API, authenticated with a server-side commerce credential. No order records are uploaded by catalog sync. Saved sync credentials authorize automatic catalog updates even if you select the free panel.

ThreadHive service information: https://threadhive.io/
Terms of service: https://threadhive.io/terms
Privacy policy: https://threadhive.io/privacy
Review these before enabling connected mode. The free panel can be used without this service.

WhatsApp / Meta (optional contact links and order notifications)

WhatsApp is provided by Meta. The free panel’s WhatsApp contact link opens https://wa.me/ with the store’s configured contact phone number only when a visitor clicks it. The visitor’s browser or WhatsApp app then connects to that service; the plugin does not send chat messages through this link.

Optional WooCommerce WhatsApp order notifications use the Meta WhatsApp Cloud API at https://graph.facebook.com. A request is made only after the merchant configures a phone-number ID, access token and approved message template, the customer opts in for that order, and an order milestone changes (including an initial Processing milestone). The request sends the customer’s checkout phone number, order number, status label, order-portal URL, template name and language, and the merchant’s sender phone-number ID; the merchant’s access token authenticates the request. The portal URL leads to a page requiring customer sign-in or email verification; it contains no guest access secret. These data are sent to deliver the requested order update. Installing the plugin alone does not enable these requests.

WhatsApp Business terms: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-terms/
WhatsApp privacy policy: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy/
WhatsApp Business data processing terms: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-data-processing-terms/

Email and configured destination links

Contact email links open the visitor’s mail app only when clicked. Order verification and opted-in order updates use wp_mail through the site’s configured mail provider, which receives the recipient email address and message content (including a private verification link when requested). The plugin does not select or integrate a separate email delivery provider. Help-center and product links open their configured destinations when clicked.

Security

Settings and sync actions require manage_options and valid WordPress nonces. Connection approval uses an expiring state and server-held verifier; credentials are exchanged over HTTPS and never placed in redirect URLs. The backend stores only a hash of the scoped connection credential. Text is sanitized and escaped on output. Saved ingest keys are not reflected in admin HTML or sent to visitors. Catalog requests use WordPress’s safe HTTP client, HTTPS settings, and no redirects. API keys remain in the WordPress options database; protect database backups accordingly.

Product finder and order portal

With WooCommerce installed, open ThreadHive → Product finder. Map two to four answers per question to products (up to five questions). Enable and save, then use [threadhive_product_quiz] on a page or the automatic support-panel shortcut. Matching runs locally without AI costs. Analytics count recommended-product purchases from the latest 200 consenting paid orders in the past 30 days, not all visitors or causal conversion lift. Attribution expires after one day.

Optional AI draft generation requires a synced catalog, server-side ingest key, and active paid AI subscription. Each attempt consumes one AI reply allowance, including failed attempts; maximum three per hour. It generates a disabled draft for review, without changing the published quiz.

Open ThreadHive → Order support to record Packed, Shipped, Delivered, and custom display labels. These milestones do not change WooCommerce payment or fulfillment records. Only observed milestones appear completed. Logged-in customers can view their latest 20 orders; guests request a private 24-hour link sent to the order email. After upgrading, save Settings → Permalinks once to enable /track-order/ routes. Query-string links work immediately.

Customers and store managers can upload up to three private files per order, each up to 2 MB (PDF, PNG, JPEG). Store proofs can be approved by the verified customer. A new store proof clears the old approval. Files are private order metadata, never public Media Library URLs. Protect and retain order backups accordingly; deleting the plugin does not delete order history or files.

Order updates require customer opt-in. Email uses your site’s configured WordPress mail delivery. WhatsApp requires a Meta Cloud phone-number ID, access token, approved template and language in Order support. The template uses three body variables: order number, status, private portal URL. Messages use the order’s checkout phone number. Sending is attempted when the store records a new milestone; provider delivery and retries are not guaranteed. No messages are sent simply by installing the plugin.

The page-exclusion control is now a searchable page selector. It applies to the support widget, not access to standalone product-finder or order pages.

Additional commerce privacy

Quiz attribution is optional. Consenting answers and recommended IDs enter the WooCommerce session, then paid order metadata if the cart contains a recommended product. Private order files, approvals, notification choices, and workflow history are stored with the order. Guest link requests use temporary hashed IP/email rate limits. Order emails use WordPress mail; opted-in WhatsApp updates send the order number, status, checkout phone, and portal link to Meta. AI draft generation sends catalog data to the configured ThreadHive service. Do not put private customer information in quiz questions or product descriptions.

Development

All plugin PHP, JavaScript, and CSS source files are included in this ZIP in human-readable form. No minification, compilation, or external source repository is required to inspect or run this plugin.