@deskcrew/astro
Add AI live chat, a help center and ticketing to any Astro site in about two minutes, free, with no credit card. @deskcrew/astro is the official DeskCrew integration: one line in astro.config.mjs puts a support widget on every page, answers visitor questions from your own help articles, and turns anything it cannot answer into a real support ticket.
Install
npm install @deskcrew/astro// astro.config.mjs
import { defineConfig } from 'astro/config'
import deskcrew from '@deskcrew/astro'
export default defineConfig({
integrations: [
deskcrew({
widgetKey: 'pub_xxxxxxxx', // required, from Dashboard → Install
// board: 'your-workspace', // optional
// color: '#4f46e5', // optional accent colour
// position: 'right', // optional: 'left' | 'right'
// greeting: 'Hi! How can we help?', // optional
}),
],
})Build or run your site and the chat launcher appears on every page. No account yet? Create one free, then copy your key from Dashboard → Install.
What you get
- AI answers grounded in your own help articles. The assistant only answers from the knowledge base you publish, so it cannot invent product facts.
- A human approves before anything sends. Every AI draft waits in an approval queue. Nothing reaches a customer unreviewed.
- Every conversation becomes a ticket. Widget chats, emails and board posts land in one dashboard with full history.
- Visitors who leave still get answered. Leave an email address and the reply arrives by email.
- Free plan, no card. Chat widget, public knowledge base and ticketing are included on the free plan.
Options
| Option | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
widgetKey |
string |
yes | Your public key (pub_…). |
board |
string |
no | Board slug (lowercase letters, numbers, dashes). |
color |
string |
no | Accent colour as a 6-digit hex value, e.g. #4f46e5. |
position |
'left' | 'right' |
no | Which side the launcher sits on. |
greeting |
string |
no | Greeting shown on the launcher. |
If widgetKey is missing or malformed the integration prints a build-time warning and adds nothing. Your site still builds.
How it works
The integration injects a small inline script into the document head that loads https://deskcrew.io/desk.js with your settings as data-* attributes. The widget renders inside a Shadow DOM, so it cannot inherit or leak your site's CSS. desk.js derives its API origin from its own src, so there is nothing else to configure.
Astro compatibility: works with any Astro 4 or later project, static or SSR, and with any adapter.
How it compares
| DeskCrew | Intercom | Crisp | Tidio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan with AI answers | Yes | No | Limited | Limited |
| Human approves AI replies | Yes, built in | No | No | No |
| Official Astro integration | Yes | No | No | No |
| Public knowledge base included | Yes | Paid add-on | Paid tier | Paid tier |
| Credit card to start | No | Yes | No | No |
FAQ
How do I add live chat to an Astro site?
Install @deskcrew/astro, add the integration to astro.config.mjs with your public widget key, and rebuild. The launcher appears on every page.
Is it free?
Yes. The free plan includes the chat widget, a public knowledge base and ticketing, with no credit card. Paid plans add higher AI allowances and team features. See pricing.
Does it slow my site down?
The integration adds one deferred script tag. Nothing renders until the visitor opens the launcher, and the widget is isolated in a Shadow DOM.
Does the AI make things up?
It answers from the knowledge base you publish. When it has no grounded answer it escalates to a human instead of guessing, and every draft reply requires human approval before sending.
Does it work with static builds and SSR?
Both. The widget is client-side and framework agnostic, so output mode and adapter do not matter.
Can I use it on multiple sites?
Yes. Each site is its own workspace with a separate knowledge base, ticket history and widget key.
Links
- Astro integration page: https://deskcrew.io/integrations/astro
- All integrations: https://deskcrew.io/integrations
- Pricing: https://deskcrew.io/pricing
- Start free: https://deskcrew.io/signup
License
MIT DeskCrew · deskcrew.io · hello@deskcrew.io
Updated July 2026.