Widget and portal FAQ

Answers about the customer-facing widget and portal.

How do I install the chat widget?

You drop a small embed snippet onto your site. The technical details (the loader script, your public key, and the JavaScript API) are in the developer docs under Embed install and the JavaScript API.

Will my changes to the widget go live immediately?

Only when you publish. The studio edits a draft while your site keeps rendering the published version, so you can redesign safely and ship when ready. This applies to both the widget's appearance and its scripted flows.

Can the widget show more than a chat box?

Yes. Its home can be a support home with modules: help search, suggested articles, quick actions, the customer's tickets and previous conversations, and your feedback board, roadmap, changelog, and status. You choose which modules appear and their order. See Home modules and publishing.

What is the difference between embedding the portal and the standalone portal?

The same customer surfaces can render inside the chat widget (set the home mode to portal, or enable the portal modules) or as their own pages you link to directly. Use the widget for lightweight in-page access; use the standalone pages for customers who arrive looking for one surface.

Which widget surfaces need the visitor to be recognized?

Public surfaces (feedback, roadmap, changelog, status) show for anyone. Personal surfaces (the visitor's own tickets and previous conversations) need a recognized visitor, either a signed-in portal customer or a widget visitor verified through signed identity.

Is the "Powered by Hark" attribution removable?

It is shown by default and is reserved to be removable on a future whitelabel plan.