> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getvirtualbrain.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chatbots

> Publish any Brain as an AI chatbot: embed it on a website, share it by link, or access it through an API

Any Brain can be published as a chatbot: an AI assistant, powered by that Brain's documents, that you can embed on a website or share by link. Answers stay grounded in the Brain's contents, so what the chatbot says traces back to documents you control.

<Frame>
  <iframe style={{ width: '100%', aspectRatio: '16/9' }} src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VcXz8OEXQCQ" title="Chatbot Tutorial" frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />
</Frame>

## Why publish a Brain

A chatbot extends a Brain's knowledge to people who work outside VirtualBrain: a practice-area FAQ on the intranet, a client-facing assistant on your site, or a programmatic endpoint for your own tools. You curate the documents; the chatbot answers from them.

## Configure your chatbot

You configure a chatbot across four tabs.

<Frame caption="The chatbot configuration view with its Customize, Test, Share & Integrate, and API Keys tabs.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/virtualbrain/VZdLXSl7brhQEIEq/images/brains/chatbot.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=VZdLXSl7brhQEIEq&q=85&s=c02d8c476d5ffe0f82cf7e636f86a548" alt="The chatbot configuration screen showing customization options and the four configuration tabs" width="1587" height="910" data-path="images/brains/chatbot.png" />
</Frame>

### Customize

Set the chatbot's visibility, **Private** or **Public**, then shape its behavior and look:

* **Behavior**: a name, a custom prompt, a welcome message, up to three initial questions, the length of its answers (**Small**, **Medium**, or **Large**), and whether it shows sources and suggested prompts.
* **Style**: profile picture, logo, background color, and a widget style of **Popup**, **Chat Bubble**, or **Sidebar**.

### Test

Preview the chatbot before publishing. The preview link lasts two hours, long enough to circulate it internally for a quick review before going live.

### Share & Integrate

Once the chatbot is **Public**, share it three ways:

| Method                | Best for                                    |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Landing-page URL      | Sharing a dedicated page by link            |
| iFrame embed          | Placing the chatbot inside an existing page |
| Script-snippet widget | Adding it to your site as a widget          |

### API Keys

Generate an API key for programmatic access, with full API documentation available in Swagger.

## Turn deliverables into a client-facing chatbot

A chatbot doesn't have to sit on raw source files. Save the [deliverables you produce](/features/chats/refining-and-exporting) into a dedicated Brain and publish that, so your clients get an assistant that answers from your finished, reviewed work:

<Frame>
  <iframe style={{ width: '100%', aspectRatio: '16/9' }} src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8htZeIPPAHI" title="How to turn your deliverables into a client-facing chatbot" frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />
</Frame>

## Best practices

Keep the backing Brain tightly scoped: the chatbot can only be as accurate as the documents behind it, and [a focused Brain answers better](/features/brains/overview) than a sprawling one. Use the custom prompt and initial questions to steer visitors toward the topics the Brain actually covers, and keep "show sources" on when traceability matters to your audience.

## Related

* [Sharing Brains](/features/brains/sharing-brains): for collaboration with colleagues inside VirtualBrain
* [Organizing Documents](/features/brains/organizing-documents): verify the Brain's contents before publishing
* [Creating Brains](/features/brains/creating-brains): build the knowledge base behind the chatbot