Title: LobbyChat
Author: Asad Khalil
Published: May 23, 2026
Last modified: May 23, 2026
---
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# LobbyChat
By [Asad Khalil](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jauntymellifluous/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/lobbychat.1.0.7.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/lobbychat/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/lobbychat/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/lobbychat/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/lobbychat/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/lobbychat/)
## Description
**LobbyChat** is a lightweight live-chat shoutbox you can drop into any WordPress
page or sidebar with a single shortcode. Built for communities — fan sites, forums,
fandoms, classrooms, internal teams — where you want a casual, always-on group chat
without bolting on Slack or Discord.
#### What you get
* **Live chat feed** with auto-refresh (configurable polling interval — no WebSocket
server required)
* **Guest posting** — visitors can chat with just a display name, no signup wall
* **Emoji reactions** on every message — 👍 ❤️ 😂 🔥 🎉
* **Link previews** for YouTube and any URL with Open Graph tags
* **@mention highlighting** — `@username` gets visually picked out
* **Pinned messages** — moderators can pin one important message above the feed
* **Online presence** — live count of members, guests, and search-engine bots in
the room
* **Moderator role** — add a “LobbyChat Moderator” role to any user for pin/delete
powers
* **Reporting + auto-hide** — 5 reports on a message and it’s hidden automatically
* **Word blocklist** for basic profanity filtering
* **Rate limiting** built in — separate cooldowns for guests vs members
* **Fullscreen mode** + collapse toggle
* **Sound notification** for new messages (toggleable per-visitor)
* **Mobile responsive**
#### Optional: AI Chat Companion
LobbyChat ships with an optional AI bot you can drop into your chat. The bot uses**
your own API keys** — you bring your own Google Gemini key (the free tier works)
or OpenAI key. The plugin does **not** route requests through any third-party server.
* **Bring-your-own-key** — Gemini (free tier) or OpenAI (paid)
* **Configurable persona** — name, system prompt, custom personality
* **Smart triggers** — replies to @mentions always; questions usually; random messages
occasionally (all configurable)
* **Hard rate limits** — daily and hourly caps protect against runaway API costs
* **Active-hours window** — bot only chats during the hours you specify
* **One-click test** in the admin to verify the bot can post
#### Privacy & data
LobbyChat **does not call any third-party server by default**. The only network
calls are:
* Fetching link previews when a user shares a URL (request goes from your server
to that URL)
* Calling Google Gemini or OpenAI **only if you explicitly enable the AI bot and
provide an API key**
No telemetry, no analytics, no “phone home.” All data lives in your own `wp_lobbychat*`
tables.
#### Try it live
See LobbyChat running in production at [bejaunty.com/plugins/lobbychat](https://bejaunty.com/plugins/lobbychat).
#### Roadmap
LobbyChat is the free, standalone version. Premium add-ons with gaming-community
features — looking-for-group buttons, platform tags, profile-card integration, and
richer moderation tools — are in development. Updates and announcements at [bejaunty.com](https://bejaunty.com).
#### Support development
LobbyChat is free and developed in spare time. If it helps your community, you can
support development at [wise.com/pay/me/asadk372](https://wise.com/pay/me/asadk372).
Every bit is appreciated. ♥
#### Usage
After activating, drop this shortcode into any page, post, or text widget:
```
[lobbychat]
```
Then visit **Settings LobbyChat** to configure rate limits, blocklist, and other
options. For the AI bot, see **Settings LobbyChat AI Bot**.
#### Developer hooks
LobbyChat exposes several filters and actions for theme/plugin developers:
* `lobbychat_after_send` — action, fires after a message is saved. `do_action('
lobbychat_after_send', $user_id, $message_id, $row)` — the third arg is the database
row object.
* `lobbychat_profile_url` — filter, override the URL linked from a username (default:
WP author archive)
* `lobbychat_allowed_reactions` — filter, override the array of allowed reaction
emoji
* `lobbychat_report_threshold` — filter, change the auto-hide report threshold (
default: 5)
### External services
This plugin does not connect to any external service by default. Two optional features
may, **only when explicitly enabled by the site administrator**, contact third-party
services:
#### 1. Link previews
When the link-sharing feature is enabled (Settings LobbyChat “Allow link sharing”,
which is on by default), and a logged-in user shares a URL in chat, the plugin’s
server fetches that URL once to extract Open Graph / Twitter / `` metadata
for a preview card.
* **What is sent:** The HTTP request from your server to the URL the user pasted.
The request user-agent identifies as `LobbyChatBot/1.0` and includes a link back
to your site.
* **When:** Only at the moment a user posts a message containing a URL.
* **What is received and stored:** Title, description, and image URL extracted
from the page’s metadata. Stored in the chat message row in your database.
* **Special handling for YouTube URLs:** YouTube URLs are first sent to YouTube’s
public oEmbed endpoint (`https://www.youtube.com/oembed`) to retrieve title and
author info. YouTube’s [Terms of Service](https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms)
and [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) apply.
This feature can be fully disabled by un-checking “Allow link sharing” in plugin
settings.
#### 2. Optional AI chat companion
When the AI bot is explicitly enabled by the administrator (Settings LobbyChat
AI Bot “Enable bot”, which is **off by default**) and the administrator has provided
their own API key for one or both of the providers below, chat messages are sent
to that provider for the bot to generate replies.
**Google Gemini API** (`https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/`)
* **What it
is:** Google’s generative AI service, used here to produce conversational chat replies.***
What is sent:** Up to 6 most recent chat messages (sender display name + message
text), the bot’s system prompt, and the administrator’s Gemini API key. * **When:**
Only when the administrator has enabled the bot AND a chat message satisfies the
bot’s reply-trigger rules (mention, question, or random chance — all configurable).***
Terms and privacy:** [Google APIs Terms of Service](https://developers.google.com/terms),
[Gemini API Additional Terms](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms), [Google Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy).
**OpenAI API** (`https://api.openai.com/`)
* **What it is:** OpenAI’s chat completions
API, used here as a fallback when Gemini fails or as the primary if only an OpenAI
key is configured. * **What is sent:** Same as Gemini above (recent messages + system
prompt + administrator’s OpenAI API key). * **When:** Same conditions as Gemini
above. * **Terms and privacy:** [OpenAI Terms of Use](https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use),
[OpenAI API Data Usage Policies](https://openai.com/policies/api-data-usage-policies),
[OpenAI Privacy Policy](https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy).
The AI bot is disabled by default and will not contact any external service unless
the administrator explicitly enables it and provides an API key.
## Screenshots
* [[
* Live chat feed with reactions and link previews.
* [[
* Online member breakdown showing members, guests, and bots.
* [[
* Settings page with rate-limit controls and moderation options.
* [[
* AI bot configuration with built-in setup guide.
## Installation
1. Upload the `lobbychat` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`, **or** install the zip
via Plugins Add New Upload.
2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu.
3. Place the shortcode `[lobbychat]` on the page or in the widget area where you want
the chat to appear.
4. (Optional) Visit **Settings LobbyChat** to tweak rate limits and moderation settings.
5. (Optional) Visit **Settings LobbyChat AI Bot** if you want to add an AI chat companion.
## FAQ
### Does this require a WebSocket server, Pusher, or any external service?
No. LobbyChat uses simple HTTP polling at a configurable interval (default 30 seconds).
It runs entirely on your own WordPress install with no external dependencies.
### Can guests post without registering?
Yes — guest posting is on by default. They just enter a display name. You can require
login in Settings if you prefer.
### How do I make someone a moderator?
Edit the user in **Users All Users**, change their role (or add the role) to **
LobbyChat Moderator**. Administrators are automatically moderators.
### How does the AI bot work? Does it cost me anything?
The bot is **off by default**. To turn it on, you provide your own Gemini API key(
Google offers a free tier — see [aistudio.google.com/apikey](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey))
and/or OpenAI key. The bot calls those APIs directly from your server using your
key. We never see your messages or your key.
### Will old messages be deleted automatically?
Yes if you want. Set **Auto-delete old messages** in Settings to a number of days(
default 30, set to 0 to keep forever). Pinned messages are never auto-deleted.
### Is the chat history searchable?
Not in the current version. Messages are stored in a standard MySQL table (`wp_lobbychat`)
so any standard WP backup or export tool will include them.
### Can I style it to match my theme?
Yes — every color is set via CSS custom properties (`--lobbychat-accent`, `--lobbychat-
bg`, etc.) on the wrapper. Override them in your theme’s stylesheet.
### Does it work on mobile?
Yes, the layout is fully responsive and supports fullscreen mode.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“LobbyChat” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this
plugin.
Contributors
* [ Asad Khalil ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jauntymellifluous/)
[Translate “LobbyChat” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/lobbychat)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/lobbychat/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/lobbychat/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/lobbychat/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/lobbychat/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.7
* Updated: “Tested up to” bumped to WordPress 7.0.
#### 1.0.6
* Updated: Plugin URI now points to the GitHub source repository (`github.com/JauntyMYT/
lobbychat`) for a more stable canonical URL.
#### 1.0.5
* Compliance: Moved inline admin JavaScript to a properly enqueued file (`assets/
js/admin.js`) loaded only on the bot settings page via `admin_enqueue_scripts`,
per WordPress.org coding standards.
* Compliance: Renamed all plugin-defined constants from the 3-character `LBC_*`
prefix to `LOBBYCHAT_*` to meet the 4+ character prefix requirement.
#### 1.0.4
* Compliance: “Powered by LobbyChat” frontend attribution is now opt-in (off by
default) per WordPress.org guidelines on plugin attribution.
* Compliance: Added detailed “External services” section to readme documenting
all third-party API calls (Gemini, OpenAI, YouTube oEmbed, link preview fetches)
with terms-of-service and privacy-policy links.
#### 1.0.3
* Fixed: Link sharing now works for any URL — previously only worked when the linked
page had perfectly-formatted Open Graph tags. Now handles Twitter cards, plain`
<title>` tags, and falls back to a bare link card if no metadata is available.
* Improved: Open Graph parser now handles meta tags with `content` before `property`,
mixed quote styles, and follows redirects.
* Improved: Bumped link-fetch timeout from 5s to 8s for slower-responding sites.
* Updated: Plugin URI and demo link now point to bejaunty.com.
#### 1.0.2
* Plugin Check compliance: addressed all errors and warnings from the official
WordPress Plugin Check tool.
* Replaced `parse_url()` with `wp_parse_url()`, `mt_rand()` with `wp_rand()`, `
date()` with `gmdate()`.
* Added `wp_unslash()` to all `$_POST` and `$_SERVER` reads before sanitization.
* Refactored `get_messages()` to avoid dynamic SQL fragments — now uses two clean
prepared queries.
* Added documented phpcs suppressions for legitimate direct-DB access (custom plugin
tables) and bot logging.
* Removed redundant `load_plugin_textdomain()` (WP.org auto-loads translations
since WP 4.6).
* Removed `Domain Path` header (no `/languages/` folder needed for WP.org-hosted
plugins).
* Bumped `Tested up to: 6.9` to match current WordPress release.
* Renamed template-scope variables to use full `lobbychat_` prefix.
#### 1.0.1
* Fixed: Send button not working in some themes — moved script localization earlier
so the LobbyChat global is always defined when the JS loads.
* Fixed: Click handler now uses event delegation, so it survives DOM changes from
page builders and caching plugins.
* Fixed: Uninstall now correctly drops the messages table (was using the wrong
table name).
* Fixed: Removed unused `tag` column from the messages table schema (auto-migrates
from 1.0.0).
* Added: “Show ‘Powered by’ link” toggle in Settings (on by default — admins can
turn it off).
* Added: Donate link on the Plugins page, in plugin header, and on the settings
page footer.
* Added: Console diagnostic when the LobbyChat global is missing (helps debug script-
loading conflicts).
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release.
* Live chat feed with HTTP polling.
* Guest and member posting with separate rate limits.
* Emoji reactions, link previews (YouTube + Open Graph), pinned messages.
* Reporting with auto-hide threshold.
* Word blocklist + 60-second self-delete window.
* Custom **LobbyChat Moderator** role.
* Online presence with bot detection.
* Optional AI chat companion (Gemini + OpenAI fallback).
* Fullscreen mode, collapse toggle, sound notifications.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.7**
* Last updated **1 day ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 5.8 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.0**
* PHP version ** 7.2 or higher **
* Tags
* [chat](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/chat/)[comments](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/comments/)
[community](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/community/)[live chat](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/live-chat/)
[shoutbox](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/shoutbox/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/lobbychat/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/lobbychat/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/lobbychat/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Asad Khalil ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jauntymellifluous/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/lobbychat/)