# Adding Chat Channel (/platform/integrations/chat/adding-chat)

Learn how to add the Chat channel to your application

import { Card } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/card';

import { CodeIcon } from '@/components/icons/overview';
import { Tab, Tabs } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/tabs';

Chat channels allow you to deliver instant, contextual messages to your subscribers via their preferred chat platform and apps.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable Chat Channel in Novu Dashboard">
    <Callout type="info">
      The Chat channel is not enabled by default. To use it, configure a provider like Slack, Discord,
      or others.
    </Callout>

    * Go to the Novu Dashboard and click **"Integrations"** on the left sidebar
    * Click **"Add a provider"**
    * Locate the **Chat** channel and select the provider you want to use and click **"Next"**
    * Select for which environment you want to add the Provider
    * (Optional) Add Conditions to activate the provider only under certain conditions, **useful for tenant-based providers**
    * Click **"Create"**
    * Add your Chat provider credentials:

    <Callout type="info">
      Each chat provider requires different type of credentials. There are few providers which does
      not require any credentials example: `Discord`
    </Callout>

    * Provider-specific credentials such as API key / Auth token, Client ID, Client Secret, or password
    * Save the configuration by clicking **"Update"**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Setup workflow with chat channel in Novu Dashboard">
    * Go to the Novu Dashboard and click **"Workflows"** on the left sidebar
    * Click the **"Add a Workflow"** button
    * Add a step and select **"Chat"** as the channel
    * Configure the Chat content:
      * Message body (e.g., `{{subscriber.firstName}}, your order {{orderId}} has shipped.`)
      * Dynamic placeholders for personalized content
    * Optionally, set fallback channels to ensure reliable delivery if Chat fails
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a workflow Trigger to your backend">
    Novu's server-side SDKs make integrating Novu's REST APIs straightforward, letting you focus on implementing workflows without dealing with repetitive code.

    <Card title="Server-side SDKs" icon={<CodeIcon />} href="/platform/sdks/server" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test and Verify Chat Channel">
    Ensure your Chat configuration is working correctly by testing the setup.

    * Go to the Novu Dashboard, navigate to the **"Workflows"** section, and locate your configured workflow
    * Click **"Test Workflow"** and provide sample data, such as a phone number or dynamic variables
    * Verify delivery in the Novu Logs or your Chat provider's dashboard
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Sending chat message

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add Chat Provider Integration">
    Add a chat provider integration to your Novu account from the integration store. Enter credentials if required and save the integration. Follow corresponding provider documentation to get the required credentials.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Subscriber">
    Create a new subscriber.

    <Callout type="info">
      This step can be skipped if you already have a subscriber. You can use the `subscriberId` of an existing subscriber.
    </Callout>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update Subscriber Credentials">
    [Update](/api-reference/subscribers/update-provider-credentials) the
    subscriber credential `webhookUrl` for this provider and integration.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Workflow">
    Create a new worklow or use an existing workflow. Add chat channel and write content for the
    message.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Trigger Workflow">
    Trigger this workflow to above `subscriberId` using trigger identifier.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Message">
    Check the chat provider if message is received.
  </Step>
</Steps>