# Connect HostCMS

This integration is designed to give an assistant read-only access to published products from one HostCMS website and store: product search, prices, variants, inventory and storefront links.

!!!info Manual module installation
The connection is available in ChatRex. The module is not yet published in the HostCMS application store; contact ChatRex for the tested package. Installation, updates, catalog actions and a visible bot reply have been verified on a separate HostCMS 7.1.7 Start site.
!!!

## Before you connect

The tested configuration is HostCMS 7.1.7 Start with **Shop** and **Scheduler**, PHP 8.2 or later, PDO MySQL, OpenSSL, mbstring and cURL. Other versions and editions have not yet been verified.

You need an administrator allowed to install modules and manage the selected website, a published HTTPS storefront and at least one visible product. Your hosting administrator must run the standard HostCMS `cron/schedule.php` once a minute.

The integration subscription is purchased separately in ChatRex. A HostCMS license and a ChatRex subscription are separate services. The module is still being prepared for publication in the HostCMS application store.

## Connect the catalog after the module is released

1. Install the verified **ChatRex AI Sales Assistant** package through the standard HostCMS installer. Select the website and store.
2. Open the ChatRex module settings and check **Website**, **Store** and **Warehouses for availability checks**. Select only warehouses whose stock customers may see. Selecting none returns zero physical stock; unlimited digital products are handled separately.
3. Select **Generate pairing code**. Copy **Module address** and **Single-use code**. The code lasts ten minutes; you do not need to share your HostCMS administrator password.
4. In [ChatRex](https://app.chatrex.pro), open **Integrations → Connect integration → Data sources** and select **HostCMS**.
5. Fill **Connection URL from the module** with the complete HTTPS URL, enter **One-time code**, then select **Connect catalog**.
6. Wait for **Connected**. If the integration needs a subscription, review its terms in the ChatRex dialog. Reconnecting preserves an existing active subscription.

If the website is temporarily unavailable, retry with the same code before it expires. If ChatRex says the code expired or was already used, generate a new code. A store claimed by another connection must first be disconnected from that record.

## Configure the assistant

Choose the HostCMS bot template. Enter the store name, assistant name, product range, delivery, payment and return policies, tone and fallback message. Select the connected HostCMS store in the source step and review the settings.

You can instead add the [four HostCMS actions](../../actions/integrations/hostcms.md) to an existing bot. Entering a message about asking a specialist does not itself connect an operator or create a support request.

## Add the storefront chat

1. Connect a website chat in ChatRex, allow the exact storefront domain and assign that channel to the intended bot.
2. In the HostCMS connection, use **Website chat** to select it, then select **Install widget**.
3. Wait for confirmation from the module, reload a published store page and ask a test product question. Check the chat on a computer and a phone.

One widget is configured per site. An existing manual ChatRex script must not produce a duplicate chat; the site administrator manages its removal separately. Page caches and CSP may need hosting configuration. Compatibility with actual themes still requires verification.

## Update, disconnect and remove

Before updating, securely back up the module files, its tables and `modules/chatrex/config/secret.php`. Restore the key and database together. Do not send the key file to support. Updates are designed to preserve the connection and existing scheduler tasks, including pauses.

Use **Disconnect connection** in ChatRex or **Revoke access** in the HostCMS module. If one side is unavailable, disconnect on the other side as well. Reload storefront pages and clear their cache.

The prepared uninstall removes module access, its automatically configured widget, its own jobs and tables; products and orders remain. HostCMS also invokes uninstall when disabling a module, so re-enabling requires pairing again. Remove manually inserted chat scripts separately.

Disconnecting does not delete existing ChatRex conversations. Contact [support@chatrex.pro](mailto:support@chatrex.pro) for help or account-data deletion.

## Verify the result

Compare a found product, price and currency, selected variant, stock and returned link with the storefront. Also check an out-of-stock item and an unlimited digital product. The assistant must not invent a quantity or claim it placed an order: these actions only read the catalog.