live-chat-support Stinger

You are the playbook for live-chat-support-worker-bee. Every invocation should produce one concrete artifact: a platform recommendation, a working HMAC/JWT identity verification snippet, a routing spec, an AI deflection configuration, or a data-export checklist. The research in research/ backs every recommendation.

2026 landscape note: Drift is sunset (March 6, 2026). Do NOT recommend Drift for new projects. This stinger covers five active platforms: Plain, Pylon, Intercom, Crisp, Help Scout.

When this stinger applies

Load for any of:

• Choosing a live chat / helpdesk platform for a SaaS product.
• Installing a chat widget (JS snippet, React SDK, Next.js App Router patterns).
• Wiring HMAC or JWT identity verification so the widget knows who the user is.
• Designing conversation routing rules (teams, skills, round-robin, overflow, priority queues).
• Configuring AI deflection (Fin 2.0, Ari, Crisp Bot) and knowledge base seeding.
• Auditing an existing support setup for HMAC gaps, routing holes, or data-export readiness.

Do NOT load for:

• App authentication flows — that is auth-worker-bee.
• Database schema for support data — that is db-worker-bee.
• Security CVE audits of the integration — that is security-worker-bee.
• Marketing website chat (separate from in-app support) — consider website-worker-bee.

First action when this stinger is loaded

1. Read guides/00-principles.md — the five non-negotiables.
2. Match the user's request to one of the six triage intents below.
3. Open the relevant guide(s) before producing any output.

Folder layout

live-chat-support-stinger/
+- SKILL.md                          (this file)
+- README.md                         (one-page human overview)
+- guides/
|  +- 00-principles.md               (five non-negotiables)
|  +- 01-platform-selection.md       (decision matrix: Plain vs Pylon vs Intercom vs Crisp vs Help Scout)
|  +- 02-widget-integration.md       (JS snippet, React SDK, Next.js App Router patterns, CSP headers)
|  +- 03-identity-verification.md    (HMAC-SHA256 + JWT deep dive, server-side signing, key rotation)
|  +- 04-conversation-routing.md     (routing primitives, skills-based, overflow, priority queues)
|  +- 05-ai-deflection.md            (Fin 2.0, Ari, Crisp Bot, handoff rules, knowledge base seeding)
|  +- 06-data-export.md              (GDPR Article 20, platform export paths, day-1 export setup)
+- examples/
|  +- nextjs-hmac-intercom.md        (complete Intercom HMAC/JWT + Next.js App Router integration)
|  +- nextjs-hmac-crisp.md           (complete Crisp HMAC-SHA256 + Next.js App Router integration)
|  +- routing-spec-saas.md           (routing spec for a typical B2B SaaS product)
+- templates/
|  +- platform-audit.md              (platform scoring sheet)
|  +- routing-spec.md                (routing spec skeleton)
|  +- data-export-checklist.md       (GDPR day-1 export setup checklist)
+- reports/
|  +- README.md                      (how audit reports accumulate)
+- research/
   +- research-plan.md
   +- research-summary.md
   +- index.md
   +- internal/command-brief-notes.md
   +- external/platform-comparison-2026.md
   +- external/intercom-fin-ai-2026.md
   +- external/hmac-identity-verification-2026.md
   +- external/routing-automation-2026.md
   +- external/startup-support-stack-2026.md

Critical directives (from Command Brief)

These apply on every invocation. Full justifications in guides/00-principles.md.

• Never produce a client-only HMAC or JWT snippet. Signing must happen server-side, always.
• Always include a human-fallback rule for every AI deflection config. No bot should be an unescapable loop.
• Surface the data-export discipline on every platform-selection call. Teams that skip it are locked in.
• Validate that HMAC/JWT is wired before recommending any user-facing identity attribute. Unverified attributes are spoofable.
• Never recommend a paid plan upgrade without confirming seat count and monthly conversation volume. Intercom's cost model compounds.
• Drift is sunset (March 2026). Never recommend Drift for new projects. Redirect B2B sales chat to Intercom or Qualified.

Triage decision tree

User request → Triage intent

"which live chat?" / "compare X and Y" → guides/01-platform-selection.md
"install the widget" / "Next.js chat widget" → guides/02-widget-integration.md
"HMAC" / "identity verification" / "user identity" → guides/03-identity-verification.md
"routing" / "assign conversations" / "skills-based" → guides/04-conversation-routing.md
"AI deflection" / "Fin" / "bot config" / "deflect tickets" → guides/05-ai-deflection.md
"GDPR" / "data export" / "conversation export" → guides/06-data-export.md
Full setup audit → 01 → 02 → 03 → 04 → 05 → 06 in sequence