integration-channel

name	integration-channel
description	Create and modify integration channels (messenger, whatsapp, zalo, webchat, etc.) for the chatbot platform. Use when adding a new channel integration, modifying webhook handlers, working with message send/receive, or connecting external platforms.

Integration Channel Development

Table of Contents

1. Architecture Overview
2. Pre-Creation Confirmation — resolve name, auth type, platform credentials before coding
3. Phase 1: Integration Package — create integrations/<channel>/
4. Phase 2: Database — schema + register in 7 files
5. Phase 3: Registration — builder, worker, UI
6. Phase 4: Builder Feature — settings page + feature directory
7. Post-Creation Verification — lint, install, build
8. Platform Credentials — optional OAuth app credentials
9. Webhook Flow
10. Existing Integrations Reference

---

Architecture Overview

Integrations are standalone packages under integrations/ that implement the IntegrationDefinition contract from @chatbotx.io/sdk.

Flow: External platform → webhook → builder route → BullMQ queue → worker → integration handler

Pre-Creation Confirmation (MANDATORY)

Before writing any code, you MUST resolve the 3 questions below. Analyze the user's request first, ask only what's missing, then present a confirmation summary and wait.

Question 1: Integration name

Channel name → determines package name (@chatbotx.io/integration-<channel>), DB table (Integration<Channel>), all file paths.

Question 2: Auth fields

Base	When to use	Examples
customAuthSchema (from SDK)	User provides credentials directly. No OAuth.	email, webchat
Oauth2AuthValue (from SDK)	Platform uses OAuth2 with clientId/clientSecret + tokens.	messenger, whatsapp, zalo

For EACH field: name, Zod type, required or optional. Infer types from context (e.g. "port" → z.number().int().positive()).

Question 3: Platform credentials

Scenario	Platform credentials?	Examples
OAuth app (clientId/clientSecret shared across workspaces)	YES	messenger, whatsapp, zalo
Per-workspace credentials only	NO	email, webchat, smtp
Shared third-party API key	YES	giphy, stripe

Confirmation Summary

Integration: <channel>
Auth type: custom / oauth2
Auth fields:
  - fieldA: z.string().min(1)        [required]
  - fieldB: z.number().int()          [required]
Platform credentials: YES / NO

Wait for user confirmation before proceeding.

---

Creating a New Integration — Execution Plan

After confirmation, execute these 4 phases in order. Each phase ends with a verification step.

Phase 1: Integration Package (create integrations/<channel>/)

Create 5 files. All are boilerplate — write them in a single batch.

Directory structure:

integrations/<channel>/
  package.json
  tsconfig.json
  src/
    index.ts
    schema.ts
    integration.ts
    handlers/
      webhook.ts

package.json:

{
  "name": "@chatbotx.io/integration-<channel>",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "private": true,
  "type": "module",
  "exports": {
    ".": "./src/index.ts",
    "./**/*": "./src/**/*.ts"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "@chatbotx.io/sdk": "workspace:*",
    "zod": "^4.3.6"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@chatbotx.io/typescript-config": "workspace:*",
    "@types/node": "^24.10.4",
    "typescript": "^5"
  }
}

tsconfig.json:

{
  "extends": "@chatbotx.io/typescript-config/base.json",
  "include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
  "compilerOptions": { "strictNullChecks": true }
}

src/index.ts:

export * from "./integration"

src/schema.ts — fill in auth fields from confirmation:

import type { BaseConfig } from "@chatbotx.io/sdk"
import { customAuthSchema } from "@chatbotx.io/sdk"
import { z } from "zod"

export type <Channel>Config = BaseConfig

export const <channel>AuthSchema = customAuthSchema.extend({
  // confirmed auth fields here
})
export type <Channel>AuthValue = z.infer<typeof <channel>AuthSchema>

export type <Channel>Actions = Record<string, never>

src/integration.ts:

import {
  type BaseConfig,
  type HandleRequestProps,
  Integration,
  type IntegrationDefinition,
  type Oauth2AuthValue,
} from "@chatbotx.io/sdk"
import { webhookHandler } from "./handlers/webhook"
import type { <Channel>Actions, <Channel>AuthValue } from "./schema"

const config: IntegrationDefinition<BaseConfig, <Channel>AuthValue, <Channel>Actions> = {
  name: "<channel>",
  channels: { channel: { message: {} } },
  actions: {},
  async handleRequest(props: HandleRequestProps<BaseConfig>): Promise<string | number | Oauth2AuthValue> {
    const segments = new URL(props.req.url).pathname.split("/")
    const action = segments.pop()
    switch (action) {
      case "webhook":
        return await webhookHandler(props)
      default:
        throw new Error(`Not implemented: ${props.req.method} ${props.req.url}`)
    }
  },
  disconnect(_props: <Channel>AuthValue): Promise<void> {
    throw new Error("Method is not implemented.")
  },
}

export const integration = new Integration(config)

src/handlers/webhook.ts:

import type { HandleRequestProps } from "@chatbotx.io/sdk"
import type { <Channel>Config } from "../schema"

export const webhookHandler = async (props: HandleRequestProps<<Channel>Config>) => {
  const payload = await props.req.json()
  await props.queue?.add("incomingMessage", {
    type: "incomingMessage",
    data: {
      integrationType: "<channel>",
      integrationIdentifier: payload.identifier,
      payload,
    },
  })
  return "OK"
}

Phase 2: Database (create schema + register in 7 files)

Create 2 new files, edit 5 existing files. Do all edits in a single batch.

Create packages/database/src/schema/integration-<channel>.ts:

import { index, jsonb, pgTable, text, uniqueIndex } from "drizzle-orm/pg-core"
import { bigintAsString, sharedColumns } from "../partials/shared"
import { flowModel } from "./flow"
import { inboxModel } from "./inbox"
import { workspaceModel } from "./workspace"

export const integration<Channel>Model = pgTable(
  "Integration<Channel>",
  {
    ...sharedColumns,
    auth: jsonb().notNull(),
    name: text().notNull(),
    workspaceId: bigintAsString().notNull()
      .references(() => workspaceModel.id, { onDelete: "cascade", onUpdate: "cascade" }),
    inboxId: bigintAsString().notNull()
      .references(() => inboxModel.id, { onDelete: "cascade", onUpdate: "cascade" }),
  },
  (table) => [
    index("Integration<Channel>_workspaceId_idx").using("btree", table.workspaceId.asc().nullsLast()),
    uniqueIndex("Integration<Channel>_inboxId_key").using("btree", table.inboxId.asc().nullsLast()),
  ],
)

Create packages/database/src/relations/integration-<channel>.ts:

import { defineRelationsPart } from "drizzle-orm"
// biome-ignore lint/performance/noNamespaceImport: drizzle schema
import * as schema from "../schema"

export const integration<Channel>Relations = defineRelationsPart(schema, (r) => ({
  integration<Channel>Model: {
    workspace: r.one.workspaceModel({
      from: r.integration<Channel>Model.workspaceId, to: r.workspaceModel.id, optional: false,
    }),
    inbox: r.one.inboxModel({
      from: r.integration<Channel>Model.inboxId, to: r.inboxModel.id, optional: false,
    }),
  },
}))

Edit 5 registration files (all in one batch):

#	File	Edit
1	packages/database/src/partials/channel.ts	Add "<channel>" to channelTypes z.enum array
2	packages/database/src/partials/integration.ts	Add "<channel>" to integrationTypes z.enum array
3	packages/database/src/schema/index.ts	Add export * from "./integration-<channel>"
4	packages/database/src/relations/index.ts	Add import at top AND spread in relations object
5	packages/database/src/types.ts	Add export type Integration<Channel>Model = typeof schema.integration<Channel>Model.$inferSelect

CRITICAL — relations/index.ts needs TWO edits:

1. Import: import { integration<Channel>Relations } from "./integration-<channel>"
2. Spread: ...integration<Channel>Relations, in the relations object

After editing, immediately read back each file to verify both import AND spread are present.

Phase 3: Registration (edit 6 files)

Integration registration (4 files, single batch):

#	File	Edit
1	apps/builder/src/integration.ts	Add import { integration as integration<Channel> } from "@chatbotx.io/integration-<channel>" AND <channel>: integration<Channel> in object
2	apps/worker/src/services/integrations.ts	Add import ... AND <channel>: integration<Channel> in allIntegrations
3	apps/builder/package.json	Add "@chatbotx.io/integration-<channel>": "workspace:*" to dependencies
4	apps/worker/package.json	Add "@chatbotx.io/integration-<channel>": "workspace:*" to dependencies

CRITICAL — verify imports: After each StrReplace on integration.ts and integrations.ts, immediately read back lines 1-10 to confirm the import line is actually present. The import and the usage are TWO separate edits.

UI registration (2 files):

#	File	Edit
5	apps/builder/src/features/inboxes/components/inbox-icon.tsx	Add icon to lucide import AND entry in INBOX_ICON_CONFIG
6	apps/builder/src/features/inboxes/components/inbox-card-list.tsx	Add <channel>: undefined to cardConfigs

CRITICAL — ChannelType cascade: Adding a value to the channelTypes enum causes compile errors in every Record<ChannelType, ...> that doesn't include the new key. Grep for Record<ChannelType and Record<\n\s*ChannelType (multiline) to find and fix ALL hits.

Phase 3 checkpoint: Run ReadLints on all modified files. Fix any undeclared variable or missing import errors before continuing.

Phase 4: Builder Feature + Settings Page

Create the feature directory and settings page. This is standard feature-scaffold work.

Directory structure:

apps/builder/src/features/integration-<channel>/
  schema/
    mutation.ts
    resource.ts
  actions/
    create-<channel>.action.ts
    update-<channel>.action.ts
    delete-<channel>.action.ts
  queries/
    index.ts
  components/
    create-<channel>-form.tsx
    <channel>-disconnect.tsx
  <channel>-manage.tsx

Key patterns for integration features:

schema/mutation.ts — Zod schemas for create/update:

import { zodBigintAsString } from "@chatbotx.io/utils"
import { z } from "zod"

export const create<Channel>Request = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(1).max(40),
  workspaceId: zodBigintAsString().nullish(),
  // auth fields from confirmation
})
export type Create<Channel>Request = z.infer<typeof create<Channel>Request>

export const update<Channel>Request = create<Channel>Request.partial()
export type Update<Channel>Request = z.infer<typeof update<Channel>Request>

schema/resource.ts — Select schema for responses:

import { createSelectSchema, integration<Channel>Model } from "@chatbotx.io/database/schema"
import type { z } from "zod"

export const integration<Channel>Resource = createSelectSchema(integration<Channel>Model).pick({
  id: true,
  name: true,
})
export type Integration<Channel>Resource = z.infer<typeof integration<Channel>Resource>

actions/create-<channel>.action.ts — Create action pattern:

• Uses workspaceActionClient.bindArgsSchemas(workspaceIdrequestParams).inputSchema(schema).action(...)
• Creates Inbox + Integration<Channel> in a DB transaction
• The inbox channel value must match the enum value added in Phase 2: channelTypes.enum.<channel>
• The inbox name should be set from parsedInput.name
• All auth fields go into the auth JSONB column

actions/delete-<channel>.action.ts — Delete action pattern:

• Uses workspaceActionClient.bindArgsSchemas([zodBigintAsString(), zodBigintAsString()]).action(...)
• No .inputSchema() — delete has no input
• Disconnect component calls execute() with NO arguments (not execute({}))

queries/index.ts — Server-side queries:

"use server"
import { db, findOrFail } from "@chatbotx.io/database/client"
import { integration<Channel>Model } from "@chatbotx.io/database/schema"
import type { Integration<Channel>Model } from "@chatbotx.io/database/types"
import { assertCurrentUserCanAccessChatbot } from "@/lib/auth/utils"

export const listIntegration<Channel>s = async (input: { workspaceId: string }) => {
  await assertCurrentUserCanAccessChatbot(input.workspaceId)
  const data = await db.query.integration<Channel>Model.findMany({
    where: { workspaceId: input.workspaceId },
    orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
  })
  return { data }
}

components/create-<channel>-form.tsx — Form pattern:

• Uses useHookFormAction(createAction.bind(null, workspaceId), zodResolver(schema), ...)
• CRITICAL: Must call .bind(null, workspaceId) because the action uses bindArgsSchemas

components/<channel>-disconnect.tsx — Disconnect pattern:

• Uses useAction(deleteAction.bind(null, workspaceId, integrationId), ...)
• Calls execute() with NO arguments

<channel>-manage.tsx — Manage table:

• Uses use(promises) to unwrap server promises
• Shows table with integration data
• Add button links to /channels/create?channel=<channel>&workspaceId=...

Settings page — create @<channel>/page.tsx:

import { getIdFromParams } from "@chatbotx.io/utils"
import { notFound } from "next/navigation"
import { <Channel>Manage } from "@/features/integration-<channel>/<channel>-manage"
import { listIntegration<Channel>s } from "@/features/integration-<channel>/queries"

export default async function SettingChannel<Channel>Page(props: {
  params: Promise<{ workspaceId: string }>
}) {
  const workspaceId = getIdFromParams(await props.params, "workspaceId")
  if (!workspaceId) return notFound()
  const promises = listIntegration<Channel>s({ workspaceId })
  return <<Channel>Manage promises={promises} workspaceId={workspaceId} />
}

Settings layout — edit layout.tsx: Add "<channel>" to the CHANNELS array. That's the only edit needed — the type and props are derived automatically from the array.

Post-Creation Verification

Run these checks in order:

1. ReadLints on ALL modified files
2. pnpm fix — auto-fix formatting (ignore pre-existing errors in other files)
3. CI=true pnpm install --no-frozen-lockfile — link new workspace package (use CI=true to avoid TTY prompt)
4. pnpm turbo build — if it fails, read errors, fix, re-run

Common Build Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
Cannot find module '@chatbotx.io/integration-<channel>'	Package not linked	Run pnpm install --no-frozen-lockfile
Property '<channel>' is missing in type ... Record<ChannelType, ...>	Enum value added but not all Records updated	Grep Record<ChannelType and add missing entry
The ... variable is undeclared	Import missing	Read back file to verify import line exists, re-add if missing
Target signature provides too few arguments	Action uses bindArgsSchemas but form didn't .bind()	Use action.bind(null, workspaceId) in useHookFormAction
Type 'string' is not assignable to type ChannelType	Passing untyped string to InboxIcon	Cast with as ChannelType and add import
Argument of type '{}' ... parameter of type 'void'	Calling execute({}) on no-input action	Use execute() with no arguments

Platform Credentials (only if needed)

If platform credentials ARE needed, also update:

#	File	What to add
1	packages/database/src/partials/credential.ts	New <channel>CredentialSchema + add to platformCredentialSchema
2	apps/builder/src/features/platform-settings/	Settings panel component + action
3	manage-platform-settings.tsx	Import and render new panel
4	<channel>-manage.tsx	Gate "Add" button on presence of a verified credential via platformCredentialService.findForUser({ userId, type: '<channel>' })

Logging

Never use console in integration code. Import @chatbotx.io/logger for shared packages, or the app-local logger for worker/builder code.

import logger from "@chatbotx.io/logger"

// ✅ correct — preserves stack trace
logger.error({ err: error, channel: "<channel>" }, "Webhook handler failed")

// ❌ wrong — stack trace lost
logger.error({ error }, "Webhook handler failed")

Always use err: error (not error: error) — pino's built-in serializer is registered under the err key.

Webhook Flow

1. External platform sends webhook to /integrations/<channel>/webhook
2. Builder route resolves integration config
3. handleRequest receives { config, req, queue }
4. Handler enqueues job: queue.add("incomingMessage", { type, data })
5. Integration worker calls allIntegrations[type].channels.channel.message.receiveMessage

Existing Integrations Reference

Integration	Auth type	Platform credentials?	Notes
messenger	OAuth2	YES	clientId/clientSecret as platform credential
whatsapp	OAuth2	YES	clientId/clientSecret + systemUser as platform credential
zalo	OAuth2	YES	clientId/clientSecret as platform credential
google-sheets	OAuth2	YES	clientId/clientSecret as platform credential
email	Custom	NO	SMTP credentials per workspace
smtp	Custom	NO	SMTP with provider presets
webchat	Custom	NO	PartySocket-based
chatbotx	Custom	NO	Internal chatbot