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Rocket Chat RAG AI Bot using APIs

A powerful Rocket Chat bot that integrates with CustomGPT's API to provide AI-powered responses with built-in rate limiting, session management, and advanced features.

Get you CustomGPT.ai RAG API key here, needed to use this integration.

More information on GitHub - https://github.com/Poll-The-People/customgpt-integrations

Features

  • 🤖 AI-Powered Responses: Leverages CustomGPT's knowledge base for intelligent answers
  • 🔒 Security: Built-in rate limiting, user blocking, and message validation
  • 💬 Conversation Management: Maintains context across messages with session handling
  • 📚 Citation Support: Includes sources and references in responses
  • 🎯 Starter Questions: Contextual conversation starters for better engagement
  • 🧵 Thread Support: Maintains conversation context in threads
  • 📊 Usage Analytics: Track bot usage and performance metrics
  • 🌐 Multi-language: Support for multiple languages
  • ⚡ Quick Actions: Enhanced user interactions with follow-up suggestions

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8 or higher
  • Rocket Chat server (self-hosted or cloud)
  • CustomGPT API key and project ID
  • Bot user account in Rocket Chat

Installation

  1. Clone the repository:
git clone <repository-url>
cd "Rocket Chat Bot"
  1. Create virtual environment:
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
  1. Install dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txt
  1. Configure environment:
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration

Configuration

Required Settings

VariableDescriptionExample
ROCKET_CHAT_URLYour Rocket Chat server URLhttps://chat.example.com
ROCKET_CHAT_USERBot usernamecustomgpt-bot
ROCKET_CHAT_PASSWORDBot passwordsecure-password
CUSTOMGPT_API_KEYYour CustomGPT API keycgpt_...
CUSTOMGPT_PROJECT_IDYour CustomGPT project/agent ID12345

Optional Settings

See .env.example for all available configuration options including rate limiting, security, and feature flags.

Creating a Bot User in Rocket Chat

  1. Login as admin to your Rocket Chat instance
  2. Navigate to Administration → Users
  3. Click "New" to create a new user
  4. Configure:
    • Username: customgpt-bot (or your preference)
    • Email: [email protected]
    • Password: Set a secure password
    • Roles: Add "bot" role
  5. Save the user
  6. Get bot credentials:
    • Username and password for .env
    • Or get auth token from user settings

Running the Bot

Local Development

python bot.py

Using Enhanced Features

python enhanced_bot.py

Production with Process Manager

Using systemd:

sudo cp rocketchat-bot.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl enable rocketchat-bot
sudo systemctl start rocketchat-bot

Using PM2:

pm2 start bot.py --name rocketchat-bot --interpreter python3
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Deployment Options

1. Self-Hosted Server

Using Docker:

docker build -t rocketchat-customgpt-bot .
docker run -d --env-file .env --name customgpt-bot rocketchat-customgpt-bot

Using Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d

2. Free Hosting Providers

Railway.app

  1. Fork this repository
  2. Connect Railway to your GitHub
  3. Create new project from repository
  4. Add environment variables
  5. Deploy

Render.com

  1. Create new Web Service
  2. Connect GitHub repository
  3. Build command: pip install -r requirements.txt
  4. Start command: python bot.py
  5. Add environment variables

Fly.io

fly auth login
fly launch
fly secrets set CUSTOMGPT_API_KEY=your_key
fly deploy

Google Cloud Run

gcloud run deploy rocketchat-bot \
  --source . \
  --platform managed \
  --region us-central1 \
  --set-env-vars-from-file .env.yaml

3. VPS Deployment

  1. Setup server (Ubuntu/Debian):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv
  1. Deploy bot:
git clone <repository>
cd "Rocket Chat Bot"
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
  1. Run with systemd (see rocketchat-bot.service)

Usage

Basic Commands

  • @bot help - Show help message
  • @bot start - Show starter questions
  • @bot clear - Clear conversation context
  • @bot stats - Show usage statistics
  • @bot quota - Check remaining quota

Asking Questions

Simply mention the bot or send a direct message:

  • @bot What is machine learning?
  • @customgpt-bot How do I create a REST API?
  • In DM: Tell me about cloud computing

Using Threads

Reply to a bot message to continue the conversation in a thread while maintaining context.

Advanced Features

Rate Limiting

The bot includes sophisticated rate limiting:

  • Global limit: 10 requests per minute (configurable)
  • Per-user limit: 5 requests per minute (configurable)
  • API limit checking: Monitors CustomGPT API usage

Session Management

  • Sessions timeout after 1 hour of inactivity
  • Context is maintained within sessions
  • Automatic cleanup of expired sessions

Security Features

  • User blocking capability
  • Channel restrictions
  • Message length validation
  • Input sanitization

Monitoring

Track bot performance with built-in analytics:

  • Request counts
  • Response times
  • Error rates
  • User engagement

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding

  1. Check bot is online in Rocket Chat
  2. Verify bot has permissions in channel
  3. Check logs for errors
  4. Ensure proper mention format

Authentication errors

  1. Verify Rocket Chat credentials
  2. Check CustomGPT API key
  3. Ensure bot user has correct roles

Rate limit errors

  1. Check rate limit configuration
  2. Monitor API usage
  3. Adjust limits as needed

Google Apps Script Alternative

For lightweight deployments, see google-apps-script/ directory for a GAS implementation that:

  • Runs on Google's infrastructure (free)
  • No server management required
  • Limited to webhook-based responses
  • Best for low-volume usage

Development

Project Structure

Rocket Chat Bot/
├── bot.py                 # Main bot implementation
├── enhanced_bot.py        # Enhanced features
├── config.py             # Configuration management
├── customgpt_client.py   # CustomGPT API client
├── rate_limiter.py       # Rate limiting logic
├── conversation_manager.py # Session management
├── requirements.txt      # Dependencies
├── Dockerfile           # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yml   # Docker Compose setup
└── README.md           # Documentation

Adding New Features

  1. Extend EnhancedRocketChatBot class
  2. Add configuration options to Config
  3. Update command patterns
  4. Add tests

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create feature branch
  3. Commit changes
  4. Submit pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

CustomGPT Links

Platform Documentation

Support Channels

  • Issues: Create an issue in the repository