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

Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd "Rocket Chat Bot"

Create virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Configure environment:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration

Configuration

Required Settings

Variable	Description	Example
`ROCKET_CHAT_URL`	Your Rocket Chat server URL	`https://chat.example.com`
`ROCKET_CHAT_USER`	Bot username	`customgpt-bot`
`ROCKET_CHAT_PASSWORD`	Bot password	`secure-password`
`CUSTOMGPT_API_KEY`	Your CustomGPT API key	`cgpt_...`
`CUSTOMGPT_PROJECT_ID`	Your CustomGPT project/agent ID	`12345`

Optional Settings

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

Creating a Bot User in Rocket Chat

Login as admin to your Rocket Chat instance
Navigate to Administration → Users
Click "New" to create a new user
Configure:
- Username: customgpt-bot (or your preference)
- Email: bot@example.com
- Password: Set a secure password
- Roles: Add "bot" role
Save the user
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

Fork this repository
Connect Railway to your GitHub
Create new project from repository
Add environment variables
Deploy

Render.com

Create new Web Service
Connect GitHub repository
Build command: pip install -r requirements.txt
Start command: python bot.py
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

Setup server (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv

Deploy bot:

git clone <repository>
cd "Rocket Chat Bot"
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

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

Check bot is online in Rocket Chat
Verify bot has permissions in channel
Check logs for errors
Ensure proper mention format

Authentication errors

Verify Rocket Chat credentials
Check CustomGPT API key
Ensure bot user has correct roles

Rate limit errors

Check rate limit configuration
Monitor API usage
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

Extend EnhancedRocketChatBot class
Add configuration options to Config
Update command patterns
Add tests

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create feature branch
Commit changes
Submit pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

CustomGPT Links

Platform Documentation

Rocket Chat API: docs.rocket.chat/reference/api

Support Channels

Issues: Create an issue in the repository