A practical guide to the Gorgias Javascript API (and its limits)

So, you're using Gorgias for your customer chat. It's a solid tool, no doubt. But you've probably hit a point where the standard settings just aren't cutting it anymore. You want to create a chat experience that feels more tailored and less generic. Maybe you want the chat to pop up only on specific pages, or you want to launch it from a custom button instead of the default bubble that sits in the corner.

This is usually when you discover the "Gorgias Javascript API". It sounds promising, offering a deeper level of control over your chat widget and letting you move beyond the basics. But what can you really do with it, what are the hidden costs, and is it always the right tool for the job?

This guide will walk you through what the API is, what it’s good for, and where it tends to fall short. We'll get into the technical hurdles involved and show you how modern AI tools can give you that same level of customization without needing a developer on speed dial.

What is the Gorgias Javascript API?

Think of a Javascript API as a set of commands that lets you control a tool's features with code. The "Gorgias Javascript API" is a toolkit made for developers to manage the Gorgias Chat widget on a website. Its main purpose is to help you break away from the standard chat settings to create custom behaviors, triggers, and visual tweaks.

A screenshot of the Gorgias user interface, which can be customized using the Gorgias Javascript API.

Want to hide the chat bubble on your homepage but show it on your pricing page? The API can do that. Want to open the chat when a user clicks a "Need Help?" link in your footer? That's exactly what it's for.

But here’s the catch. As Gorgias's own documentation often points out, many of these customizations are considered "unofficial features" and come with very limited support. To use the API, you or someone on your team needs to be comfortable with HTML and JavaScript. It's a capable tool, but it's definitely not plug-and-play.

What you can actually do with the Gorgias Javascript API

Before we dive into the downsides, let's look at what the API does well. When used correctly, it can add a nice layer of polish to your customer experience. Here are a few of the most common things people use it for.

Create custom chat triggers

By default, users open Gorgias Chat by clicking the bubble icon. The API lets you create other ways for them to launch it. For instance, you could add a simple link on your "Contact Us" page that opens the chat widget directly.

The code for this is pretty straightforward, as shown in the Gorgias documentation:

Click here to chat with us!  

This simple "GorgiasChat.open()" command gives you the freedom to place chat triggers anywhere on your site, whether it's in the footer, inside a product description, or on a dedicated support page.

Subscribe to chat events for advanced workflows

"Subscribing to events" is just a technical way of saying, "when X happens in the chat, do Y." The API lets you listen for specific actions and then trigger another piece of code in response.

Gorgias supports a few key events:

• "widget:opened": Fires when a customer opens the chat window.

• "widget:closed": Fires when a customer closes the chat window.

• "message:sent": Fires when a customer sends a message.

A practical use for this is better analytics. You could use the "widget:opened" event to send data over to Google Analytics. This would let you track how many people are actually engaging with your chat, not just seeing the bubble on the page.

Control the chat widget's appearance and placement

Maybe you don’t want the chat bubble to appear at all until a customer seems like they need help. The API allows you to hide the default launcher and show it based on certain conditions. For example, you could write a script to only display the chat after a user has been on a specific page for 30 seconds.

Some companies even integrate Gorgias with other tools, like a help center widget. They use the API to hide the Gorgias bubble by default and then programmatically open it from a "Contact Support" button inside their help center. This makes for a much smoother experience. However, this often involves editing core theme files (like "theme.liquid" in Shopify) and carefully managing the order scripts are loaded. It's a delicate process that can easily go wrong if you're not careful.

Where the Gorgias Javascript API falls short

While the API is handy for front-end tweaks, it comes with some serious challenges that can slow you down and add risk, especially as your support operations grow.

Why you’ll need a developer

This is probably the biggest headache. Almost every customization, no matter how small, requires someone with a technical background. If you want to change a trigger or test a new chat placement, you can’t just log in and do it yourself. You have to file a ticket with your development team and wait for them to get to it.

This creates a major bottleneck. Your support team knows what customers need, but their ideas get stuck waiting in a development queue. This reliance on developers makes it slow and expensive to test and improve your support experience. On top of that, a simple mistake in the code, like a syntax error or loading scripts in the wrong order, can break the chat widget for all your customers.

Why Gorgias Javascript API automation is only skin deep

The "Gorgias Javascript API" is all about front-end behavior. It can open, close, and hide the chat widget. What it can't do is understand what’s happening inside the conversation.

It can't read a customer's question and pull an answer from your knowledge base. It can't look up an order status in Shopify. It can't tag a ticket based on urgency or route it to the right department. The "automation" you get is limited to simple triggers, not actual conversation or problem-solving. It’s a tool for controlling the window, not for handling the request inside it.

Lack of official support

Throughout its documentation, Gorgias makes one thing very clear: "This suggestion isn't an official feature of our Chat widget, so our support for it is limited."

This is a pretty big business risk. You could spend weeks building a complex set of custom triggers, only for it to break when Gorgias pushes an update to its chat widget. When that happens, you're on your own. Your support team is left with a broken tool, and your developers have to drop everything to figure out what changed and how to fix it. This creates a fragile, high-maintenance system, which isn't what you want for a critical function like customer support.

A simpler, AI-powered alternative to the Gorgias Javascript API

Relying on custom code for support automation is a bit like building a car from scratch every time you need to go for a drive. Sure, it works, but it's slow, expensive, and prone to breaking down. A much better approach is to use a dedicated AI platform that layers on top of Gorgias, giving you powerful automation without the code.

Go live in minutes, not months

Instead of spending weeks in development cycles, you can get an AI agent up and running with a tool like eesel AI in minutes. The setup is completely self-serve. With a one-click integration for Gorgias, you can connect your helpdesk instantly without writing a single line of JavaScript.

This puts the power back in the hands of the support team. Managers can configure, test, and launch their own AI agents, letting them own their automation workflows from start to finish. You no longer have to wait for a developer to bring your ideas to life.

Go beyond simple triggers with true AI automation

This is where the difference really becomes clear. While the API can open a chat window, an AI agent can actually handle the conversation. eesel AI solves the "skin-deep automation" problem by providing genuine, intelligent responses.

• Learns from your past tickets: Instead of starting from scratch, eesel AI learns directly from your historical Gorgias conversations. It picks up on your brand's voice, common customer issues, and how your best agents resolve them.

• Connects all your knowledge sources: eesel AI isn't limited to your helpdesk. You can connect it to your public help center, internal Google Docs, Shopify product catalogs, and more. This gives it a complete picture of your business so it can provide accurate answers.

• Takes action for you: This is where it gets really useful. An eesel AI agent can perform tasks that are impossible with the JS API. It can look up an order status in real-time, update ticket fields in Gorgias, or escalate a conversation to a human agent with all the context attached.

An AI assistant using Gorgias to automatically handle a customer query about their order status.::An AI assistant using Gorgias to automatically handle a customer query about their order status, a task not possible with the Gorgias Javascript API alone.

Test with confidence and roll out gradually

The biggest risk with custom code is that you're essentially testing it live. If it breaks, it breaks for your customers.

eesel AI removes this risk with its Simulation Mode. Before your AI agent ever speaks to a real customer, you can test it on thousands of your past tickets. The simulation shows you exactly how the AI would have responded, giving you precise data on its performance and potential resolution rate. This risk-free approach lets you see which types of tickets are perfect for automation, tweak the AI's behavior, and roll it out with complete confidence. You can start small, automating just one or two common questions, and expand its scope as you get more comfortable.

A screenshot of eesel AI's Simulation Mode, allowing risk-free testing of an AI agent on past Gorgias tickets. This is a safer alternative to live testing custom Gorgias Javascript API code.

Gorgias Javascript API vs. AI: Pricing comparison

The "Gorgias Javascript API" is technically "free" with your subscription, but its real cost is in the developer hours needed to build, maintain, and fix your custom code.

For context, here are Gorgias's standard plans:

In contrast, eesel AI offers transparent pricing based on the value you get, not developer time. You get all the core products (AI Agent, Copilot, Triage) included in one plan, with no surprise fees.

Often, the cost of just a few hours of a developer's time can be more than the monthly cost of an AI platform that gives you far more power and flexibility, without any of the maintenance headaches.

From Gorgias Javascript API manual code to intelligent automation

The "Gorgias Javascript API" is a decent tool for developers who want to make specific, cosmetic tweaks to their chat widget. If all you need is a custom "Open Chat" button, it can certainly get the job done.

However, for any team that's serious about building a scalable, smart, and easy-to-manage support operation, the API's limits become obvious pretty quickly. Its dependency on developers, limited automation abilities, and the risk of unsupported code breaking make it a shaky foundation for critical support workflows.

The next logical step is to layer a no-code AI platform on top of your existing tools. eesel AI works seamlessly with your Gorgias setup to deliver truly automated and intelligent support, empowering your team to build amazing customer experiences without writing a single line of code.

Get started with AI for Gorgias

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