Public knowledge bases

Setup is for administrators only. Usage is open to anyone with a link, QR code, or token.

A knowledge base can be marked as public. It is then accessible as a standalone chat via an individual link, without a 9brains account, without login. Users only need a browser.

Use cases

Hotel reception: QR code in the room or at the reception, guests can ask questions in their language (breakfast hours, WiFi password, excursion tips)
Break room / bulletin board: Post a QR code so employees can quickly look things up on their phone (sick leave, vacation request, shift schedule)
Support bot on your website: Embed the chat in your own website so customers can ask product questions
FAQ page: Answer frequently asked questions automatically
Kiosk terminal: Information point in the lobby or at trade fairs
Onboarding: Send a link to new employees, all entry-level questions get answered

Big advantage: multilingual support. The chat automatically responds in the language the question is asked in. Even if your knowledge base is written in German, an English-speaking guest or a Turkish-speaking employee gets the answer in their language. This removes language barriers without you having to translate content.

Setup

Open the knowledge base -> “General” tab
Set visibility to “Public”
Additional configuration fields appear:

Slug (required)

The slug is the unique URL component of your public chat. Example:

Slug: hotel-gaeste -> Link: https://chat.9brains.de/public/chat/hotel-gaeste

Only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens are allowed (3-100 characters). As long as no slug is set, the public chat is disabled.

Authentication mode

Defines whether and how access is protected:

Mode	Description	Suitable for
None (open)	Anyone with the link can chat immediately	Public FAQs, trade fair kiosk
PIN	Users must enter a numeric PIN	Employee chat in the break room, internal access
Token	Access only with an individual access code	Controlled distribution, e.g. per department or location
IP allowlist	Access only from certain IP addresses or networks	Company network, fixed location, branch with static IP

Conversation starters (optional)

Up to 10 predefined questions that are shown as clickable buttons in the chat. They help users get started quickly.

Examples:

“How do I report sick leave?”
“What are the breakfast hours?”
“How do I request vacation?”

The order can be changed via drag and drop.

System prompt (optional)

Here you can give the AI additional instructions, e.g.:

“You are the digital concierge of Hotel Alpenhof. Answer in a friendly and helpful way. If you do not know something, refer to the reception at 089-12345.”

If empty, a default prompt is used.

Model (optional, super-admins only)

Allows you to select a specific AI model for this chat. By default the most cost-effective model is used.

Access protection with PIN

The PIN is a 4-8 digit numeric code that you define and share with users.

Setting up a PIN

Choose authentication: “PIN”
Enter a 4-8 digit PIN
Click “Set PIN”

How users use the PIN

The user opens the link
The prompt appears: “Please enter the PIN”
After correct entry, the chat opens

Changing or removing the PIN

Click “Change” to set a new PIN
Click “Remove” to lift PIN protection

Important: The PIN is stored encrypted and cannot be displayed after being set. If you forget the PIN, simply set a new one.

Brute-force protection

After 5 failed attempts, access is blocked for 15 minutes. Users then see: “Too many attempts. Please wait a few minutes.”

Access protection with token

Tokens are individual access codes that you can distribute selectively. Each token can be assigned a purpose (e.g. “Cleaning team”, “Munich location”, “Hannover trade fair”).

Creating a token

Choose authentication: “Token”
Click ”+ Create new token”
Optionally assign a label (e.g. “Cleaning team”)
Click “Create”
A dialog appears with:
- The access code (8 characters, e.g. ABCDEFGH)
- Button: “Copy”: copies the code to the clipboard
- Button: “Copy link”: copies the full link including token
- Button: “Download QR code”: downloads a QR code as PNG

Warning: The access code is only displayed once. Copy it immediately or download the QR code. It cannot be retrieved afterwards.

Generating and distributing a QR code

The downloaded QR code contains the full link including the token. Users do not need to enter anything, they simply scan the code and land directly in the chat.

Use case examples:

Print the QR code and hang it in the hotel room
Hang the QR code in the break room next to the bulletin board
Print the QR code on business cards
Embed the QR code in an email to employees
Display the QR code at the trade fair booth

You can also share the direct link (button “Copy link”):

https://chat.9brains.de/public/chat/hotel-gaeste?token=ABCDEFGH

Employees can save this link as a bookmark in the browser or add it to their phone’s home screen, so the chat is always at hand, even on the go.

How users access with a token

With link or QR code: The chat opens automatically, no input needed
Without token in the link: Users see “Please enter your access code” and must enter the code manually

Managing multiple tokens

You can create as many tokens as you like, e.g. one per department, per location, or per time period. The token overview shows:

Column	Description
Label	Your label (e.g. “Cleaning team”)
Code	Last 4 characters (e.g. `****EFGH`)
Status	Active or Disabled
Created	Date of creation

Disabling a token

Click the trash icon next to the token. The token becomes invalid immediately, users with this token can no longer access the chat. Sessions that are already running are not affected but expire after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Access protection with IP allowlist

The IP allowlist restricts access to specific IP addresses or network ranges. Users from an allowed network can open the chat without any further input, all others see a notice page.

Setting up the IP allowlist

Choose authentication: “IP allowlist”
Enter an IP address or a CIDR range, e.g.:
- Single IP: 203.0.113.45
- Network range: 203.0.113.0/24 (all addresses from .0 to .255)
- IPv6: 2001:db8::/32
Confirm with Enter or click “Add”
Repeat the process for additional IP addresses or ranges

How users use the chat

From the allowed network: The chat opens immediately, no PIN, no token, no input needed
From an IP that is not allowed: Users see the message “Access not allowed” with a note to contact the administrator

When is the IP allowlist the right choice?

The IP allowlist is particularly suitable when:

Users access from a fixed company network with a static IP
You want to make the chat available at a specific location (e.g. branch, office)
You want to make access completely transparent, without users having to enter anything
You embed the chat in the intranet and only want to allow internal access

Not suitable for:

Mobile users with changing IP addresses
Home offices without a VPN with a fixed IP
Scenarios where users access from various locations

Managing IP addresses

Click the x next to an IP address to remove it
Changes are saved automatically
You can combine individual IPs and CIDR ranges as you like

Tip: Ask your IT department for the public IP address of your company network. You can also find it at whatismyipaddress.com.

When an employee leaves the company

With token protection:
- Open the token overview of the relevant knowledge base
- Disable the token the employee received
- If needed, create a new token for the remaining employees
- Distribute the new token / QR code to the team
With PIN protection:
- Change the PIN via the “Change” button
- Share the new PIN with the remaining employees
With IP allowlist:
- No action needed, access is bound to the network, not to individual people
- If the employee accessed via VPN with a fixed IP: remove the IP address from the allowlist
With open access (no authentication):
- No action needed, since there is no person-specific access

Tip: If you expect frequent staff changes, tokens are a better fit than a PIN. You can create individual tokens per person or group and disable single tokens selectively without affecting all others.

Embedding the chat in your own website

You can embed the public chat as a widget in your website, your intranet, or another web page. An embed code is provided for this:

<iframe
  src="https://chat.9brains.de/public/widget/hotel-gaeste"
  width="400"
  height="600"
  frameborder="0"
  allow="clipboard-write"
  title="Chat"
></iframe>

The embed code is shown automatically as soon as a slug is set. Click “Copy” to copy it to the clipboard.

Standalone vs. widget:

	Standalone link	Widget (embed)
URL	`/public/chat/{slug}`	`/public/widget/{slug}`
Display	Full screen with header	Compact, no header
Suitable for	Direct access, QR code, bookmark	Embedding in web pages, intranet

Embedding use cases:

Intranet home page: Embed the chat widget on the home page so employees can ask questions directly
Support page: Embed the chat on the customer support page
Help center: Chat as a supplement to existing FAQ articles
SharePoint / Confluence: Embed in internal wiki pages

If the chat is protected by token, append the token to the widget URL: /public/widget/{slug}?token=ABCDEFGH

Which protection mode for which use?

Use case	Recommended mode	Why
Public FAQ on the website	None (open)	Everyone should be able to access
Trade fair kiosk	None (open)	Quick access without hurdles
Hotel room (QR code)	Token	One token per room/floor, easy to revoke
Break room (notice)	PIN	One PIN for everyone, easy to remember
Employee chat (mobile)	Token	Individual links as bookmarks, can be disabled when leaving
Department chat	Token	One token per department with label
Office / branch (fixed network)	IP allowlist	Transparent access without input, tied to location
Intranet embedding	IP allowlist	Only internal access allowed, no token needed
Intranet (externally accessible)	Token	If accessible from outside as well