BYO OpenAI API key support is here
AI Rules Moderation can now use your own OpenAI API key for moderation checks.
When BYO OpenAI API key mode is enabled, hosted moderation credits are not used, automatic credit top-ups do not apply, and OpenAI usage is handled through your own OpenAI account.
Other improvements in this release:
- Added AI usage mode selection: BYO OpenAI API key or hosted moderation credits.
- Added encrypted local storage for saved OpenAI API keys.
- Unified moderation dispatch across supported XenForo versions.
- Added moderation scope support through the add-on’s own dispatcher.
- Disabled older native XenForo webhook delivery to prevent duplicate checks.
- Improved trial, subscription, credit, and BYO-mode messaging in the setup page.
- Improved setup/upgrade repair routines for tables, indexes, API key records, and old webhook cleanup.
Annual access is still required to use AI Rules Moderation. BYO key mode changes how AI usage is paid for; it does not remove the product access subscription.
- Added XenForo 2.1 and 2.2 support for sites running PHP 7.2+.
- Added a compatibility webhook system for older XenForo versions that do not include native XF 2.3 webhooks.
- Preserved the existing XenForo 2.3+ native webhook implementation unchanged.
- Improved moderation dispatch reliability with queued delivery, duplicate protection, stale-content checks, and safer version-aware class loading.
- Maintained existing approval queue and moderation callback behaviour across supported XenForo versions.
This release introduces Project Info, a new way for your members to give ForumBot lasting context about their situations, setups, or goals. This context can optionally be submitted with each request, so ForumBot has maximum context for each session.
Details:
Members (with requisite usergroup-level permissions) can save up to 1,500 characters describing their project, current setup, ongoing goals, or background. When chatting, they toggle Use Project Info to attach that context to a question. The bot grounds its answers in their saved details. For example, a member of a home aquarium community asking "what species fits my setup?" gets a setup-specific answer when their tank parameters are saved, instead of a generic response.
Use cases vary by community: in the case cited above, aquarium keepers save tank parameters. In other communities, hobbyists can save gear lists or current project status; researchers can save their area of focus; commerce communities can save buyer profiles. The free-form text means it adapts to whatever your forum is about.
As admin, you can add your own custom instructions in addition to ForumBot's general instructions for the end-user.
Two-layer permission gating:
Master option Enable Project Editor (off by default). Flip in AdminCP > Options > ForumBot when ready to enable for your community.
Per-usergroup permissions: Use ForumBot Project Info (off by default). Grant to the usergroups who should have access (typical patterns: admins, mods, and paid tiers).
Chat (end-user) experience:
Members with the permission but no saved project see a "Set up Project Info" link in the chat panel
Members with saved project see a "Use Project Info" toggle chip plus a "Manage Project Info" link
Toggle starts OFF on every page load (clean slate per session) and the Clear chat button also resets it.
UX polish
Refreshed chat panel layout: single-column with native XF block styling
Larger welcome and intro copy for readability
Privacy notice and My shared chats links moved to small footer-of-block links
Admin / configuration
ForumBot permissions now appear in their own "ForumBot permissions" section in AdminCP > Groups & permissions (previously listed under General Permissions)
New Type column in the AI chat log: shows at a glance whether a chat used Project Info context (values: chat or project)
Various small consistency improvements in admin copy
Upgrade notes
Standard upgrade from v1.0.7 (v1.0.8 was an internal build; this is the first public release of the Project Info feature). No schema-breaking changes; existing chat logs preserved. The xf_di_forumbot_project storage table is created automatically. Project Editor is off by default. Flip the master option and grant the permission when you're ready to enable for your community.