Knowledge > Products > Chatbot > Tier Restrictions
Chatbot Tier Restrictions
Three Chatbot Contexts
The chatbot serves three distinct contexts, each with different capabilities. All three hit the same POST /api/chatbot/stream endpoint -- the backend detects context from the chatbot_config.source field in organization_settings and applies the appropriate restrictions.
1. Basic Chatbot (PewSearch Auto-Provision)
Every church that claims a PewSearch listing automatically gets a basic chatbot. No subscription required. This is the entry-level taste of AI that creates upgrade demand.
- Source detection:
chatbot_config.source === 'pewsearch_auto_provision' - Capabilities: Simple Q&A using church facts from the directory listing. One tool: prayer request.
- Prompt style: Concise receptionist. Max 300 tokens, temperature 0.3. Redirects off-topic questions.
- Tool count: 1 (prayer request only)
- Limitations: No hosted chat page, no embed widget, no FAQ management, no analytics, no agent personas
- Upsell behavior: After a prayer request is submitted, the response includes a subtle CTA to explore ChurchWiseAI for advanced ministry tools
2. Pro Website Chatbot ($19.95/mo PewSearch Bundle)
Churches with a PewSearch Pro Website get a chatbot that is richer than basic but intentionally restricted compared to a full ChurchWiseAI subscription. This is the upgrade bridge.
- Source detection: Plan is
pro_websiteand source is notpewsearch_auto_provision - Capabilities: Church facts + prayer request. Theology-aware responses.
- Prompt style: Richer than basic, still restricted. Max 400 tokens, temperature 0.3. Up to 2 tool-use rounds.
- Tool count: 1 (prayer request only)
- Limitations: No hosted chat page, no embed widget beyond the Pro Website template, no FAQ management, no document upload, no analytics, no agent personas beyond auto-detect
- Upsell behavior: Surfaces advanced tool capabilities naturally without saying "upgrade" or "pay more." Example: if a visitor asks about volunteering, the chatbot answers what it can and notes "For volunteer sign-up and small group matching, ask about ChurchWiseAI ministry tools."
3. Full CWA Chatbot ($14.95--$59.95/mo)
The real product. Full HEAR protocol, agentic tools, configurable personas, theological lens, analytics, and admin dashboard.
- Source detection: Any plan that is not
pewsearch_auto_provisionand notpro_website - Capabilities: All features, gated by tier (see feature matrix below)
- Prompt style: Full HEAR protocol, agent specialization, dynamic tool filtering
- Tool count: 12 (Starter), 35 (Pro), 39 (Suite)
- LLM parameters: Temperature and max_tokens vary by agent persona (0.5--0.85 temperature, 400--800 tokens)
Feature Matrix
| Feature | Basic | Pro Website | Starter | Pro | Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Q&A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Prayer request tool | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tool count | 1 | 1 | 12 | 35 | 39 |
Hosted chat page (/chat/[slug]) | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Care Hub page (/care/[slug]) | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FAQ management (admin) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Document upload (admin) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Analytics dashboard | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Embed widget (JS snippet) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Agent personas | No | Auto-detect | 2 (Coordinator + Care) | 4 (all) | 4 + custom (future) |
| Theological lens | Auto | Auto | Auto | Configurable | Configurable |
| Widget customization | No | Template default | No | Yes | Yes |
| Remove branding badge | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Training simulator | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Local resources config | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly message limit | -- | -- | 200 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Max tokens per response | 300 | 400 | 450 | 450--800 | 450--800 |
| Tool-use rounds | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Anti-Cannibalization Strategy
The tier structure is designed to prevent the free/cheap tiers from satisfying the needs of churches that should be paying for the full product. This is intentional and must be preserved.
Pro Website Chatbot Is Intentionally Limited
The Pro Website chatbot ($19.95/mo) exists as part of the PewSearch Pro Website bundle. Its purpose is to give churches a taste of AI capability that creates demand for the full ChurchWiseAI product.
Positioning framework:
- "Your chatbot answers questions -- ChurchWiseAI makes it a ministry tool"
- The upgrade is NOT "your chatbot sucks" -- it is "want appointments, care, analytics? That is ChurchWiseAI Pro"
- The Pro Website chatbot handles the 80% case (service times, directions, prayer) excellently
- The 20% it cannot do (scheduling, volunteering, counseling, content generation, analytics) is what drives upgrades
What the Pro Website Chatbot Must NOT Do
These restrictions are load-bearing for the business model. Do not expand the Pro Website chatbot without explicit founder approval:
- No appointment scheduling. Visitors who want to book with a pastor must upgrade or call the church.
- No volunteer sign-up. The chatbot can describe volunteer opportunities but cannot capture sign-ups.
- No event registration. Same principle -- describe but do not act.
- No content generation. No devotionals, lesson plans, theological deep dives, or sermon illustrations.
- No analytics. No conversation tracking, sentiment analysis, or weekly reports.
- No FAQ management. Churches cannot customize the chatbot's knowledge base.
- No embed widget customization. The widget uses the template's default color and position.
The Upgrade Path
Basic (free) → "Want more than Q&A? Get Pro Website for a premium church page + chatbot"
Pro Website ($19.95) → "Want ministry tools? Get ChurchWiseAI Starter for 12 tools"
Starter ($14.95) → "Want analytics, FAQs, and embed widget? Upgrade to Pro"
Pro ($34.95) → "Want white-label, advanced reports, AI follow-ups? Go Suite"
Suite ($59.95) → Full platform, nothing else to unlock
How Tier Detection Works
The tier detection pipeline in route.ts:
1. Load organization_settings for the church
2. Extract chatbot_config.source
3. Determine chatbot type:
IF source === 'pewsearch_auto_provision':
→ BASIC chatbot
→ 1 tool, 300 token max, simple receptionist prompt
→ No agent specialization
ELSE IF plan === 'pro_website' AND source !== 'pewsearch_auto_provision':
→ PRO WEBSITE chatbot
→ 1 tool, 400 token max, theology-aware prompt
→ Upsell CTAs woven into responses
ELSE:
→ FULL chatbot
→ normalizePlanTier(plan) → starter | pro | suite
→ Tool count filtered by tier (TOOL_CATALOG)
→ Agent personas filtered by tier (TIER_AGENTS)
→ All features available per tier
Plan Normalization
tier-config.ts normalizes all plan key variants to three canonical tiers:
| Raw Plan Key | Normalized Tier | Source |
|---|---|---|
starter, starter_chat, starter_chat_annual, starter_voice, starter_both, chatbot_starter, voice_starter | starter | Any Starter purchase |
pro, pro_chat, pro_chat_annual, pro_voice, pro_both, pro_website, chatbot_pro, voice_pro | pro | Any Pro purchase |
suite, suite_chat, suite_chat_annual, suite_both, chatbot_suite, bundle | suite | Any Suite purchase |
Note: pro_website normalizes to pro tier for plan normalization purposes, but the chatbot applies additional restrictions based on the source field. The pro_website plan gets Starter-level admin features (not full Pro) via canAccess() in tier-config.ts.
Usage Limits
Monthly LLM message limits are enforced per church:
| Tier | Monthly Messages | What Counts | What Does Not Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 200 | LLM-generated responses | FAQ exact matches (canned responses) |
| Pro | 1,000 | LLM-generated responses | FAQ exact matches |
| Suite | 5,000 | LLM-generated responses | FAQ exact matches |
When the limit is reached, the chatbot returns a limitReached: true response with a message explaining the situation and suggesting the church upgrade or wait for the next billing cycle.
Code References
- Plan normalization and feature access:
churchwiseai-web/src/lib/tier-config.ts - Chatbot source detection and routing:
churchwiseai-web/src/app/api/chatbot/stream/route.ts(steps 9 and 13) - Tool tier assignment:
churchwiseai-web/src/lib/tool-config.ts--TOOL_CATALOG - Agent tier assignment:
churchwiseai-web/src/lib/agent-type-config.ts--TIER_AGENTS - Chatbot provisioning:
churchwiseai-web/src/lib/chatbot-provision.ts