Integrations August 12, 2025Updated: August 27, 2026 # Unfurl bot + Pachca integration > How to set up an Unfurl bot that automatically creates informative link previews in Pachca. A detailed guide with examples and step-by-step instructions Источник: https://pachca.com/en/blog/unfurl-bot ## How to set up an Unfurl bot that automatically creates informative link previews in Pachca By Artemy Pominchuk ![Unfurl bot + Pachca integration](https://pachca.com/blog/unfurl-bot.jpg) [Link unfurling guide](https://dev.pachca.com/guides/link-previews?utm_source=pachca.com&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=dev-portal) Unfurling via the API, with setup steps and sample requests > **Repository:** [https://github.com/pachca/public-integrations/tree/main/Unfurling-bot](https://github.com/pachca/public-integrations/tree/main/Unfurling-bot) The Unfurl bot unfurls links from your work tools and shows previews for them in Pachca. For example, you can post a link to a Trello or Kaiten card, or to a Pachca message, in a chat. Instead of a bare link, everyone sees a small preview of what's behind it: a title, a description or an image. ### When it comes in handy - Some work tools need to stay locked down. A preview still lets the team react quickly to server errors and other issues - Communication between engineering and support. A support agent posts a link to a customer ticket in the helpdesk system, and the preview shows engineers what the customer needs help with - Quick context on a card you need to discuss ### Deployment options We've prepared three ways to deploy this integration: - On your own machine, to test how the bot works - On third-party services (Vercel, in our example) - On your own server The bot already comes with link handlers for Pachca, Trello and Kaiten. If you need handlers for other tools, the README has a template for writing them. Below, we'll show how to run the bot locally and how to launch it quickly on Vercel if you don't want to rent and configure your own servers. Other ways to run the bot are described in the integration's README. ### General bot settings ### Step 1. Create an Unfurl bot in Pachca - Open **Automations → Chatbots and webhooks**. - Add a new **Unfurl bot**. Save two variables: - `UNFURL_BOT_TOKEN`: the bot token on the API tab - `PACHCA_WEBHOOK_SECRET`: **the Signing secret on the Outgoing webhook tab.** - If you need previews for links to Pachca messages, create one more bot and save its token. ### Step 2. Set up the `.env` file The bot needs environment variables to authenticate with third-party services and show previews from them. The repository includes a sample `.env.example` file that lists the variables the existing handlers use. If you use these services, just copy `.env.example`, rename it to `.env` and fill it in with your values. Variables with ready-made handlers: - `UNFURL_BOT_TOKEN` - `PACHCA_WEBHOOK_SECRET` - `PACHCA_API_TOKEN` - `TRELLO_KEY` - `TRELLO_TOKEN` - `KAITEN_TOKEN` Need other services? Add your own handlers and tokens. The README in our repository has an example handler to get you started. ### Running locally with Docker You usually only need this step to check that the bot works. If you don't need to test the bot, you can deploy it straight to Vercel or your own server. To make testing easier, we recommend running the bot with Docker. That way, you don't have to install Ruby, gems and other dependencies. Download Docker from the official website, then follow the steps below. - **Check your Docker version** - `docker --version` and `docker-compose --version` - **Clone the project and set up the environment, if you haven't already** - `git clone https://github.com/pachca/public-integrations.git` and `cd public-integrations/Unfurling-bot` - **Start the container** - `docker-compose up -d` To work with Pachca, the bot needs a public URL that can receive webhooks. You can get one with ngrok. **Install ngrok** on your machine: - On Mac: `brew install ngrok` or download it from [ngrok.com](https://ngrok.com/download) - On Windows: download it from [ngrok.com](https://ngrok.com/download) - On Linux: `sudo snap install ngrok` or download it from [ngrok.com](https://ngrok.com/download) - **Run ngrok in a separate terminal** (alongside the bot running in Docker) with this command: - `ngrok http 4567` - Once it starts, ngrok shows you a URL like `https://xxxx-xx-xx-xxx-xx.ngrok-free.app`. This is where Pachca will send the links that need previews. - **Set up the webhook in Pachca** with a URL in this format: - `https://xxxx-xx-xx-xxx-xx.ngrok-free.app/unfurl` **Note**: the free ngrok URL changes every time you start it, so it's only good for testing. Other bot commands are described in the README in our repository. ### Running on Vercel 1. If you don't have a Vercel account yet, sign up at [vercel.com](https://vercel.com). 2. Next, copy our repository to your GitHub account, or push your local copy to a Git repository, and connect it to Vercel. ![Importing the Unfurl bot repository into Vercel](https://pachca.com/blog/unfurl-bot-1761734958285-l36ft9.jpeg) 3. After importing the repository into Vercel, set up the environment variables. On Vercel, you set them on the platform itself rather than in a `.env` file. You can set them when importing the project or under "Settings" -> "Environment Variables": - `UNFURL_BOT_TOKEN`: the token for authenticating with the Pachca API - `PACHCA_WEBHOOK_SECRET`: the bot's Signing secret in Pachca - Other tokens for the services you use (`TRELLO_KEY`, `PACHCA_API_TOKEN`, `TRELLO_TOKEN`, `KAITEN_TOKEN` and so on) ![Project environment variables in Vercel](https://pachca.com/blog/unfurl-bot-1761734958693-5rwd7m.jpeg) 4. Set up the webhook in Pachca with your app's URL and the `/unfurl` path (for example, `https://your-app.vercel.app/unfurl`). If something doesn't work, the instructions are unclear or you'd like to see more features in the integration, let us know. We're always happy to chat and improve this guide. Just message our support team on [Telegram](https://telegram.me/pachca_signup_bot) or [MAX](https://max.ru/id7842383501_bot).