Integrating Rover: From Zero to Production

This guide walks you through adding Rover to your website, from initial setup to production deployment.

Prerequisites

• A website you control
• A Google account (for Rover Workspace access)

That's it. No build tools, no NPM packages, no infrastructure to provision.

Step 1: Create Your Site Key (2 minutes)

1. Go to the Rover Workspace
2. Sign in with Google
3. Set your Site ID (e.g., my-company-app)
4. Add your allowed domains (e.g., app.mycompany.com, *.mycompany.com)
5. Click Create Rover Site Key

You'll receive:

• An API key (starts with rtrvr_)
• A Key ID
• A ready-to-paste install snippet

Step 2: Add the Snippet (1 minute)

Paste the install snippet before your closing </body> tag:

<script>
  (function(){ var r = window.rover = window.rover || function(){ (r.q = r.q || []).push(arguments); }; r.l = +new Date(); })();
  rover('boot', {
    siteId: 'my-company-app',
    apiKey: 'rtrvr_your_key_here',
    siteKeyId: 'your-key-id',
    allowedDomains: ['app.mycompany.com'],
    domainScopeMode: 'registrable_domain',
    externalNavigationPolicy: 'open_new_tab_notice',
    taskRouting: { mode: 'act', plannerOnActError: true },
    checkpointing: { enabled: true, autoVisitorId: true },
  });
</script>
<script src="https://rover.rtrvr.ai/embed.js" async></script>

Step 3: Configure Policies (5 minutes)

Domain Scoping

Choose between registrable_domain (recommended, matches subdomains) or host_only (strict exact-host matching).

Navigation Policies

• externalNavigationPolicy: What happens when Rover hits a link outside your domains. Recommend open_new_tab_notice for most sites.
• External links are handled by externalNavigationPolicy; Rover keeps the in-domain session stable and tracks inaccessible external tabs with placeholders.

Task Routing

• act: Rover executes actions immediately (fastest UX)
• planner: Rover plans then executes (higher trust)
• auto: Rover picks route dynamically
• plannerOnActError: Falls back to planning when direct execution fails

Step 4: Test Locally (5 minutes)

Add localhost and 127.0.0.1 to your allowed domains in the Workspace. Then boot your local dev server and verify:

1. Rover widget appears
2. You can type a request
3. Rover identifies and interacts with page elements
4. Navigation policies work as expected

Step 5: Go Live (2 minutes)

1. Remove localhost from allowed domains (or keep for dev)
2. Deploy your site with the snippet included
3. Monitor the Workspace for key usage and blocked host attempts

Production Checklist

• Site key created with production domains only
• TTL set appropriately (90 days recommended)
• External navigation policy configured
• Cross-domain policy configured
• Tested on production domain
• Monitoring blocked host attempts in Workspace

Ongoing Management

From the Workspace you can:

• Rotate keys without redeploying
• Update domains in real time
• Disable/enable keys instantly
• Monitor usage and blocked attempts

No code changes required for any of these operations.