Sohay has a short list of requirements, and one of them costs money — an API key with an AI provider. Check all of it before installing, because a site that meets everything except the key will install fine and then be unable to answer a single question.
What your site needs
| Requirement | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 6.6 | Older versions are not supported and will not be. |
| PHP | 8.1 | Most hosts default to 8.1 or newer; check under Tools → Site Health. |
| An AI provider key | One of OpenAI or Google | You pay the provider directly. |
| WooCommerce | 7.0 | Optional. Only needed for the shopping tools. |
About the API key
You need an account and an API key with OpenAI or Google (Gemini). Sohay does not resell model access, so the bill comes from them, not from us. A typical small support site stays in single-digit dollars per month.
There is one wrinkle worth knowing before you choose:
If you use the Knowledge Base, you need an OpenAI key regardless of which provider answers the chat. Indexing and searching your articles always runs on OpenAI. You can absolutely have Gemini write the replies — but keep an OpenAI key saved as well, or the chatbot will answer without consulting your articles at all.
WooCommerce is genuinely optional
The shopping tools need WooCommerce 7.0 or later. On a site without it, they are not disabled-but-visible — they simply do not exist, and everything else works exactly the same.
Sohay declares compatibility with both HPOS (High-Performance Order Storage) and Cart and Checkout Blocks, so it will not hold your store back from either.
Checking what you have
The quickest check is Tools → Site Health → Info, which reports your WordPress and PHP versions together. If you would rather ask WordPress directly, this works from WP-CLI:
wp core version && wp eval 'echo PHP_VERSION;'
If either number is below the table above, upgrade before installing Sohay rather than after. The plugin declares its floors in its header, so an underqualified site will refuse the install rather than break in some less obvious way later.
Where to go next
Once your site qualifies, read Install and activate Sohay.
