> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.outpost.pub/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cove Comments Integration

> Store your Cove login email and jump to the Cove dashboard from Outpost, for the comment system that reads members from your Ghost site.

export const PlanStatus = ({tier, status, beta, deprecated}) => {
  const variants = {
    luna: {
      bg: "#8340B9",
      color: "#ffffff",
      border: "1px solid #8340B9"
    },
    voyager: {
      bg: "#6B2FA0",
      color: "#ffffff",
      border: "1px solid #6B2FA0"
    },
    "space-station": {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#8340B9",
      border: "1px solid #8340B9"
    },
    "all-plans": {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#525252",
      border: "1px solid #a3a3a3"
    },
    labs: {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#a16207",
      border: "1px solid #a16207"
    },
    beta: {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#a16207",
      border: "1px solid #a16207"
    },
    "invite-only": {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#525252",
      border: "1px solid #a3a3a3"
    },
    bespoke: {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#525252",
      border: "1px solid #a3a3a3"
    },
    "outpost-hosted": {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#525252",
      border: "1px solid #a3a3a3"
    },
    deprecated: {
      bg: "transparent",
      color: "#b91c1c",
      border: "1px solid #b91c1c"
    }
  };
  const chip = (variant, label) => {
    const s = variants[variant] || variants["all-plans"];
    return <span key={variant + ":" + label} style={{
      display: "inline-flex",
      alignItems: "center",
      padding: "0.15rem 0.55rem",
      fontSize: "0.7rem",
      fontWeight: 700,
      letterSpacing: "0.05em",
      textTransform: "uppercase",
      borderRadius: "3px",
      lineHeight: 1.4,
      whiteSpace: "nowrap",
      backgroundColor: s.bg,
      color: s.color,
      border: s.border
    }}>
        {label}
      </span>;
  };
  const tierLabel = {
    "luna": "Luna",
    "voyager+": "Voyager+",
    "voyager-luna": "Voyager + Luna",
    "space-station+": "Space Station+",
    "all-plans": "All plans"
  };
  const tierVariant = {
    "luna": "luna",
    "voyager+": "voyager",
    "voyager-luna": "voyager",
    "space-station+": "space-station",
    "all-plans": "all-plans"
  };
  const statusLabel = {
    "labs": "Labs",
    "invite-only": "Invite-only",
    "bespoke": "Bespoke",
    "deprecated": "Deprecated",
    "outpost-hosted": "Outpost Hosted"
  };
  return <span style={{
    display: "inline-flex",
    gap: "0.4rem",
    flexWrap: "wrap",
    alignItems: "center",
    margin: "0 0 1.25rem 0"
  }}>
      {tier && chip(tierVariant[tier], tierLabel[tier])}
      {status && chip(status, statusLabel[status])}
      {beta && chip("beta", "Beta")}
      {deprecated && chip("deprecated", "Deprecated")}
    </span>;
};

<PlanStatus tier="voyager+" />

[Cove](https://cove.chat) is a hosted comment system built for Ghost. It is installed in your Ghost theme, and it identifies commenters through Ghost's own member sign-in.

Outpost's role is small. The integration stores your Cove account email and gives you a shortcut into the Cove dashboard. It does not install comments, and it does not pass anything to Cove.

<Note>
  Outpost sends no member data to Cove. Cove reads members from Ghost, not from Outpost. There is no sign-on handoff, no member export, and no subscription sync between Outpost and Cove.
</Note>

For Cove's product documentation, see [cove.chat/help](https://cove.chat/help/).

***

## How members reach Cove

Cove sits on top of Ghost's members system. When a reader comments, they sign in as a Ghost member, and the Cove snippet in your theme reads that Ghost member session.

Your paid members are recognized in Cove because Outpost keeps their records current in Ghost, and Cove reads Ghost. That means changes take a step longer than they would with a direct connection: when a subscription is cancelled or changed in Outpost, Cove reflects it once Outpost has updated the member in Ghost. Whether free members, paid members, or both can comment is set in Cove, based on the member's status in Ghost.

For how member records get to Ghost in the first place, see the [Ghost integration](/integrations/ghost).

***

## What Outpost does and does not do

Outpost provides:

* A place to store your Cove account email
* A button that opens the Cove dashboard in a new tab

Outpost does not:

* Sign members in to Cove or pass member identity to Cove
* Send subscription or plan changes to Cove
* Host comments, store comment content, or offer moderation tools
* Add the Cove widget to your site, which is a theme change you or your developer make

To moderate, configure, or style comments, log in to Cove directly.

***

## Settings

| Field           | Description                                                                                                                             |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Login Email** | The email tied to your Cove account. Saved in Outpost for your reference. It is not sent to Cove.                                       |
| **Go to Cove**  | Opens app.cove.chat in a new tab. If you are already signed in to Cove, you land on the dashboard. If not, Cove shows its login screen. |

***

## Setup

Comments come from the Cove install in your Ghost theme. The Outpost integration is a convenience on top of that, and it is optional.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set up Cove and install it in your Ghost theme">
    Create a Cove account, then follow [Cove's install guide](https://cove.chat/help/install-cove-in-ghost/). Cove requires Ghost members to be enabled, and it involves pasting snippets into your theme files and re-uploading the theme. Your developer usually handles this step. Comments will not appear until it is done.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your Cove email in Outpost (optional)">
    Go to **Integrations** in the left navigation, click **Add Integration**, and select **Cove Comments**. Enter your Cove account email in **Login Email**, then click **Save and Connect**. The panel shows a **Connected** tag once saved.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the dashboard shortcut">
    Click **Go to Cove** to open Cove whenever you need to moderate or adjust settings.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Related features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ghost" icon="ghost" href="/integrations/ghost">
    Outpost keeps member records current in Ghost, which is where Cove reads them from.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Members" icon="users" href="/features/members">
    Member records and subscription state in Outpost, the source that flows to Ghost.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does Outpost send my member list to Cove?">
    No. Outpost sends nothing to Cove. Cove identifies commenters through their Ghost member sign-in. Outpost's part in this is keeping your member records current in Ghost.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a separate Cove account?">
    Yes. Cove is a hosted comment service with its own account and pricing. The Outpost integration does not create or link accounts, it stores the email you use to log in to Cove.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to connect this integration for comments to work?">
    No. Comments work off the Cove snippets in your Ghost theme. The Outpost panel is a shortcut for logging in to Cove, so connecting it changes nothing on your site.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I disconnect it?">
    Your comments keep working. Disconnecting clears the saved settings in Outpost and nothing else, because no data flows between the two services.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I moderate comments?">
    Log in to Cove directly. All comment management, including approving, hiding, deleting, threading rules, and appearance, happens in Cove's dashboard.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do readers need to be members to comment?">
    Yes. Commenters sign in as Ghost members, which is what keeps spam down. Whether free members can comment or only paid ones is a setting in Cove.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>