AI Assistant (Instance Agent) overview
You are configuring a bot, hunting for a toggle in Settings, or showing a new teammate where things live — and you do not want to scroll through dozens of documentation pages. The AI Assistant is a chat panel in ConnectiveOne: it answers from platform documentation, knows which page you are on, and can guide you with a UI tour or perform actions for you (when your role allows it).
This page is not a click-by-click manual. It explains the idea: who the assistant is for, how it differs from Copilot, how Ask / Agent / Plan modes work, what Skills are, and who can do what.
Who this is for
- Administrators and root users — find a feature quickly, change settings in plain language, or follow a UI tour.
- Integrators — scenarios, Custom Data, broadcasts, roles: answers in the context of the module you have open.
- Supervisors and team leads — understand a module before training others.
- Operators — only if an administrator granted access to the AI Assistant module; usually the assistant is for configuration teams, not for replying to customers in chat.
In plain terms: what the AI Assistant is
Imagine a colleague who knows ConnectiveOne documentation well and sits beside you while you work in the platform. You ask — they answer. You cannot find a button — they point on screen. You need something configured — they do it, if you gave them permission.
In the UI this is the AI Assistant (in instance settings — Instance Agent):
- it opens from the spark icon in the top bar;
- it works on top of the current page — you stay in the section you are in;
- customers in channels never see it — it is a tool for your team inside the platform.
The assistant does not replace operators or speak on behalf of your company in customer chats. It helps those who configure ConnectiveOne.
Do not mix it up with Copilot and Fast Line Pro
ConnectiveOne has several AI tools — they complement each other but work in different places:
| AI Assistant | Copilot | Fast Line Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For whom | Configuration team | Operator in a customer dialog | Customer on the first line |
| Where | Side panel in ConnectiveOne | Operator panel, inside the chat | Widget, messengers, bot scenarios |
| Answers from | Platform docs + your data | Knowledge base + customer thread | Company knowledge base |
| Who sends text to the customer | No one | Operator after review | AI agent automatically |
In short: Fast Line Pro faces customers externally, Copilot helps operators inside a dialog, the AI Assistant helps admins and integrators inside the platform.
Why teams find it useful
ConnectiveOne documentation is large — that is normal for a platform like this. The assistant eases typical pain points:
- “Where is this in the UI?” — an answer in the context of your page, or a UI tour with highlights.
- “I am afraid to break something” — Plan mode shows steps and risk first; changes only after Approve.
- “The same manual setup again” — describe the task in words; the assistant runs steps if you have edit permission.
- “We have one in-house expert” — documentation knowledge is available to everyone with access.
You do not need a separate documentation tab for one parameter — ask in chat without leaving your current section.
How a conversation with the assistant works
The logic is straightforward:
- You open the AI Assistant and see the Context tag — the assistant knows which module you are in.
- If needed, you pick Mode (Ask, Agent, or Plan).
- You write in Ask a question about your platform... — you can add
/to pick a skill, or attach a file. - The assistant searches ConnectiveOne documentation (you may see status like Searching documentation…).
- You get text, a UI tour, a plan, or system changes — depending on mode and permissions.
During generation you can click Stop. Chat history is stored in your browser — conversations may not appear on another computer.
Three modes — what they are for
Below the input — Mode. This is not “difficulty” but how much you trust automatic actions:
| Mode | Idea | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | Answers and explanations only | You want to understand without touching settings |
| Agent | Answers + actions in the system | Normal work when role permissions allow it |
| Plan | Plan first, then execution | Several steps, bulk changes, you want to see “what will happen” |
Plan mode — your draft checklist
In Plan mode an Execution plan block appears: steps, Low / Medium / High risk labels, Approve, Revise, and Cancel.
Nothing changes in the platform until Approve. Wrong plan — click Revise and describe what should be different.
Skills — ready-made “workflows”
An agent skill is a prepared way to phrase a task for a specific area: settings, clients, bot scenarios, Custom Data, and more.
This is not operator skill groups in personnel settings.
In practice: / in the input → Skills list → pick a skill → add your request → send. Names follow your interface language. Remove a skill — × on the chip (Clear skill).
Skills save time when you already know what you need but do not want to write the prompt from scratch.
UI tours and page context
Context — the tag above the input. Thanks to it, “how do I enable notifications?” in Settings vs in OperatorLine gives different, relevant answers.
A UI tour — when you ask where to find something, the assistant may offer step-by-step highlights on screen. In chat — Show me or No thanks. Easier than “third tab bottom left”.
Who can do what: three access levels
Access is layered on purpose — root can enable the feature, admins can limit who actually changes data:
- Instance — root enabled Instance Agent Integration. Without this, the spark button is hidden.
- Role — Menu → Settings → Users → Roles, module AI Assistant (Instance Agent):
- Access — whether the person sees the assistant;
- Allow the agent to create, modify, and delete data (write mode) — whether it may change data automatically.
- Instance read-only — Agent Read-Only Mode: for everyone, view and tours only, no automatic changes — even if the role has edit permission.
No edit permission in the role? The assistant still answers and can run a tour — but you change settings yourself in the UI.
Web search and public pages (if enabled)
By default answers come from ConnectiveOne documentation and your platform data. An administrator can optionally allow:
- Instance Agent: Web Search — search on the public internet;
- Instance Agent: Fetch URL — read one public page by URL.
Both are off by default and need an instance toggle and a role permission. The assistant does not bypass login or closed site areas. Fetch URL returns model-generated text from the page (not raw HTML or a guaranteed verbatim copy).
A few more things worth knowing
- Model — below the input you can pick one of five models: Gemini Pro Latest, Gemini Flash Latest, GPT 5.5, Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.7. Which options are enabled depends on provider keys on the instance and role permissions (Pro requires pro-tools access).
- Files — paperclip icon: attach a document to the request (allowed types are in file-handling settings).
- Chat history — Chat history in the panel header: separate topics, New chat, rename, delete.
Real-world examples
“Where do I enable notifications?”
You are in settings and forgot the section. The assistant explains and offers a UI tour to the right toggle.
“Create a role without scenario access”
An admin describes the task in Agent mode — or Plan if there are many steps and you want to review the list first.
Onboarding an integrator
Instead of “read 50 pages” — questions in chat in the context of Scenario Builder or Custom Data. Skills for scenarios suggest the right way to ask.
Help from a public site
With web access enabled — briefly summarize a partner’s public documentation (without bypassing authentication).
Where to start as a team
- Root enabled Instance Agent Integration — Menu → Settings → Instance settings → Instance Agent.
- Admin configured roles: who sees the assistant, who may allow editing.
- First weeks — Ask mode: get used to answers without automatic changes.
- The team understands the split: Copilot for operators, AI Assistant for admins.
- Complex tasks — Plan, especially before bulk changes.
Things to keep in mind
- AI can be wrong — verify important settings after automatic changes.
- Instance read-only overrides role edit permission — changes stay blocked.
- Chat history is local — for audit, look at system changes, not saved browser conversations.
- The assistant is for the team inside the platform, not for customers in channels.
Where to go next
- What is the AI Assistant — shorter explanation of modes and access.
- Use the AI Assistant — step-by-step guide for daily use.
- Configure access — instance, roles, read-only.
- Web search and URLs — for root and role admins.
- Copilot overview — AI for operators in dialogs.
- Fast Line Pro overview — first line for customers.
- Integrator overview — broader platform configuration context.