Diagnose flow assistant availability
Use this page when the assistant for authoring a flow is missing or cannot answer. The flow-authoring assistant helps you create and edit flows.
Availability: the flow assistant is generally available from 0.9.18. In 0.9.17-patch2 it appeared only on development versions. It requires loaded runtime configuration, the FEATURE_AI_FLOW_BUILDER feature and permission to edit the flow.
The deployment operator controls FEATURE_AI_FLOW_BUILDER, shown as AI Flow Builder in the Portal feature profile. It is on unless set to the literal string false. While configuration is still loading, the Web UI treats the feature as unavailable. Users with read-only flow access get no assistant controls, whatever the flag says.
The flag controls the UI only. Use permissions, not the flag, to keep users from calling the assistant.
Identify which condition is failing
| Symptom | Check | Who can help |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant controls are missing while the page loads | Wait for runtime configuration to load; distinguish a loading failure from a deliberately disabled feature. | Deployment operator if configuration does not load. |
| The page loads but assistant controls remain missing | Check the effective feature flag and whether the account has read-only flow access. | Deployment operator for the flag; access administrator for permissions. |
| Controls appear but a request is rejected | Check team/app/flow access, applicable subscription restrictions and token budget. Visible controls do not prove that a request is authorized. | Team or platform administrator. |
| A request reaches the assistant but provider access fails | Check the configured provider, model and available credentials. Azure configuration also needs a base URL. | Platform administrator responsible for assistant settings and credentials. |
Only a Super Admin can update platform-wide settings. Use Platform configuration to locate the appropriate section and its save action. Provider credentials may come from permitted team overrides, platform secrets or environment fallback, depending on the configuration. Do not assume every user may change those settings or use every credential source.
An assistant settings record marked disabled is not a verified backend kill switch: fallback configuration may still be used. Confirm the effective configuration and authorization controls rather than treating one settings value as proof that all assistant calls are blocked.
Understand an explanation-only answer
When asking about an existing flow, separate an inspection question from a request to change it. The assistant can answer an inspection question in text without returning an edited flow. For example, “Explain the current flow; do not change it” expresses inspection intent.
Request classification uses a limited keyword heuristic. For recognized inspection requests, the model is not offered the flow-editing and generation tools. This is not a universal natural-language guarantee or a read-only security mode. Do not rely on wording alone to enforce access restrictions.
A plain-text answer also does not prove that the request was classified as inspection: existing-flow editing conversations can produce text responses too. Verify the resulting flow and use normal access controls for permission boundaries. This guidance does not promise zero logging, usage accounting or other ancillary writes.
Related
- Feature availability — to compare this flag with the other Web UI feature conditions.
- Platform configuration — to change the assistant's provider and model defaults as Super Admin.
- Access and teams — to check whether an account has edit permission for the flow.