# AI chatbot support (beta)

ScyllaDB Docs integrates with [Biel.ai](https://biel.ai/) to offer a conversational interface for documentation.

The chatbot can answer documentation-related questions and provide relevant links to help users find the information they need quickly.

#### NOTE
This feature is in beta and disabled by default. It will be gradually enabled for all documentation sites in a future release.
If you want to enable it now, please contact us in Slack (`#scylla-docs` channel).

## Installation

To enable the AI chatbot, update your `conf.py` file by setting `hide_ai_chatbot` to `false` in `html_theme_options`:

```python
html_theme_options = {
    "hide_ai_chatbot": "false"
}
```

## Usage

Once enabled, the Ask AI button will appear in the documentation interface.
Users can click the button to start a conversation, ask questions, and receive responses with relevant documentation links.

![image](configuration/images/ai-chatbot.png)

## Configuration options

| Option            | Type   | Default Value   | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|-------------------|--------|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `hide_ai_chatbot` | string | true            | Hides the AI chatbot button in the documentation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| `ai_chatbot_id`   | string | ddfdo8m94k      | Biel.ai project ID.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| `search_engine`   | string | bielai          | Selects which search provider powers the documentation search bar.<br/>Accepted values:<br/><br/>* `bielai`  *(default)* — Uses Biel.ai’s unified search-and-chat widget.<br/>  The search bar in the header opens a combined modal that lets users search the docs and ask the AI chatbot from the same place.<br/>* `expertrec` — Uses ExpertRec as the search engine.<br/>  The search bar in the header is a traditional keyword search, and a separate `Ask AI` button is rendered next to it when `hide_ai_chatbot` is `false`. |

## Troubleshooting

If the chatbot does not appear:

* Ensure `hide_ai_chatbot` is set to false in html_theme_options.
* Verify that ai_chatbot_id is correctly set to a valid Biel.ai project ID.
* Check for errors in the browser console that may indicate issues with the integration.

For more details, refer to the [Biel.ai documentation for Sphinx](https://docs.biel.ai/installation/sphinx/).