Enable and configure Ask AI

To use Ask AI, you need to enable the feature, add your domains, create a configuration, define assistant behavior, and add the AI assistant to your site.

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Enable the feature

1. Sign in to the Algolia dashboard.
2. On the left sidebar, select Data sources.
3. Select Ask AI and click Create Your Assistant.
4. Complete the setup: add domains, configure your assistant, and define its behavior.

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Add your domains

Ask AI can only run on domains that you explicitly allow. This enhances security and prevents unauthorized use. To allow Ask AI on a new domain, follow these steps:

1. On the Ask AI page in your Algolia dashboard, click Add Domain.
2. Enter your domain or pattern. Use wildcards, such as *.example.com, to cover subdomains like help.example.com and docs.example.com.
3. Save your changes.

New domains are activated immediately. You can add more domains later as your needs evolve.

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Create a configuration

Set up the core components of your assistant:

1. Choose a language model provider, such as OpenAI or Anthropic. For an overview, see Supported LLMs.
2. Select a model from the chosen provider. Newer models are often better, with faster and more accurate responses.
3. Enter your API key for the provider. Provide the API key from the selected LLM provider. This connects your assistant to the selected model.
4. Set a maximum token limit per response. For more information, see Reduce token usage.
5. Set a maximum thread depth. Define the maximum number of “turns” in a conversation thread. For more information, see Reduce token usage.
6. Name your assistant configuration. Give your configuration a unique name for later reference.

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Define assistant behavior

This step determines how your assistant responds to user input. Select one of these options:

• Choose between three pre-built prompts to launch with a default configuration.
• Customize an existing prompt: adjust the wording to better fit your tone or use case.
• Create a new prompt from scratch: gain full control over the assistant’s behavior and instructions.

Choose the option that best matches your needs. If you created a custom prompt, you can select it again by choosing Use existing prompt. Be sure to name your prompts to identify them later.

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Pre-built prompts

For more information, see Prompting.

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Test your assistant

After setting up your assistant, explore it in the playground that matches your content type:

• For developer documentation, API references, or technical guides: use the DocSearch playground.
• For broader content search, such as help centers, educational, company, or informational websites, use the SiteSearch playground

You’ll need:

• Assistant ID. Your assistant’s configuration ID which can be found on the Ask AI page in the dashboard.
• App ID. Your Algolia application ID.
• API Key. Your Algolia API key.
• Index Name. the name of the Algolia that the Ask AI assistant should refer to.

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Manage assistants, prompts, and domains

The Ask AI page in the dashboard is the central place to organize, reuse, and fine-tune your assistant configurations:

• To create a new assistant, click Add assistant.
• To create a new prompt, click Add prompt.
• To allow new domain, click Add domain.
• To edit assistants, prompts, or domains, find the item you want to edit, open the View actions menu and click Edit.
• To delete assistants, prompts, or domains, find the item you want to edit, open the View actions menu and click Delete.

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Add the AI assistant to your site

To make the AI assistant available to your users, choose the integration option that best fits your use case:

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Use the DocSearch UI integration

Best for documentation sites. Choose this option if your content is organized like developer docs, API references, or technical guides. The DocSearch UI provides a ready-made, accessible interface optimized for structured documentation. Learn more about DocSearch

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Use the SiteSearch UI integration

Best for content-rich websites. Choose this option for help centers, educational resources, corporate sites, or any content-driven experience. The SiteSearch UI offers flexible layouts and components built on InstantSearch, enhanced with Ask AI. Learn more about SiteSearch with Ask AI

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Build a custom UI integration

Best for custom experiences. Choose this option if you need to design your own search interface, integrate Ask AI into an existing product, or combine multiple content sources. You can use Algolia’s APIs to create a custom search and discovery flow.

• Use the DocSearch UI integration
• Build a custom UI integration