Managing assistants requires the
assistants.list, assistants.add, assistants.edit, or assistants.delete entitlements. See Entitlements for details.Assistant List
The Assistants tab in the Admin dashboard shows all assistants for your institution.
- Name and description
- Status toggle — Enable or disable the assistant for users
- Sharing indicator — Whether the assistant is shared with all users or admin-only
Creating an Assistant
Configure the assistant
Fill in the assistant details:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A clear, descriptive name for the assistant |
| Description | A compelling description explaining what the assistant does. Users see this when selecting assistants. |
| Icon | Upload a custom icon (recommended: 512x512 pixels, WebP format) |
| Instructions | The system prompt that defines the assistant’s behavior, personality, and capabilities |
| Model | Optionally override the institution’s default conversation model for this assistant |
Set visibility
Configure who can access the assistant:
- Shared — Available to all users in the institution
- Admin Only — Only visible to administrators
- Editable by Others — Allow non-admin users to modify the assistant’s instructions
When an assistant is first created, restrict it to Admin Only for testing. Once validated, toggle it to Shared for all users.
Editing Assistants
Click on any assistant in the list to open the editor. You can modify:- Instructions — Update the system prompt to refine behavior
- Model override — Change which AI model this assistant uses
- Variables — Add or edit substitution variables used in the instructions
- Visibility — Change sharing and editability settings
Enabling and Disabling
Toggle an assistant’s status to control availability:- Enabled (blue toggle) — Assistant is active and available to users
- Disabled (gray toggle) — Assistant is hidden from users but preserved in the system
- Temporarily removing an assistant during maintenance
- Hiding seasonal or event-specific assistants when not needed
- Keeping draft assistants saved but not yet available
Variables in Assistants
Assistants support substitution variables — placeholders like${variable_name} that are replaced with dynamic values at runtime.
Common uses:
- API endpoints or webhook URLs
- Quiz IDs or course identifiers
- Reusable instruction snippets shared across assistants
- Sensitive data (API keys, tokens) that should not be embedded in the prompt text
Model Override
By default, assistants use the institution’s configured conversation model. You can override this per assistant to use a different model — for example, a more capable model for complex analysis tasks or a faster model for simple lookups. The model override is set in the assistant editor under the Model field.If a deprecated model is assigned to an assistant, the system will fall back to the institution’s default model automatically.
Gallery Integration
Shared assistants appear in the Digital Expert Gallery, where users can browse and select them. The gallery displays:- Assistant name and icon
- Description
- A quick-start button to begin a conversation with the assistant
Required Permissions
| Action | Required Entitlement |
|---|---|
| View assistants | assistants.list |
| Create assistants | assistants.add |
| Edit assistants | assistants.edit |
| Delete assistants | assistants.delete |
Related
- Building Assistants — CRISPE methodology and development lifecycle
- Variables — Substitution variable guide
- Digital Expert Gallery — User-facing assistant selection
- Entitlements — Managing assistant permissions
- AI Models — Model selection and configuration