Scope
This reference documents the boundaries of the AI Configurator chat surface in Estimate Setup: what each chat action does, what it cannot do, and the observable signals an operator can use to confirm each state. Guidance Settings (Category, Product, Suggestions, Knowledge, Communication Style) are documented in the Guidance reference, not here.
Chat dock actions
Action | What it controls | When to use it | What you will see |
AI Configurator (collapsed pill) | Expands the chat dock back to full height after it has been minimised. | When you collapsed the chat to work in a table and want to resume the conversation. | The dock expands; the prior conversation is preserved row by row. |
New conversation | Clears the current chat history and starts a fresh extraction context. | When you start a new import session and do not want prior file context to influence parsing. | The chat clears; processing state resets; previously-staged rows in Pending Changes are not affected. |
Drop files here | Accepts a file drag-and-drop into the chat for parsing. | When you have CSV, XLSX, or PDF source data to import. | A file pill appears in the chat with a parsing progress strip; the strip names each stage as it completes. |
Stage changes | Pushes extracted rows from the chat into Pending Changes. | When the extraction summary looks correct and you want to review the staged result in the sidebar. | The Pending Changes count in the sidebar increases by the number of staged rows; the chat closes the extraction. |
Boundaries: what AI Configurator does
Capability | Notes |
Parse machines, substrates, and finishing equipment from CSV, XLSX, or PDF | Files must contain the field values the importer needs; it does not invent numbers. |
Match imported rows against existing setup to produce create / update / delete operations | The match key is the row name. Renamed rows are imported as create, not update. |
Stage all changes in Pending Changes | No row is applied to live setup directly from chat. |
Persist conversation state per shop | The dock remembers chat content across navigation within Estimate Setup. |
Continue parsing while you navigate elsewhere | The progress strip remains accurate; the chat dock surfaces a notification when extraction completes. |
Boundaries: what AI Configurator does not do
Limitation | Workaround |
Guarantee 100% field accuracy without review | Always inspect new, updated, and removed rows before staging. The chat surfaces a row-level summary for this purpose. |
Apply changes without operator confirmation | Open Pending Changes and select Apply Changes. There is no auto-apply path from chat. |
Design product categories or production-step sequences | Categories and production steps are configured per category, not via chat. Use Products & Product Categories in the sidebar. |
Fix a broken quote that already exists | The chat changes setup. To recalculate an existing quote, open the quote and select Recalculate after applying staged changes. |
Invent missing values | If a press lacks a click rate in the source, the imported row lacks it too. Edit the row before applying, or routing will exclude it. |
Replace manual edits | Manual edits to Print Machines, Substrates, and Finishing Machines tables also flow into Pending Changes alongside chat-staged rows. Treat the queue as the global staging area. |
File handling
Behaviour | Detail |
Accepted formats | CSV, XLSX, PDF. Other formats are rejected at upload time with an error in the chat. |
File size handling | Large files are processed in named batches. The progress strip identifies which batch is active so you can track which subset has finished extracting. |
Background processing | Extraction continues while you navigate to another page in Estimate Setup. The chat dock surfaces the completion event when you return. |
Multiple files per conversation | The chat accepts more than one file per conversation. Each file is processed in sequence; the summary at the end aggregates rows from all files. |
Observable signals
Signal | Meaning |
Pending Changes count increased after Stage changes | The extraction succeeded and rows are queued for review. |
Pending Changes count unchanged after Stage changes | Either the extraction failed or every row was rejected by validation. Re-open the chat and inspect the extraction log. |
Chat dock shows an error icon on a row | The importer failed to parse or validate that row. Open the row to see the specific error. |
Toast | A staged row was written to the queue successfully. |
Apply Changes dialog confirms apply | Staged rows are publishing to live setup. The count returns to zero on success. |