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Chat UI modes in Elastic Agent Builder

The Elastic Agent Builder chat UI is available in two modes:

  1. Standalone mode
  2. Sidebar mode
Note

The standalone and sidebar modes have the same functionalities and can be used interchangeably. Conversation history is preserved across both modes.

Tip

When working with dashboards and visualizations, we recommend using standalone mode. This full-page chat experience gives you more room to comfortably analyze complex charts and read detailed agent replies.

Access Agent Builder by selecting Agents in the main navigation.

In Elastic Observability and Elastic Security solution views, you must first switch from AI Assistant to Agent Builder to access the standalone experience.

Agents logo in main navigation

In standalone mode, the full-page experience includes the left sidebar with the agent selector, Customize accordion, Chats accordion, and Manage components link.

Standalone agent builder chat mode in main navigation

Once you switch from AI Assistant to Agent Builder, you can access the sidebar in two ways:

  1. Select the AI Agent button from the header bar in any page:
AI Agent button
  1. Use the keyboard shortcut:
    • Mac: ⌘Cmd + ;
    • Windows/Linux: ⌃Ctrl + ;

You can resize the sidebar by dragging its side edge. The sidebar persists when you change pages in the main navigation.

Sidebar chat mode demonstration

Elastic Agent Builder is the default chat experience for all solutions. It appears in the navigation automatically.

If you need to revert to the legacy AI Assistant, you can opt out by changing your space's Chat Experience to Classic AI Assistant in the GenAI Settings. Learn more about how to switch between chat experiences.

The default chat experience varies by solution:

  • Elastic Observability and Elastic Security: Each solution's classic AI Assistant is the default chat experience. You must switch between chat experiences to enable Agent Builder.
    • Once enabled:
      • The sidebar experience replaces the AI Assistant chat experience.
      • The standalone experience is available through the Agents button in the main navigation.
  • Elasticsearch: Agent Builder appears in the navigation automatically.