Configure a machine with the AI assistant

On your machine’s CONFIGURE tab, you can describe a configuration change in plain language and have the AI assistant propose it for you, instead of adding each resource through the form fields or writing the JSON by hand. You type a request such as “Add a fake sensor named test-sensor”, and the assistant replies in a panel and stages the change in the Builder for you to review. The change takes effect on your machine only when you click Save.

This page shows how to configure resources with the AI assistant, review each staged edit, use the assistant on a fragment, and decide when to reach for it.

What the AI assistant does

The AI assistant turns a plain-language request into a proposed configuration change that you review before it takes effect.

• Where it lives. The assistant is available on the CONFIGURE tab for both machine configuration and fragment configuration, in the Builder and JSON config views (the config view toggle is labeled Builder / JSON). Open it from the AI assistant button (sparkle icon) at the bottom right of the Builder view. The assistant opens in a panel on the right side of the page.
• What it can change. From your request, the assistant adds, updates, or deletes components, services, modules, remotes, and triggers.
• What it reads. The assistant reads your current configuration (including unsaved edits and resolved fragments), your machine’s status, its logs, and any validation errors, and uses them when it generates a proposal. For example, when you ask it to fix a problem, it reads the error the machine reported and proposes a change that addresses it.

The assistant stages every proposal for your review, and you save it or discard it (see Review each staged edit).

The panel also has these controls:

• New conversation starts a fresh conversation.
• Conversation history reopens a past conversation. Conversations are saved, so you can return to earlier requests.
• Collapse hides the panel.
• AI assistant feedback opens a form where you can report how a response worked for you.

Configure a resource by describing it

Use the assistant to add or change a resource when you can describe what you want in plain terms.

1. Open your machine’s CONFIGURE tab in the Viam app.
2. In the Builder view, click the AI assistant button (sparkle icon) at the bottom right. The panel opens on the right.
3. In the input field (placeholder Describe a task or ask a question…), type the change you want, then click Send. For example: “Add a fake sensor component named test-sensor.”

When the panel is empty, it shows the heading Let’s start configuring and the prompt What do you want to do?, along with suggested starter requests you can select instead of typing your own:

• Add components to control my hardware
• Detect objects in a webcam feed
• Configure an arm to pick something up
• Help me fix the issues with my machine
• Learn Viam’s basic concepts

You can also ask a question rather than request a change. For example, ask the assistant to explain what a component does before you add it.

After you send a request, the assistant replies in the panel and stages the change: the new or updated resource appears in the Builder marked as modified. For the request above, the assistant replies with a confirmation such as “Added the fake sensor test-sensor. Save the config to apply it.”, and the sensor appears in the Builder, ready for you to review.

Review each staged edit, then save or discard

A staged edit is a change the assistant has prepared for your review. You decide whether it takes effect.

When the assistant stages a change, the config toolbar shows Unsaved changes with Save and Discard controls:

1. Review the modified resource in the Builder. Confirm the model, name, and attributes match what you asked for.
2. To apply the change, click Save (or press Cmd + S / Ctrl + S). viam-server reloads the configuration and initializes the change. You do not need to restart anything.
3. To reject the change, click Discard. The staged edit reverts and your saved configuration is unchanged.

Because every proposal waits for you to save or discard it, you review each change before it reaches your machine. You can also edit a staged resource by hand in the Builder or in JSON before you save.

Use the assistant on a fragment

The AI assistant is also available when you edit a fragment, a configuration you define once and apply to every machine that uses it.

1. Open the fragment on the CONFIGURE tab.
2. Open the AI assistant and describe the change you want, the same way you would for a machine. The assistant stages the edit for you to review.

Changes you save to a fragment apply to every machine that uses the fragment on its next config sync, so you can make a shared change once and let it propagate across the machines that share the fragment.

When to use the assistant instead of editing the configuration directly

Reach for the AI assistant when:

• You know what you want but not the exact model name or JSON structure. For example, “add a webcam” rather than searching for the webcam model yourself.
• You want to add more than one related resource in a single request.
• You want to fix an error the machine reported. The assistant reads the validation error or log and proposes a change that addresses it.
• You want to learn what a resource does before you add it.

Edit the configuration directly, through the form fields or in JSON mode, when:

• You know the exact model and attributes you want to set.
• You are making a precise change to one attribute value.
• You are copying a configuration between machines or making bulk edits, which are faster in JSON mode.

Because the assistant stages every change for review, you can start with a request and then refine the result by hand before you save. The two approaches edit the same configuration.

What’s next