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AI License and Enabling AI

Two things have to happen before anything else. The license has to carry the AI feature, and an administrator has to turn AI on. They are separate acts: a licensed instance still has AI off until someone enables it.

Before you start​

You needFor
Manage licenseReading Settings → License and applying a new license code
AI settingsTurning Enable AI on

AI is a license feature, not a license tier. It is carried by the ai flag on the installed license and works on any license type that carries the flag — you do not need to move to a different edition to get it.

1. Confirm the license carries AI​

  1. Open Settings → License.
  2. Read the features list. A licensed instance shows an AI row there.

If the AI row is absent, the license does not include AI. Request a license that includes it from your vendor, then apply the returned code — see License ID and License Code for how a license is applied.

The AI tab follows the license

Settings → AI only exists when the license carries AI. On an instance without it there is no AI tab and no way to navigate to one. If you have just applied a new license, reload the page.

2. Enable AI​

Licensing does not switch AI on. The default is off.

  1. Open Settings → AI → Setup.
  2. Turn on Enable AI — "Turn the AI on for this instance. Requires the AI license."
  3. Save.

Saving with the toggle on starts the supervised AI Service immediately. Turning it off stops the service. Saving any other AI setting — a provider, a model, a budget — does not restart the service.

Where the AI Service runs

The AI Service runs on the local machine only, bound to loopback, and is started and watched by Grid. Nothing about it is exposed on your network. On a High Availability pair it runs only on the active server, and moves with a failover.

Verify it worked​

  • Settings → AI → Setup shows Enable AI on after a reload.
  • The Dashboard's System Status shows an ai_service row reading running. That row appears only when AI is licensed and enabled; when AI is off it is omitted entirely rather than shown as a failure.
  • The AI button appears in the workspace header for a user whose role holds Use AI.

If it didn't work​

SymptomCauseFix
No AI tab in SettingsThe installed license does not carry the AI featureCheck the features list on Settings → License, then request a license that includes AI
AI tab present, Enable AI off, no way to change itYour role lacks AI settingsHave someone with Manage roles grant it — see AI Roles and Permissions
Enable AI is on, but no AI button in the headerThe signed-in user's role lacks Use AIGrant Use AI to their role. The button is absent, not greyed out, when the permission is missing
ai_service row says not running or failed to startThe service could not start or has stoppedSee Troubleshooting
ai_service row says running but health check failingThe process is alive but not answering its health checkTransient — the supervisor keeps watching and restarts it if it hangs. If it persists, see Troubleshooting
No ai_service row at allAI is not licensed and enabledWork through steps 1 and 2 above
A Runtime restart does not interrupt sessions

AI licensing is verified against the Linkiir Runtime. If the Runtime becomes briefly unreachable, an already-verified AI license keeps working for a bounded grace period of 15 minutes, so restarting the Runtime does not cut off a conversation in progress. Past that window the check closes and AI stops until the Runtime answers again.

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