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Views and visibility

AI-Public adapts the application to your role, your environment, and your personal settings. As a result, you may not see a button, model, tool, or connector that someone else does see.

That is usually not an error. AI-Public only shows parts that are currently available, allowed, and relevant for your account.

Why doesn’t everyone see the same thing?​

The interface is built from multiple layers:

  1. Your role: employee, admin, board admin, or super admin.
  2. The environment: organization, branch, or tenant settings.
  3. Restrictions and access: for example, whether employees may use certain features.
  4. Available models and providers: which AI models are enabled by the environment.
  5. Tool settings: which tools are visible, automatically available, on, or off.
  6. Connectors and MCP access: whether connectors are allowed and whether you are signed in with the correct provider.
  7. Your personal preferences: for example, the Get started or Standard view, default provider, and personal tool exceptions.
  8. The current chat context: some buttons disappear or are disabled during an ongoing response, in an assistant, in document mode, or with a specific connector.

So a missing button does not automatically mean you do not have permission. Sometimes the feature is turned off in your environment. Sometimes you are using the Get started view. Sometimes the feature only belongs to a different model or provider.

Get started and standard view​

Users with an employee or admin account can choose in Preferences how many options they want to see in the app. In the app, these modes are called:

  • Get started: a calm view with fewer options.
  • Standard: all possibilities and settings are visible.

Standard​

In Standard, you see the full interface within what your role and environment allow. For example, you can:

  • choose the default AI provider in Preferences;
  • set general instructions and extra instructions;
  • use the model switcher in chat settings and in responses;
  • use the direct input modes for chat, text to image, text to audio, and documents if these are available;
  • open the extra options in chat;
  • switch on the home screen between sections such as links, files, images, and statistics;
  • start tools and connectors from the home screen;
  • set personal tool exceptions;
  • manage drive connectors if you are signed in with the correct provider.

Get started​

In Get started, normal chat remains available, but AI-Public hides some advanced choices. This makes the interface calmer.

In this view, the following disappear among others:

  • the default AI provider in Preferences;
  • general instructions, extra instructions, and personal response style;
  • the model switcher in the chat side panel and in responses;
  • the direct input mode buttons for image, audio, and documents;
  • the chat extra options button;
  • the dashboard switcher for links, files, images, and statistics;
  • the tools and connectors block on the home screen;
  • the button to create a new assistant from the home screen;
  • personal tool exceptions;
  • drive connectors.

Not everything disappears. History and available assistants may still be visible. Some chat-related settings or tools may also still appear in an existing chat context, depending on the chosen chat, assistant, or workflow.

In Get started, the buttons to stop a response, copy it, read it aloud, regenerate it, and view the sources remain available. Only the model selection and exporting to Word, PowerPoint, or PDF are hidden.

Why can’t I see the model switcher?​

The most common reason is that Get started is enabled.

The model switcher is hidden in Get started:

  • in the chat side panel;
  • on earlier responses;
  • in parts of the chat window where you would normally switch models.

Do you want to choose models or retry responses with a different model? Then switch the view to Standard via Preferences.

Roles and role view​

AI-Public uses roles to determine which parts of the application are loaded. A role is not the same as a complete job description. The final view also depends on permissions, environment, organization or branch scope, and personal settings.

Employee​

An employee account uses the regular work environment: chatting, using available assistants, viewing history, managing files, and setting personal preferences.

Whether an employee sees extra features such as MCP connectors, voice chat, or document creation depends on the environment settings and any individual access.

Admin​

An admin account has access to the management environment within its own organization or branch scope. Which management panels are visible is then further filtered by permissions and scope.

An admin can also view the app as an employee. In that role view, admin-specific parts disappear from the regular user interface so that the admin can better see what employees roughly experience.

Board admin​

A board admin has a broader administrative role than a regular admin. This role may see environment- or organization-level settings that are not always available to regular admins, such as broader environment settings, permissions, or central AI settings.

A board admin can also switch role view to admin or employee. This means the same user can see different interfaces depending on the active role view.

Models and providers​

The available language, image, and voice models come from the environment’s model configuration. An organization can determine which providers and models are available.

As a result, it may happen that:

  • OpenAI, Claude, Google, or European AI are not all visible;
  • a model mentioned in a news post or example is not in your environment;
  • image models or voice models differ from language models;
  • an assistant works with a fixed model;
  • a tool is not available for the chosen model.

The built-in Google and Microsoft connectors are provider-independent. They can be used with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, and Mistral, as long as the chosen model supports tool use.

Tools: automatic, on, off, and hidden​

Tools can be configured in different ways.

Automatic​

The tool is available, but the AI decides for itself whether the tool is needed. This is the normal setting for many tools.

On​

The tool is explicitly enabled for you or for the chat. AI-Public then tries to make the tool available more directly.

Off​

The tool is visible as an option, but not available to you or for this chat.

Hidden​

This is the strongest restriction. If an admin sets a tool to Hidden, the tool disappears from the chat window and from your personal preferences. You cannot turn this tool on yourself.

Personal tool settings are therefore only exceptions to what the environment has made visible. They cannot bring back a hidden tool.

Provider-specific tools​

Not every tool works with every AI provider.

Examples:

  • OpenAI has its own native tools, such as web search and code interpreter.
  • Claude has its own tools, such as web search, fetching web pages, and code execution.
  • Google has its own native tools, such as Google Search, URL context, Maps, and code execution.
  • Some general tools work provider-independently.

So if you switch model provider, the list of tools may change. That is expected behavior. AI-Public adapts the tool settings to the provider associated with the chosen model.

For Google native tools, there is an additional rule: they cannot always be combined with general function tools. If Google native tools are active, AI-Public may disable other tools in that round so that the model call works properly technically.

Connectors and MCP tools​

Under Tools on the home screen, you may see different kinds of connectors:

  • built-in AI-Public tools;
  • personal MCP servers;
  • organization-wide MCP servers;
  • built-in connectors such as Google Calendar, Google Drive, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint.

Whether you see these depends on several conditions.

MCP access​

The environment determines whether employees may use MCP connectors. In addition, an admin can set an individual exception per employee:

  • allowed;
  • not allowed;
  • default, meaning follow the environment setting.

If MCP access is off, you will not see a button to add an MCP server, and organization or personal MCP connectors disappear from your view.

Signed-in provider​

Some connectors are only visible if you are signed in with the correct provider.

Examples:

  • Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Gmail require separate Google consent.
  • Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint require separate Microsoft consent.

Your regular AI-Public login may use email and password. The connector opens a separate OAuth sign-in and then stores the consent server-side.

For some connectors, you must give additional consent. A normal login is not enough, because the connector needs extra rights, for example to read the calendar or search files. AI-Public asks for that consent when you start the connector.

Desktop and local MCP​

Local MCP servers and local file access belong to the desktop app. If you use the web version, you will not see desktop-specific options.

Chat context: why is something temporarily gone or disabled?​

Some parts are only temporarily hidden or disabled.

This can happen when:

  • a response is currently being generated;
  • you are in a controlled assistant;
  • you are working with a fixed prompt type, such as document mode;
  • a previous chat has stored its own tool setting;
  • a message is being regenerated;
  • the chosen local model does not support tool use;
  • a tool is not supported for the chosen model;
  • you are using mobile and the layout is more compact.

In that case, wait until the response is finished, open a new chat, or check whether you are in an assistant, document mode, or connector chat.

Admin settings that affect visibility​

Admins can influence visibility in several places.

Restrictions​

In restrictions, an environment can define whether employees have access to features such as:

  • MCP connectors;
  • voice chat;
  • document creation;
  • usage limits.

In addition, admins can set exceptions for individual employees.

Models​

In model settings, the environment determines which language, image, and voice models are available. If a provider or model is not included there, it will not appear in the model switcher.

Tools​

In tool settings, it can be set per provider whether tools are automatically available, on, off, or hidden. Hidden is especially important: users cannot restore such a tool themselves.

Connectors​

Built-in Google and Microsoft connectors and organization-wide MCP servers are managed separately. They appear only if they are enabled for the environment and the user meets the access conditions.

FAQ: Help! I can’t see something​

I can’t see the model switcher​

Check whether you are using the Get started view. Go to Preferences and set the view to Standard. If you do not see that setting, your role or environment may determine which view you get.

I can’t see Assistants in the menu​

In Get started, Assistants is hidden from the main menu. Available assistants may still be visible on the home screen. Switch to Standard if you want to open the separate assistants page from the menu.

I can’t see Tools or Connectors on the home screen​

In Get started, the tools and connectors block on the home screen is hidden. Switch to Standard. Then check whether your environment allows MCP access and tools.

I can’t see a certain tool​

The tool is probably set to Hidden in the environment, is not available for the chosen provider, or does not fit your current chat context. You cannot restore hidden tools yourself via preferences.

I can see a tool, but it doesn’t work in this chat​

The tool may be disabled for this chat, may not fit the chosen model, or may be temporarily unavailable during generation. If needed, start a new chat and check your tool settings.

I can’t see Google Calendar, Gmail, or Google Drive​

These connectors must be enabled by the environment. Open Preferences → Tools, enable the desired Google connector, and complete the separate Google consent flow.

I can’t see Outlook, Teams, or SharePoint​

These connectors must be enabled by the environment. Open Preferences → Tools, enable the desired Microsoft connector, and complete the separate Microsoft consent flow.

I can’t add an MCP server​

MCP access may be turned off in the environment for your role. An admin may also have set an individual exception for your account to not allowed. Without MCP access, the Add tool button will not appear in Preferences → Tools.

My colleague sees more models than I do​

First check whether you both use the Standard view. After that, the difference may come from a different role, organization, branch, active chat context, personal preference, or environment.

I can’t see a model mentioned in an article or training​

The guide may mention examples of models that are not enabled in every environment. The admin determines which models are available in your environment.

A model is greyed out or cannot be selected​

Check whether the model is available from the environment and fits your view. An active connector does not grey out other models; it is available for every suitable model that supports tool use.

I can’t see General instructions or Extra instructions​

These settings belong to the advanced preferences. Switch your view to Standard. In Get started, these advanced preferences are hidden.

I can’t see Drive connectors​

Drive connectors are only shown in Standard. In addition, you must be able to sign in with the correct provider or grant consent again.

I can’t see local AI or local MCP​

Local AI, local file access, and local MCP servers belong to the desktop app. These items do not appear in the web version.

I can’t see something on mobile​

On small screens, AI-Public uses a more compact layout. Open the side menu via the hamburger icon or try the same page on a larger screen.

What should I tell support or my admin?​

Provide as concretely as possible:

  • which button, tool, connector, or model you are missing;
  • where you expected to see it;
  • whether you are an employee, admin, or board admin;
  • whether you are using Get started or Standard;
  • which login provider you used, for example Google, Microsoft, or email/password;
  • whether you are working in a normal chat, assistant, document mode, or connector chat.

With that information, an admin can usually quickly check whether it is a personal preference, role, environment setting, or technical limitation.

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