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Views and Visibility

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

This is usually not an error. AI-Public only shows components that are available, permitted, and relevant for your account at that moment.

Why doesn't everyone see the same thing?​

The interface is built up from multiple layers:

  1. Your role: employee, admin, board admin, or super admin.
  2. The environment: settings of the organization, branch, or tenant.
  3. Restrictions and access: for example, whether employees are allowed to use certain functions.
  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. Connections and MCP access: whether connections are allowed and whether you are logged in with the correct provider.
  7. Your personal preferences: for example, the Instappen or Standaard 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 connection.

A missing button does not automatically mean you have no rights. Sometimes the function is disabled in your environment. Sometimes you are using the Instappen view. Sometimes the function only belongs to another model or another provider.

Instappen 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:

  • Instappen: a calm view with fewer options.
  • Standaard: all possibilities and settings are visible.

Standaard​

In Standaard, 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 with responses;
  • use the direct input modes for chat, text-to-image, text-to-audio, and documents if available;
  • open the extra options of the chat;
  • switch between sections such as links, files, images, and statistics on the home screen;
  • start tools and connections from the home screen;
  • set personal tool exceptions;
  • manage drive connections if you are logged in with the correct provider.

Instappen​

In Instappen, the regular 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 answer style;
  • the model switcher in the chat sidebar and with responses;
  • the direct input mode buttons for image, audio, and documents;
  • the extra options button of the chat;
  • the dashboard switcher for links, files, images, and statistics;
  • the tools and connections block on the home screen;
  • the button to create a new assistant from the home screen;
  • personal tool exceptions;
  • drive connections.

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

Why don't I see the model switcher?​

The most common reason is that Instappen is enabled.

The model switcher is hidden in Instappen:

  • in the chat sidebar;
  • with previous responses;
  • in parts of the chat window where you normally can switch models.

If you want to be able to choose models or retry responses with another model, set the view to Standaard via Preferences.

Roles and Role Views​

AI-Public uses roles to determine which parts of the application are loaded. A role is not the same as a full 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 possibilities, such as MCP connections, voice chat, or creating documents, depends on the environment settings and any individual access.

Admin​

An admin account has access to the management environment within their 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 the admin can better see what employees approximately experience.

Board Admin​

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

A board admin can also view the app with role views as admin or employee. This allows the same user to see different interfaces depending on the active role view.

Models and Providers​

The available language, image, and speech models come from the model configuration of the environment. 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 article or example is not in your environment;
  • image models or speech 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 connections are provider-independent. They can be used with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, and Mistral, as far as the chosen model supports tool usage.

Tools: Automatic, On, Off, and Not Visible​

Tools can be set in different ways.

Automatic​

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

On​

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

Off​

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

Not Visible​

This is the strongest restriction. If an administrator sets a tool to Not Visible, 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.

If you switch model providers, the list of tools can change. This is expected behavior. AI-Public adjusts the tool settings to the provider associated with the chosen model.

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

Connections and MCP Tools​

Under Tools on the home screen, different types of connections can appear:

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

Whether you see these depends on multiple conditions.

MCP Access​

The environment determines whether employees may use MCP connections. Additionally, an admin can set an individual exception per employee:

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

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

Logged-in Provider​

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

Examples:

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

Your regular AI-Public login may use email and password. The connector opens a separate OAuth login and stores the permission server-side afterward.

Granting Permission Again​

For some connections, you must grant extra permission. A regular login is then not enough because the connector needs extra rights, for example, to read the calendar or search files. AI-Public asks for that permission when you start the connection.

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 features.

Chat Context: Why Is Something Temporarily Missing or Disabled?​

Some components are only temporarily hidden or disabled.

This can happen when:

  • a response is being generated at that moment;
  • you are in a controlled assistant;
  • you are working with a fixed prompt type, such as document mode;
  • a previous chat has saved its own tool setting;
  • a message is being regenerated;
  • the chosen local model does not support tool usage;
  • a tool is not supported by the chosen model;
  • you are working on mobile and the layout is more compact.

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

Management Settings That Affect Visibility​

Admins can influence visibility in various places.

Restrictions​

In restrictions, an environment can set whether employees have access to functions such as:

  • MCP connections;
  • voice chat;
  • creating documents;
  • usage limits.

Additionally, admins can set exceptions for individual employees.

Models​

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

Tools​

In tool settings, it can be set per provider whether tools are automatically available, on, off, or not visible. Especially Not Visible is important: users cannot turn such a tool back on themselves.

Connections​

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

FAQ: Help! I Don't See Something​

I don't see the model switcher​

Check if you are using the Instappen view. Go to Preferences and set the view to Standaard. If you do not see that setting, your role or environment may determine which view you get.

I don't see Assistants in the menu​

In Instappen, Assistants is hidden from the main menu. Available assistants may still be visible on the home screen. Set the view to Standaard if you want to open the separate assistants page via the menu.

I don't see Tools or Connections on the home screen​

In Instappen, the tools and connections block on the home screen is hidden. Set the view to Standaard. Then check whether your environment allows MCP access and tools.

I don't see a particular tool​

Probably the tool is set to Not Visible in the environment, the tool is not available for the chosen provider, or the tool does not fit your current chat context. You cannot bring back hidden tools yourself via preferences.

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

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

I don't see Google Calendar, Gmail, or Google Drive​

These connections must be enabled by the environment. Open Preferences → Tools, turn on the desired Google connection, and complete the separate Google permission.

I don't see Outlook, Teams, or SharePoint​

These connections must be enabled by the environment. Open Preferences → Tools, turn on the desired Microsoft connection, and complete the separate Microsoft permission.

I cannot add an MCP server​

MCP access may be disabled in the environment for your role. Additionally, an admin may have set an individual exception for your account to not allowed.

My colleague sees more models than I do​

First check whether you both use the Standaard view. Then the difference may be due to a different role, organization, branch, active chat context, personal preference, or environment.

I don't see a model mentioned in an article or training​

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

A model is greyed out or cannot be selected​

Check whether the model is available in the environment and fits your view. An active connection does not grey out other models; it is available with every suitable model that supports tool usage.

I don't see General Instructions or Extra Instructions​

These settings belong to the advanced preferences. Set your view to Standaard. In Instappen, these advanced preferences are hidden.

I don't see Drive connections​

Drive connections are only in Standaard. Additionally, you must be able to log in with the correct provider or grant permission again.

I don't see local AI or local MCP​

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

I don'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 report to support or my administrator?​

Provide as concrete information as possible:

  • which button, tool, connection, or model you are missing;
  • where you expected to see it;
  • whether you are an employee, admin, or board admin;
  • whether you use Instappen or Standaard;
  • with which login provider you are logged in, for example Google, Microsoft, or email/password;
  • whether you are working in a regular chat, assistant, document mode, or connection chat.

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

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