UiGuideAgent.Server.Host 0.11.2

UiGuide Agent — the server (uiguide-server)

This is a .NET tool, not a package for your project. Install it from a command line:

dotnet tool install -g UiGuideAgent.Server.Host
uiguide-server

For your application add UiGuideAgent.Desktop (WPF / WinForms) or UiGuideAgent.Web (Blazor / Razor) instead.

The server runs the agent. It keeps your applications' knowledge bundles and conversations, and calls your LLM. Any OpenAI-compatible LLM works: LiteLLM, vLLM, Ollama, OpenAI… Your LLM, your key: UiGuide Agent does not include a model and does not pay for one. It needs the .NET SDK 10 or newer.

On your computer (to develop and try)

Install and start the server

1. Install the server once:

   dotnet tool install -g UiGuideAgent.Server.Host
   

2. Start it:

   uiguide-server
   

   The first start creates your settings file:

   • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ui-guide-agent\server.json
   • Linux and macOS: ~/.local/share/ui-guide-agent/server.json

   The file is kept when you update the server. The server warns "No LLM yet". This is expected: you set the LLM in the next steps. The server runs inside this terminal window. If you close the window or press Ctrl+C, the server stops.

Connect your LLM

3. Press Ctrl+C to stop the server.
4. Open server.json and fill in the "Llm" section:
   • "BaseUrl": the address of your LLM. It must end with /v1.
   • "Model": the model name, exactly as your LLM lists it.
   • "EmbeddingModel": optional but recommended, for example bge-m3. Questions asked in other words are then answered from the cache too, with fewer LLM calls. If your LLM has no embedding model, delete this line or leave it empty ("").
5. Save your LLM key once:

   setx Llm__ApiKey "<your key>"
   

   If your LLM needs no key (for example, Ollama on your computer), skip this step.
6. Close the terminal window. Open a new one and start uiguide-server there. A window that was already open does not see the key saved with setx.

Check it

7. The server's window says whether your LLM answers:

   • "The LLM answers: model … at …": all good.
   • "The LLM cannot be used: …": the rest of the line says why and what to do. For example: there is no key, the key is refused, the key cannot use this model (the line then lists the models it can use), or the address is wrong.

   You can also open http://localhost:5180/api/v1/health. You should see "llm": "ok". If not, "llmProblem" says why.

8. Rebuild your application. The build finds the server, writes its address and registers the application.

Why is the key not in server.json? It works there too: add the line "ApiKey": "<your key>" in the "Llm" section. But the file keeps the key as plain text, and files are easy to copy, back up or sync by mistake.

Start the server automatically (Windows)

You can leave the server window open and minimized. Or you can make it start every time you sign in:

1. Save the key with setx (step 5), or put it in server.json.
2. Press Win+R, type shell:startup and press Enter. The Startup folder opens.
3. Right-click an empty area and choose New → Shortcut.
4. In the location field, enter C:\Users\<your user name>\.dotnet\tools\uiguide-server.exe. To see the exact path, run where uiguide-server. Click Next.
5. Name the shortcut UiGuide server and click Finish.
6. Double-click the shortcut to start the server now. From now on it starts at every sign-in.

Good to know

• On its own computer, the server needs no authentication.
• Update: dotnet tool update -g UiGuideAgent.Server.Host. Your settings and data are kept.
• Remove: run uiguide remove. It stops the server and removes it with its settings and data, and the shortcut that starts it at sign-in. Or run dotnet tool uninstall -g UiGuideAgent.Server.Host and delete the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\ui-guide-agent.

For your company

One server for all your applications and users. The administrator installs it once, in one of two ways:

• Docker: docker pull ghcr.io/domitorai/ui-guide-agent-server.

• Windows service, with this tool, in an administrator terminal:

  1. uiguide-server service install
  2. Set the LLM in C:\ProgramData\ui-guide-agent\server.json.
  3. uiguide-server service key sets the LLM key.
  4. uiguide-server service start starts it.

  It starts with Windows. After a crash it is restarted, up to 3 times a day. uiguide-server service status shows its state.

The developer runs uiguide init --server https://… and sends the administrator the one line it prints. The line carries the application key, the limits and the web pages allowed.

The server also offers: authentication by application key or by your own sign-in, limits per application and per user, Prometheus metrics, an answer cache and learned navigation.

Full guide: https://github.com/DomitorAI/ui-guide-agent/blob/main/docs/company-server.md

Free to use without limits, including commercially. Offering UiGuide Agent as a paid hosted service needs the author's permission. Provided as is, without warranty. https://github.com/DomitorAI/ui-guide-agent