--- title: "Using Fai, Your AI Assistant" description: "How to work effectively with Fai — the AI agent that builds workflows, answers questions, and guides you through FormAssembly." slug: "using-fai" audience: "all" generated_at: "2026-10-16T22:13:24.001Z" screenshots: - "/docs/screenshots/using-fai/builder.png" --- Fai is the AI assistant built into FormAssembly. Instead of manually assembling forms and workflows piece by piece, you describe what you need in plain language, and Fai builds it for you — creating forms, adding workflow steps, and wiring everything together. ![The FormAssembly builder, showing the chat panel on the left and the workflow canvas on the right](/docs/screenshots/using-fai/builder.png) ## What Fai Can Do Fai handles the structural work of building and modifying your workflows. You can ask Fai to: - **Create a new workflow from scratch** — describe the data you want to collect and the steps that should happen afterward. - **Add, remove, or rearrange steps** — such as forms, email notifications, redirects, and connectors. - **Build and edit forms** — add fields, change field types, update questions, and reorganize form content. - **Make changes to existing workflows** — modify what you've already built by describing what you want to change. - **Set up a document generation step** — ask Fai to add a document step or configure an existing one, and Fai walks you through uploading the template and mapping your data into it. - **Set up an e-signature step** — on a plan that includes e-signature, ask Fai to add a signing step, because the builder does not offer one and shows a sign step read-only. - **Translate a workflow into another language** — ask Fai to add a translation, edit a translated string, or remove a language. - **Publish or unpublish a workflow** — ask Fai to take a workflow live, or to take it offline again. - **Connect a service account** — ask Fai to connect a service, including the ones the Connections page does not open yet, such as Microsoft (Excel, OneDrive) and Dynamics 365. - **Find or create something in a connected service** — for example, ask Fai to find an existing spreadsheet or folder, or to create a new one for your workflow to write to. Fai can also take care of work around the workflow, not just inside it. You can ask Fai to: - **Change a workflow's custom URL or its internal name** — tell Fai the address or name you want, and Fai updates it for you. Both changes take effect immediately, outside the draft, and changing the custom URL breaks the old public link. - **Export your responses** — ask Fai to start a response export for a workflow, and Fai tells you when the export is ready. - **Replay a response onto a corrected workflow** — when a response was affected by a mistake in the workflow, Fai can re-run it against the corrected version once you confirm, and can send the respondent's resume link to a corrected email address. - **Create, edit, copy, and activate themes** — a theme Fai creates is saved as a draft and opens in the theme editor so you can review and publish it. Give Fai a brand color as a hex code and the new theme uses it for buttons, links, focus outlines, and progress, the same way the theme editor's brand color does. - **Create a prefilled link to a workflow** — describe the values you want filled in, and Fai builds the link. - **Contact FormAssembly for you** — ask Fai to file a support request or send product feedback on your behalf. Fai works alongside you. You can talk to Fai for big structural changes and still make quick edits directly on the canvas when that's faster (see [Combining Fai with Direct Editing](#combining-fai-with-direct-editing) below). Asking Fai to add or remove a step works from either builder view — you do not need to switch views first. Only the builder's own structural buttons, such as **Add step**, are limited to Focus view. ## The Chat Panel The chat panel is where you communicate with Fai. It sits alongside the workflow canvas in the builder. ### Sending a Message 1. Click the **Chat input** area on the left side of the builder. 2. Type your request in plain language — for example, *"Create a contact form that asks for name, email, and message, then sends me a notification."* 3. Click **Send** (or press Enter). Fai processes your request and updates the workflow canvas in real time. You'll see steps appear, form fields get created, and connections form between steps as Fai works. While Fai is working, the **Send** button becomes **Stop**; click **Stop** to cancel the reply in progress. You can also click **Suggestions** next to the chat input to see contextual prompt ideas you can send with one click. ### Reviewing the Conversation The conversation history shows the full back-and-forth between you and Fai. Scroll up to review earlier messages, see what changes were made, and understand the context of your current workflow. Each reply from Fai carries **Thumbs up** and **Thumbs down** buttons. Click one to rate the reply. To start fresh, click **Clear conversation history** at the top of the chat panel. This removes all messages but does not undo any changes Fai has already made to your workflow. ### Attaching Files If you have a document that describes what you need — such as a PDF of an existing paper form or a list of requirements — you can share it with Fai: 1. Click **Attach File** below the chat input. 2. Select the file from your device. 3. Add any additional instructions in the chat input if needed. 4. Click **Send**. Fai reads the file and uses it as context when building or updating your workflow. **Attach File** accepts PDF, plain text, CSV, HTML, JSON, and image files (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP). Word documents are not accepted as attachments — save one as a PDF first. **Attach File** is for files you want Fai to read. A Word or PowerPoint template for a document generation step is uploaded a different way: Fai shows an upload box in the chat and you pick the template there (see [Setting Up a Document Generation Step with Fai](#setting-up-a-document-generation-step-with-fai)). ### Resizing the Chat Panel You can adjust the width of the chat panel to give yourself more room for the conversation or more room for the workflow canvas. Drag the edge of the chat panel to resize it. ### Managing the Chat Panel The chat panel includes controls at the top for managing your workspace: - **Minimize Fai panel** — collapses the chat panel to give you full canvas space. Click the same button to restore the panel. - **Change panel position** — moves the chat panel to the other side of the builder. ## Building a Workflow with Fai ### Starting from Scratch When you open the builder without an existing workflow, you start with a blank canvas. Simply describe what you want in the chat panel: > *"I need an event registration form that collects attendee name, email, and dietary preferences, then sends a confirmation email to the attendee and notifies our events team."* Fai creates the full workflow — including the form, email steps, and a final completion step — and displays it on the canvas. ### Modifying an Existing Workflow Open any workflow in the builder and use the chat panel to request changes: - *"Add a phone number field to the form."* - *"Change the notification email to go to hr@example.com instead."* - *"Add a redirect to our thank-you page at the end."* - *"Remove the email notification step."* Fai updates the workflow and you'll see the changes reflected on the canvas. ### Setting Up a Document Generation Step with Fai Document generation is available on every FormAssembly plan, and Fai is how you configure it — the builder has no settings panel for a document generation step. A document generation step merges the data your form collects into a template you supply and produces a PDF. 1. Add the **Document generation** step from the **Add step** menu in Focus view, or simply ask Fai to add one. 2. Ask Fai to set the step up. Fai shows an upload box in the chat asking for a Word (.docx) or PowerPoint (.pptx) template. 3. Pick your template in that upload box and send it. Fai reads the template's merge fields and maps your form data to them, including repeating sections. 4. Review the mapping Fai proposes and ask for corrections in plain language — for example, *"Put the email address in the contact block instead."* A document generation step with no template blocks publishing. If **Publish** reports that a document step has no template, ask Fai to attach one. ### Setting Up an E-Signature Step with Fai E-signature is available on the plans that include it, and Fai is how you set it up. On a plan that includes e-signature, the **Add step** menu does not list a signing step — ask Fai in the chat panel, for example *"Add a signing step so the manager signs the offer letter."* A sign step on the canvas is read-only: its settings are shown, and no builder control changes them, so every change goes through Fai as well. A few things to know about how Fai builds signing: - Fai builds signing from a document generation template tagged for each signer, so set up the document generation step first. - Fai can set up one signer or several. Several signers are several assignments, which Fai arranges one after another or in parallel, depending on what you ask for. - A sign step ends **Signed** or **Declined**, and you can ask Fai what should happen in each case. - Signing works only on FormAssembly's hosted page. An embedded form shows the step and lets a signer decline, but the signer cannot sign in an embed. On a plan that does not include e-signature, the **Add step** menu shows **E-Signature** locked, and choosing it opens the upgrade prompt. ### Translating a Workflow with Fai A FormAssembly workflow has one default language and can carry translations in other languages. Each response runs in a single language, chosen from the respondent's browser when the response starts, and the respondent can switch language on the form. Ask Fai in plain language: - *"Translate this workflow into Spanish"* adds a Spanish translation and leaves your original content unchanged. Respondents can then choose Spanish. - *"Change this workflow's language to Spanish"* rewrites the original content in Spanish instead. - When a request could mean either, Fai asks you which one you mean before making the change. A few things to know about how Fai handles translations: - Asking Fai to translate into a language you have already translated replaces that language's translation. - When you change text in the default language through Fai, Fai updates that text's translations in the same edit. - Fai flags translated rich text and HTML blocks so you can review them. - You can also ask Fai to edit a single translated string, or to remove a language entirely. ### Reviewing Changes Fai Makes When Fai updates your workflow, step cards on the canvas indicate what changed. Modified steps show a **Modified — view changes** indicator, and newly added steps show an **Added — view changes** indicator. Click either indicator to see exactly what Fai updated. ## The Workflow Canvas The canvas shows your workflow as a series of connected steps, flowing from top to bottom. Each step is a card displaying its name and key details — for example, a form step shows the form name, and an email step shows the recipient. In Focus view, click on any step to expand it and see its contents. For example: - Click a form step (like **Collect**) to see and edit the form fields. - Click an email step to see and edit the notification settings. - Click the final step (like **Done**) to see and edit the confirmation message. In Focus view, each step card includes controls for common actions: - **Ask Fai about this step** — sends a message to Fai with context about that specific step, so you can request targeted changes without describing which step you mean. - **Step settings** — opens that step's own configuration, including **Step Name**, **Step Description**, and step-specific settings such as **Submit button label** or **Show form title**. - **Step actions** — shows available actions for the step, such as duplicating or deleting it. - **Collapse step** — toggles the step's expanded view. In Focus view you can also click **Add step** between any two steps to manually insert a new step, or click **Add field** within a form step to add a new field directly. Adding, duplicating, moving, and deleting steps are all Focus-view actions. ### Builder Views and Properties The builder includes two canvas views, accessible via the buttons above the canvas: - **Overview** — a read-only map of the whole workflow. Overview draws every step and the connections between them, hovering a step highlights its path, and clicking a step card switches to Focus view. Nothing on the Overview canvas adds, edits, moves, or removes a step. - **Focus** — zooms in on the currently selected step for detailed editing, and is where all structural controls live, including **Add step**. Click **Properties** in the builder header to open **Workflow Properties**, a menu of settings that apply to the whole workflow: **Themes**, **Agent**, **Access**, **Languages**, **Availability**, **Data & Privacy**, **Notifications**, and **Collaboration**. A single step's name, description, and settings are not in Workflow Properties — open them from the **Step settings** button on that step's card. ### Configuring the Fai Intake Agent The Fai intake agent is the conversational assistant that respondents see when they open your published workflow, and it can guide them through completing the form. To configure the intake agent in FormAssembly, click **Properties** in the builder header and open the **Agent** section, titled **Workflow Agent**. You can control the following: - **Whether the agent is enabled** — turn the agent on to show it to respondents, or off to hide it. When the agent is turned off, respondents see no agent on the published page. - **Agent name** — the agent's full name, such as "Aria". - **Nickname** — the short name respondents see in the conversation. - **Persona instructions** — free-text guidance that shapes the agent's tone and behaviour with respondents, for example *"Be warm and reassuring. Use plain language."* - **The welcome message** — the opening message respondents see when the agent conversation starts. - **AI model** — the model the agent runs on: Claude Sonnet 5.5 (the default), Claude Sonnet 5, or Claude Haiku 4.5. - **The interaction mode** — choose **Guided**, **Conversation**, or **Both (respondent chooses)** to change how the agent interacts with respondents alongside the form. - **Whether voice is enabled** — turn on voice to give respondents speech input and spoken replies. When voice is turned off, the agent stays text-only. - **The voice** — the voice used for text-to-speech, where voice mode is available. - **The voice speed** — the playback speed of the agent's voice, from 0.5 to 2.0, where 1.0 is normal speed. - **Speech context** — optional domain vocabulary, one phrase per line, up to 100,000 characters. Speech context is saved with the agent, but it does not currently change speech recognition. Changes to the intake agent settings are applied immediately as you edit them; there is no separate save step in the panel. Note that the intake agent is configured for the workflow as a whole. You cannot write per-step instructions or scripts for the intake agent — the persona instructions, welcome message, and mode apply across the entire workflow. ## Combining Fai with Direct Editing Fai and manual editing work together seamlessly. You can: 1. **Ask Fai** to create a form with several fields. 2. **Click into the form** in Focus view and directly edit field labels, hints, or placeholder text. 3. **Go back to Fai** and ask for further changes — Fai sees your manual edits and builds on them rather than overwriting them. This two-way sync means you never have to choose between AI assistance and hands-on control. Use whichever approach is faster for the task at hand. ## Prompt Suggestions In certain situations, FormAssembly shows pre-written prompt suggestions labeled **Ask Fai**. These are shortcuts that send a specific request to Fai on your behalf — no typing required. You'll encounter prompt suggestions when: - **Publishing is blocked** — If your workflow contains a step your plan does not include, a dialog appears with a prompt suggestion to ask Fai to restructure the workflow without that step so you can publish. You can also upgrade to a plan that includes the step instead. - **A publish attempt fails** — If publishing is rejected for any reason, a banner appears with an **Ask Fai for help** button. Clicking the button opens the Fai panel if it is minimized and sends the specific error details to Fai so Fai can help you resolve the issue. - **An accessibility finding appears in the theme editor** — Each finding that traces back to a theme setting carries a **Fix with Fai** button, which sends the details of the finding to Fai so Fai can adjust the theme for you. To use a prompt suggestion, simply click the button. The prompt is sent to Fai immediately, and any open dialog closes automatically. Prompt suggestions are starting points — Fai may ask follow-up questions or propose alternatives based on your specific workflow. ## Testing and Publishing Once Fai has built your workflow, you can test and publish it directly from the builder: - Click **Test** to preview how your workflow behaves for respondents. - Click **Publish** to make your workflow live. After publishing, you'll see the live URL and an embed snippet you can copy. - After your workflow is published, use the **Share workflow** button to access the live URL and embed snippet at any time. If your workflow has unpublished changes, you'll see **Update pending** in the builder header, reminding you to publish the latest version. Your work is saved automatically as you go — whether changes come from Fai or from your own direct edits. ## Tips & Troubleshooting - **Be specific in your requests.** Instead of *"Make a form,"* try *"Create a job application form with fields for full name, email, resume upload, and a text area for cover letter."* The more detail you provide, the closer Fai gets on the first try. - **Make changes incrementally.** If you need a complex workflow, start with the basics and layer on changes one request at a time. This makes it easier to review what Fai builds at each step. - **You can always undo Fai's changes by asking.** If Fai makes a change you don't like, tell it — for example, *"Undo that last change"* or *"Remove the field you just added."* - **Can't find Add step? Switch to Focus view.** The **Add step** button, along with duplicating, moving, and deleting steps, is only available in Focus view. Overview is a read-only map of the workflow. Alternatively, ask Fai to add the step — requests to Fai work from either view. - **Looking for a step's name or settings? Use Step settings, not Properties.** **Properties** opens **Workflow Properties**, which covers the whole workflow; a single step's name, description, and settings open from the **Step settings** button on that step's card. - **Fai stays in sync with your edits.** If you edit a form field label directly in Focus view and then ask Fai to make additional changes, Fai sees your edit and won't overwrite it. - **Ask Fai for signing steps.** E-signature is available on the plans that include it, and a signing step is added and changed only through Fai. On a plan without e-signature, the **Add step** menu shows **E-Signature** locked and choosing it opens the upgrade prompt. Conditional logic, approval steps, assignment steps, and document generation steps do not block publishing. - **A document generation step needs a template before you can publish.** If **Publish** reports that a document step is incomplete, ask Fai to set the step up and upload a Word (.docx) or PowerPoint (.pptx) template through the upload box Fai shows in the chat. - **Say whether you want a translation or a language change.** *"Translate this workflow into Spanish"* adds Spanish alongside your original content; *"Change this workflow's language to Spanish"* rewrites the original. If Fai can't tell which you mean, it will ask. - **Attach files for complex requirements.** If you have a multi-page paper form or a detailed specification document, attach it to your message rather than trying to describe every field. Fai can interpret the document and build the form for you. If your source file is a Word document, save it as a PDF first — **Attach File** does not accept Word files. - **Respondents don't see an agent if it isn't enabled.** If you expect the Fai intake agent to appear on your published workflow and it doesn't, open **Properties** → **Agent** and confirm the agent is enabled and has a name. - **Use the persona instructions to set tone, not per-step behaviour.** If the intake agent sounds too formal or too casual, adjust the persona instructions and welcome message in **Properties** → **Agent**. These settings apply to the whole workflow, so write them to suit every step. - **A theme Fai creates starts as a draft.** After asking Fai to create or edit a theme, review the draft in the theme editor and publish it when you're happy with it. - **Changing the custom URL breaks the old link.** A rename or custom URL change you ask Fai for takes effect immediately, outside the draft, so anyone using the previous address will need the new one. - **Changes save automatically.** The builder autosaves your work shortly after each change. You don't need to manually save, but you do need to click **Publish** to make changes live.