AI Chat — Search Help Docs
AI automatically searches BlueClerk help articles to answer 'how do I...' questions without using LLM tokens
Overview
When you ask the AI chat assistant "how do I..." questions about BlueClerk features, it automatically searches a built-in index of 184 help articles instead of generating answers from scratch. This gives you accurate, up-to-date answers faster and uses fewer AI credits. The search runs locally without network calls, so responses are instant.
How It Works
Automatic Help Search
When you ask product or how-to questions:
- AI detects the question type — "how do I add a customer", "what's the punch list feature", etc.
- Searches help docs index using keyword matching on titles, categories, and descriptions
- Returns top 8 matching articles with links to full documentation
- No LLM tokens used for the search itself — just a cheap JSON lookup
What Gets Searched
The help docs index includes:
- 184 help articles covering all BlueClerk features
- Title, category, and description for each article
- Direct links to full articles at blueclerk.com/help/[slug]
When AI Uses Help Search
The AI automatically searches help docs when you ask:
- "How do I..." questions — "how do I add the website widget", "how do i create an invoice"
- Feature questions — "what is the punch list", "tell me about venmo payments"
- Product questions — "how does QuickBooks sync work", "what's preventive maintenance"
If no matching articles are found, the AI suggests visiting blueclerk.com/help or asking more specific questions.
Why This Matters
Faster Answers
Help doc search returns results instantly without waiting for LLM generation — you get answers in milliseconds, not seconds.
More Accurate
Answers come directly from official documentation, so you get current, correct information every time.
Lower Cost
Keyword search uses zero AI credits — only the AI's response to summarize or explain the articles uses credits.
Questions
Q: Can I still ask the AI to explain features in my own words?
A: Yes — the AI combines help doc links with natural language explanations tailored to your question.
Q: What if the help docs don't cover my question?
A: The AI will tell you no articles matched and suggest alternative ways to get help (in-app support chat, trying a more specific question).
Q: Does this work offline?
A: The help docs index is bundled into the app, so search works even without a network connection to external services.