Using SciStudio in your AI app

Use SciStudio in the built-in browser of an AI app such as ChatGPT or Kimi, and chat with the AI alongside your workspace. The browser must support WebMCP (Claude is not currently supported).

Connect

  1. Install SciStudio on the same computer as your AI app, then launch it and choose External AI.
  2. Wait for Running in the connection window, then click Copy.
  3. Open the copied address in your AI app's built-in browser. Use the full address, including /?ui=ai.
  4. Create or open a project, then ask the AI something like: "Inspect this project and help me build a workflow that loads a CSV file."

Keep the page open and SciStudio running while you work. The sidebar appears on the right, with Preview in a separate card. Chat in your AI app; this layout hides SciStudio's embedded AI Chat tab. Use Learning Center for workflow tutorials.

No agent CLI is needed for this conversation. AI Agent blocks still require a local CLI provider, including when used from an AI app. Claude Code remains supported for those blocks and the embedded chat; see The AI assistant.

Startup and service controls

  • Remember the mode: select Don't ask again at startup. Change it later under File > Startup Mode, the tray's Startup Mode menu, or At launch in the connection window. To restore the question, choose Ask at Every Launch in the menu or Ask every time in the connection window.
  • Reopen the connection window: choose Open Connection Window from the tray, or launch SciStudio again with External AI selected. Closing this window leaves the service running.
  • Open Desktop Window: opens the desktop workspace on the same service.
  • Stop Service / Restart Service: stop the service, then restart it when needed. After restarting, copy the current address and reopen it in your AI app.
  • Stop and Quit: stops the service and exits SciStudio. Finish or cancel your workflow first. Stopping asks for confirmation if a desktop workspace window is attached.

If the service stops or crashes with all SciStudio windows closed, the app exits; launch it again. With a window open, use Restart Service to recover.

On Windows, click the tray icon to reopen the connection window. On macOS, reopening from the Dock or Finder brings forward an existing desktop window, or the connection window with External AI selected. On Linux without tray icons, keep the connection window available or reopen it by launching SciStudio.

Troubleshooting

  • Page will not open: check that SciStudio is Running on the same computer, then copy its current address again.
  • AI cannot find the tools: use the AI app's own WebMCP-capable browser and reload the page. A page opened in a separate browser is not connected to that AI conversation.
  • Service fails or becomes unresponsive: use Show Logs in the connection window. Use Restart Service after a failure or stop.

Explore with MiniApps

See MiniApps to create an interactive result explorer, reuse it on other data, manage its session, or convert it into a workflow block. The guide also explains when an AI can inspect the rendered interface with a screenshot.