AI assists: the optional AI layer, and how to turn it off

Overview#

TradesWork works the way ServiceTitan does. AI is an extra layer on top: a chip, a drawer or a suggestion you can use or ignore. It is never a required step. Everything AI produces carries the AI mark (a sparkle and the word "AI"), shows Why? when there's a reason to explain, and lands as a draft you edit before anything is saved or sent. You can hide every assist for yourself, and an owner can switch each one off for the whole company.

Before you start#

• Assists appear for roles that include AI tools: Owner, Admin, Dispatcher, CSR and Accounting. Viewers (analysts) never see assist buttons.

• Company settings are in Settings › AI and need an Owner or Admin.

• Some assists need AI to be connected (an Anthropic API key on the server). Others are rule-based and work without it. Settings › AI shows a Works without AI tag on those.

Steps#

Hide every AI assist for yourself#

1. Open Look and feel (the palette icon in the top bar, or Settings › Look and feel).

2. In the AI assists card, clear Show AI assists.

3. Click Save.

You can also flip Show AI assists at the bottom of the ⌘K drawer. With it off you see the familiar screens only: no AI chips, drawers or suggestions. Nothing else changes, and other people are not affected.

Turn an assist on or off for the whole company#

1. Go to Settings › AI.

2. In the AI assists card, each assist is listed under the module where it appears (Calls, Jobs, Estimates, Dispatch, Accounting, Marketing, Everywhere).

3. Check or clear the box next to the assist.

4. Click Save.

An assist that's off is hidden for everyone. The screen it sat on works exactly the same.

Set a daily AI limit#

1. Go to Settings › AI and find Daily AI limits in the AI assists card.

2. Each row is a feature or an AI Team agent, with what it has cost Today.

3. Type a dollar amount in Limit ($/day). Leave it blank for no limit.

4. Click Save.

When a limit is reached, the assist hides and agents fall back to their rule-based work until tomorrow (your company's local day). The row shows Limit reached.

Settings that change this#

• Settings › AI › Use AI in TradesWork: off hides every AI control for everyone.

• Settings › AI › AI assists: one switch per assist, the outdoor job types for the weather heads-up, and daily limits.

• AI Team (the robot icon): how far each agent may go on its own.

Tips#

• Hover the AI mark, or click Why?, to see why something was suggested and which records it used.

• Pre-filled fields have a Clear AI suggestions link. That's the undo.

• If an assist you expect is missing, an Owner can see the reason in Settings › AI ("Hidden for you right now: …").

Troubleshooting#

• No AI buttons anywhere → Show AI assists is off for you, AI is off for the company, or your role has no AI tools → turn it on in Look and feel, or ask an Owner.

• Some assists show, others don't → the missing ones need AI to be connected, or today's limit was reached → check Settings › AI.

• "Today's AI limit … is used up" → the daily limit for that feature or agent was reached → raise it in Settings › AI, or wait until tomorrow.

FAQ#

Does AI ever send something to a customer on its own? Not from these assists. Drafts go into the normal box and you press the normal button. Agent actions follow the AI Team settings, and anything that reaches a customer waits in Approvals unless an owner says otherwise.

What does the AI see? Only what a task needs. Phone numbers and emails are removed before text reaches the model, and customer messages are treated as information, never as instructions.

Is my data used to train models? No.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

The screens, names and flows are the same as ServiceTitan's. The AI layer adds optional helpers on top. With Show AI assists off, you're looking at the familiar screens only.