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Version: v1.7.x

AI Agent Chat User Guide

HertzBeat AI Agent Chat is an intelligent monitoring assistant that helps you manage monitors, configure alerts, and optimize your infrastructure monitoring through natural language conversation.

Overview

The AI Agent Chat feature provides an interactive chat interface where you can:

  • 🔍 List and manage your existing monitors
  • ➕ Add new monitors for websites, APIs, databases, and services
  • 📊 Get detailed information about available monitor types and their parameters
  • ⚡ Check monitor status and troubleshoot monitoring issues

Prerequisites

Before using the AI Agent Chat, ensure:

1 OpenAI Configuration: Valid OpenAI API key must be configured 2 Database Connection: HertzBeat database must be accessible for monitor operations

Configuration

OpenAI API Key Setup

The AI Agent Chat uses OpenAI's GPT models. You need to configure an OpenAI API key in one of two ways:

  1. Navigate to the AI Agent Chat interface
  2. If no API key is configured, you'll see a configuration dialog
  3. Enter your OpenAI API key
  4. Click Save Configuration

Method 2: YAML Configuration

Add to your application.yml:

spring:
ai:
openai:
api-key: sk-your-openai-api-key-here

Configuration Priority

  • Database configuration takes priority over YAML configuration
  • Configuration changes are applied immediately without restart
  • Invalid API keys are automatically validated before saving

Using the AI Agent Chat

Accessing the Chat Interface

  1. Navigate to the AI Agent Chat section in HertzBeat web interface
  2. You'll see the HertzBeat Monitoring Assistant welcome screen
  3. Start typing your questions in the chat input field

Sample Conversations

Adding a New Monitor

You: Add a new HTTP monitor for my website https://example.com
Assistant: I'll help you add an HTTP monitor for https://example.com.
Let me create that monitor with the following configuration:
- Name: example.com Website Monitor
- Type: HTTP
- Host: example.com
- Port: 443 (HTTPS)
- Path: /
- Interval: 60 seconds

Monitor created successfully with ID: 12345

Listing Existing Monitors

You: Show me all my current monitors
Assistant: Here are your current monitors:

1. **Linux Server** (ID: 1001)
- Status: ✅ Online
- Host: 192.168.1.100
- Last Check: 2 minutes ago

2. **MySQL Database** (ID: 1002)
- Status: ⚠️ Warning
- Host: db.example.com
- Last Check: 30 seconds ago

3. **Website Monitor** (ID: 1003)
- Status: ✅ Online
- Host: https://example.com
- Last Check: 1 minute ago

Would you like details on any specific monitor?

Getting Monitor Type Information

You: What parameters do I need to monitor a PostgreSQL database?
Assistant: To monitor a PostgreSQL database, you'll need these parameters:

**Required Parameters:**
- **Host**: Database server IP/hostname
- **Port**: PostgreSQL port (default: 5432)
- **Database**: Database name to connect to
- **Username**: Database username
- **Password**: Database password

**Optional Parameters:**
- **Timeout**: Connection timeout (default: 6000ms)
- **Query Timeout**: SQL query timeout (default: 3000ms)
- **SSL**: Enable SSL connection (default: false)

Would you like me to help you add a PostgreSQL monitor?

Chat Features

Message History

  • All conversations are automatically saved
  • Access previous conversations from the sidebar
  • Search through conversation history
  • Export conversation logs

Real-time Responses

  • Streaming responses for immediate feedback
  • Typing indicators show when the assistant is processing
  • Cancel ongoing requests if needed

Conversation Management

  • Create new conversations for different topics
  • Rename conversations for better organization
  • Delete old conversations to keep things clean Note: Conversations are not saved in the database

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Chat Interface Not Loading

Symptoms: Chat interface shows loading spinner indefinitely Solutions:

  1. Check browser console for JavaScript errors
  2. Ensure network connectivity to HertzBeat server

"Service Unavailable" Message

Symptoms: Chat shows "HertzBeat AI monitoring service unavailable" Solutions: 1.Verify OpenAI API key configuration 2.Check application logs for errors 3.Ensure database connectivity

Invalid API Key Error

Symptoms: Configuration dialog shows "Invalid API key" error Solutions:

  1. Verify your OpenAI API key starts with sk-
  2. Check API key has sufficient credits/quota
  3. Test API key directly with OpenAI API
  4. Ensure no extra spaces in the API key

Monitor Creation Failures

Symptoms: AI suggests monitor configuration but creation fails Solutions:

  1. Verify you have permissions to create monitors
  2. Check if monitor with same name already exists
  3. Ensure target host/service is accessible
  4. Review monitor parameter validation errors

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging by setting log level to DEBUG for:

logging:
level:
org.apache.hertzbeat.ai.agent: DEBUG

Best Practices

Effective Chat Usage

  1. Be Specific: "Add HTTP monitor for api.example.com port 8080" vs "add a monitor"
  2. Provide Context: Mention if you want production vs test monitors
  3. Ask Follow-ups: Request configuration details if needed
  4. Use Natural Language: The AI understands conversational requests

Monitor Management

  1. Naming Convention: Use descriptive monitor names
  2. Documentation: Ask the AI to document complex configurations

Security Considerations

  1. API Key Security: Store OpenAI API keys securely
  2. Access Control: Limit AI chat access to authorized users
  3. Data Privacy: Be mindful of sensitive information in chat logs
  4. Network Security: Ensure secure connections to OpenAI API

Advanced Features

Bulk Operations

You: Add HTTP monitors for all services in my staging environment:
- api-staging.example.com:8080
- web-staging.example.com:80
- admin-staging.example.com:3000

Integration Suggestions

You: What's the best way to monitor a microservices architecture with 20+ services?

Limitations

  • Requires active internet connection for OpenAI API
  • OpenAI API usage incurs costs based on token consumption
  • Complex multi-step operations may require multiple interactions
  • Some advanced configurations may need manual setup
  • Rate limiting may apply based on OpenAI plan

Support

For issues with AI Agent Chat:

  1. Check this documentation first
  2. Review application logs for errors
  3. Test OpenAI API connectivity independently
  4. Contact HertzBeat support with specific error messages