Using NI Nigel AI in LabVIEW

Learn how to install, access, and configure NI Nigel AI in LabVIEW.

Installing Nigel

Nigel installs by default while installing LabVIEW. If you do not want to install Nigel, you can deselect NI Nigel AI for LabVIEW <Version Year> when setting up your LabVIEW installation.

Accessing Nigel in LabVIEW

LabVIEW integrates Nigel into its IDE, making it easy to open a chat window with Nigel using the following options:
  • Select Tools » Chat with Nigel AI to open a chat with Nigel from the LabVIEW window.
    Note You can use this method to chat with Nigel without opening a VI or project.
  • Click the Nigel nested diamonds icon in your VI toolbar.
  • Select nested diamonds Discuss with Nigel in the Context Help window to get help with a specific function or VI on your block diagram or front panel.
You can also use the Search with Nigel search bar to generate a drop-down list of AI-powered search results.
Figure 2. Nigel Chat Window
Nigel AI chat window interface.
Note You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N to quickly open the Chat with Nigel AI window.

After you open Nigel, you must log in to your ni.com user account and ensure it is associated with an active subscription license, multi-seat license, or Software Service Program for LabVIEW Professional.

Managing Your Nigel Conversations

Nigel stores your conversation history so you can start new chats and return to previous ones at any time. You can access your older Nigel conversations using the Show chat history Three horizontal bars button next to the Create new chat Pencil in rectangle button. You can rename, delete, and pin chats in the chat history to organize your chats and allow easy access to important questions.

Attaching Files to Nigel Conversations

Nigel includes an Add File to Context button which lets you give Nigel additional context to better answer your queries.

Attaching files to your Nigel queries can give Nigel additional information to use for code generation. Attaching files can also provide Nigel additional context for general queries. Consider the following example use cases when developing Nigel queries:
  • Attaching a text file with a detailed description of a VI you want Nigel to generate to a query to improve the generated code.
  • Attaching a VI to a query to provide a reference for layout or functionality for a VI you want Nigel to generate.
  • Attaching a configuration file to a query and asking Nigel to explain the settings in the file.

Rate Limits

Access to Nigel is rate-limited per user. NI measures rates as Requests Per Week (RPW). Chats with Nigel share the same RPW limit between all NI desktop products. More complex quieries can cause you to reach the weekly limit more quickly.

Disabling Nigel

You can disable Nigel features by editing or creating the following registry keys and setting the registry key value (DWORD (32-bit), 0 or 1) to 1.
Table 1. Nigel Registry Keys
Registry Key Purpose
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\Nigel AI Advisor\DisableNigelSharing Disables features that share user data with Nigel, such as Discuss with Nigel.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\Nigel AI Advisor\DisableNigel Disables all Nigel features, including Discuss with Nigel, chat, and search.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\NigelLocalService\DisableAddContext Disables the Add Files to Context functionality and hides the Add Files to Context button.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\NigelLocalService\DisableFeedback Disables providing feedback on Nigel responses, and hides the feedback buttons.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\NigelLocalService\DisableMcp Disables interacting with and adding MCP servers.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\NigelLocalService\DisableStoredOutput Disables storing your conversation history with Nigel related to code generation on the Nigel Cloud Service (NCS).
Note Nigel doesn't store conversation history for conversations that are unrelated to code generation.