Surfaced by a role-based review; verified against current code.
Problem: On an empty query, MainPage renders only a centered SearchForm with a random-suggestion placeholder. A new self-hoster sees an unlabeled search box — no positioning, no mention that cited AI answers are available (the AI opt-in prompt only appears after the first search). The headline feature is invisible at first impression.
Fix: Add a minimal first-session empty-state (only when the query is empty): one line of positioning ("Private AI search — answers with sources, on your own instance") and the AI-response toggle inline, so users opt in before searching. Keep it to a few lines — no carousel, no modal.
Files: client/components/Pages/Main/MainPage.tsx, client/components/Search/Form/SearchForm.tsx, client/components/AiResponse/EnableAiResponsePrompt.tsx
Surfaced by a role-based review; verified against current code.
Problem: On an empty query,
MainPagerenders only a centeredSearchFormwith a random-suggestion placeholder. A new self-hoster sees an unlabeled search box — no positioning, no mention that cited AI answers are available (the AI opt-in prompt only appears after the first search). The headline feature is invisible at first impression.Fix: Add a minimal first-session empty-state (only when the query is empty): one line of positioning ("Private AI search — answers with sources, on your own instance") and the AI-response toggle inline, so users opt in before searching. Keep it to a few lines — no carousel, no modal.
Files:
client/components/Pages/Main/MainPage.tsx,client/components/Search/Form/SearchForm.tsx,client/components/AiResponse/EnableAiResponsePrompt.tsx