feat: Allow disabling prompt suggestions with an environment variable #5665

Closed
opened 2025-11-11 16:28:03 -06:00 by GiteaMirror · 12 comments
Owner

Originally created by @yannxaver on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025).

Check Existing Issues

  • I have searched the existing issues and discussions.

Problem Description

This is a follow-up to this comment: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/pull/13119#issuecomment-3015113559

It doesn't seem possible to disable prompt suggestions with an environment variable currently. Setting an empty array loads the hard-coded suggestions from the codebase. This is unfortunate because the hard-coded suggestions are in English, while OpenWebUI is available and being used in many different languages.

Desired Solution you'd like

Allow DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS=false or introduce ENABLE_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS variable to turn off the prompt suggestions.

Alternatives Considered

No response

Additional Context

No response

Originally created by @yannxaver on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025). ### Check Existing Issues - [x] I have searched the existing issues and discussions. ### Problem Description This is a follow-up to this comment: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/pull/13119#issuecomment-3015113559 It doesn't seem possible to disable prompt suggestions with an environment variable currently. Setting an empty array loads the hard-coded suggestions from the codebase. This is unfortunate because the hard-coded suggestions are in English, while OpenWebUI is available and being used in many different languages. ### Desired Solution you'd like Allow `DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS=false` or introduce `ENABLE_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS` variable to turn off the prompt suggestions. ### Alternatives Considered _No response_ ### Additional Context _No response_
Author
Owner

@grigio commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025):

+1

@grigio commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025): +1
Author
Owner

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025):

I'm just stopping by to say I've requested for the same thing over on the Open WebUI Discord server. This feature request gets a +1 from me.

"Feature Request: A toggle to enable/disable visibility of Default Prompt Suggestions on a new chat page (Like how Banners are already toggleable). This would allow administrators to completely disable default suggestions with a single action, eliminating the current laborious need to manually delete each suggestion to prevent its display on new chat pages. The toggle should NOT delete/wipe any existing default prompt suggestions, but only toggle their visibility on new chat pages! As mentioned at the bottom of the Interface tab in the Admin Settings page, "Adjusting these settings will apply changes universally to all users."."

Image

Source: https://discord.com/channels/1170866489302188073/1242698289271410708/1380126138873151550

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025): I'm just stopping by to say I've requested for the same thing over on the Open WebUI Discord server. This feature request gets a `+1` from me. > "**Feature Request:** A toggle to enable/disable visibility of **Default Prompt Suggestions** on a new chat page (Like how `Banners` are already toggleable). This would allow administrators to completely disable default suggestions with a single action, eliminating the current laborious need to manually delete each suggestion to prevent its display on new chat pages. The toggle should **NOT** delete/wipe any existing default prompt suggestions, but only toggle their visibility on new chat pages! As mentioned at the bottom of the `Interface` tab in the Admin Settings page, "`Adjusting these settings will apply changes universally to all users.`"." ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7f469d87-c15b-4bf3-88aa-b442ed538296) Source: https://discord.com/channels/1170866489302188073/1242698289271410708/1380126138873151550
Author
Owner

@git2212 commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025):

Why were prompt suggestions added in the first place?.... who's idea was this?... you either know what to ask an AI or probably prompt suggestions won't help...
OpenWebUI is trying to become everything to everybody and is accumulating pre-school teacher like qualities ... not a good aim, and features that add nothing but code bloat are being added in without proper consideration.
Bottom line, you can't compensate for people who are too lazy to learn the basics of prompt engineering iot speak to the AI properly. Like any other skills, you have to invest time and effort...
Take this feature out completely! No serious user of AI needs this!

@git2212 commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025): Why were prompt suggestions added in the first place?.... who's idea was this?... you either know what to ask an AI or probably prompt suggestions won't help... OpenWebUI is trying to become everything to everybody and is accumulating pre-school teacher like qualities ... not a good aim, and features that add nothing but code bloat are being added in without proper consideration. Bottom line, you can't compensate for people who are too lazy to learn the basics of prompt engineering iot speak to the AI properly. Like any other skills, you have to invest time and effort... Take this feature out completely! No serious user of AI needs this!
Author
Owner

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025):

Why were prompt suggestions added in the first place?.... who's idea was this?... you either know what to ask an AI or probably prompt suggestions won't help... OpenWebUI is trying to become everything to everybody and is accumulating pre-school teacher like qualities ... not a good aim, and features that add nothing but code bloat are being added in without proper consideration. Bottom line, you can't compensate for people who are too lazy to learn the basics of prompt engineering iot speak to the AI properly. Like any other skills, you have to invest time and effort... Take this feature out completely! No serious user of AI needs this!

The prompt suggestions are a helpful feature designed to assist users, especially those who are new to interacting with large language models. They provide a starting point for generating meaningful and effective prompts, which can save time and enhance the quality of interactions. While it's true that prompt engineering is a valuable skill, the suggestions serve as a guide to help users get started and gradually build their proficiency. The goal is to make the experience more accessible and inclusive for a wider range of users, not to replace the need for learning. If you find the suggestions unnecessary, you can always choose to ignore them or customize your experience to suit your preferences.

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jun 29, 2025): > Why were prompt suggestions added in the first place?.... who's idea was this?... you either know what to ask an AI or probably prompt suggestions won't help... OpenWebUI is trying to become everything to everybody and is accumulating pre-school teacher like qualities ... not a good aim, and features that add nothing but code bloat are being added in without proper consideration. Bottom line, you can't compensate for people who are too lazy to learn the basics of prompt engineering iot speak to the AI properly. Like any other skills, you have to invest time and effort... Take this feature out completely! No serious user of AI needs this! The prompt suggestions are a helpful feature designed to assist users, especially those who are new to interacting with large language models. They provide a starting point for generating meaningful and effective prompts, which can save time and enhance the quality of interactions. While it's true that prompt engineering is a valuable skill, the suggestions serve as a guide to help users get started and gradually build their proficiency. The goal is to make the experience more accessible and inclusive for a wider range of users, not to replace the need for learning. If you find the suggestions unnecessary, you can always choose to ignore them or customize your experience to suit your preferences.
Author
Owner

@git2212 commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025):

Well, as you can tell from the original poster the feature (specifically the disable part) is not working as expected... I can personally confirm spending almost an hour turning off the various features that just keep turning themselves back on (still working on figuring that one out) and also
a) are introduced without adequate mention in the changelog (yes I do read them),
b) not well documented (don't get me started on that lol)
c) not tested properly.

... but let's not loose sight of the fact that OpenWebUI has many great features... but it is also becoming bloated with more and more features that have nothing to do with being an AI tool (for anyone)... You can't compensate for people's lack of skills or unwillingness to put in the sweat equity with more and more features... I understand from your reply that that argument is not something you are going to accept, so let's just agree that we disagree.

While a lot of time is spent on "sexy" features the core issues (of which are many) are not addressed... the project lacks focus, period... decide what you want to be... who am I to complain right? ... you have it all figured out ;)

@git2212 commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025): Well, as you can tell from the original poster the feature (specifically the disable part) is not working as expected... I can personally confirm spending almost an hour turning off the various features that just keep turning themselves back on (still working on figuring that one out) and also a) are introduced without adequate mention in the changelog (yes I do read them), b) not well documented (don't get me started on that lol) c) not tested properly. ... but let's not loose sight of the fact that OpenWebUI has many great features... but it is also becoming bloated with more and more features that have nothing to do with being an AI tool (for anyone)... You can't compensate for people's lack of skills or unwillingness to put in the sweat equity with more and more features... I understand from your reply that that argument is not something you are going to accept, so let's just agree that we disagree. While a lot of time is spent on "sexy" features the core issues (of which are many) are not addressed... the project lacks focus, period... decide what you want to be... who am I to complain right? ... you have it all figured out ;)
Author
Owner

@i-iooi-i commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025):

Image

This feature is great and it has helped me!
However, it may not be suitable for all model dialogs, and would prefer it to appear in the model's customization options.

@i-iooi-i commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025): ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fffb93a3-16e7-45a5-89de-50ed39d400a2) This feature is great and it has helped me! However, it may not be suitable for all model dialogs, and would prefer it to appear in the model's customization options.
Author
Owner

@tjbck commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025):

Image

Image

You can disable already either from user settings or admin settings already.

@tjbck commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025): ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fe8bdfe9-1685-4fda-8fcd-06b61b2e2d13) ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1735bea4-d435-4f33-bebe-df2cae54f856) You can disable already either from user settings or admin settings already.
Author
Owner

@yannxaver commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025):

@tjbck How to do it using an environment variable? We want to initiate Open Web UI instances that are already preconfigured correctly.

@yannxaver commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025): @tjbck How to do it using an environment variable? We want to initiate Open Web UI instances that are already preconfigured correctly.
Author
Owner

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jul 1, 2025):

Image

Image

You can disable already either from user settings or admin settings already.

This can be done for follow-up query generation, yes. But it seems like there's been a misunderstanding regarding the issue at hand. The original request of OP's issue post was to request for a direct way to disable Default Prompt Suggestions, which are the suggested conversation starter prompts one would see displayed on a New Chat page if the user has default prompt suggestions added in their interface settings. Therefore, I believe this issue may have been prematurely closed.

Image

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jul 1, 2025): > ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fe8bdfe9-1685-4fda-8fcd-06b61b2e2d13) > > ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1735bea4-d435-4f33-bebe-df2cae54f856) > > You can disable already either from user settings or admin settings already. This can be done for follow-up query generation, yes. But it seems like there's been a misunderstanding regarding the issue at hand. The original request of OP's issue post was to request for a direct way to disable `Default Prompt Suggestions`, which are the suggested conversation starter prompts one would see displayed on a `New Chat` page if the user has default prompt suggestions added in their interface settings. Therefore, I believe this issue may have been prematurely closed. ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fa8ad7c5-b85b-4fa1-b001-b323f98ba69c)
Author
Owner

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jul 1, 2025):

Image

This feature is great and it has helped me! However, it may not be suitable for all model dialogs, and would prefer it to appear in the model's customization options.

Perhaps there could be a toggle to enable/disable Default Prompt Suggestions on a model level, but I believe it would best fit right where the Prompt Suggestions area lies on a model's edit page. Currently, one could only override the Default Prompt Suggestions found in the Interface settings by setting prompt suggestions on a model level, but we can't disable those default prompt suggestions created in the Interface settings on a model-level currently, if desired.
Image

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jul 1, 2025): > ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fffb93a3-16e7-45a5-89de-50ed39d400a2) > > This feature is great and it has helped me! However, it may not be suitable for all model dialogs, and would prefer it to appear in the model's customization options. Perhaps there could be a toggle to enable/disable `Default Prompt Suggestions` on a model level, but I believe it would best fit right where the `Prompt Suggestions` area lies on a model's edit page. Currently, one could only override the `Default Prompt Suggestions` found in the `Interface` settings by setting prompt suggestions on a model level, but we can't disable those default prompt suggestions created in the `Interface` settings on a model-level currently, if desired. ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3f4b3774-ddc9-43a0-8b7d-080f86aaa47b)
Author
Owner

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jul 1, 2025):

@tjbck How to do it using an environment variable? We want to initiate Open Web UI instances that are already preconfigured correctly.

Default Prompt Suggestions can be configured via the DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS environment variable.

@silentoplayz commented on GitHub (Jul 1, 2025): > [@tjbck](https://github.com/tjbck) How to do it using an environment variable? We want to initiate Open Web UI instances that are already preconfigured correctly. `Default Prompt Suggestions` can be configured via the **[DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS](https://docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/env-configuration#default_prompt_suggestions)** environment variable.
Author
Owner

@adamchurchwell commented on GitHub (Jul 14, 2025):

@tjbck How to do it using an environment variable? We want to initiate Open Web UI instances that are already preconfigured correctly.

Default Prompt Suggestions can be configured via the DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS environment variable.

Customizing the default prompt suggestions using DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS does not seem to work. They are a persistent config, set in config.json and written to the initial webui.db on start up. If anyone is able to figure this out, please let us know. I'm trying to avoid altering the base image to get this working.

@adamchurchwell commented on GitHub (Jul 14, 2025): > > [@tjbck](https://github.com/tjbck) How to do it using an environment variable? We want to initiate Open Web UI instances that are already preconfigured correctly. > > `Default Prompt Suggestions` can be configured via the **[DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS](https://docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/env-configuration#default_prompt_suggestions)** environment variable. Customizing the default prompt suggestions using DEFAULT_PROMPT_SUGGESTIONS does not seem to work. They are a persistent config, set in config.json and written to the initial webui.db on start up. If anyone is able to figure this out, please let us know. I'm trying to avoid altering the base image to get this working.
Sign in to join this conversation.
1 Participants
Notifications
Due Date
No due date set.
Dependencies

No dependencies set.

Reference: github-starred/open-webui#5665