Gracefully handle missing AI provider configuration

[Takshil-Kunadia]

What?

Closes #182

Adds graceful degradation across all AI experiments and features when no AI provider/connector is configured. Users now receive clear, actionable guidance instead of failed API calls or silent failures.

Why?

When no AI provider is configured, clicking any AI action button (Generate Title, Generate Alt Text, etc.) triggers a request which generated a Error Notice. Comment Moderation also silently fails on new comment. There is no guidance pointing users toward configuring a provider. This PR ensures users understand why an action is unavailable and know exactly where to go to fix it.

How?

Implemented a centralized provider availability architecture shared across all AI experiments.

• Added helper fns which expose provider state globally by injecting provider availability in window object, avoiding per-experiment duplication.
• Added shared frontend guards that prevents requests when no provider is configured and surfaces a consistent notice with a “Manage Connectors” action.
• Added equivalent PHP-side guards for Comment Moderation flows, including early returns, redirect-based notices, and prevention of queued processing without credentials.

Use of AI Tools

AI assistance: Yes
Tool(s): Claude Code
Model(s): Opus 4.6
Used for: Implementation across multiple files following architectural decisions made collaboratively. All code was reviewed, iterated on, and validated by me.

Testing Instructions

Prerequisites

Ensure no AI connector is configured (remove API keys from Settings > Connectors). Enable all experiments in Settings.

Block Editor (Posts > Add New)

1. Click Generate in the title toolbar > snackbar notice appears with "Manage Connectors" link
2. Open Excerpt panel > click Generate > same notice
3. Click the Summarize button in Post Status > same notice
4. Open Categories panel > click Suggest > same notice
5. Open Meta Description panel > click Generate > same notice
6. Click Generate Review Notes > same notice
7. Click Refine from Notes (requires existing notes) > same notice
8. Add an image block > select it > click Generate Alt Text in inspector > same notice
9. Add an image block > click Generate Image in placeholder > same notice

Media Library

10. Click an image > attachment details > click Generate button > inline red error text
11. Select multiple images > Bulk Actions > Generate Alt Text > Apply > admin notice at top

Comments

12. Select comments > Bulk Actions > Analyze Sentiment and Toxicity > Apply > server-rendered error notice with connectors link
13. Hover a comment > click Analyze Sentiment and Toxicity > same notice

With provider configured

14. Configure any AI connector with a valid API key
15. Repeat steps 1-14 > all features should work normally, no degradation notices

Screenshots or screencast

Experiments:-

Comments Mod:-

Alt text from Media Library

Changelog Entry

Changed - Graceful degradation when no AI provider is configured. All experiments now show actionable guidance directing users to configure an AI Connector, instead of failing silently or showing generic errors.

[github-actions]

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Co-authored-by: Takshil-Kunadia <takshil@git.wordpress.org>
Co-authored-by: dkotter <dkotter@git.wordpress.org>
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[codecov]

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 94.28571% with 2 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.
✅ Project coverage is 71.20%. Comparing base (27ac41f) to head (289b02e).
⚠️ Report is 3 commits behind head on develop.

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
...iments/Alt_Text_Generation/Alt_Text_Generation.php	0.00%	1 Missing ⚠️
...eriments/Comment_Moderation/Comment_Moderation.php	95.00%	1 Missing ⚠️

Additional details and impacted files

@@              Coverage Diff              @@
##             develop     #523      +/-   ##
=============================================
+ Coverage      70.72%   71.20%   +0.47%     
- Complexity      1144     1150       +6     
=============================================
  Files             67       67              
  Lines           5510     5563      +53     
=============================================
+ Hits            3897     3961      +64     
+ Misses          1613     1602      -11     

Flag	Coverage Δ
unit	71.20% <94.28%> (+0.47%)	⬆️

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[Takshil-Kunadia]

Thanks for the review @dkotter 🙇 . Addressed the feedbacks, please have a look whenever you get the chance. I'll add tests as well.

[dkotter]

Tested and looks good to me, thanks for the work here! As mentioned, would be ideal to get E2E tests in place but once that's done this can be merged in

[Takshil-Kunadia]

@dkotter updated the tests and added tests covering the changes.

[dkotter]

Can you explain the need for these endpoints? We already have helper functions that clear or set credentials using the UI so just wondering what benefit these provide over using that existing functionality?

[Takshil-Kunadia]

The REST endpoints exist because Playwright's afterAll and globalSetup hooks only receive requestUtils.

I tried using the existing clearConnectors in afterAll, but Playwright throws:

"context" and "page" fixtures are not supported in "afterAll" since they are created on a per-test basis.

Specifically we need REST for two cases:

1. global-setup.ts - seeds credentials before any browser launches (only requestUtils available, no page)
2. afterAll hooks in settings.spec.js and dashboard.spec.js — these specs clear connectors during their run and need to restore credentials for subsequent specs, but afterAll only receives requestUtils

[Takshil-Kunadia]

Before this PR, tests didn't need credentials since there was no frontend provider check. Now that ensureProvider() blocks AI actions when no provider is configured, every experiment test needs a valid API key. The global-setup seeds it upfront, and specs that clear connectors (settings, dashboard) re-seed in their afterAll via these REST endpoints.