Fallback & Offline Behavior
This plugin does not claim full offline operation. The storefront still needs WordPress, WooCommerce, and (for chat) the REST API. “Without AI” means without a working LLM provider, not without the internet.
When AI API is connected
- Conversational turns, AI intent, AI recommendation queries, AI recovery copy (if enabled).
- Tools still read WooCommerce for facts.
- Fallback provider used only for transport failures (timeout, 5xx).
When AI API is not connected
Still available:
- Native catalog search and product cards
- Mini-cart, confirm add, checkout URL
- Recommendations from WooCommerce relationships/search
- Stock notify-me
- Order lookup (ownership rules unchanged)
- Merchant fallback messages
- Cart recovery templates (not AI copy)
Requires AI:
- Natural-language Q&A wrapping
- Persona/tone
- AI query understanding
- AI-generated recovery emails
- Sales Agent LLM playbook
Invalid API key / network failure / provider error
Turns degrade to catalog search and/or AI Unavailable / Error Message fallback strings. Search intent failures fall back to WooCommerce search (if that fallback is on).
Daily token budget spent
Assistant degrades to plain WooCommerce search (Usage & Costs).
WooCommerce catalog fallback
Empty exact filters → similar products when Fallback to WooCommerce search is on.
Default / manual content fallback
Four static strings per language (AI Language). Cart recovery uses email templates when AI copy fails.
Caching / nonce
Config endpoint is uncacheable so guests get a fresh nonce. HTML cache of the shop is OK because the shell has no nonce.
What is not supported
- Local-only chatbot with no WordPress
- Semantic search without a developer-provided index
- Storefront SSE streaming in the bundled widget