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This is a prototype vision of how a future government service could work. It's not a real service yet, but we're exploring what it could look like. Your feedback will help shape the real service.

Step 1: Access the Chatbot - Council Chatbot Walkthrough

Find and open your deployed chatbot interface

Walkthrough progress

Step 1 of 4 • 2 minutes

Step 1 2 minutes

Access the Chatbot

Find your chatbot's web interface URL from the CloudFormation stack outputs.

Find your chatbot URL in the CloudFormation Outputs tab
The chatbot interface ready to receive questions

Expected outcome

  • CloudFormation stack shows CREATE_COMPLETE status
  • ChatbotURL output is visible in the Outputs tab
  • Chatbot web interface opens in a new browser tab

How to find your chatbot URL

  1. Open the CloudFormation console

    Go to CloudFormation console in us-east-1 (N. Virginia) (opens in new tab)

  2. Find your stack

    Look for a stack named ndx-try-council-chatbot-[timestamp]

    The status should be CREATE_COMPLETE

  3. Click on the stack name

    This opens the stack details page

  4. Go to the "Outputs" tab

    You'll see a list of outputs from the deployment

  5. Find the ChatbotURL output

    Look for the row with Key: ChatbotURL

    The Value will be a URL like: https://[random-id].execute-api.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/prod/chat

  6. Click the ChatbotURL value

    This opens the chatbot web interface in a new tab

Tip: Bookmark this URL or keep the tab open - you'll need it for the rest of the walkthrough.

What you should see

When you open the chatbot URL, you should see:

  • A clean web interface with "Council Chatbot" heading
  • A text input box with placeholder text: "Ask me about council services..."
  • A "Send" button next to the input box
  • Welcome message: "Hello! I can help with questions about council services. Try asking about bin collections, council tax, planning, or general services."
Troubleshooting: Stack not showing CREATE_COMPLETE

If your stack shows CREATE_IN_PROGRESS:

  • Wait 3-5 minutes for deployment to complete
  • Refresh the CloudFormation console page
  • Check the "Events" tab to see deployment progress

If your stack shows CREATE_FAILED or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE:

  • Check the "Events" tab to see which resource failed
  • Common issues: IAM permissions, service quotas, or region availability
  • Try deleting the stack and redeploying
  • Contact support if the issue persists
Troubleshooting: ChatbotURL not in Outputs

If you don't see ChatbotURL in the Outputs tab:

  • Check the stack is fully deployed (CREATE_COMPLETE status)
  • Refresh the page - outputs may take a moment to appear
  • Check you're looking at the correct stack (ndx-try-council-chatbot-...)
  • Try the "Resources" tab and find the API Gateway - the invoke URL is your chatbot URL
Troubleshooting: Chatbot page shows error

If the chatbot page shows an error or won't load:

  • Check you're using the correct region (us-east-1)
  • Check your browser isn't blocking the page (HTTPS should work)
  • Try opening in an incognito/private window
  • Check the stack Events tab for any errors during API Gateway setup
  • Wait a few minutes - API Gateway endpoints can take 1-2 minutes to activate after deployment
Note Screenshot placeholder: In production, this page would include annotated screenshots showing the CloudFormation Outputs tab and the chatbot web interface.

Need help?

If you're stuck, check the troubleshooting section or contact us.