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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 Redaction Interface - FOI Redaction Walkthrough

Find and open your deployed AI redaction interface

Walkthrough progress

Step 1 of 5 • 2 minutes

Step 1 2 minutes

Access the Redaction Interface

Find your AI redaction service URL from the CloudFormation stack outputs.

Find your FOI Redaction tool URL in CloudFormation Outputs
The FOI Redaction tool ready to process sensitive documents

Expected outcome

  • CloudFormation stack shows CREATE_COMPLETE status
  • RedactionInterfaceURL output is visible in the Outputs tab
  • FOI redaction interface opens in a new browser tab

How to find your redaction interface 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-foi-redaction-[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 RedactionInterfaceURL output

    Look for the row with Key: RedactionInterfaceURL

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

  6. Click the RedactionInterfaceURL value

    This opens the redaction 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 redaction interface URL, you should see:

  • A clean web interface with "FOI Redaction - AI PII Detection" heading
  • Upload area with drag-and-drop zone or file browser button
  • Supported formats notice: "PDF, DOCX, TXT (max 10MB)"
  • Sample documents section with 3 downloadable FOI responses
  • Empty results area ready to show detected PII
  • Confidence threshold selector (High: 95%+, Medium: 80-94%, Low: <80%)

Troubleshooting

Stack not showing CREATE_COMPLETE

If your stack shows CREATE_IN_PROGRESS:

  • Wait 4-6 minutes for deployment to complete
  • Refresh the CloudFormation console page
  • Check the "Events" tab to see deployment progress
  • Comprehend and S3 setup typically takes 3-4 minutes

If your stack shows CREATE_FAILED or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE:

  • Check the "Events" tab to see which resource failed
  • Common issues: IAM permissions for Comprehend, S3 bucket name conflicts
  • Verify Comprehend is available in us-east-1 region
  • Try deleting the stack and redeploying
  • Contact support if the issue persists
RedactionInterfaceURL not in Outputs

If you don't see RedactionInterfaceURL 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-foi-redaction-...)
  • Try the "Resources" tab and find the API Gateway - the invoke URL is your redaction URL
  • Ensure API Gateway Lambda integration completed successfully
Redaction interface shows error

If the redaction interface 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 or Lambda setup
  • Wait a few minutes - API Gateway endpoints can take 1-2 minutes to activate after deployment
  • Verify Comprehend service is available in us-east-1 region
Sample documents not showing

If the sample documents section is empty:

  • Wait 1-2 minutes - sample documents are uploaded during stack creation
  • Refresh the redaction interface page
  • Check the S3 bucket named ndx-try-foi-redaction-[timestamp]-documents contains files
  • If issues persist, contact support
Note Screenshot placeholder: In production, this page would include annotated screenshots showing the CloudFormation Outputs tab and the FOI redaction interface.

Need help?

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