Prerequisites
Deployment
Forward AI is available on Forward Enterprise SaaS only. It is not available in self-hosted deployments.
Roles and permissions
Forward AI is available to every standard role. All agent tools are read-only, so no role can use Forward AI to modify network state.
| Role | Forward AI tab | NQE tool |
|---|---|---|
| Org Admin | Yes | Yes |
| Network Admin | Yes | Yes |
| Network Operator | Yes | Yes |
| Read-Only | Yes | Yes |
| Limited Read-Only | Yes | No |
Limited Read-Only does not hold the USE_NQE permission, so the NQE tool is hidden from the agent for those users. A
prompt that would have required NQE is returned as out-of-scope.
Conversations are private to the user who created them. No role — including Org Admin — can view another user's chats through the UI.
Network and snapshot
When you start a conversation, Forward AI pins it to the network you have selected and to that network's latest snapshot. Both stay fixed for the life of the conversation.
- Select a network in the network picker before opening Forward AI. The conversation is scoped to that network.
- The selected snapshot must be processed at least through Stage 1 (the point at which Inventory and NQE become available). Conversations cannot be created against a snapshot that is still earlier in processing.
- A conversation keeps using its original snapshot, even after newer snapshots arrive. To analyze a newer snapshot, start a new conversation.
Data sent to the LLM
Forward AI is powered by a top-tier large language model selected and managed by Forward. When the agent runs tools, it sends the relevant slice of the digital twin to the model — for example: device names, vendors, OS versions, interface details, NQE query results, path-search output, and CVE metadata. It does not send raw configuration files; tools return structured data.
User prompts, model responses, and tool results are persisted in the Forward Enterprise database for the lifetime of the conversation. Deleting a conversation removes its messages.
Where to go next
- Using Forward AI — start a conversation and walk through the UI.
- Capabilities — what the agent can answer once you have access.