Ask AI chatbot widget for Sphinx
Add a Biel.ai AI chatbot or AI search widget to your Sphinx documentation using the sphinx-biel package. Works with any Sphinx theme, including Read the Docs.
Prerequisites
- A Biel.ai account.
- A project with indexed content.
- A Sphinx project.
Add the chatbot widget
The sphinx-biel extension adds a floating chat button to your site.

-
Install the package:
pip install sphinx-biel -
Add the extension to your
conf.py:extensions = ['sphinx_biel'] -
Configure your project ID in
conf.py:biel_project = '<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>'
biel_header_title = 'Biel.ai chatbot'
biel_version = 'latest'Replace
<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>with your project's ID from the Biel.ai dashboard. -
Build and verify:
make htmlOpen the built documentation in a browser and verify the chatbot appears.
Customization
Pass layout options in conf.py with these naming conventions:
- Prefix each option with
biel_(e.g.,project→biel_project). - Replace hyphens with underscores (e.g.,
button-position→biel_button_position).
biel_button_style = "light"
biel_button_position = "center-right"
Next steps
- Customize the widget's appearance, behavior, and tone.
- Connect integrations like GitHub Actions, MCP, or Zapier.