Overview
Ansa is ideal for internal tools because:
- Self-hosting — Keep all data on your infrastructure
- Local LLMs — Use Ollama for complete privacy
- API integrations — Connect to internal systems
- User identification — Personalize based on employee data
- Access control — Limit access to authorized users
Self-Hosting Setup
For internal deployments, self-host Ansa on your infrastructure:
Docker Deployment
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ansa/ansa.git
cd ansa
# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings
# Start with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d
Environment Variables
Key settings for internal use:
# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...
# Set deployment mode
ANSA_MODE=self-hosted
# Disable external analytics
DISABLE_TELEMETRY=true
# Configure allowed domains
ALLOWED_DOMAINS=internal.yourcompany.com
# Local LLM (Ollama)
OLLAMA_URL=http://localhost:11434
Local LLMs with Ollama
For complete data privacy, use Ollama:
Setup Ollama
# Install Ollama
curl https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh
# Pull a model
ollama pull llama3.2
ollama pull mistral
- Go to Agent Settings → Model
- Select Ollama as provider
- Choose your model (llama3.2, mistral, etc.)
- Set the Ollama URL (default:
http://localhost:11434)
Model Recommendations
| Model | Use Case | Notes |
|---|
| Llama 3.2 8B | General assistant | Good balance |
| Llama 3.2 70B | Complex reasoning | Requires GPU |
| Mistral 7B | Fast responses | Lower resource usage |
| CodeLlama | Code-focused tasks | Best for dev tools |
Ollama models don’t have native tool calling. Ansa uses a text-based JSON parsing fallback, which may be less reliable than Claude/GPT for complex tool use.
Internal API Integrations
Connect to your internal systems with HTTP tools:
HR System Integration
{
"name": "lookup_employee",
"description": "Look up employee information by name or email.",
"inputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": { "type": "string", "description": "Employee name or email" }
},
"required": ["query"]
},
"executionType": "http",
"httpUrl": "https://hr.internal.company.com/api/employees?q=${query}",
"httpMethod": "GET",
"httpHeaders": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${hr_api_key}",
"X-Internal-Token": "${internal_token}"
},
"displayConfig": {
"type": "product_card",
"fieldMappings": {
"title": "$.name",
"subtitle": "$.department",
"image": "$.avatar_url"
}
}
}
IT Ticketing System
{
"name": "create_ticket",
"description": "Create an IT support ticket for the user.",
"executionType": "form",
"formSchema": {
"fields": [
{
"name": "category",
"label": "Category",
"type": "select",
"options": [
{ "label": "Hardware", "value": "hardware" },
{ "label": "Software", "value": "software" },
{ "label": "Access", "value": "access" },
{ "label": "Network", "value": "network" }
]
},
{
"name": "priority",
"label": "Priority",
"type": "select",
"options": [
{ "label": "Low", "value": "low" },
{ "label": "Medium", "value": "medium" },
{ "label": "High", "value": "high" },
{ "label": "Critical", "value": "critical" }
]
},
{
"name": "description",
"label": "Describe the issue",
"type": "textarea"
}
],
"submitLabel": "Create Ticket",
"successMessage": "Ticket created! You'll receive an email with the ticket number."
},
"formPostActions": [
{
"type": "webhook",
"url": "https://jira.internal.company.com/api/issues",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${jira_token}"
}
}
]
}
Internal Database Query
{
"name": "query_inventory",
"description": "Check inventory levels for a product or part.",
"executionType": "http",
"httpUrl": "https://inventory.internal.company.com/api/items?sku=${sku}",
"httpMethod": "GET",
"displayConfig": {
"type": "table",
"options": {
"columns": [
{ "key": "sku", "label": "SKU" },
{ "key": "name", "label": "Item Name" },
{ "key": "quantity", "label": "In Stock" },
{ "key": "location", "label": "Warehouse" }
]
}
}
}
Employee Identification
Identify employees for personalized assistance:
// After SSO/LDAP login
window.ansa.identify({
userId: 'emp_12345',
userMetadata: {
name: 'Jane Smith',
email: '[email protected]',
department: 'Engineering',
role: 'Senior Developer',
manager: 'John Doe',
location: 'NYC Office',
startDate: '2022-03-15'
}
});
- Greet employees by name
- Know their department and role
- Pre-fill forms with employee info
- Provide relevant information based on role
Use employee data in form defaults:
{
"name": "email",
"label": "Email",
"type": "email",
"defaultValue": "{{user.email}}",
"disabled": true
}
Access Control
Domain Restrictions
Limit widget to internal domains:
ALLOWED_DOMAINS=internal.company.com,intranet.company.com
Security Settings
Configure in Settings → Security:
- Allowed Domains — Only show widget on these domains
- Rate Limits — Prevent abuse
- IP Whitelist — Restrict to office/VPN IPs (if supported)
IT Help Desk
- Answer common IT questions from internal docs
- Create tickets for issues that need human help
- Look up asset information
- Reset password requests (with proper auth)
HR Assistant
- Answer policy questions
- Look up employee directory
- Submit time-off requests
- Onboarding information for new hires
Sales Operations
- Look up customer information from CRM
- Check pricing and inventory
- Generate quotes
- Find case studies and collateral
Engineering Support
- Search internal documentation
- Look up service status
- Create bug reports
- Find code examples and patterns
Knowledge Base for Internal Docs
Indexing Internal Content
| Source | How to Index |
|---|
| Confluence | Export to PDF, upload as files |
| Notion | Export workspace, upload markdown |
| SharePoint | Export documents, upload as files |
| Internal Wiki | Web crawl if accessible, or export |
| Google Docs | Export as PDF, upload |
Be careful about what you index. The AI will use any indexed content to answer questions. Avoid indexing:
- Salary/compensation data
- Personal employee information
- Security credentials
- Confidential business strategy
See Also
