Biel.ai
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For Astro Starlight

Ask AI for your Starlight docs

Install starlight-biel for a source-linked chatbot without a Footer override. Add Biel page search alongside Pagefind or in its place.

Add Biel to StarlightSee the install code
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docs.acme.dev/guides/rate-limits
Acme
Search/

Per-route rate limiting

Acme rate-limits requests per route. Each endpoint has its own bucket, configured at deploy time. Limits are enforced at the edge before requests reach your handler.

bashTerminal
# Configure rate limit per route
curl -X PATCH https://api.acme.dev/v1/routes/checkout \
  -d '{"rate_limit": {"requests": 100, "per": "minute"}}'
ⓘNote: Authenticated traffic is metered separately from anonymous traffic.

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Install

Three ways to ship Biel on Starlight

A floating Ask AI chatbot through the native plugin, a page-search field with an Ask AI handoff via a Search component override, or a hosted MCP endpoint Claude and Cursor can query directly.
Full installation guide

Install the native starlight-biel plugin

Add starlight-biel to the Starlight plugins array in astro.config.mjs. The plugin loads the assets and floating chatbot without a component override.
  • →Floating Ask AI button on every page
  • →No Footer or head override required
  • →Coexists with Pagefind, the built-in search
  • →Works with Starlight 0.32 and later
astro.config.mjs
// 1. npm install starlight-biel

import { defineConfig } from 'astro/config'
import starlight from '@astrojs/starlight'
import starlightBiel from 'starlight-biel'

export default defineConfig({
  integrations: [
    starlight({
      title: 'My Docs',
      plugins: [
        starlightBiel({
          project: '<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>',
          headerTitle: 'Documentation AI',
        }),
      ],
    }),
  ],
})

Biel.ai vs Pagefind on Starlight

Pagefind is the built-in static search that ships with Starlight: fast, offline, free. Biel provides its own page-search widget plus an Ask AI handoff to the chatbot. Many Starlight sites run both.

DimensionPagefindBiel.ai
Query typePagefind builds a static keyword index at build time. Returns a list of pages.Keyword page results, with Ask AI for natural-language questions and source-linked answers.
Source attributionPage title and excerpt with the matching keyword highlighted.Direct answer plus a link to the specific section it came from.
MDX componentsPagefind indexes the rendered HTML, so MDX components surface only as their compiled markup.Reads the rendered output the same way, with semantic awareness: code blocks, asides, and admonitions stay in context.
i18nOne Pagefind index per locale. Locale switching mostly works.Each locale indexed as its own source. Plus answers in 60+ languages, including ones your docs are not written in.
AnalyticsNo content-gap signal. Pagefind doesn't track queries.Unanswered questions, satisfaction trends, and a Content Gaps view that updates daily.
InstallBuilt into Starlight. Zero install.Install starlight-biel and add it to the Starlight plugins array. No Footer override for chat.
CostFree, included with Starlight.Self-serve. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Things teams ask during evaluation

Does it work with Starlight on Astro 4 and 5?

Yes. The starlight-biel plugin supports Starlight 0.32 and later and loads the chatbot without a Footer override.

Can we keep Pagefind?

Yes. Keep Pagefind for page lookup and add the Biel chatbot separately. You can also replace Pagefind with Biel Search, whose Ask AI action sends the current query to the chatbot.

Does it understand MDX content?

Yes. Indexing happens against the rendered HTML, so MDX components, asides, and code blocks are read in context. Citations resolve to the right anchor.

What about i18n?

Each locale Starlight builds is indexed as a separate source. A reader on the German docs gets German answers, with citations resolving to the right /de/ URL.

Does it work on Vercel, Netlify, and Cloudflare Pages?

Yes. Starlight builds to static HTML. The widget loads from a CDN at runtime. Indexing runs against your live URL. No host-specific config.

How long does the install take?

Install starlight-biel and add it to the plugins array in astro.config.mjs. Indexing time depends on the size of the site.

Make your Starlight docs answer questions

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