=== AskAgento ===
Contributors: visualsearch
Tags: woocommerce, search, product-filter, chatbot, ai
Requires at least: 7.0
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 8.1
Requires Plugins: woocommerce
WC requires at least: 8.0
WC tested up to: 10.8
Stable tag: 1.0.7
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

One catalogue brain for WooCommerce: AI search, chatbot, recommendations, agents and auto filters & labels.

== Description ==

**AskAgento** connects your WooCommerce store to a unified shopping data layer. Your catalogue is synced once; search, filters, labelling, recommendations, chat, and agent tools all use the same understanding of what you sell.

AskAgento uses cloud services operated by VisualSearch GmbH. An AskAgento account and plan are required for cloud-powered features. A free plan is available.

= Why AskAgento =

* **Unified layer** — Text and image data live in one space, so natural-language search, visual similarity, and chat retrieval stay aligned.
* **AI-powered search** — Natural-language and image queries return relevant products even when exact keywords don't match, so shoppers find what they mean.
* **Grounded AI chat** — Storefront chatbot answers from retrieved products, not a generic model guessing your inventory.
* **Recommendations** — Upsell and cross-sell suggestions tied to your synced catalogue.
* **Agents** — Expose your shop to external tools via MCP for automations and copilots.
* **Fast faceted filtering** — Auto-generated product filters with pre-computed cache tables for responsive storefront filtering at scale.
* **Less manual catalogue work** — Auto Label proposes attributes, categories, and tags from catalogue intelligence, with workflows to push results into WooCommerce.
* **Optional BYOK** — Bring your own LLM provider key to extend token-based features alongside included plan limits.

= Features =

* AI text search on the storefront
* AI image search on the storefront
* AI Chatbot — natural-language shopping assistant
* AI Recommend — upsell and cross-sell blocks
* Auto Product Filters — generated from your catalogue
* Auto Label — analyse, generate, and upload attributes/tags/categories
* Usage and plan limits visible in wp-admin
* Scheduled catalogue sync (frequency depends on plan)

= Plans =

Core features are available on [AskAgento plans](https://askagento.com/#pricing) (Free, Basic, Pro, and Custom). Install the plugin and complete cloud onboarding under **AskAgento → Settings** to connect your site. A free tier is available; paid plans add image search, chatbot, agents, and higher sync limits.

An AskAgento account is required to use the cloud-powered features. A free plan is available and does not require a credit card. Basic and Pro plans include a trial and add higher limits and advanced features.

API Documentation: [askagento.com/v1/api.html](https://askagento.com/v1/api.html)
Tutorial videos: [askagento.com/v1/tutorial.html](https://askagento.com/v1/tutorial.html)
Demo shop: [demowp.askagento.com](https://demowp.askagento.com)
Terms of use: [askagento.com/v1/terms.html](https://askagento.com/v1/terms.html)
Privacy policy: [askagento.com/v1/privacy.html](https://askagento.com/v1/privacy.html)
Legal notice: [askagento.com/v1/imprint.html](https://askagento.com/v1/imprint.html)

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate **AskAgento** (WooCommerce must be active).
2. Go to **AskAgento → Settings** and complete installation (site registration and Discovery API key).
3. Run an initial catalogue sync when prompted.
4. Configure features you need:
   * **AI Search** — enable text and/or image search
   * **AI Chatbot** — configure and test the assistant
   * **AI Recommend** — add recommendation blocks or shortcodes
   * **AI Agents** — MCP URL and credentials
   * **Auto Filter** — create and place filters on shop pages
   * **Auto Label** — analyse and apply catalogue labels
5. Visit your storefront to verify search, filters, and widgets.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Do I need WooCommerce? =

Yes. AskAgento is built for WooCommerce product catalogues.

= Do I need an AskAgento account? =

Yes. The plugin uses AskAgento cloud services to sync your catalogue and provide AI-powered search, filters, labelling, recommendations, chatbot, and MCP features. You can start with the free plan.

= Does the plugin work without a paid subscription? =

Yes. A free plan includes AI text search, upsell recommendations, and the unified catalogue layer with monthly sync limits. Paid plans add features such as image search, auto filters, auto labels, full chatbot, and MCP agents. See [pricing](https://askagento.com/#pricing).

= What data is sent to AskAgento? =

During sync and AI requests, product and store data needed for search, filters, labelling, recommendations, and chat are sent to AskAgento infrastructure. This can include product titles, descriptions, SKUs, attributes, categories, tags, images, stock status, prices, site URL, plugin version, WooCommerce version, and registration identifiers. See the [privacy policy](https://askagento.com/v1/privacy.html).

= Is customer personal data required? =

No personal customer order history is required for core catalogue search, filters, labelling, recommendations, and chatbot features. The plugin is designed to process WooCommerce product catalogue data needed to provide the connected AskAgento features.

= Does the plugin send catalogue data immediately on activation? =

No. Activation alone does not send your catalogue. The catalogue transfer starts only after the site administrator completes the AskAgento onboarding/consent step in the WordPress admin.

= Do I need my own OpenAI (or other) API key? =

No for included plan allowances. You may optionally add your own LLM provider key under plugin settings (BYOK) for additional token-based usage.

= How often does my catalogue update? =

Sync frequency depends on your plan (from monthly on Free to daily on paid tiers).

== Screenshots ==

1. Setup — install the plugin and finish WooCommerce onboarding
2. Unified data layer — one catalogue powering search, chat, and recommendations
3. AI Search — natural-language and image product search
4. AI Recommend — automatic upsell and cross-sell recommendations
5. AI Chatbot — product-aware storefront assistant
6. AI Agents — connect your catalogue to Cursor, Claude, and OpenAI via MCP
7. Auto Filter — auto-generated product filters
8. Auto Label — auto-generated product attributes, categories, and tags
9. Usage — plan limits and remaining allowance in wp-admin

== External services ==

This plugin connects to **AskAgento** cloud services operated by VisualSearch GmbH to register your site, sync your WooCommerce catalogue, and run AI-powered search, filters, labelling, recommendations, chatbot, and MCP features.

**Service:** AskAgento API
**Website:** https://askagento.com
**API endpoint:** https://api.askagento.com
**API documentation:** https://askagento.com/v1/api.html
**Tutorial videos:** https://askagento.com/v1/tutorial.html
**Terms of use:** https://askagento.com/v1/terms.html
**Privacy policy:** https://askagento.com/v1/privacy.html
**Legal notice:** https://askagento.com/v1/imprint.html

**What is sent and when**

* **Installation / status** — Site URL, resolved shop host IPv4 (DNS lookup of your site URL hostname), WooCommerce version, plugin version, and registration identifiers.
* **Catalogue sync** — Product data required to build the search and filter index, such as product titles, descriptions, SKUs, attributes, categories, tags, images, stock status, and price fields as configured.
* **AI search, chat, label, filter, recommend, MCP** — Query text, optional images, product context, and site credentials needed to process requests on your synced catalogue.
* **Usage** — Plan and limit information for your site.

**Consent and account requirement**

Features that call external services do not work without completing installation and having an active AskAgento account/plan. A free plan is available. Catalogue sync starts only after the site administrator completes onboarding/consent in the WordPress admin.

**Storefront chatbot credentials**

On pages where the chatbot is shown, the plugin loads a small JavaScript configuration object (`window.askagentoAiChatbotFront`) that includes your site ID and AskAgento Discovery API key so the browser can call the `/chatbot` endpoint directly. Anyone who can view the shop page could inspect these values in the browser. Treat the Discovery key as a site-scoped credential, not a secret admin password. Rotate it from AskAgento → Settings if needed.

**Optional BYOK (bring your own LLM key)**

If you add your own API key under AskAgento → Settings → LLM Setup, the plugin validates that key by calling the provider's models endpoint from your WordPress server. These calls happen only when you enter or test a key, not for included plan usage.

* **OpenAI** — https://api.openai.com/v1/models
* **Anthropic** — https://api.anthropic.com/v1/models
* **Google Gemini** — https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1/models
* **OpenRouter** — https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/models

Each provider's privacy policy and terms apply to data sent to that provider when you use your own key. BYOK provider keys are stored in your WordPress database and are used only for the configured provider requests.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.7 =
* Plugin header now lists separate plugin and author URIs, as required for WordPress.org distribution.

= 1.0.6 =
* The "Powered by AskAgento" credit in the storefront chat panel is now optional and hidden by default. Turn it on under AI Chatbot → Setup.
* The plan-limit notice no longer shows an upgrade link on unrelated admin screens; plan changes stay under AskAgento → Settings → Plan.
* Removed the bundled sample image from the plugin package.

= 1.0.5 =
* Completed the storefront documentation and refreshed readme details.

= 1.0.4 =
* Hardened security and WordPress coding-standards compliance: output escaping, input sanitization, nonce verification, and prepared database queries throughout.
* Prefixed all global functions and variables (`pf_`/`askagento_`) to avoid conflicts with other plugins and themes.
* Admin consent notice now stays visible until you click "I Agree"; updated privacy policy link.
* Build and packaging fixes (application files zip, Node version) and internal cleanup.

= 1.0.3 =
* Improved cross-sell recommendations: broader category coverage and multilingual matching so non-English shops get complementary suggestions too.
* Added interface translations — the plugin is now available in German, French, Spanish, and Italian (5 languages including English).

= 1.0.2 =
* Fixed plan handling: plan detection, gating, limits, and plan status display in wp-admin.

= 1.0.1 =
* Fixed upsell recommendations and issues from LLM testing.

= 1.0.0 =
Initial public release.
* Unified WooCommerce catalogue layer synced to AskAgento cloud.
* AI text search and image search (plan-dependent) on the storefront.
* Auto Product Filters with pre-computed cache tables; Product Filter widget and Gutenberg block (`askagento/filter`).
* Auto Label: analyse, generate, and upload attributes, tags, and categories.
* AI Chatbot storefront assistant grounded in your synced catalogue.
* AI Recommend: upsell and cross-sell blocks.
* Agents (Pro): expose your shop via MCP.
* Optional BYOK for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google (Gemini), and OpenRouter.
* Plan gating and usage reporting (plan, limits, and remaining allowance) in wp-admin.
* WooCommerce HPOS compatibility, AJAX capability checks, and uninstall cleanup.
* License: GPLv2 or later.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.0.7 =
Plugin header metadata fix; no functional changes.

= 1.0.6 =
The storefront chatbot credit is now optional and hidden by default; re-enable it under AI Chatbot → Setup if you want it shown.

= 1.0.5 =
Documentation refresh; no functional changes.

= 1.0.4 =
Security hardening, WordPress coding-standards compliance, and admin consent notice improvements.

= 1.0.3 =
Improved recommendations and added German, French, Spanish, and Italian interface translations.

= 1.0.0 =
Initial public release.