Troubleshooting and FAQ

Written By Kevin Ruth

Last updated 3 months ago

Access issues

I can't find the Outlook plugin

The plugin works in Outlook classic, new Outlook, and Outlook on the web.

The Govstream.ai icon should appear in the Outlook ribbon,

the apps (waffle) menu,

and in each email that you open up.

If you don't see the Govstream.ai icon:

  1. Restart Outlook and check again

  2. Update Outlook if an update is available

  3. Look in the toolbar or ribbon when viewing an email

  4. If it's still not there, contact your IT with your Outlook version info (Help > About Outlook)

I can't log in to the web app

  1. Go to your Permit Guide URL (e.g., [your-city].govstream.ai)

  2. Use your organization credentials (not your email password—they may be different)

  3. Try an incognito/private browser window to rule out cached login issues

  4. Clear your browser cookies for the site, then try again

  5. Try resetting your password using the password reset link

  6. If none of that works, contact support@govstream.ai

The draft doesn't appear when I click "Use Draft"

When you click "Use Draft" in the Outlook plugin, a new reply window should open with your draft. If nothing happens:

In Outlook on the web:

  1. Check if your browser blocked a pop-up (look for a blocked pop-up icon in the address bar)

  2. Allow pop-ups from outlook.office.com or outlook.office365.com

  3. Try again

In Outlook desktop (Windows/Mac):

  1. Look for the new reply window—it may have opened behind your current window

  2. Check your taskbar (Windows) or Dock (Mac) for a new Outlook window

  3. If you still don't see it, restart Outlook and try again

If the issue persists, contact support@govstream.ai with your Outlook version (Help > About Outlook).

I see a confirmation prompt when sending an email

When you click Send on an email drafted with the Outlook plugin, you may occasionally see a prompt from Outlook asking you to confirm. This is normal—it's Outlook's built-in behavior when an add-in is processing the email.

Just click "Send Anyway" (or similar) to proceed. Your email will send normally.

If you see this prompt frequently or it blocks sending entirely, contact support@govstream.ai.


Navigating Permit Guide

Beyond the chat and email assistants, Permit Guide has a few other areas worth knowing about. This guide covers the homepage, finding past feedback, your profile settings, and how to share product feedback with us.

Homepage

When you log in to Permit Guide, you land on the homepage. From here you can:

  • Jump straight to either assistant (Chat or Email)

  • See recent analytics and feedback from the past few days

It's a quick way to get oriented and see what's been happening.

Finding past feedback

Want to review feedback you've submitted—or see what others are flagging? Go to Analytics in the left sidebar and click Feedback.

You'll see three tabs:

  • Chat feedback - Feedback on chat assistant responses

  • Customer feedback - Feedback from external customers

  • Email feedback - Feedback on email assistant drafts

Each page shows feedback from everyone across the department. To find your own, use the user filter at the top.

Viewing feedback details

Each row of feedback has a View Details button. Clicking it opens a new tab with:

  • The full feedback that was submitted

  • The chat or email history showing the exact message it was given on

This is useful for following up on issues or understanding what went wrong.

Profile settings

Click your profile icon in the top right corner to update your account:

  • Personal info - First name, last name, email, job title, city, state

  • Password - Change your password anytime

  • Email signature - Create and save a signature for your email drafts (when using the web app, does not connect to Outlook).

Other areas (optional)

A few pages exist that you might see but don't need to use day-to-day:

  • Other analytics pages - Under Analytics, there are pages for leadership exploring things like semantic themes and efficacy metrics. These are a work in progress—feel free to poke around, but they're not essential for regular use.

Data sources - This technical page shows what content has been uploaded to our databases. It's not meant for everyday use, so you can skip it.

Sharing product feedback

See the magenta smiley face in the bottom right corner? That's our feedback widget. Click it to:

  • Submit product feedback - Tell us what's working, what's not, or what you wish Permit Guide could do

  • Visit the Help Center - Browse support articles (including this one)

This is different from feedback on individual AI responses—it's for suggestions about the product itself. We read everything.