Developer Guides
Automatic UI Discovery vs Developer-Defined UI Registries for AI
A balanced comparison of automatic UI discovery and developer-defined registries for product AI assistance.
Published Aug 17, 2026 · Aven Team
The practical problem
Automatic discovery can reduce setup effort but may produce ambiguity around permissions and changing UI. Teams should begin with a narrow and observable task, describe the user goal and product state, then test the supported next step with real permissions, loading states, and interruptions. This keeps guidance useful without making unsupported assumptions about the interface.
How to approach it
A developer-defined registry requires maintenance but creates explicit, reviewable references. Teams should begin with a narrow and observable task, describe the user goal and product state, then test the supported next step with real permissions, loading states, and interruptions. This keeps guidance useful without making unsupported assumptions about the interface.
Implementation considerations
Different products can choose different tradeoffs; Aven’s current model is deliberate registration rather than autonomous discovery. Teams should begin with a narrow and observable task, describe the user goal and product state, then test the supported next step with real permissions, loading states, and interruptions. This keeps guidance useful without making unsupported assumptions about the interface.
Tradeoffs to keep in view
Automatic discovery can reduce setup effort but may produce ambiguity around permissions and changing UI. Teams should begin with a narrow and observable task, describe the user goal and product state, then test the supported next step with real permissions, loading states, and interruptions. This keeps guidance useful without making unsupported assumptions about the interface.
Where Aven fits
A developer-defined registry requires maintenance but creates explicit, reviewable references. Teams should begin with a narrow and observable task, describe the user goal and product state, then test the supported next step with real permissions, loading states, and interruptions. This keeps guidance useful without making unsupported assumptions about the interface.
Build this with Aven
Aven uses developer-registered pages, elements, and workflows. The host application owns navigation, target readiness, and completion.