---
title: "Mentor: Contextual In-Lab Assistance"
slug: "mentor-contextual-in-lab-assistance"
updated: 2026-08-13T21:23:48Z
published: 2026-08-13T21:23:48Z
canonical: "docs.skillable.com/mentor-contextual-in-lab-assistance"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skillable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Mentor: Contextual In-Lab Assistance

## Overview

The **Mentor** is an embedded AI chat assistant that appears directly inside the Lab Client, alongside the Instructions, Resources, and Help tabs. It gives learners contextual, conversational help without leaving their lab session.

Because the Mentor is aware of what the learner is doing — the current instruction page, the connected virtual machine or environment, the interface language, and the light/dark color mode — it can answer questions in context instead of asking the learner to re-explain where they are.

The Mentor is enabled and configured per lab profile by lab authors. No code changes or administrator involvement are required to turn it on.

## What learners experience

When the Mentor tab is enabled on a lab profile, learners see an extra tab in the Lab Client instruction pane (labeled **Mentor** by default, or a custom label you choose). From that tab they can:

- Ask questions and get answers that reflect the page they are currently on and the environment they are connected to.
- Receive guidance that can navigate them to the right instructions page or type a suggested command into the active VM console on their behalf.
- Continue the same conversation across page turns, tab switches, and save-and-resume — the chat session persists for the life of the lab instance.
- See an unread-message badge on the Mentor tab when a reply arrives while they are working in another tab, so they don't miss it.

## How it is delivered

The Mentor capability is made up of two parts:

- **Lab Client integration** — the Mentor tab and the live connection between the lab session and the mentor service. See [How the Mentor Works in the Lab Client](#).
- **Lab profile configuration** — the self-service controls that let lab authors enable the tab and point it at a mentor service. See [Configure the Mentor Tab on a Lab Profile](#).

## Choosing a mentor service

The Mentor is provider-neutral. The Lab Client communicates with any compliant mentor service through a standards-based browser messaging contract, so the same lab profile setting can point at any mentor that implements the contract. Swapping or onboarding a provider is a configuration change — you update the **Mentor Service URL** on the lab profile rather than changing any lab content or code.

## Getting started

1. Confirm you have a mentor service URL from your chosen provider.
2. Open the lab profile, go to the **Advanced** tab, and enable **Show Mentor Tab**.
3. Enter the **Mentor Service URL** and, optionally, a custom tab label.
4. Save the profile and launch the lab to verify the Mentor tab appears and responds.

Full configuration steps are in [Configure the Mentor Tab on a Lab Profile](#).