[Security AI Assistant] “+ Add connector” button disabled when EIS is unavailable and no connectors exist

[stephmilovic]

In the Security AI Assistant, when EIS is not available and the user has no custom connectors configured (but does have permission to create them), the “+ Add connector” button remains disabled/greyed out. This reads as “you can’t add a connector”, even though the user can still add one via the provider tiles/buttons in the assistant body (Amazon / Google / OpenAI, etc.).

Impact

• User confusion: Appears broken/blocked when it isn’t.
• Discoverability: Users expect connector actions (add/switch/manage) in the connector control area.
• Extra support churn: “Button disabled” feels like a permission or availability error.

Environment / Preconditions

• Security AI Assistant
• EIS unavailable
• No existing connectors (no preconfigured)
• User has permissions to create connectors

Steps to reproduce

1. Open Security AI Assistant.
2. Ensure EIS is not available.
3. Ensure there are no connectors configured.
4. Ensure the current user can create connectors.
5. Observe the connector controls area.

Actual behavior

• “+ Add connector” is disabled (greyed out).
• User can still add a connector via the provider tiles/buttons in the assistant body, but this is not obvious.

Expected behavior

• “+ Add connector” should be enabled when the user has permission to create connectors, even if EIS is unavailable and there are currently no connectors.

Proposed fix

• Enable “+ Add connector” in this state.
• Clicking it should take the user to the same connector creation flow available from the assistant body (even if it’s redundant—UX consistency beats “dead” controls).
• We should also enable the assistant settings menu so that the "Try AI Agent" button is not unaccessible.

Acceptance criteria

• When user can create connectors, “+ Add connector” and "Assistant Settings Menu" is enabled even if:
  • EIS is unavailable, and
  • there are no connectors yet.
• Clicking “+ Add connector” successfully opens the connector setup flow (same as the assistant body flow).
• Button remains disabled only when the user cannot create connectors (true permission restriction).
• Add/adjust copy/tooltips if needed so the path is clear.

[elasticmachine]

Pinging @elastic/security-threat-hunting (Team:Threat Hunting)

[elasticmachine]

Pinging @elastic/security-solution (Team: SecuritySolution)

[nehaaprasad]

Hello! @stephmilovic
Please check out the PR!, thankyou!