Temporary image generation instructions
Image 1 – icon / symbol: Create a detailed cartoon icon or symbolic illustration for AxiOwl article 80, "How AxiOwl Preselects Installer Features From Provider Discovery". Show an owl-themed AI message dispatcher, named agent badges, and a clear visual metaphor for this topic: Installer preselection should be based on discovery. Style: modern SaaS cartoon, bold shapes, high contrast, polished but friendly, simple or transparent background, no readable text.
Image 2 – article image / screenshot: Create a blog hero image or product-style screenshot for AxiOwl article 80, "How AxiOwl Preselects Installer Features From Provider Discovery". Show a developer workstation or clean software interface where named AI agents exchange messages through AxiOwl. Include visual cues specific to this topic: Installer preselection should be based on discovery. Style: polished SaaS website image, widescreen 16:9, believable fictional UI, no real credentials or real private data.
Installer preselection should be based on discovery.
If AxiOwl finds VS Code, the VS Code provider feature can be checked by default. If it finds Claude Code CLI, the Claude feature can be checked. If it does not find a provider, that feature should normally remain unchecked unless the user explicitly selects it.
This matters because default selections imply intent. A prechecked box tells the user, "AxiOwl believes this provider is present and should be configured." If that belief is wrong, the installer may touch software it should have left alone.
Discovery-based defaults are especially important on clean machines. A fresh Windows VM should not preselect providers that are not installed. Doing so creates noisy failures and undermines trust in the installer.
The installer should also record why a feature was checked. Was the provider detected? What evidence was found? Did the user select it manually? Was it remote-only and therefore intentionally left unchecked by default?
That evidence helps support after install. If a provider was not selected, the logs should show whether it was not detected or whether the user unchecked it.
Preselection is not final proof. A detected provider can still fail configuration. But it is the right starting point for a robust installer.
The product rule is simple: default checkboxes should reflect the machine, not the wish list.
Provider discovery gives the MSI a way to make that decision intelligently.