<img width="1062" height="712" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/44c82e00-94b4-405a-b2ef-cbc08401c4db"
/>
<img width="1583" height="962" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b19b9fd8-24b1-48d6-8b31-11fba9911b9a"
/>
## What kind of change does this PR introduce?
UI refinement.
## What is the current behavior?
The assistant sidebar and Explorer chat use different empty states.
## What is the new behavior?
Share a centered empty state with chat-focused prompts, use-case icons,
and a “Use your own agent” footer. Simplify prompt cards and align
Explorer Home styling.
## Additional context
Studio typecheck, targeted ESLint, and Prettier pass. E2E selectors
updated; browser verification pending. Local build stopped after showing
no progress during compilation.
I have read CONTRIBUTING.md.
<!-- This is an auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai
-->
## Summary by CodeRabbit
* **New Features**
* Redesigned Explorer and AI Assistant onboarding with project-focused
chat prompts.
* Added personalized chat template icons and updated suggested actions.
* Added an option to connect and use an external agent through Claude,
OpenAI, or Cursor.
* Improved chat composer placement and empty-chat guidance.
* **Style**
* Action cards now support layouts without descriptions and adjust
alignment automatically.
* **Tests**
* Updated end-to-end coverage for the revised assistant interface.
<!-- end of auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai -->
* updated commands and expose ai key locally
* added tests for AI assistant
* added OPEN_API_KEY for e2e test suite
* updated log drain options
* updated README
Saxon Fletcher