How to Access, Activate, and Troubleshoot Nigel for LabVIEW and Teststand

1. Check Your Licensing and Entitlement 

Before installing or accessing Nigel, please kindly make sure you meet the following requirements to access Nigel: 

1.1 Product Eligibility: 

• • • LabVIEW Professional Development System 2025 Q3 or later (Windows only)
    • TestStand Development System 2025 Q3 or later
    • LabVIEW+ Suite 2025 Q3
    • EA, VLA, or Partner Suite containing LabVIEW or TestStand 

1.2 Entitlement Requirements:

• • • Active Software Service Program (SSP) Entitlement: Required for Nigel access.

• • • Academic Licenses:
      • Single-seat academic licenses and Student Install Option (SIO) licenses do not include SSP by default and do not have access for Nigel.
      • Academic Volume License (AVL) holders may qualify if SSP is included and only user who is registered as technical contact will have access to Nigel. Technical Support Access for Academic Volume Licenses (AVL)
    • Partner Software Subscription:
      • Nigel is accessible if the subscription is active.
      • Ensure the SN is registered in your NI.com account. Kindly refer to Registering a Product for more details.

2. Link Your Serial Number and Verify Entitlement 

1. 1. Log in to your NI User Account.
   2. Go to “View My Products” under Products and Services.
   3. Register your serial number (from purchase confirmation, NI License Manager, or your administrator).
   4. Your entitlement should appear within 24 hours.
   5. If you are an academic volume license user, ensure you are listed as a technical contact. 

3. Download, Install, and Activate LabVIEW or TestStand

1. 1. Visit the NI downloads page Software and Driver Downloads and install the software needed.
   2. Download and install LabVIEW Professional or TestStand Development System 2025 Q3 or newer.
   3. Activate your software using your NI User Account by referring to How to Access the Nigel™ AI Advisor.

Note: Nigel is only available in LabVIEW Professional and TestStand Development System 2025 Q3 or later (both 32-bit and 64-bit LabVIEW versions - Supported LabVIEW Bit Versions for Nigel). Community Edition, Base, and Full do not support Nigel.   

4. Log In to Nigel™ AI Advisor 

1. 1. Open the Nigel AI Advisor application.
   2. Click “Log in” and sign in using your NI User Account.
   3. Authorize access if prompted. 

Security Note: Nigel uses Auth0 for secure authentication. Your credentials are protected with industry-standard encryption and authentication protocols. 

5. Troubleshooting Nigel Access and Login Issues 

If you encounter issues accessing or using Nigel, follow these steps: 

Common Issues 

• • Nigel crashes when opened from LabVIEW or TestStand.
  • Blank screen or login errors.
  • Error 403 (Forbidden) when using 'Search with Nigel'.
  • Activation issues with academic or partner licenses. 

5.1 Crashing Issue: 

Delete server_url.txt from C:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2025 x64\LabVIEW Nigel Chat Application as shown in How Do I Stop Nigel Crashing When I Open It From LabVIEW or Teststand?.

5.2 Login Issues: 

• • Update to Nigel AI Advisor Integration 2025 Q3 Patch 3 or newer via the Updates tab or manual install as shown in How to Update the Nigel AI Assistant for Log In Issues.
  • Uninstall and reinstall LabVIEW/TestStand, ensuring Nigel is included in the additional items.

• • Delete corrupted local store file (C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\National Instruments\NigelLocalService\ProtectedStore.dat) if it exists.
  • Restart your machine.
  • Confirm plugins are installed at C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\NigelLocalService\plugins.

If you continue to experience connectivity issues, try disconnecting your system from the internet, rebooting, and then reconnecting to refresh the network connection. 

• • Try a different network if persistent issues occur by referring to Configuring Software and Hardware Firewalls to Support NI Products.
  • If you reach a login page that says there's an error (typically after a successful login) and there's no button, sometimes the error state can be resolved by attempting to type a message.
  • If above solutions do not help, review Nigel logs at %programdata%\National Instruments\AIAssistants\Logs\ and seek help from NI by submitting technical request at Technical Support.