Jetpack AI: gate the AI Answers toggle on the Jetpack AI master switch (Search)

[ariskataoka]

Fixes #FORNO-427

Proposed changes

This PR gates the AI Answers toggle on the Jetpack AI master switch, behind the internal testing flag. Master off = toggle disabled in both UIs, endpoint rejects enabling, overlay and block render nothing — the saved choice persists for when the master returns.

Screenshots

Details

State
Baseline — master on, toggle usable
Master off (internal env) — toggle locked, saved choice still shown, notice explains why
Editor — AI Answer block shows the master-off notice (wins over the upgrade prompt)
Customberg — toggle disabled with matching help text
Same site, unproxied — the gate is inert on public requests: no lock, no notice

Related product discussion/links

• FORNO-427

Does this pull request change what data or activity we track or use?

No.

Testing instructions

Needs a paid Jetpack Search plan and the Jetpack plugin.

1. Enable Instant Search, then turn on Jetpack → Search → AI Answers (Preview) → Enable AI Answers.
2. wp jetpack module deactivate ai, reload. The toggle is disabled but still checked, with "Jetpack AI is turned off for this site."; Personality and Save are disabled.
3. POST jetpack/v4/search/settings {"ai_answers_enabled": true} → 400. POST /wp/v2/settings {"jetpack_search_ai_answers_enabled": true} → the option is stored (the choice persists, like the other AI feature options), but AI Answers stays off everywhere while the master is off.
4. Search → Customize: the AI Answers toggle is disabled, with matching help text.
5. wp jetpack module activate ai → enabled again, saved value restored.

[github-actions]

Are you an Automattician? Please test your changes on all WordPress.com environments to help mitigate accidental explosions.

• To test on WoA, go to the Plugins menu on a WoA dev site. Click on the "Upload" button and follow the upgrade flow to be able to upload, install, and activate the Jetpack Beta plugin. Once the plugin is active, go to Jetpack > Jetpack Beta, select your plugin (Jetpack), and enable the add/search-ai-answers-master-gate branch.
• To test on Simple, run the following command on your sandbox:

bin/jetpack-downloader test jetpack add/search-ai-answers-master-gate

Interested in more tips and information?

• In your local development environment, use the jetpack rsync command to sync your changes to a WoA dev blog.
• Read more about our development workflow here: PCYsg-eg0-p2
• Figure out when your changes will be shipped to customers here: PCYsg-eg5-p2

[github-actions]

Thank you for your PR!

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---

Follow this PR Review Process:

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2. Make sure to test your changes on all platforms that it applies to. You're responsible for the quality of the code you ship.
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Jetpack plugin:

The Jetpack plugin has different release cadences depending on the platform:

• WordPress.com Simple releases happen as soon as you deploy your changes after merging this PR (PCYsg-Jjm-p2).
• WoA releases happen weekly.
• Releases to self-hosted sites happen monthly:
  • Scheduled release: September 7, 2026

If you have any questions about the release process, please ask in the #jetpack-releases channel on Slack.

[jp-launch-control]

Code Coverage Summary

Coverage changed in 11 files. Only the first 5 are listed here.

File	Coverage	Δ%	Δ Uncovered
projects/packages/search/src/dashboard/store/selectors/jetpack-settings.js	28/30 (93.33%)	-6.67%	2 ❤️‍🩹
projects/packages/search/src/customberg/components/sidebar/sidebar-options.jsx	0/10 (0.00%)	0.00%	1 ❤️‍🩹
projects/packages/search/src/search-blocks/class-search-blocks.php	651/844 (77.13%)	-0.09%	1 ❤️‍🩹
projects/packages/search/src/class-ai-answers.php	48/50 (96.00%)	0.65%	0 💚
projects/packages/search/src/class-helper.php	422/487 (86.65%)	0.03%	0 💚

Full summary · PHP report · JS report

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR ensures Jetpack Search’s AI Answers setting is correctly gated by the site-wide Jetpack AI master switch, preventing UI and API paths from enabling AI Answers when Jetpack AI is off while still preserving the user’s saved choice.

Changes:

• Add a master-switch check (AI_Answers::is_master_enabled()) and apply it as a hard gate after filters when computing “enabled”.
• Close write paths when the master is off (REST endpoint validation + sanitize_callback on the registered setting for /wp/v2/settings writes).
• Update both dashboard and Customberg UIs to disable the toggle with explanatory copy while still showing the saved choice; expand test coverage accordingly.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 16 out of 16 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
projects/packages/search/tests/php/trait-toggles-ai-master.php	Adds test helpers to simulate the presence and state of the Jetpack AI “master” module in package tests.
projects/packages/search/tests/php/Settings_Test.php	Adds unit tests for the setting sanitize behavior under master-on/master-off scenarios.
projects/packages/search/tests/php/REST_Controller_Test.php	Extends REST controller tests to cover master gating and new response fields (ai_master_enabled, ai_answers_saved).
projects/packages/search/tests/php/Initial_Javascript_State_Test.php	Adds tests for reporting the master state in the initial JS payload.
projects/packages/search/tests/php/bootstrap.php	Loads the new test trait in the package PHP test bootstrap.
projects/packages/search/tests/php/AI_Answers_Test.php	Adds coverage for is_master_enabled(), saved vs effective enabled state, and the “cannot filter past master gate” behavior.
projects/packages/search/src/dashboard/store/selectors/jetpack-settings.js	Adds selectors for ai_answers_saved and ai_master_enabled with backward-compatible defaults.
projects/packages/search/src/dashboard/hooks/use-search-settings.js	Exposes the new selectors via the useSearchSettings() hook.
projects/packages/search/src/dashboard/components/test/ai-answers-tab.test.jsx	Adds UI tests for disabled state, saved-choice display, and explanatory notice when master is off.
projects/packages/search/src/dashboard/components/ai-answers-tab/index.jsx	Disables/annotates the toggle and keeps saved choice visible when the master is off; disables related controls.
projects/packages/search/src/customberg/components/sidebar/sidebar-options.jsx	Disables the Customberg toggle and updates help text when the master is off using the initial state payload.
projects/packages/search/src/class-settings.php	Adds optional sanitize_callback support and wires it for the AI Answers setting.
projects/packages/search/src/class-rest-controller.php	Rejects enabling AI Answers via POST /jetpack/v4/search/settings when master is off; reports master + saved choice in get_settings().
projects/packages/search/src/class-helper.php	Includes aiMasterEnabled in the initial JS state.
projects/packages/search/src/class-ai-answers.php	Implements master-gate logic, saved-choice accessor, setting sanitizer, and applies the master gate after filters.
projects/packages/search/changelog/add-search-ai-answers-master-gate	Adds a changelog entry for the gating change.