feat: add APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON env var to hide help/support icon

[tomjose92]

Description

Adds a runtime configuration flag, APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON, that hides the help/support button — the ? menu containing Documentation, Send support info, Chat with us, and What's new — in both places it appears:

• The applications home page (/applications) — HomepageHeaderAction.tsx
• The app editor — HelpButton.tsx

It follows the existing APPSMITH_DISABLE_IFRAME_WIDGET_SANDBOX pattern, so it is injected at runtime via window.APPSMITH_FEATURE_CONFIGS and requires no client rebuild — operators just set the env var on a self-hosted (Docker/Helm) instance.

Usage

APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON=true

Defaults to false, so existing installs are unaffected.

Changes

• ce/configs/index.ts, types.ts — thread hideHelpButton through INJECTED_CONFIGS, getConfigsFromEnvVars() and getAppsmithConfigs()
• public/index.html — inject APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON into window.APPSMITH_FEATURE_CONFIGS
• HomepageHeaderAction.tsx — gate the help menu with !hideHelpButton
• HelpButton.tsx — early return null when the flag is set (after all hooks)
• EnvVariables.java — register the env var so it is recognized/manageable server-side
• docker.env.sh, helm/values.yaml, helm/README.md, helm snapshot, jest.config.js — defaults set to false

Why it's regression-safe

• Defaults to false everywhere → behavior is identical for existing installs; the change is purely additive.
• The help menu is gated, not removed — editor path, signposting, and all menu items remain intact.
• Preserves the existing airgapped self-hide (!isAirgappedInstance && !hideHelpButton).
• The only literal constructions of the config types are the two functions updated here, so there is no type breakage elsewhere.

Notes

• In the editor, the Help button is also the anchor for first-time-user onboarding ("signposting"). Hiding it removes that anchor when the flag is on — expected given the intent.
• Cypress E2E specs that assume the button is present continue to pass on the default (false).

Testing

• Set APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON=true → help icon hidden on home page and in editor
• Unset / false → help icon visible as before

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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Generated by Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Added a new setting to hide the help/support button across the home page and editor.
  • Exposed the setting through deployment defaults and runtime configuration.

• Bug Fixes

  • Help-related menu items now respect the new visibility setting and stay hidden when enabled.

• Chores

  • Updated configuration templates and test setup to include the new option.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 8ac1456f-8fae-4759-87fc-dc965a9878cb

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 4a30154 and 0443abb.

⛔ Files ignored due to path filters (1)

• deploy/helm/tests/__snapshot__/defaults_snapshot_test.yaml.snap is excluded by !**/*.snap

📒 Files selected for processing (10)

• app/client/jest.config.js
• app/client/public/index.html
• app/client/src/ce/configs/index.ts
• app/client/src/ce/configs/types.ts
• app/client/src/pages/Editor/HelpButton.tsx
• app/client/src/pages/common/SearchBar/HomepageHeaderAction.tsx
• app/server/appsmith-server/src/main/java/com/appsmith/server/constants/EnvVariables.java
• deploy/docker/fs/opt/appsmith/templates/docker.env.sh
• deploy/helm/README.md
• deploy/helm/values.yaml

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Walkthrough

Adds APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON through deployment and client config paths, then uses hideHelpButton to suppress help UI rendering in the editor and homepage header when enabled.

Changes

Hide help button wiring

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Environment defaults app/server/appsmith-server/src/main/java/com/appsmith/server/constants/EnvVariables.java, deploy/docker/fs/opt/appsmith/templates/docker.env.sh, deploy/helm/values.yaml, deploy/helm/README.md	Adds APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON to the server enum and deployment defaults, with the Helm values table updated.
Client config shape app/client/src/ce/configs/types.ts, app/client/src/ce/configs/index.ts	Adds hideHelpButton to the injected UI config shape and reads it from process.env.APPSMITH_HIDE_HELP_BUTTON.
Runtime config exposure app/client/src/ce/configs/index.ts, app/client/public/index.html, app/client/jest.config.js	Includes hideHelpButton in getAppsmithConfigs() and exposes the same key through browser and Jest feature config globals.
Help UI gating app/client/src/pages/Editor/HelpButton.tsx, app/client/src/pages/common/SearchBar/HomepageHeaderAction.tsx	Reads hideHelpButton in the editor help button and homepage header action and skips help UI rendering when it is enabled.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~20 minutes

Poem

A little flag drifted in from the breeze,
From env to browser with quiet ease.
The help button nodded, then faded from sight,
While configs stayed tidy and tucked in just right. ✨

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly names the new env var and its purpose to hide the help/support icon.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description is detailed and mostly covers the change, but it omits the required issue reference and template sections for automation and communication.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

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✨ Finishing Touches

📝 Generate docstrings

• Create stacked PR
• Commit on current branch

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch claude/appsmith-hide-help-icon-v34cv3

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