diff --git a/opensearch_dashboards.json b/opensearch_dashboards.json
index efde08bb..f7c8a96f 100644
--- a/opensearch_dashboards.json
+++ b/opensearch_dashboards.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "id": "assistantDashboards",
   "version": "2.11.0.0",
-  "opensearchDashboardsVersion": "opensearchDashboards",
+  "opensearchDashboardsVersion": "2.11.0",
   "server": true,
   "ui": true,
   "requiredPlugins": [
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     "opensearchDashboardsReact",
     "opensearchDashboardsUtils"
   ],
-  "optionalPlugins":[
-    "observabilityDashboards"
+  "configPath": [
+    "assistant"
   ]
 }
diff --git a/public/index.ts b/public/index.ts
index 4a9a2cca..30e31105 100644
--- a/public/index.ts
+++ b/public/index.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,11 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
+import { PluginInitializerContext } from '../../../src/core/public';
 import { AssistantPlugin } from './plugin';
 
 export { AssistantPlugin as Plugin };
 
-export const plugin = () => new AssistantPlugin();
+export function plugin(initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
+  return new AssistantPlugin(initializerContext);
+}
diff --git a/public/plugin.tsx b/public/plugin.tsx
index 06db1ddc..f3f2512e 100644
--- a/public/plugin.tsx
+++ b/public/plugin.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 import React from 'react';
-import { CoreSetup, CoreStart, Plugin } from '../../../src/core/public';
+import { CoreSetup, CoreStart, Plugin, PluginInitializerContext } from '../../../src/core/public';
 import {
   createOpenSearchDashboardsReactContext,
   toMountPoint,
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 import { createGetterSetter } from '../../../src/plugins/opensearch_dashboards_utils/common';
 import { HeaderChatButton } from './chat_header_button';
 import { AssistantServices } from './contexts/core_context';
+import { SessionLoadService } from './services/session_load_service';
 import {
   ActionExecutor,
   AppPluginStartDependencies,
@@ -21,12 +22,22 @@ import {
   ContentRenderer,
   SetupDependencies,
 } from './types';
-import { SessionLoadService } from './services/session_load_service';
 
 export const [getCoreStart, setCoreStart] = createGetterSetter<CoreStart>('CoreStart');
 
+interface PublicConfig {
+  chat: {
+    enabled: boolean;
+  };
+}
+
 export class AssistantPlugin
   implements Plugin<AssistantSetup, AssistantStart, SetupDependencies, AppPluginStartDependencies> {
+  private config: PublicConfig;
+  constructor(initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
+    this.config = initializerContext.config.get<PublicConfig>();
+  }
+
   public setup(
     core: CoreSetup<AppPluginStartDependencies>,
     setupDeps: SetupDependencies
@@ -52,34 +63,36 @@ export class AssistantPlugin
       };
     })();
 
-    core.getStartServices().then(async ([coreStart, startDeps]) => {
-      const CoreContext = createOpenSearchDashboardsReactContext<AssistantServices>({
-        ...coreStart,
-        setupDeps,
-        startDeps,
-        sessionLoad: new SessionLoadService(coreStart.http),
-      });
-      const account = await getAccount();
-      const username = account.data.user_name;
+    if (this.config.chat.enabled) {
+      core.getStartServices().then(async ([coreStart, startDeps]) => {
+        const CoreContext = createOpenSearchDashboardsReactContext<AssistantServices>({
+          ...coreStart,
+          setupDeps,
+          startDeps,
+          sessionLoad: new SessionLoadService(coreStart.http),
+        });
+        const account = await getAccount();
+        const username = account.data.user_name;
 
-      coreStart.chrome.navControls.registerRight({
-        order: 10000,
-        mount: toMountPoint(
-          <CoreContext.Provider>
-            <HeaderChatButton
-              application={coreStart.application}
-              chatEnabled={account.data.roles.some((role) =>
-                ['all_access', 'assistant_user'].includes(role)
-              )}
-              contentRenderers={contentRenderers}
-              actionExecutors={actionExecutors}
-              assistantActions={assistantActions}
-              currentAccount={{ username }}
-            />
-          </CoreContext.Provider>
-        ),
+        coreStart.chrome.navControls.registerRight({
+          order: 10000,
+          mount: toMountPoint(
+            <CoreContext.Provider>
+              <HeaderChatButton
+                application={coreStart.application}
+                chatEnabled={account.data.roles.some((role) =>
+                  ['all_access', 'assistant_user'].includes(role)
+                )}
+                contentRenderers={contentRenderers}
+                actionExecutors={actionExecutors}
+                assistantActions={assistantActions}
+                currentAccount={{ username }}
+              />
+            </CoreContext.Provider>
+          ),
+        });
       });
-    });
+    }
 
     return {
       registerContentRenderer: (contentType, render) => {
diff --git a/server/index.ts b/server/index.ts
index c68277ae..8e2e488d 100644
--- a/server/index.ts
+++ b/server/index.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
-import { PluginInitializerContext } from '../../../src/core/server';
+import { schema, TypeOf } from '@osd/config-schema';
+import { PluginConfigDescriptor, PluginInitializerContext } from '../../../src/core/server';
 import { AssistantPlugin } from './plugin';
 
 export function plugin(initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
@@ -11,3 +12,20 @@ export function plugin(initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
 }
 
 export { AssistantPluginSetup, AssistantPluginStart } from './types';
+
+const assistantConfig = {
+  schema: schema.object({
+    chat: schema.object({
+      enabled: schema.boolean({ defaultValue: false }),
+    }),
+  }),
+};
+
+export type AssistantConfig = TypeOf<typeof assistantConfig.schema>;
+
+export const config: PluginConfigDescriptor<AssistantConfig> = {
+  schema: assistantConfig.schema,
+  exposeToBrowser: {
+    chat: true,
+  },
+};
diff --git a/server/plugin.ts b/server/plugin.ts
index 3b3fc35f..b0d095cc 100644
--- a/server/plugin.ts
+++ b/server/plugin.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
+import { first } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import 'web-streams-polyfill';
+import { AssistantConfig } from '.';
 import {
   CoreSetup,
   CoreStart,
@@ -15,6 +17,7 @@ import {
 import { OpenSearchAlertingPlugin } from './adaptors/opensearch_alerting_plugin';
 import { OpenSearchObservabilityPlugin } from './adaptors/opensearch_observability_plugin';
 import { PPLPlugin } from './adaptors/ppl_plugin';
+import { AssistantServerConfig } from './config/schema';
 import './fetch-polyfill';
 import { setupRoutes } from './routes/index';
 import { chatSavedObject } from './saved_objects/chat_saved_object';
@@ -24,12 +27,16 @@ import { chatConfigSavedObject } from './saved_objects/chat_config_saved_object'
 export class AssistantPlugin implements Plugin<AssistantPluginSetup, AssistantPluginStart> {
   private readonly logger: Logger;
 
-  constructor(initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
+  constructor(private readonly initializerContext: PluginInitializerContext) {
     this.logger = initializerContext.logger.get();
   }
 
-  public setup(core: CoreSetup) {
+  public async setup(core: CoreSetup) {
     this.logger.debug('Assistant: Setup');
+    const config = await this.initializerContext.config
+      .create<AssistantConfig>()
+      .pipe(first())
+      .toPromise();
     const router = core.http.createRouter();
     const openSearchObservabilityClient: ILegacyClusterClient = core.opensearch.legacy.createClient(
       'opensearch_observability',
@@ -40,6 +47,7 @@ export class AssistantPlugin implements Plugin<AssistantPluginSetup, AssistantPl
 
     core.http.registerRouteHandlerContext('assistant_plugin', (context, request) => {
       return {
+        config,
         logger: this.logger,
         observabilityClient: openSearchObservabilityClient,
       };