Products · HCL Domino
AI assistant inside HCL Domino mail — no risky migration.
Help your people manage email, schedules, and routine work inside Domino — with an optional DominoMCP bridge for ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and secure web browsing.
Built for organisations that already rely on Domino and cannot accept shadow AI in personal accounts. Get measurable time back on inbox and meetings without committing to a Microsoft 365 migration or a GPU hardware project first.
In brief
Domino Assistant is AI inside Domino mail — for people, inbound channels, and Teams — under the security you already run. It is not HCL’s Domino IQ product. The DominoMCP add-on lets approved AI apps reach Domino and runs managed web browsing. Start with one mailbox or a small group; expand when the numbers justify it.
Written by Tim Savigar — Founder & Lead Architect
Reviewed by AI Build Group — Editorial review
Who it is for
Organisations that run on HCL Domino and want AI help with mail and calendar — without a risky migration, and without staff pasting confidential threads into personal ChatGPT accounts.
If the real pain is inbox triage and meeting coordination, start there. A full Microsoft 365 move can stay a separate decision, on its own evidence and timetable.
How it works
Domino Assistant sits inside each person’s Domino mailbox. They chat from Notes or iNotes; automation watches inbound channels; Teams can use the same help. Everything runs under Domino security IT already understands.
People and automations work inside Domino mail. The assistant only does what IT has approved — and only with the access that user already has.
Domino Assistant can call approved business tools. DominoMCP lets approved AI apps call Domino. Different problems; same security story.
What teams use it for
Clear the inbox faster
Surface what needs a human today, draft replies for review, and file the rest — without copying mail into a personal AI account.
Schedule without the chase
Propose times, send invites, and follow up on acceptances using the calendar people already trust.
Keep work moving overnight
Background task plans break big jobs into steps and keep chasing until someone can close them out.
Stay on brand with clients
Drafts draw on contacts and recent threads so messages sound like your organisation — not a blank prompt.
Reach Teams and the phone
The same assistant helps over Microsoft Teams, SMS, and WhatsApp when those channels matter to the team.
Pull in trusted business tools
When IT approves a connection, Domino can ask other systems for facts — then bring the answer back into mail or a draft.
Need ChatGPT or Claude to drive Domino from the outside? That is the add-on — including managed web browsing.
Why buyers choose it
Works with your Domino security
The assistant only sees and does what that user already can. No shadow mailbox. No bypass of your directory.
People stay in control of send
It drafts and proposes. Named users decide what goes out — especially for client-facing or regulated mail.
IT can see and limit what it does
Approved actions and settings live with the mailbox. Pilots start small; rollback is a configuration change, not a migration undo.
No GPU shopping list first
You do not need a Domino version leap or NVIDIA hardware to start. That is a different product conversation (Domino IQ) if you need it later.
Not the same as HCL Domino IQ
HCL Domino IQ
AI on your own servers
Built for teams that must keep the model inside the building. That usually means a newer Domino release and GPU hardware before anyone sees a benefit in the mailbox.
HCL Domino Assistant
AI productivity in mail now
Built for teams that want governed help this quarter — inside existing mail files — without a hardware and upgrade project first. You can still evaluate Domino IQ later if sovereignty requires it.
Questions we hear on discovery calls
Will this force us onto Domino 14.5 or new servers?
No. HCL’s Domino IQ feature needs a newer Domino release and GPU hardware to run AI on your own servers. Domino Assistant uses an approved cloud model instead, so most pilots start on the Domino version you already run.
What happens to our mail files and security during rollout?
Nothing structural changes. The assistant works inside existing mail files and access rules. Joiners, movers, and leavers keep working the way Domino already handles them.
Do we have to migrate to Microsoft 365 first?
No. That is the point: AI help for inbox and calendar now, inside Domino, while any migration decision stays separate and unhurried.
What if we later want HCL Domino IQ as well?
You can. Domino IQ is for organisations that must run the model entirely on their own hardware. Domino Assistant is for governed productivity without that project first. Some organisations will use both for different needs.
How hard is it to stop a pilot?
Pilots are usually one mailbox or a small group, with a clear measurement window. Switching off is a settings change — not unwinding a platform move.
Rollout that IT can defend
Start with one mailbox or a small cohort, named owners, and a short window to measure triage time. Pair it with organisation-wide AI governance, and where people still need a general AI workspace, use governed ChatGPT Business — not personal accounts.
When external AI apps must reach Domino directly, add the .
“The Domino organisations we talk to are not scared of AI — they are scared of a project plan that quietly turns into a platform migration. Keeping the assistant inside existing mail files is what lets a pilot start in weeks instead of a procurement cycle.”
Add-on · External AI & browsing
Let ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor work inside Domino — safely.
DominoMCP is the bridge for external AI apps and the managed browser Domino Assistant uses for the live web.
Domino Assistant lives in the mailbox. DominoMCP is for when the AI lives somewhere else — ChatGPT Business, Claude, Cursor — and still needs to act in Domino under that person’s access. The same service runs web browsing so Domino servers do not need their own browsers.
How it fits
Sign in once with Domino. From then on, approved AI apps work as you — in your mail file — while DominoMCP handles the connection and, when needed, the browser.
ChatGPT, Claude, or Cursor sign in as the Domino user. Work lands in the real mailbox — not a shadow copy — and browsing runs on DominoMCP so Domino servers stay lean.
Domino Assistant can call approved business tools. DominoMCP lets approved AI apps call Domino. Different problems; same security story.
What it unlocks
Use ChatGPT or Claude on Domino work
Ask an approved AI app to triage unread, draft replies, or schedule meetings — results land in the real Domino mailbox.
Keep passwords out of AI apps
People sign in with Domino. ChatGPT never receives Domino passwords; it works through a secure gateway.
Browse the live web when needed
Research pages, complete web forms, and run multi-step browser jobs — then bring the outcome back into mail or CRM.
One add-on, not a second mail platform
Domino stays the system of record. DominoMCP is the bridge for external AI and managed browsing — not a rival inbox.
Web browsing built in
When work leaves the mailbox — research a site, complete a form, chase a multi-step web task — DominoMCP runs a managed browser and returns the result to Domino.
Research and extract
Send the assistant to a page or site with a clear goal — it returns what matters into Domino.
Complete web forms
Handle modern JavaScript forms that a simple link cannot finish — without putting a browser on every Domino server.
Signed-in sites when required
For sites that need a login, capture an approved session once so later jobs can reuse it safely.
Getting started
Connect
Add DominoMCP in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or another supported AI app.
Sign in with Domino
Authenticate as yourself. The gateway remembers the link to your mailbox — not your password for the AI vendor.
Ask for Domino work
Triage mail, schedule meetings, or start a web research job. Outcomes land back in Domino.
Security in plain terms
DominoMCP does not raise anyone’s access. It works as the signed-in Domino user, against that user’s mailbox, with the same limits IT already set. Domino decides what is allowed; the gateway connects.
Teams that already run ChatGPT Business can treat DominoMCP as the Domino connector: generative work stays in the approved workspace; mail and calendar changes stay inside Domino.
Who enables it
- Leaders who want ChatGPT or Claude on Domino work without shadow IT
- Teams that need Domino Assistant to research the live web or complete web forms
- IT groups already running Domino Assistant who want a governed path for external AI apps
Latest insights for mail & calendar productivity
Patterns for high-trust enterprise messaging—archive matches plus Domino-aligned briefings you can later source from your CMS.
HCL Domino Assistant briefing·
Inbox triage at enterprise scale: where assistants earn their keep
High-volume mail environments reward small, reliable wins—consistent summaries, suggested next actions, and safer drafting inside existing identity boundaries. The goal is faster response without bypassing records management.
HCL Domino Assistant briefing·
Why “rip and replace” is the wrong framing for Domino-heavy organisations
Decades of workflow, directory, and application logic still earn their keep. An assistant layer can raise productivity while preserving the systems compliance and operations already trust.
HCL Domino Assistant briefing·
Calendar coordination as a workflow—not a personality test
Scheduling conflicts quietly burn senior time. Assistants that propose slots, surface conflicts, and draft polite follow-ups reduce coordination tax while keeping humans in control of commitments.
HCL Domino Assistant FAQs
- What is HCL Domino Assistant?
- An AI assistant that lives inside HCL Domino mail. It helps people triage email, draft replies for review, schedule meetings, run follow-up work, and use approved business tools — all under Domino security IT already manages.
- Does Domino Assistant require migrating off Domino?
- No. It works where Domino users already work. Migration to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace stays a separate decision if you ever make one.
- What can teams use it for?
- Inbox triage, drafting replies, meeting scheduling, follow-up and multi-step task plans, contact-aware messages, CRM updates, Teams chat help, and calling approved external business tools from inside Domino.
- Can Domino Assistant connect to other business systems?
- Yes. With IT approval, Domino can act as a secure client to trusted tools — for example growth or SEO systems — then bring the answer back into mail or a draft. Secrets stay in Domino settings, not in chat prompts.
- How is it governed for enterprise use?
- It respects each user’s Domino access, only runs approved actions, and keeps settings visible to IT. Joiners, movers, and leavers follow your existing Domino processes.
- Who is it for?
- Organisations that rely on HCL Domino and want AI productivity without leaving the platform — especially regulated teams that cannot tolerate shadow AI in personal accounts.
- How is it different from ChatGPT Business?
- Domino Assistant works inside Domino mail. ChatGPT Business is a separate governed workspace for wider drafting and reasoning. Many organisations use both. The DominoMCP add-on can connect ChatGPT Business to Domino when needed.
- What is the DominoMCP server?
- An optional add-on that lets ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and similar apps work in Domino under the signed-in user’s access — and hosts managed web browsing for research, forms, and multi-step web jobs.
- Does DominoMCP include web browsing?
- Yes. DominoMCP runs a managed browser so Domino Assistant can research sites, complete web forms, and finish multi-step web tasks — then return results to mail or CRM — without installing browsers on Domino servers.
- Does DominoMCP replace Domino Assistant?
- No. Domino Assistant stays in the mailbox for day-to-day help and automation. DominoMCP is the bridge for external AI apps and browsing.
- How long does a pilot take?
- Many pilots cover one mailbox or a small group in about four weeks when owners, allowed actions, and a simple success measure are agreed up front.
- Do we need Domino 14.5 or new hardware?
- No. HCL’s Domino IQ feature needs a newer Domino release and GPU hardware to run AI on your own servers. Domino Assistant uses an approved cloud model, so most pilots start on the Domino version you already run.
- Will our mail files or security change?
- No. Nothing structural changes. The assistant works with existing access rules. DominoMCP likewise acts as the signed-in user against that user’s mailbox.
- Is this the same as HCL Domino IQ?
- No. Domino IQ is HCL’s on-premises, GPU-based option for keeping the model inside your building. Domino Assistant is for governed productivity in mail without that hardware project first. Some organisations may want both later.
Sources and references
Claims on this page are grounded in primary guidance and published research. Always verify the latest regulator and vendor documentation for your sector.
- HCL Domino documentation — Platform context for mail, calendar, and enterprise messaging
- HCL Software — Domino IQ (Domino IQ server, 14.5+) — HCL’s on-premises local AI option — different product, different prerequisites
- ICO — Generative AI guidance — Accountability when AI assists with personal data in mailboxes
- AI Build Group — AI assistants consulting — Engagement path for governed assistant rollout