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4. Connection — Assistant vs Manual (Self‑Hosted)

In Self‑Hosted mode the Settings → Microsoft 365 area offers a Configuration mode switch so you see only what you need. The choice is remembered per browser.

Assistant (default)

A clean, guided view for most admins.

Connection — Assistant mode

It shows:

  • A Start Wizard button that opens the full Setup Wizard.
  • Compact status chips: Exchange Online connected / not connected and Single sign‑on enabled / off.
  • The Guided Microsoft setup card (certificate generation → PowerShell bootstrap → 1‑click consent).
  • The auto‑managed Cloud Sync status card (see Cloud Sync).

Everything raw (App Registration IDs, certificate upload, the “Connect to Entra” toggle, Cloud Sync enable/disable, detailed EXO/SSO) is hidden to keep the happy path simple.

Manual

The full set of controls for power users.

Connection — Manual mode

It shows the setup checklist, the Graph read source toggle, App Registration (Tenant ID, Client ID, certificate upload), Cloud Sync enable/detect, Exchange Online and SSO sections.

Guided Microsoft Graph setup

The guided card performs three steps:

  1. Generate certificate — the server creates a self‑signed certificate (valid ≤ 729 days, see Certificates) and stores the private key; you get the public .cer.
  2. Provision the app — run the generated Microsoft Graph PowerShell bootstrap once as a Global Administrator. You can Copy PowerShell script or Download .ps1 — the script is not shown inline (so it never forces a horizontal scrollbar).
  3. Grant admin consent — a 1‑click consent link; on success the app flips to live mode and auto‑detects Exchange org + Cloud Sync.

The bootstrap script creates the app registration, attaches the certificate as a key credential (no explicit start/end dates — the cert’s own validity governs it), assigns the required Graph app roles and the Exchange Exchange.ManageAsApp permission, and ensures the Office 365 Exchange Online service principal exists.