Remove ai_catalog_public_explore feature flag

Eduardo Bonetrequested to merge
596348-ff-ai-catalog-public-explore-make-ai-catalog into master

What does this MR do and why?

Removes the ai_catalog_public_explore feature flag from gitlab-org/gitlab. The flag has been default_enabled: true since 19.0 and made the AI Catalog explorable by all users. This change keeps that behavior permanently and deletes the flag YAML definition.

Behavior kept:

  • Explore::AiCatalogController no longer forces sign-in; access requires only Ai::Catalog.feature_available?. The parent Explore::ApplicationController still enforces sign-in when the instance restricts public visibility.
  • Projects::DuoAgentsPlatformController and Groups::DuoAgentsPlatformController drop the read_ai_catalog_item_consumer fallback guard. A signed-in user passes the general access check; per-route authorization is unchanged.
  • The project and group "Duo Agents" super sidebar menu items always render (when duo features are enabled for the project or group) and are always titled "AI". The "Automate" title used for the flag-off state is removed, along with its translation string in locale/gitlab.pot.
  • The Explore sidebar AI Catalog menu item renders based on Ai::Catalog.feature_available?.
  • Search autocomplete AI Catalog entries require a signed-in user and Ai::Catalog.feature_available?.

Specs updated: flag-off contexts removed, and navbar structure specs now expect the "AI" menu item after "Plan" (added to the shared project navbar structure context for EE runs).

How to set up and validate locally

  1. On an instance with duo features enabled, visit /explore/ai_catalog as an anonymous user and verify the page renders.
  2. Open a project with duo features enabled and verify the "AI" menu item appears in the sidebar.
  3. Open a group with duo features enabled and verify the "AI" menu item appears in the sidebar.

Related

Related to #596348 (closed)

Merge request reports