docs: Clarify GitLab Duo availability settings behavior
What does this MR do?
Updates the GitLab Duo availability documentation to accurately describe the cascading behavior of the settings and clarify the differences between GitLab.com and Self-Managed implementations.
Why was this MR needed?
Addresses issue #555403 (closed) where users were confused by the current "On by default"/"Off by default" labels that don't match the actual behavior. The team agreed on clearer terminology and descriptions in the issue discussion.
Key changes
- Added clear explanations of "Globally on", "Globally off", and "Always off" options
- Distinguished between feature access and context access on GitLab.com vs Self-Managed
- Clarified that settings affect ALL existing groups/subgroups/projects, not just defaults for new entities
- Removed confusing "by default" terminology that suggested only new entities were affected
- Added note about cascading settings framework to explain the behavior
Platform-specific differences clarified
GitLab Self-Managed
- All options control feature access
- "Always off" prevents features from being turned on at any level
GitLab.com
- "Globally on/off" controls both features and context access
- "Always off" only controls context access (prevents code/data from being used as AI context)
Screenshots
The documentation now clearly explains what each option does instead of using misleading "by default" language.
Related issues
Closes #555403 (closed)
Author's checklist
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Follow the Documentation Style Guide and Writing Style Guide -
Ensure that the product tier badge is added to topic's h1 -
Request a review based on the technical writing assignments for the applicable DevOps stage/group