Starting a chat

On this page

The chat layout
Sending a message
Reply, read aloud, and branch
Edit and long conversations
Inactive organizations

Chat always happens inside a workspace, so the first step is to launch one. Open the workspace selector at the top of the sidebar, pick the workspace you want to work in, and the home screen loads with a centered input box asking How can I help you today? — type your question there to start a conversation.

The chat layout#

Area	What's there
Sidebar (left)	Workspace selector at the top New Conversation button Search (opens the command palette to find conversations) Projects (navigate to your project list) Recent conversations Account menu at the bottom
Chat UI (center)	Conversation area Chat input (holds model selector, text box, (+) attachments, file chips, and send/stop button) Type `/` to open the capabilities list
Artifacts panel (right)	Opens when you click a generated file or a citation Lets you read, navigate, and download the file

Sending a message#

Start a new conversation (optional)

Hit New Conversation in the sidebar to start fresh.

Type and send

Enter sends, Shift+Enter adds a new line.

Watch the answer stream

The assistant's reply appears live. If it needs to search, generate a file, or call a tool, you'll see a tool step appear inline before it continues writing.

An assistant answer streaming into the thread with headings and bullet points, above the reply composer — The answer streams in as it is written; you can keep reading while it finishes.

Stop a runaway answer

While the assistant is replying, the send button becomes a Stop button. Click it to halt generation.

The action row under an assistant message: retry, copy, read aloud and feedback, with the credits used — Every answer carries its own actions and the credits it cost.

Reply, read aloud, and branch#

Select a passage inside an assistant reply, then click Reply. The selected excerpt is attached above the composer so the next message keeps the exact context.

Selected text in an assistant reply with the Reply action ready to attach the excerpt to the composer — Select only the passage you want to discuss, then reply to that excerpt.

Open an assistant reply's More menu for Read aloud or Fork from this message. A message fork copies the conversation through that reply into a new thread and leaves the original untouched.

An assistant message More menu showing Read aloud and Fork from this message — Read the answer aloud or branch at exactly this message from the same menu.

Edit and long conversations#

Editing a historical user message opens the composer under a dark overlay and locks scrolling. Press Esc or click outside to leave edit mode; the in-progress edit is preserved if you switch conversations and return.

A historical message being edited in the composer while a dark overlay covers the conversation — Edit mode takes over the screen so the branch point is unambiguous.

When a long conversation is summarized automatically to free context space, a Context automatically compacted activity appears in the chat stream.

A chat activity row saying Context automatically compacted — The timeline records each automatic compaction.

Inactive organizations#

If the organization's subscription is inactive, the notice appears on the composer. Existing content remains readable, but sending messages, uploading files, and changing apps are disabled until the plan is restored.

The composer showing an organization subscription cancelled notice and disabled sending — The inactive-organization notice appears with the controls it disables.

If something goes wrong

An error banner appears below the messages with Retry and Dismiss buttons.