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A chat is a session with the agent inside a workspace. The agent can query your data, write and run code, edit files, and build notebooks. It runs on the workspace’s machine, not in your browser, so it keeps working when you close the tab.

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Start a chat

  • Click Chat on a workspace’s row in the sidebar, or New chat on the workspace page.
  • Click New from template to start from a chat someone saved as a template.
The chat is created when you send the first message.

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The composer

Type your request in the composer and press Send. Below the text box: Set your default model and effort for new chats in Preferences, from the account menu at the bottom of the sidebar. While the agent is working, Send becomes Stop. A message you send mid-turn is queued and runs when the current turn ends.
Slash commands are not available in the web app. Ask for what you want in plain language instead.

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What the agent shows you

The agent streams its answer. Each step it takes appears as a card you can expand:
  • Queries show a result table.
  • File edits show what was added, updated, renamed, or deleted. Click Show diff to see the change.
  • Shell commands show their output.
  • Notebook steps show the cells it created, edited, or ran, with Go to cell to open the notebook there. Tables, charts, and images from a notebook can appear right in the chat.
Large results are stored rather than pasted into the conversation. See large results.

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Approvals and questions

When the agent reaches an action your permission mode does not allow on its own, it stops and shows an approval card describing what it wants to do and why it needs approval.
  • Allow once (Enter) runs it this time.
  • Reject once (Esc) refuses it this time. The agent adapts and continues.
  • Always allow, from the dropdown, saves a rule so the same action passes next time. Only the chat’s owner can choose it.
When the agent needs a decision from you, it asks with a question card. Pick an answer, or choose Other… to type your own. A chat waiting on you shows Needs your answer in the sidebar.

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Work together

Several people can be in one chat at once.
  • Avatars at the top show who else is in the chat.
  • The composer draft is shared. Everyone with edit access can type in it together and see each other’s cursors.
  • People with Can view access can read the chat but not send messages.
To give someone access, share the workspace.

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Manage a chat

The chat header has Rename, Share, Copy chat, and Delete chat.
  • Copy chat makes your own copy, named “(copy)”.
  • Delete chat moves the chat and its files to the trash.
  • Save as template…, from the chat’s menu in the sidebar, lets people start new chats from it with New from template.

Agent & Tools

Effects, permission modes, and what the agent can do.

Slack

Start chats by mentioning the Alkera bot.