Chat Interface

The chat interface is your primary way of communicating with coding agents. It supports rich message formatting, file attachments, approval workflows, and multiple conversation sessions.

​

Message Types

The chat displays different types of messages, each with distinct styling:

​

User Messages

Your messages appear with an edit option. Click the pencil icon to modify and resend a message.

​

Agent Messages

Agent responses are rendered with full markdown support, including:

• Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Tables and lists
• Links and formatted text

​

System Messages

Informational messages from the system, such as model initialisation or status updates.

​

Error Messages

Error messages appear in red with a warning icon. Click to expand and see full error details.

​

Chat Input

​

Writing Messages

The chat input supports rich text editing:

• Bold - Cmd/Ctrl + B or click B
• Italic - Cmd/Ctrl + I or click I
• Underline - Cmd/Ctrl + U or click U
• Strikethrough - Click S
• Code - Click the code button or wrap with backticks

​

Attaching Images

You can attach images to your messages:

1. Click the attachment button (paperclip icon) in the toolbar
2. Drag and drop images directly into the chat
3. Images are uploaded and referenced in your message

​

File Mentions

Type @ to mention files from your repository. The chat provides typeahead suggestions showing:

• Filename in bold
• Full path below each file
• Matches update as you type

Select a file to include it as context for the agent.

​

Sending Messages

​

Send Actions

​

Execution States

The chat interface shows different states:

​

Agent Selection

​

Choosing an Agent

Select which coding agent to use from the Agent dropdown in the chat toolbar. Available agents depend on your configuration.

​

Variants

Some agents support different variants or profiles. Use the variant selector to choose:

• Different model configurations
• Custom system prompts
• Specialised behaviours

Click Customise to configure agent settings.

​

Approval Workflow

Some agents (especially with planning mode enabled) ask for your approval before making changes. This gives you control over what gets implemented.

​

Why Approvals Exist

• Prevent unwanted changes - Review the plan before code is written
• Catch misunderstandings early - Ensure the agent understood your request
• Guide the approach - Steer the agent toward your preferred solution

​

Reviewing Plans

When the agent needs approval, you’ll see an approval card in the chat:

1. Read the plan summary - What the agent intends to do
2. Expand for details - Click to see the full plan with specific files and changes
3. Choose an action:
   • Approve - Agent proceeds with the plan
   • Request Changes - Provide feedback for revision

​

Requesting Changes

If the plan isn’t quite right:

1. Type your feedback in the chat input explaining what should be different
2. Click Request Changes
3. The agent revises the plan based on your feedback
4. Review the new plan and approve or request more changes

​

Disabling Approvals

If you want the agent to work autonomously without asking for approval:

1. Use an agent variant without planning mode
2. Or configure dangerously_skip_permissions in agent settings (use with caution)

​

Editing Messages

You can edit and resend previous messages:

​

Status Indicators

​

Token Usage

The context gauge shows how much of the agent’s context window is used. Understanding this helps you get better results.

​

What are Tokens?

Tokens are how AI models measure text. Roughly:

• 1 token ≈ 4 characters or ¾ of a word
• A 200K context window can hold about 150,000 words

The context window includes everything the agent “remembers”: your messages, its responses, code it has read, and file contents.

​

Why Token Usage Matters

When usage is high:

• Agent may “forget” earlier parts of the conversation
• Responses may become less accurate
• Agent might re-read files it already read
• Complex reasoning may suffer

​

Usage Levels

​

Tasks Progress

When the agent breaks down work into tasks, a progress indicator appears in the chat toolbar:

• Progress bar showing completion percentage
• Task count (e.g., “5/5 completed”)
• Individual tasks with checkmarks when complete

Click the indicator to expand the full task list showing each step the agent is working through.

​

File Changes

The chat shows file modification summaries:

• Green numbers indicate lines added
• Red numbers indicate lines removed
• Click to view the file in the Changes panel

​

Tool Outputs

​

Command Execution

When the agent runs commands, you’ll see:

• Terminal icon for bash commands
• Exit code for completed commands
• Fix Script button if a command fails

Click to view full output in the logs panel.

​

Search Results

Search operations show summarised results. Click to expand and see full search output.

​

Review Comments

When you add inline comments in the Changes panel:

1. A banner appears showing the comment count
2. Comments are automatically included when you send a message
3. Click Clear to remove pending comments

​

Keyboard Shortcuts

​

Related Documentation

• Slash Commands - Quick actions with slash commands
• Sessions - Managing multiple conversation sessions
• Interface Guide - Overview of the workspace layout
• Command Bar - Quick actions and shortcuts