Chats and modes
A chat is one conversation with one brain, in one workspace. Open Optimal in the sidebar to reopen your most recent chat in the current workspace, or press New to start a fresh one.
Pick a workspace first
Optimal works in one workspace at a time. With a single workspace selected, the chat can read and change resources in that workspace only.
If All workspaces is selected, the chat reads every workspace you belong to. It asks which workspace to use before it changes anything.
The composer
The empty chat shows a headline for the current mode, three starter suggestions, and the composer. From left to right, the composer toolbar has:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| + | Adds files or MIOSA resources to the chat as context |
| Mode menu | Switches between Ask, Build, and Investigate |
| Brain picker | Chooses who answers; see Brains and agents |
| Machine menu | Chooses where Optimal works; shown in Build mode or once a machine is involved |
| Send message | Sends; while Optimal is working it becomes Queue message |
| Stop | Cancels the running reply |
Under the input, the cost strip shows what the chat has cost so far. See Pricing and usage.
Modes
| Mode | Use it to | Starter suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | Get answers from live workspace context | “What needs my attention in this workspace?”, “Summarize what changed in the last day” |
| Build | Build or change something on a sandbox or computer | “Build a landing page and publish it”, “Build a small API with a database” |
| Investigate | Trace evidence before reaching a conclusion | “Why did my latest deployment fail?”, “Trace the most recent error in my logs” |
You can change the mode between messages. After an answer in Ask mode, Switch to Build and run this turns the answer into work on a machine.
Investigate always runs on the Optimal brain. With a harness or saved agent as the brain, Investigate is not offered; start a new chat to use it.
Add context
Press + to open Add context. You can:
- attach files: images, documents, or any file, up to 10 MB each and 25 MB per chat;
- drop or paste files straight into the composer;
- point Optimal at MIOSA resources in your workspace.
Optimal takes three kinds of file:
| Kind | Examples | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Image | PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF | The model sees it |
| Document | PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, Markdown, JSON, code | Its text is read into the message |
| Any other file | Archives, binaries | It is written to the chat’s machine, under /workspace/uploads |
Any other file needs a machine bound to the chat; pick a sandbox or computer, then send again. When the chat has a machine, images and documents are copied to it too.
Send while Optimal works
You can keep typing while Optimal works. Queue message sends your message right after the current reply finishes. A queued message can be removed until it starts.
Stop
Stop cancels the reply in progress. The chat shows “Stopped”, and what Optimal finished before you stopped it stays in the chat.
Context and compaction
Every chat has a 1M-token context. The context meter in the chat header shows how much is used, for example “312K of 1M context”. It turns amber at 70% and red at 90%.
When the context fills, Optimal folds the older part of the chat into a short summary on its own. The meter shows “Compacting context…” while it does. Nothing is needed from you.
Rename, share, delete
The … menu in the chat header (tooltip “Chat options”) has:
- Rename: gives the chat a new title.
- Allowed in this chat: lists the steps you allowed without asking, with Remove on each; see Approvals.
- Delete: deletes the chat and its messages for good. Machines the chat used are not touched.
To share a chat with your team, use Share with team from its menu in My chats. See Team chats and sharing.
Ask Optimal from any page
On project, product, deployment, agent, workflow, computer, sandbox, database, and storage pages, the sidebar shows Ask Optimal. It opens Optimal next to the page, with that page as context. The shortcut is Alt + Shift + O.
Find a chat again
History in the Optimal sidebar lists every chat in the workspace, with search and Load older chats. Recent chats also sit in the sidebar under Mine and Team. How long chats stay is set in Preferences: 30 days, 90 days, or 1 year. See Tasks, artifacts and history.
Related
- Build on your machines: the machine menu and the side panel.
- Optimal API: the same chats over HTTP.