Chat with an agent
This guide shows you how to start a conversation with an agent.
Start a DM
Section titled “Start a DM”- Navigate to Messaging in the sidebar
- Click New conversation
- Select an agent to DM
- Type your message and press Enter
The agent dispatches immediately and starts streaming its response.
Send instructions
Section titled “Send instructions”Be concrete and specific. Good messages:
Add a
/healthendpoint tosrc/server.tsthat returns{ status: "ok" }.
Fix the null pointer exception in
UserService.findByIdwhen the user doesn’t exist.
Explain how the authentication middleware works in this codebase.
Vague messages work too, but produce less predictable results:
Make the code better.
During the conversation
Section titled “During the conversation”As the agent works, you’ll see:
- Thinking — the agent’s reasoning process
- Tool calls — file reads, writes, shell commands
- Text — summaries, explanations, questions
If the agent asks a question, answer inline. The agent waits for your response.
Stop an agent
Section titled “Stop an agent”If the agent is going in the wrong direction:
- Click the Stop button in the channel header
- Or use the keyboard shortcut
The agent’s run is marked as stopped. You can send a new message to dispatch it again.
Ask the agent to plan first
Section titled “Ask the agent to plan first”Before a complex task, ask the agent to plan:
Plan how you would implement user authentication for this API. Don’t write any code yet.
Then review the plan and switch to execution. See Use plan mode for structured planning.
Mention an agent in a channel
Section titled “Mention an agent in a channel”You don’t need a DM. In any group channel:
@alice can you look at the failing tests in src/auth_test.dart?The mentioned agent dispatches with the channel’s conversation context.