The chat screen

What the screen consists of

• The sidebar on the left: the New chat button, chat search, the list of chats and projects. At the bottom is a row of icons: sync, background tasks, trash and settings (the gear). Their names appear in a tooltip on hover. You can collapse the sidebar and change its width by dragging its edge.
• The conversation in the middle.
• The input field at the bottom: text, attachments, voice input, model picker.
• The context panel on the right: the conversation's topic, summary, facts and documents of this chat. It opens and closes with the button in the top right corner. See Context panel.

On a phone the sidebar and the context panel open with buttons in the header, and the header hides while you scroll to leave more room for text.

A new conversation

Click New chat and type a message in the Ask MindDuck anything... field.

• On a computer Enter sends the message and Shift+Enter starts a new line.
• On a phone Enter starts a new line; send with the button.

The chat title appears by itself after the first exchange. The background model writes it (see Connecting models). You can change the title at any time, see Chat actions.

The row under the input field

The chat's tools sit under the input field: a paper clip for attachments, a lock for a private chat, the MCP connections icon (see below), the model picker, a microphone and the round send button with an arrow. The button is orange, and in a project chat it takes the project's color. While the model answers, a Stop button takes its place.

In a new chat the field says What would you like to explore?; the word in the question changes every few seconds.

Choosing the model for a chat

The row under the input field briefly shows the model that will answer (for example, claude-opus-5-5). On a narrow screen a ✦ icon replaces the name. The full name of the connection and the model is in the tooltip. Click the model to choose another connection or another model. The menu has a model search and a Recently used list. The choice applies to the current chat; new chats still start with the default model.

If images are attached, the menu keeps only models that can read them.

Tools from other apps (MCP)

If connections are set up in Settings → MCP Connections, the plug icon in the row under the input field shows how many of them work in this chat. Enabled connections are available in all chats at once, including a new one. Click the icon to turn a connection off for this chat only.

When the model wants to perform an action, a card with its parameters appears above the input field: Allow once, Always allow or Deny. While the action runs, its time and progress are shown there. You can also ask the assistant to set things up: "connect Blender", "why doesn't the browser work?", and it will suggest the change with a card.

Project and folders at the input field

You can start a new chat right in a project: click Start in a project at the input field and choose the project. The chip stays visible until the first message and shows Project: ; the chat appears in the project along with the first message. No project returns to a regular chat.

The folder button next to it shows which folders the assistant works with in this chat (tooltip Folders: N open in this chat or Folders: none in this chat). In the Folders in this chat list every folder shows where it comes from:

• From the project: a folder of the project the chat belongs to;
• All chats: a folder open in all chats;
• This chat: a folder added to this chat only.

The switch next to a folder turns it on or off for this chat only. Add folder… adds a new folder to this chat, Use in all chats makes it shared, Manage folders opens Settings → Folders. In a new chat your choice is remembered and takes effect with the first message.

The assistant searches and reads files in open folders and, when allowed, suggests changes with a card showing a line-by-line comparison. More: Project folders.

While the model is answering

The answer appears as it is generated. Above it you see what the model is doing right now: searching memory, reading a page, writing the answer. How detailed this display is can be set in Assistant → Model work display.

• Stop stops the answer. The part already written is kept.
• Only one chat can be answering at a time. In other chats the input field shows A response is running in another chat.
• If the answer was cut off or ended with an error, Retry appears under it.

If the answer is long and you scrolled up, a Jump to latest message button appears.

Fixing your last request

Hover over your last message and choose Edit last request. The text returns to the input field. Once sent, the new request replaces the old one together with its answer. Facts and documents the previous answer already created stay.

Earlier messages can't be edited, but they can be deleted. See Chat and message actions.

If no model is connected

Instead of sending, the input field offers Connect provider. The archive, search and documents are still available. Details: Connecting models.