> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hercules.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chat with Hercules and your Agents

> Chat is a general AI assistant in your Dashboard. Ask it questions, work across your connected tools, or talk to one of your Hercules Agents directly.

<Note>
  Chat is in private beta, so things may change. If you hit a problem, tell us via [Support &
  feedback](/docs/company/contact).
</Note>

Chat is a general AI assistant that lives in your Dashboard. Ask it a question, have it research a topic, draft something for you, or get work done in the apps you have connected. It's also where you talk to one of your [Hercules Agents](/docs/agents/what-are-agents) directly, without waiting for a trigger to start it.

Chat does not build apps. To build or edit an app, use the [Hercules App Builder](/docs/apps/quickstart).

<div className="screenshot lavender">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeus-0f6dadbf/AUzCpLx0wjCzKFM0/images/agents/chat-main.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=AUzCpLx0wjCzKFM0&q=85&s=5c4f50b4575468e3531356f863b1a1f8" alt="The Chat message box, with the picker set to Default and starter suggestions below it" width="2164" height="1462" data-path="images/agents/chat-main.png" />
</div>

### How do I start a chat?

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Chat">
    Click **Chat** at the top of the Dashboard sidebar, or go to
    [hercules.app/dashboard/chat](https://hercules.app/dashboard/chat).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type what you need">
    Send your message, or tap one of the suggestions under the box to start.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Keep going">
    Every reply stays in the conversation, so you can follow up without repeating yourself.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Start another conversation with **Create new chat** in the sidebar, or press <kbd>Cmd + Shift + O</kbd> / <kbd>Ctrl + Shift + O</kbd>.

### What can Chat do?

* **Answer questions**, including about things that changed recently. Chat searches the web when accuracy matters, and links its sources
* **Read a link** you paste, or a page it found while searching
* **Find images** when you ask for visual references
* **Use your connected tools**, like Slack, Notion, Linear, or GitHub
* **Read what you attach**. Drag a file onto the message box, paste it, or click **+** → **Attach files**. Chat reads images, PDFs, and text files

Chat uses your [Chat Connectors](/docs/ai/chat-connectors), the same ones the App Builder Agent uses, so they're personal to you and teammates cannot use yours. To point Chat at a specific tool, type **@** and pick the connector. Open **Integrations** at the bottom of the Chat sidebar to connect more.

<Warning>
  Chat asks before it creates, changes, or deletes anything in a connected tool, unless you set that
  tool to **Always allow**. See [connector permissions](/docs/ai/chat-connectors).
</Warning>

### How do I chat with one of my Agents?

Click the picker at the bottom left of the message box. It says **Default** until you change it. Choose one of your Agents, and the suggestions under the box change to that Agent's example questions.

What's different from the default assistant:

* The Agent brings its own [integrations](/docs/agents/integrations), not your personal connectors
* The Agent runs on the model it is set to, so the model selector is hidden
* The conversation is a real run of the published Agent. It shows up in the Agent's [History](/docs/agents/run-history) and counts toward its [costs](/docs/agents/costs-and-limits) like any other run
* Anyone in your Organization can carry on the conversation, the same as any other run of that Agent
* There is no share link. The run is already visible to your team through the Agent it belongs to

Who a conversation is with is fixed once it starts. Start a new chat to talk to a different Agent.

### How do I find an old conversation?

Every conversation is kept, listed in the Chat sidebar and grouped by when it was last active. Type in the search box at the top to match conversation titles.

To narrow the list further, click the filter button beside the search box:

* **Agent**: everything, only the default assistant, or one of your Agents
* **Person**: only your conversations (the default), everyone's, or one teammate's

### How do I share a chat?

Open the conversation and click **Share**, or use **...** → **Share** in the sidebar. Pick who can see it:

| Option        | Who can see it                                   |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Private**   | Only you. This is how every conversation starts  |
| **Your team** | Anyone in your Organization with the link        |
| **Public**    | Anyone with the link, no Hercules account needed |

Copy the link from the same dialog. Whoever opens it reads the conversation, they cannot add to it. To stop sharing, set the conversation back to **Private** and the link stops working.

<Warning>
  A public link works for anyone who has it. Check what's in the conversation before you share it,
  including anything it pulled in from your connected tools.
</Warning>

### Additional FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What does Chat cost?">
    Chat uses AI credits, the same credits as the rest of Hercules. See [AI
    Credits](/docs/platform/billing/ai-credits).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I rename or delete a chat?">
    Hover a conversation in the sidebar and click **...**. Titles are written for you from the first
    message, so rename it to whatever you want. Deleting cannot be undone, and deleting a conversation
    with an Agent also removes it from that Agent's [History](/docs/agents/run-history).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change the model?">
    Yes, for the default assistant. Click the 🧠 selector in the message box and pick a model. See
    [models](/docs/ai/how-it-works) for what each one trades off. A conversation with one of your Agents
    runs on the model that Agent is set to.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my teammates see my chats?">
    Not unless you share one. Conversations with the default assistant are private to you until you
    change that. Conversations with an Agent belong to the Organization, so anyone in it can read them
    and reply.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I reply in a teammate's chat?">
    Only if it is a run of one of your Organization's Agents. A teammate's conversation with the
    default assistant is read-only, even when they share it with you.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is an Agent missing from the picker?">
    Only enabled Agents can hold a conversation. Turn it back on from the Agents list, then it
    appears. See [Manage Agents](/docs/agents/manage-agents).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Chat build me an app?">
    No. Chat has no codebase and no development environment. Use **Create new app** in the Dashboard,
    then build it in the [App Builder](/docs/apps/quickstart).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I can't see Chat in my sidebar">
    Chat is switched on one Organization at a time. If **Chat** is missing, contact
    [hello@hercules.app](mailto:hello@hercules.app).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>