# Chat (/chat)



Use Chat to ask Sim to build and run workflows, research a topic, create files, query tables, and act through connected services. Name the resources and outcome you want; Sim can inspect the accessible workspace context needed for the request.

## What you can do [#what-you-can-do]

| Task | Examples |
| - | - |
| [Workflows](/chat/workflows) | Build, edit, test, debug, deploy, and organize workflows |
| [Research](/chat/research) | Search web sources, read pages, and save cited reports |
| [Files and documents](/chat/files) | Process attachments; create or edit documents, presentations, images, and charts |
| [Tables](/chat/tables) | Create tables, query or update rows, and export data |
| [Actions and configuration](/chat/tasks) | Call connected services, set up recurring workflows, and manage credentials, secrets, and tools |
| [Knowledge bases](/chat/knowledge) | Add documents and connectors, search content, and configure workflow retrieval |
| [Sim Mailer](/chat/mailer) | Submit tasks by email to an enabled workspace inbox |

## Start a chat [#how-it-works]

1. Select **New chat** in the sidebar.
2. Choose **Build** for the workspace actions described in this section. Where available, **Search** answers questions from connected sources.
3. Describe the task, its inputs, and the result you want.

**Plan** helps research needs and develop a solution before implementation. It appears only for eligible platform administrators with **Super admin mode** enabled on a deployment that enables this capability. An organization Admin role alone does not enable it.

For example:

* "Build a lead enrichment workflow that scores inbound signups and writes the results to the leads table."
* "Research our top five competitors and save a battle card for each one."
* "Create a workflow that takes a contract PDF, extracts key terms, and emails a summary to legal."
* "Add a daily schedule to the prospect workflow and deploy it. At 8am America/New\_York, find new high-fit prospects and post them to #outbound in Slack."

Chat can work across accessible resources. When you open Sim inside a workflow, that conversation is scoped to the workflow. In the organization view, **Build** requires permission to create organization workspaces; each action in an existing workspace still checks its access and enabled capabilities. Available actions depend on your role, connected accounts, workspace settings, and organization policy. Planning a solution does not by itself authorize deploying it or sending messages.

## Add context [#adding-context]

Use the **+** menu, type `@` followed by a resource name, or drag an item from the sidebar into the input. You can reference workflows, tables, files, knowledge bases, folders, and earlier chats. Naming a resource in a request also helps Sim find it:

* "Run the invoice workflow."
* "Add a row to the leads table."
* "Deploy the summarizer as a chat."

Attach a supported file when Sim needs its contents. Attachments stay with the conversation; ask Sim to save a copy to workspace **Files** when teammates or workflows need it. See [files in Chat](/chat/files).

## Inspect progress and resources [#layout]

The chat thread appears beside a resource panel. Workflows open in the workflow builder, tables in the table editor, knowledge bases in their management view, and files in a viewer appropriate to their type. Sim can open resources as it creates or modifies them.

Resize the panel, drag tabs to reorder them, and close tabs you no longer need. For larger requests, Sim may delegate parts of the work to other agents. Expand their activity in the chat to inspect progress.

Messages in the same conversation queue while Sim is working. You can edit or remove a queued message, or use **Send now** to stop the current turn and send that message. Use **Stop generation** to stop the current response.

### Find text in a conversation [#find-text-in-a-conversation]

With the chat pane focused, press **Cmd/Ctrl + F** to open **Find in chat**. Enter text, then use **Enter** or **Shift + Enter** to move between matches. Press **Escape** to close it.

Find searches loaded user and assistant message text, excluding tool/activity cards and hidden reasoning. Older messages load progressively when you reopen a conversation. While that history is loading, or if loading fails, a missing match does not establish that the message is absent. Find keeps up to 500 matches, prioritizing recent messages; a `+` after the count indicates more matches.

When native Mac app control is available in Sim Desktop, Chat also shows the active app/action and a **Stop** control. See [Computer Use](/desktop#native-mac-app-control) for device opt-in, app approvals, and macOS permissions.

## Permissions and limits [#permissions-and-limits]

Reading a resource does not grant permission to edit or execute it. Workspace writes and runs require the relevant access, and organization policies can restrict individual capabilities.

Chat can mask tracked secret values or withhold stored files, table rows, and knowledge content it cannot safely check before it reaches the model. This check is separate from workspace access and tool approval. A resource can remain available in your workspace even when its content is unavailable to Chat.

When tool permissions require a decision, review the action and choose **Allow** or **Skip**. **Don't ask again** offers **For this chat** and **For every chat**, subject to policy. Approval does not expand your underlying resource access.

Chat runs are subject to the deployment's configured runtime and usage limits. Split long work into steps; use a deployed workflow for recurring execution. Check the result and any remaining setup or failed actions before treating the task as complete.

## Related docs [#related-docs]

* [Search](/search)
* [Permissions](/platform/permissions)
* [Credentials](/platform/credentials)
* [Costs](/platform/costs)