Chats
Chats are quick, throwaway conversations — for when you just need an answer and don't want the ceremony of a topic. Type a prompt and get going in seconds.
When to use a chat vs a topic
| Chat | Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifespan | Throwaway | Long-lived |
| GitHub issue link | — | Optional, used as live context |
| Tree nesting | — | Yes |
| Scheduling / reminders | — | Yes |
| Best for | A one-off question | A tracked thread of work |
Reach for a chat to draft a message, explain an error, or brainstorm. Reach for a topic when the conversation is part of ongoing work you'll return to.
Same rich composer
Chats share the same conversation experience as topics:
- Streaming replies over Server-Sent Events with live markdown rendering.
- Mermaid diagrams, fenced code blocks, and syntax highlighting.
/slash commands, including skills and the memory commands (/memory-store,/memory-list,/memory-update).- Attachments — images as vision input, PDF / DOCX / PPTX text-extracted.
- MCP tools — the same enabled tool servers, with tool calls shown inline.
- Long-term memory is injected into chats too, so your standing preferences and facts follow you here as well.
Unread badges & notifications
Chats — like topics and agents — track unread activity. When a reply arrives while you're looking elsewhere, the chat's row shows an unread count, the sidebar tab highlights, and (when notifications are enabled and the window is unfocused) a browser notification fires. Opening the chat clears its badge.
Lazy-loaded history
A chat doesn't load its entire transcript up front — it fetches the most recent page (50 messages) and pulls older ones in as you scroll toward the top, preserving your scroll position.