Chat

A box is a directory of your data, kept under version control with a full history of changes (using git); a card is a markdown file with a structured header; the agent is the coding agent (Claude Code or Codex) that operates the box. Chat is the everyday way you talk to it.

What it does for you

• Streams the agent's reply as it is generated, instead of making you wait for the whole answer.
• Lets you resume a past conversation, reopen a chat from its card, or pick up the most recently active one.
• Scopes a chat to wherever you started it: a card you were reading, a directory ("place") in the box, or a page you just clipped from the web.
• Lets you quote a passage out of any card into what you're typing.
• Recovers a message that failed to send instead of losing it, and keeps an unfinished draft across reloads.
• Can set a reminder mid-conversation that wakes the same chat back up later, optionally with a sound or a spoken announcement.

What it needs

Nothing beyond the box itself and a working agent login (Claude Code or Codex). See ../install/index.md.

How it works, briefly

Every conversation is a durable chat card, so it survives reloads and is browsable like anything else in the box. The agent acts inside a turn and asks you a question when it is unsure rather than guessing; its mid-turn work (files touched, background notes) is visible in the transcript. Chat runs on demand, when you send a message, not on a schedule.

Limits

A chat that cannot be resumed (for example, an old session format) says so rather than silently starting a new, disconnected one. The documentation does not describe a message-editing feature; a sent message stands as sent.

Go deeper

../reference/cards/chat.md, ../reference/cards/chat-thread.md, ../reference/chat-voice.md, ../reference/narration-mode.md, voice.md