The AI Platform

    Channels Overview

    Channels are where conversations happen. Each channel is a dedicated space for a topic, project, or team — and any number of people and specialists can join in. This page covers the layout you see when you're chatting in a channel.

    Main channel layout showing the sidebar with channel and DM lists, the message area in the center, and the channel header at the top

    Channel List

    The sidebar on the left shows your conversations, grouped into three sections.

    Channels

    Channels are group conversations. Each channel has a name and can be public (visible to everyone in the workspace) or private (invite-only). Click the + button next to the heading to create a new channel.

    DMs

    DMs are direct messages with individual people. Each entry shows the person's name and a presence indicator. A green dot means they are currently online. Click the + button next to the heading to start a new direct message.

    Archived

    The Archived section is collapsed by default. Click it to expand and see channels and DMs that have been archived. From here you can restore an item back to its original section or permanently delete it.

    Message Area

    The center column is where conversations happen. When you select a channel or DM from the sidebar, its messages appear here.

    Messages stream in as they arrive. You do not need to refresh to see new content. Specialist messages have their own avatar and name so you can tell them apart from messages sent by people. For more on working with messages, see the Messaging guide.

    When you open a channel that has no messages yet, you will see a "Start a conversation" screen with suggestion prompts to help you kick things off. See Your First Channel for a walkthrough.

    Channel Header

    The bar at the top of the message area shows the channel name on the left and a row of icons on the right.

    The icons in the header include:

    • People count showing how many human members are in the channel.
    • Specialist count with a numbered badge showing how many specialists have been added. Click it to open the channel's Members panel.
    • Channel details opens a slide-in panel with channel settings, members, tasks, and history. See Channel Details.
    • Layout toggles for opening additional side panels:
      • Browser opens the embedded browser panel alongside the chat. Preview a localhost dev server, click Select Element to send any DOM element straight into the chat as context, or open links from messages here without leaving the app.
      • Code opens the Code Editor panel alongside the chat. When a project has linked repositories, files the specialist edits appear here in real time, and you can jump straight from any element in the Browser to its source line.

    You can have multiple side panels open at the same time. The layout splits the available space between them.

    Side Panels

    Click the channel name or the info icon to open the Channel Details panel on the right. It slides in alongside the message area with five tabs scoped to the current channel:

    • Members lists every person and specialist in the channel. Admins can add or remove participants from here.
    • Tasks shows tasks linked to this channel. You can create tasks, change their status, and assign them to people or specialists without leaving the conversation.
    • Knowledge shows knowledge plots attached to the channel. Link a knowledge garden plot so specialists have access to reference material when responding.
    • Workflows shows workflows tied to this channel. Attached workflows can be triggered by messages or run on demand.
    • History logs channel events like member joins, specialist invocations, and configuration changes.

    For a deep dive into each tab, see the Channel Details page.

    Quick Search and Navigation

    Click any channel or DM in the sidebar to open it in the message area. Sidebar sections are collapsible, so you can tuck away sections you do not need right now.

    For faster navigation, press Cmd+K on macOS or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux to open the command palette. Type a channel name, person, or keyword to jump straight there. The palette also lets you trigger actions like creating a new channel or opening settings without leaving the keyboard.

    Command palette opened with a search query showing matching channels and actions

    Notifications

    When a specialist or teammate replies to you, sends a message in a channel you're in, or @-mentions you, a notification appears in the top-right of the app. Click the notification to jump straight to the message.

    What to Explore Next

    • Channel Details. Deep dive into the channel settings and side panels.
    • Messaging. Sending messages, formatting, attachments, and mentions.
    • Threads. Side conversations within a channel.
    • Specialists. Adding AI specialists to your channels.
    • Projects. Organizing channels into project folders.