{"schemaVersion":"1","contentVersion":"2026-10-18.1","slug":"controls-chat","title":"Chat, sessions, models, and file controls","summary":"Choose a conversation and model, give the assistant context, queue instructions, and navigate its replies.","category":"Control reference","minutes":8,"prerequisites":["Open the named screen in Rumata. Available controls may depend on your account, permissions, and resource state."],"sections":[{"id":"sessions","title":"Sessions and conversation navigation","blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"A session is a conversation with its own history. The assistant still works in the same factory."},{"type":"table","headers":["Control","What it does"],"rows":[["Main agent / session row","Open that conversation. The selected row is highlighted."],["Sub-agent row","Inspect a child conversation created by the assistant. Its indentation identifies its parent."],["New Session / Create session / plus","Open a dialog for a new conversation."],["Session name / Create Session","Enter a name of up to 120 characters, then create the session. The name cannot be empty."],["Rename session / Save Name","Rename a main session. Child sessions do not show the same rename action."],["Cancel / dialog X","Close the create or rename dialog without applying the pending name."],["Latest","Jump to the newest messages."],["Previous user messages markers","Jump back to one of your earlier prompts."],["Fork","Create a new session branching from that point in the conversation."]]}]},{"id":"composer","title":"Prompt, mode, model, and queue","blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Describe the outcome you want in everyday language. Technical users can add exact files, interfaces, and acceptance criteria."},{"type":"table","headers":["Control","What it does"],"rows":[["Message field / Enter / Shift+Enter","Write your request. Enter sends it; [Shift+Enter](/guides/controls-chat#composer) inserts a new line."],["Plan / Build / agent selector","Choose an available assistant mode. [Plan](/guides/controls-chat#composer) develops an approach for review; [Build](/guides/controls-chat#composer) carries out changes. Available choices depend on the factory’s agent runtime."],["Model selector","Choose a model from the available provider groups. Connected providers appear first; the image icon identifies models with image input support."],["Default / Current / Use runtime default label","Check which model is in use when you haven’t selected one explicitly. The label can reflect factory settings or the session’s current model."],["Send","Submit the prompt, selected references, attachments, and command. While a response is running, a new message can enter the [Up next](/guides/controls-chat#composer) queue."],["Stop","Ask the assistant to stop its current response. It appears while work is running and the composer is empty. Changes already made are not rolled back."],["Up next → Move back to composer","Remove that instruction from the pending queue and return it to the input for editing."],["Up next → Steer","[Send](/guides/controls-chat#composer) a queued instruction into the current response when the runtime supports steering."]]}]},{"id":"references","title":"Files, skills, and commands","blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"A reference points the assistant to existing project context. A local attachment supplies a file from your computer."},{"type":"table","headers":["Control","What it does"],"rows":[["@ / Search skills or files…","Open and search the reference picker from the message field."],["File or skill result","Add the selected reference to the pending prompt. Choosing a reference alone does not send the prompt."],["Reference chip → X","Remove that reference from the pending prompt."],["/ / Search commands…","Find commands available in the current agent runtime. Read the description before selecting one."],["Command result / Arguments field","Select a command, then provide the arguments it expects. [Send](/guides/controls-chat#composer) executes the selected command."],["Command chip → X","Remove the selected command. If the command was typed directly in the message rather than picked, this action clears that typed prompt."],["Add to chat → Upload from computer","Choose up to six local files for the prompt. Each prepared attachment must fit within 1 MiB; non-image files above that limit are rejected."],["Attachment chip → X","Remove a file from the unsent prompt. Selecting files does not upload them into the factory’s storage bucket."]]}]},{"id":"messages","title":"Read replies and tool activity","blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"Expandable activity cards explain what the assistant attempted and what the tool returned."},{"type":"table","headers":["Control","What it does"],"rows":[["Copy below a message","Copy the message text."],["Tool activity / reasoning / task-list disclosure","Expand or collapse details such as input, output, errors, reasoning text, or the assistant’s task list. Expanding does not rerun the tool."],["Preview telemetry disclosure","Inspect preview network and console context attached to the conversation."],["Image attachment","Open a larger image view. Close the dialog to return to the chat."],["Other file attachment","Open its file link in a new tab."],["Recognized workspace file link","Open that file in [Code](/guides/controls-code#save-push), at the supplied position when available. [Code](/guides/controls-code#save-push) access depends on the plan and project setup state."],["MCPs Connected","Inspect the services available to the assistant and whether each is connected, disabled, failed, or needs authentication or registration."]]}]}],"technical":[],"related":["prompting","controls-chat-decisions","development"],"sources":["components/chat/components/ChatSidebar.tsx","components/chat/components/ChatInputBar.tsx","components/chat/components/ChatAgentSelector.tsx","components/chat/components/ChatModelSelector.tsx","components/chat/input/ChatReferencePicker.tsx","components/chat/input/ChatFileAttachmentPicker.tsx","components/chat/input/ChatCommandPicker.tsx","components/chat/components/ChatQueuedPromptStack.tsx"],"updated":"2026-09-06","audience":"general","media":[{"src":"https://docs.rumata.dev/media/create-session.png","width":448,"height":204,"alt":"Create Session dialog with an empty session name, Cancel, disabled Create Session, and Close.","caption":"Name a new conversation before creating it. This blank form was cancelled without creating a session.","sectionId":"sessions"}],"video":null,"url":"https://docs.rumata.dev/guides/controls-chat"}