AI Chat with the awork Agent

The awork Agent knows your awork context and can not only answer questions but also look things up in awork and perform actions there.

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Key Benefits and Use Cases

The awork Agent is the built-in agent. You can get started right away without setting up an agent yourself.

It helps you with things like:

• Finding information – Discover projects, tasks, or other information in awork

• Getting things done – Have tasks created or modify existing content

• Using the web and images – The agent can use web search and image generation

• Working with your awork context – Link projects, documents, and files directly to a thread

• Switching to voice input – Dictate your input via microphone instead of typing

Typical questions include things like current project status, available capacity, or assigning a task to a customer.

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How to Open the Chat Interface

You can reach the awork Agent in 3 ways:

• Click AI in the main menu on the left
• Click the awork AI chat button in the floating action bar at the bottom of the screen (recognizable by the robot icon)
• Use the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl + I to open the AI chat sidebar

The views share the same thread history.

The input field for your prompt will appear.

The Input Area

The input area is your central space for interacting with an agent.

View threads
Click the Threads icon in the panel header to open an overview of your previous conversations. Threads are grouped by categories like "Waiting for action" and "Recently used".

Customize the view
Various display options are available in the chat window header:

• Show as sidebar: Docks the panel as a sidebar on the right edge

• Show as popup: Displays the panel as a floating window

• Expand size: Enlarges the panel

• Make smaller: Shrinks the panel

• Dock and release sidebar
  When the panel is displayed as a sidebar, you can use Dock AI chat sidebar to pin the sidebar or Release AI chat sidebar to unpin it again.

• Close chat panel
  Click the X icon in the top right of the panel header to close the chat window. Alternatively, you can press the Esc key.

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Managing AI Threads

A conversation with an agent is called a thread.

Your threads are saved so you can come back to them later.

The thread list on the left gives you access to recently used threads.

Here you can:

• Create threads

• Search for them

• Pin them

• Open and reuse them

Thread details in the top right show information like:

• which agent was used
• where the thread was started
• which project or task was involved
• whether it was started via automation
• whether it was scheduled
• who started it
• when it was started

The corresponding project or task can be opened directly from the thread details.

Via the action button of a thread or in the top right, you have the following options:

• Rename: Thread names are generated automatically

• Add to project

• Copy ID

• Copy link

• Archive: Archived threads are moved to an archive area, can't be actively worked on anymore, but can be restored later

• Delete

A thread contains not just its messages but also other information. This includes files generated by the agent as well as tools and connectors that were used.

Thread Status

AI threads can display different statuses and indicators.

• Running: The agent is currently working on a request. A loading indicator is shown during processing.

• Done: The agent has completed the current processing. A purple dot appears to the left of the thread title.

• Agent waiting for your input: When an agent asks a question and needs a decision or input, the AI thread is marked with a speech bubble icon. Such AI threads are temporarily grouped in the Waiting for action category so you can quickly see where your input is needed. Depending on the request, the agent might show a selection or a custom input form. Once you've provided the input, the agent can continue processing.

Unread thread messages

If a new message arrives in an AI thread since your last visit, you'll see a notification counter at the AI menu item in the main menu on the left. This is especially helpful for scheduled or automatic agent runs.

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Selecting and Using an Agent

Each new thread starts with the awork Agent by default.

You can choose a different agent when creating a new thread:

1. Open a new thread

2. Click on awork Agent and select a custom agent from the selection field

3. Start the thread

The selection shows available custom agents alphabetically. There's no list for recently used or favorite agents.

After the first message, the agent is set for that thread. You can't switch agents within a thread. To use a different agent, you need to start a new thread.

Custom agent threads show the avatar of that agent in the thread list. Threads with the awork Agent don't show an agent avatar.

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Working with Context from awork

The awork Agent can work with your existing awork context.

You can enter text in the message input area, but you can also add context directly.

For example, if a project is selected via the context menu, the AI receives the exact object ID. This prevents confusion with objects that have the same name.

• Use the @-link to reference awork objects and include projects, documents, or files in a thread, for example.

• Or click the plus icon in the bottom left of the input field. A menu labeled "Context & Capabilities" appears with various options for adding content.

  • Upload file: Add files as context. Alternatively, you can insert files via drag and drop or copy and paste

  • Add context: Provide additional context.
    Choose Person, Team, Customer, Task, Project, Doc, or Current page context.

Context doesn't necessarily mean the entire content of a referenced object is always fully inserted into the prompt.

Instead, the AI evaluates the available context together with your intention and decides which information is relevant.

This lets you reference projects, documents, and other objects without having to manually copy their entire content into your prompt.

Uploading Files

You can attach files.

These include:

• Images
• PDFs
• Other documents

You can also insert links.

Use awork AI from Anywhere

The AI can be opened from different areas of awork.

The page you currently have open can automatically become part of the context for a new AI interaction. For example, you can open the AI while working on a project or document and ask questions directly about that page.

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Adding Capabilities

Click the plus icon in the bottom left of the input field. In the menu that opens, you'll find the following options:

• Skills: You can explicitly add a skill to your AI thread or reference it in your prompt. In the panel that appears, you can enable more skills via "Manage in Library". The AI evaluates whether the skill is relevant to your request.

  When a skill is explicitly mentioned, it's more likely to be used because you've pointed it out directly.

• Connectors (MCP): Set up external connections. Available connectors are displayed in the side panel, which you can enable or disable via toggle switches.

• Tools: Enable or disable tools like web search and awork access. Web access is recommended for current information. awork access should be enabled when you want to query or work with information from awork. These tools can still be deliberately disabled if you want to limit available capabilities or reduce usage.

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Controlling the awork Agent's Thinking Mode

Choose performance mode
You can choose how fast or thorough the awork Agent should work. Click the Balanced button below the input field.

Three simple presets are available:

• Fast – For quick answers

• Balanced – Balanced performance (default setting)

• Deep thinking – For more demanding tasks requiring more thinking time

Enable advanced settings
Below the presets, you'll find the Advanced option with a toggle. Enable this option to show additional settings like reasoning level, image model, and a selection of different AI models.

This lets you override the preset and select the underlying model and reasoning level yourself.

The reasoning level determines how much effort the model puts in before answering. A higher level can produce better results for difficult tasks but works more slowly.

In your workspace settings, you can define which model and reasoning level are used behind the three presets. Which models are available also depends on your workspace settings.

Switching Models During a Thread

You can also change the model after starting a thread.

Keep in mind that the conversation context so far is cached by the provider. This way it doesn't have to be fully reprocessed each time for follow-up messages.

This cache is tied to a specific model. If you switch models, the next run can't use the previous cache and will be charged at the full, higher rate for non-cached context.

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Sending Messages While Processing

You don't have to wait for the agent to finish an answer.

If you send another message while a run is in progress, it's queued. Up to 10 messages can be processed in sequence per thread.

Processing happens in the order you sent the messages by default.

You can also prioritize a message that's already waiting. This will end the current run and start the selected message instead.

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Detailed Steps of an Agent Run

While an agent is working, you can click a dropdown arrow to expand and collapse a section showing reasoning and activity information.

The display distinguishes between:

• Reasoning or intermediate activities, which are shown with reduced visual emphasis
• Final answers, which are highlighted as the actual response

The reasoning section might include information like:

• Search queries
• Tool calls
• Individual processing steps
• Intermediate thoughts during execution

Each message also includes a timestamp and a button to copy the response.

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Using Voice Input

There's a microphone icon in the input field. You can use it to dictate your input. Your spoken prompt will be converted to text and sent as a normal message to the agent.

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Performing Actions with the awork Agent

The awork Agent can not only read awork data, but also edit it.

This includes things like creating or modifying tasks and documents.

Before the agent creates, edits, or deletes anything in awork, it asks for your confirmation.

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Memory and Workspace Context

The awork Agent can store information about you, a customer, or a project.

Different rules apply:

• Personal information applies to you personally

• Project-related information is used when the agent works in that project context

• Customer-related information is used when the agent works in that customer context

This memory runs in the background. There's no view where you can see or manage stored memories.

There's also the Workspace Context. A team can store shared background knowledge there, such as company knowledge, terms, rules, and working practices.

All workspace members can read the workspace context. Only users with the appropriate workspace configuration rights can edit it.

Workspace context doesn't give agents any additional tools or permissions.

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FAQ

Is the awork Agent a custom agent?

No. The awork Agent is the built-in agent for all users. Custom agents, on the other hand, are saved agents that can be set up and shared for specific recurring tasks.

Can I switch agents within a thread?

No. Once you send the first message, the agent is set for that thread. To use a different agent, you need to start a new thread.

Can the awork Agent make changes in awork?

Yes. It can, for example, create or edit tasks and documents. Before write operations in awork, it asks for your confirmation.

Can the awork Agent use other tools?

Yes. It can search and edit awork data, use web search, generate images, and access other tools through connected apps.

Can I see what the agent did?

Yes. Agent actions are recorded in awork's activity logs with the responsible user and the agent used, so you can trace what happened.