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Using Chat ​

The chat panel is your direct line to any agent in your workspace. You can ask questions, brainstorm ideas, review data, or instruct agents to take action — all through a conversational interface. This guide covers everything you need to know about using chat effectively.

Opening the chat panel ​

The chat panel occupies the right side of the Pencel workspace. If it is collapsed, click the chat icon in the top-right corner or drag the panel divider to the left to expand it.

The panel is always available regardless of which view you have open in the main area. You can browse workflows, review artifacts, or check settings while keeping a conversation going.

Starting a conversation ​

1. Select an agent ​

At the top of the chat panel, you see an agent selector. Click it to choose which agent you want to talk to. Each agent brings its own role, personality, guidelines, and skills to the conversation.

If you have not created any agents yet, Pencel provides a default assistant. See Creating Your First Agent to set up a specialized agent.

2. Type your message ​

Type your question or instruction in the input field at the bottom of the chat panel and press Enter (or click the send button). The agent responds in real time — you see the response stream in as it is generated.

3. Continue the conversation ​

The agent remembers everything said in the current session. You can ask follow-up questions, refine instructions, or change direction without re-explaining context.

TIP

The context bar above the input field shows which agent is active and which always-active guidelines apply to the conversation. This gives you a quick reference for understanding how the agent will behave.

Chat mode vs. action mode ​

Pencel has two distinct modes for chat conversations. Understanding the difference is key to getting the most out of the chat panel.

Chat mode ​

Chat mode is the default. In this mode, the agent focuses purely on conversation:

  • The agent can discuss, analyze, brainstorm, and answer questions.
  • It has access to read-only tools like searching your workspace and listing entities.
  • It cannot modify data, send messages to external services, or execute workflows.
  • Responses tend to be more thoughtful and conversational.

Use chat mode when you want to think through a problem, ask for analysis, or get advice without any risk of the agent making changes.

Action mode ​

Action mode gives the agent its full set of capabilities:

  • All enabled skills are available, including creating plans, running workflows, and spawning sub-agents.
  • Connection tools are active — the agent can read from and write to external services.
  • The agent can produce artifacts, update data, and take real action.
  • Each action the agent takes is recorded in an execution trace that you can review.

Use action mode when you want the agent to actually do something — generate a report, pull data from a connected service, or execute a multi-step workflow.

WARNING

In action mode, agents can make real changes. If your agent's risk tolerance is set to low or medium, it will ask for approval before taking significant actions. If risk tolerance is high, it may act without asking. Be mindful of this when switching to action mode.

Switching between modes ​

Toggle between chat mode and action mode using the mode switch in the chat panel. You can switch modes at any point in a conversation — the full conversation history is preserved.

Viewing execution traces ​

When an agent takes actions in action mode, Pencel records an execution trace for each assistant response. The trace shows:

  • Which tools the agent called and with what inputs.
  • The results returned by each tool.
  • The agent's reasoning at each step.
  • Any approval requests or user input prompts.

Click on an assistant message that involved actions to expand its execution trace. This is invaluable for understanding why the agent made specific decisions and for building trust in automated workflows.

Managing chat sessions ​

Session persistence ​

Chat sessions are saved automatically. You can close Pencel, reopen it later, and your conversations are right where you left them. Each session stores the full message history, the selected agent, and any execution traces.

Creating a new session ​

To start a fresh conversation, click the New Session button at the top of the chat panel. This creates a clean session with no prior context. The agent selector resets, so pick the agent you want to talk to.

INFO

Starting a new session does not delete the old one. Previous sessions remain accessible so you can revisit them at any time.

Deleting a session ​

To remove a session you no longer need, find it in the sessions list and delete it. This permanently removes all messages and traces associated with that session.

Responding to agent questions ​

Sometimes an agent needs more information from you to proceed. When this happens, the conversation enters an awaiting input state. You see the agent's question and a prompt to respond.

Simply type your answer and send it. The agent picks up where it left off, incorporating your response into its workflow.

This is different from approval requests (which appear during workflow runs). In chat, agent questions are conversational — the agent is asking for clarification, preferences, or a decision.

Tips for effective chat ​

  • Be specific. Instead of "What are our numbers?", try "What were our Q3 sales numbers by region compared to Q2?"
  • Set the format. If you want a table, bullet list, or a specific structure, say so in your message.
  • Use chat mode for exploration. When you are not sure what you want, chat mode is safer and encourages deeper analysis.
  • Switch to action mode deliberately. Only use action mode when you are ready for the agent to take real steps.
  • Review traces regularly. Even when an agent produces a good result, checking the execution trace helps you understand its reasoning and catch subtle issues.
  • Start new sessions for new topics. Long conversations accumulate context. A fresh session gives the agent a clean slate and avoids confusion from unrelated earlier messages.

Next steps ​