---
audience: beginner
summary: Open a DM with an AI assistant and have your first conversation.
title: Chat with AI
path: tutorials/first-steps/chat-with-ai
status: published
---

# Chat with AI

The AI in ScaiWave isn't a button to press; it's a member of your
room. You message it the way you'd message a person.

## 1. Pick an AI

Sidebar → **AI Assistants** section. Each entry is a model that an
admin has configured for your tenant: it has a name (`scailar-pro`,
`code-helper`, `customer-support`, etc.), an avatar, and a current
mode badge.

Click one. A DM opens with that AI as the other member.

## 2. Say something

Type into the composer and press Enter. The AI's typing indicator
appears immediately; tokens start streaming into a reply bubble
within a second or two.

Try things like:

- *"Explain what a Yjs CRDT is in two paragraphs."*
- *"Summarise the discussion in `[[meeting notes 2026-05-12]]`."*
  (Wiki-links resolve and the AI fetches the note.)
- *"Search the web for the current Eiffel Tower height."*
  (The AI calls the `web_search` plugin and synthesises.)

## 3. Watch the "peek" popup

For longer responses, a **peek** popup appears above the composer
showing the AI's reply as it streams. The full reply lands in the
timeline once done. The peek lets you keep typing your next message
without waiting.

To dismiss the peek manually: click the **×** on it. To re-open the
last one: click the timeline message.

## 4. Stop the AI mid-response

- **Stop** button in the chat header (shown while generating).
- Or send a new message — that interrupts the current generation.

## 5. Change response mode

The chat header has a **mode toggle**: streaming or conversational.

- **Streaming**: the AI's reply lives as one growing message. Good
  for short answers and code.
- **Conversational**: the AI breaks its reply into multiple messages
  on paragraph boundaries. Feels like a person typing follow-ups;
  good for long-form.

For 1-AI rooms, the toggle is one click. For multi-AI rooms, you get
a per-AI dropdown.

## 6. Try a slash command

- `/title` — let the AI auto-title the conversation.
- `/compact` — start fresh; the AI summarises everything so far and
  the next turn starts from the summary (frees context budget).
- `/mode chat` or `/mode continuous` — same as the header toggle but
  via text.
- `/help` — show every available command.

More in [Master slash commands](/docs/scaiwave/tutorials/power-user/master-slash-commands).

## 7. Bring the AI into a group room

In any group room, type `/engage <ai-name>`. The AI joins as a
member for that turn (or permanently, depending on the room's
engagement mode). See [AI engagement](/docs/scaiwave/concepts/ai-engagement).

## What the AI can do

- Talk to you in markdown (with code fences, tables, math, …).
- Call tools: `web_search`, `find_note`, `drive_search`,
  `todo_list`, `calculator`, and more. See
  [Plugins and tools](/docs/scaiwave/concepts/plugins-and-tools).
- Save notes, set todos, and update the calendar (with your
  approval in shared rooms).
- Make plans and execute them step by step. See
  [Use the planner](/docs/scaiwave/tutorials/power-user/use-the-planner).
- Delegate long tasks to background sidekicks. See
  [Spawn and monitor sidekicks](/docs/scaiwave/tutorials/power-user/spawn-and-monitor-sidekicks).

## What the AI can't do

- See incognito rooms it isn't currently in (and even then, never in
  retrieval — see [Incognito](/docs/scaiwave/concepts/incognito-and-restricted)).
- Edit your other rooms or notes without you being there.
- Remember conversations across rooms by default. The memory plugin,
  when enabled, lets it store long-term memories — but they're under
  your control.

## Where to go next

- [Use the planner](/docs/scaiwave/tutorials/power-user/use-the-planner).
- [Tune AI response mode](/docs/scaiwave/tutorials/power-user/tune-ai-response-mode).
- [Master slash commands](/docs/scaiwave/tutorials/power-user/master-slash-commands).