> Documentation index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt). Every page as one file: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Chat with an agent

Chat with an agent [#chat-with-an-agent]

A chat is a conversation with one agent; Alo answers unless you pick another one.

Start a chat [#start-a-chat]

[Video: Starting a chat: New Chat, a request for three subject lines for Acme's spring sale, the reply streaming in and the chat listed under Chats](/videos/platform/chat/start-chat.mp4)

1. Select **New Chat** in the sidebar.

2. Type your request in the composer.

   <img alt="The composer with a request for a spring email campaign brief, the + button, the model picker, voice input and the send button" src="__img0" />

3. Press **Enter**, or select the arrow button. **Shift+Enter** starts a new line.

The agent's reply streams into the chat. The chat gets a title from your first message and appears under **Chats** in the sidebar.

<img alt="A finished chat: the request, Gemini 3.6 Flash's brief below it, and the copy and regenerate buttons under the reply" src="__img1" />

| Control         | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **+**           | Attaches files and adds agents, skills, connectors, Library files and templates. See [Files and attachments](/docs/platform/chat/files-and-attachments) and [Mentions and commands](/docs/platform/chat/mentions-and-commands). |
| Model picker    | Picks the model for the next message. See [Choose a model](/docs/platform/chat/models).                                                                                                                                         |
| **Voice input** | Turns what you say into text in the composer. Shown only in browsers that support speech recognition.                                                                                                                           |
| Arrow           | Sends the message. Disabled while a file is still uploading.                                                                                                                                                                    |

Choose an agent [#choose-an-agent]

1. Select &#x2A;*+**, then **Agents**.
2. Select an agent. &#x2A;*Search agents...** filters the list.

   <img alt="The + menu with Agents open, listing Campaign Analyst, App Builder and Agent Builder, and Create new agent at the bottom" src="__img2" />

The agent appears as a pill in the composer.

<img alt="The composer with the Campaign Analyst pill next to the + button" src="__img3" />

* The arrow on the pill switches to another agent; the pill's **Use Alo** button goes back to Alo.
* Picking an agent also picks its model, if your plan allows that model.
* In a chat that has started, the agent you pick answers your next messages. Its name appears above each reply it writes.
* Agents that were never published are not listed. See [Test and publish an agent](/docs/platform/agents/test-and-publish).
* **Create new agent** at the bottom of the list opens the agent editor. See [Configure an agent](/docs/platform/agents/configure).

You can also type &#x2A;*@** and an agent's name in your message. See [Mentions and commands](/docs/platform/chat/mentions-and-commands).

Stop a reply [#stop-a-reply]

Select the square **Stop generating** button that replaces the arrow while the agent works.

<img alt="The composer while a reply streams, with the square Stop generating button" src="__img4" />

The text the agent wrote so far stays in the chat, and the arrow comes back so you can send again.

Edit a message [#edit-a-message]

1. Point at one of your messages and select the pencil (**Edit**).

2. Change the text.

   <img alt="A message open for editing, with Cancel and Save below it" src="__img5" />

3. Select **Save**, or press **Enter**. **Escape** cancels.

Every message after the one you edited is removed, and the agent answers the edited message. While a reply is still running, the editor shows &#x2A;*Save once the current reply finishes.**

Regenerate or copy a reply [#regenerate-or-copy-a-reply]

Under each reply:

| Button         | What it does                                                                   |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Copy**       | Copies the reply's text, with its formatting.                                  |
| **Regenerate** | Asks the agent to write the reply again. Unavailable while a reply is running. |

Your own messages have **Copy** too.

Find your chats [#find-your-chats]

[Video: Searching from the sidebar magnifier: typing webinar lists the chat with that word in its title, and selecting it opens the chat](/videos/platform/chat/search.mp4)

The sidebar lists your chats in the current workspace, most recent first. Your chats are private unless you share them; see [Share and collaborate](/docs/platform/chat/share-and-collaborate).

| In the sidebar                           | Meaning                                                                                       |
| ---------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pulsing dot                              | The agent is still working in that chat.                                                      |
| Green check                              | A reply finished that you have not opened yet.                                                |
| Calendar icon                            | A run of a scheduled task. See [Schedule an agent](/docs/platform/scheduler/scheduled-tasks). |
| **Shared with you** and the owner's name | Someone else's chat that you joined.                                                          |
| **Pinned**                               | Chats you pinned, above the others.                                                           |

To search, select the magnifier at the top of the sidebar, or press **⌘K** (**Ctrl+K** on Windows), and type part of a chat's title. The same search also finds agents, skills, prompts, apps, connectors, files and workspaces.

<img alt="The search window with &#x22;brief&#x22; typed, showing the Spring email campaign brief chat, then matching agents and skills" src="__img6" />

Rename, pin or delete a chat [#rename-pin-or-delete-a-chat]

Point at a chat in the sidebar and open its &#x2A;*⋯** menu.

<img alt="The menu of the Spring email campaign brief chat with Rename, Pin, Share and Delete" src="__img7" />

| Action              | What it does                                                                                  |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Rename**          | Opens **Edit title**. Type the new title and select **Confirm**.                              |
| **Pin** / **Unpin** | Keeps the chat at the top of the list.                                                        |
| **Share**           | Opens **Share chat**. See [Share and collaborate](/docs/platform/chat/share-and-collaborate). |
| **Delete**          | Deletes the chat after you confirm. This cannot be undone.                                    |

In a chat someone shared with you, the menu has only **Pin**.

To read or delete chats with an API key, see [Read and share chats](/docs/api/configurable-agents/chats) in the API documentation.