> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.crew.you/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.crew.you/chat/basic-chat.md).

# Chat Basics

The Chat page is where you interact with your Crew AI assistant. It works like any messaging app — type your request, hit Enter, and get a response.

## Starting a Conversation

### New Chat

Click **Chat** in the sidebar (or press **C**) to start a new conversation. Each conversation has its own context, so the AI remembers everything you've discussed within that thread.

### Continuing a Conversation

Your previous conversations appear in the sidebar. Click any conversation to pick up where you left off. Crew automatically generates a title for each conversation based on the topic.

### Searching Conversations

Press **S** or click the search icon in the sidebar to search through your conversation history by title or content.

## How the AI Responds

When you send a message, Crew:

1. Reads your message and conversation context
2. Decides which tools to use (if any)
3. Executes tool calls (you'll see status indicators like "Searching the web..." or "Reading email...")
4. Generates a natural language response

### Tool Call Indicators

When Crew uses a tool, you'll see a real-time status card showing what's happening:

* **Searching the web** — Running a web search
* **Reading email** — Accessing your Gmail or Outlook
* **Creating document** — Generating a PDF, DOCX, or other file
* **Running code** — Executing Python in a secure sandbox
* **Checking calendar** — Looking at your schedule

These indicators help you understand what Crew is doing behind the scenes.

## Rich Responses

Crew's responses can include:

* **Formatted text**: Headers, bold, italic, lists, tables, and code blocks
* **Links**: Clickable URLs to web pages and resources
* **Files**: Downloadable documents, images, and other files
* **Maps**: Interactive map cards for location-related queries
* **Code**: Syntax-highlighted code blocks you can copy with one click
* **Search results**: Organized cards showing web search or news results

## Conversation Tips

### Be Specific

The more context you provide, the better the result.

| Instead of...          | Try...                                                                                                                                    |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Write an email"       | "Write a follow-up email to Sarah about the budget meeting, thanking her for the presentation and asking for the final numbers by Friday" |
| "Check my calendar"    | "What meetings do I have tomorrow afternoon?"                                                                                             |
| "Search for something" | "Find recent news articles about renewable energy startups in Southeast Asia"                                                             |

### Multi-Step Tasks

You can ask Crew to perform complex, multi-step tasks in a single message:

> "Check my calendar for tomorrow, find any meetings with external participants, search my email for recent conversations with those people, and create a preparation document summarizing the key points."

Crew will work through each step sequentially, using multiple tools as needed.

### Follow-Up Questions

Within the same conversation, you can ask follow-up questions that build on previous context:

> **You:** "Find the latest email from the design team." **Crew:** \[Shows email summary] **You:** "Reply to that email saying we approve the design and will send feedback by Monday."

### Starting Fresh

If you want to change topics completely, start a new conversation (press **N**) to avoid confusion from unrelated context.

## Exporting Conversations

Want to save or share a conversation? Click the **export button** (↓) at the top of your chat to download it.

* **PDF** — A clean, formatted document. Perfect for sharing with colleagues or archiving important conversations. Supports all languages including CJK, Arabic, Thai, and Hindi.
* **Markdown** — Plain text with formatting. Great for pasting into notes, docs, or other tools.

## Managing Conversations

### Deleting Conversations

Hover over a conversation in the sidebar and click the delete icon to remove it. This permanently deletes the conversation and its messages.

### Activity View

Go to **Activity** in the sidebar to see a timeline of all conversations across every channel (web, WhatsApp, Slack, etc.), along with My Files and tool execution history.