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Working in the Agent Chat: Attachments, Redline, Memory and Sessions

Use the Snaptrude Agent chat day to day: attach files, dictate, draw with Redline, answer questions, start new sessions, review memory and rate results.

The AI chat panel is where you talk to the Snaptrude Agent. Besides typing a prompt, you can attach files, dictate, draw on the model with Redline, answer the agent's questions, start fresh sessions and review what the agent remembers. This article covers those everyday controls. For what the agent can build, see Design with the Snaptrude Agent.

Open the chat

  1. In a project, click the Agent button at the top of the far-left rail. The AI chat panel opens on the left side of the screen.

  2. Type your request in the Ask anything box.

  3. Click Send or press Enter.

The agent is available in Design Mode, BIM Mode and Present Mode. To close the panel, click X in its header; the agent keeps working on your request. If you reload the project, the latest chat reopens so you can carry on where you left off.

Tip: In an empty chat, the agent suggests example prompts, such as a 5-story apartment block, a parametric spiral staircase with code checks or a 4-story office. Click one to try it.

Tip: Click Boosts under the chat box to turn on Fast mode (up to 5x faster, uses 2x credits) or Cloud processing (tasks keep running in the background). See AI Credits, Boosts and Usage Limits.

Note: Program Mode also has its own AI agent dropdown, where you pick an agent or leave it on Auto. The AI chat panel described here has no agent to pick: the Snaptrude Agent chooses its own specialists.

Attach files to a prompt

Give the agent a brief, an RFP or a drawing to work from.

  1. Click Attach files in the chat box and choose an image, PDF or text file. You can also drag the file from your computer onto the chat panel.

  2. Type what you want the agent to do with it, for example "Create a program from this RFP".

  3. Send the prompt.

Dictate a prompt

Click Dictate in the chat box to speak your request instead of typing it. Check the prompt before you send it.

Explain with Redline

Redline lets you draw directly on the canvas to show the agent what you mean.

  1. Click Redline this view in the chat box.

  2. Draw on the canvas over the area you want to change.

  3. Add a prompt that describes the change, or send the redline on its own.

The agent receives screenshots of your markup, including labels. Redline works in Design Mode and in Present Mode.

Answer the agent's questions

When the agent needs a decision, such as the design intent for a massing study or key choices about a building type, it asks you in the chat as options you can tap. It states the assumptions it is making for anything it doesn't ask.

  1. Tap the options that fit.

  2. Press Enter to submit your answers.

If you don't answer in time, the agent handles the timeout instead of leaving the run stuck.

Get notified while the agent works

Long runs can take a while. Snaptrude notifies you when the agent asks you a question or finishes.

If a request fails, the chat retries automatically. If you lose your connection, the run can continue: when you come back within 30 minutes it resumes, and you aren't charged for the lost connection.

Find where the agent placed new work

When the agent creates new geometry, it places it in the +X/-Z quadrant relative to the project origin. If you can't see the result, click Zoom Extents in the bottom bar (Shift + Z), or look in that quadrant.

Start a new session

To start a fresh conversation, click + (Start a new session) in the chat header. The header shows New AI chat until you send your first prompt.

Review the agent's memory and skills

  1. Click ... (More actions) in the chat header.

  2. Choose Memory to see what the agent remembers, or Skills to see the skills it can use.

The agent can also use your organization's context when it works.

Rate the agent's work

After a turn that changed the canvas, the chat asks you to rate the result. Turns that didn't change the canvas don't ask for a rating.

Troubleshooting

  • "Unsupported functionality" card: the agent can't do what you asked. Rephrase the request, split it into smaller steps, or do that part manually.

  • "Response not given" card: the agent timed out before replying. Send the prompt again.

  • Upgrade button in the chat: you asked for a feature your plan doesn't include. Click Upgrade to see plan options.

  • Out of credits: every agent prompt uses credits, and your balance shows below the chat box. On any paid plan, a billing admin can buy more credits. Free users can't buy credits; click Upgrade to see plan options.

Related articles

  • Design with the Snaptrude Agent

  • AI Credits, Boosts and Usage Limits

  • AI Agents in Program Mode

  • Keyboard Shortcuts

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