Chats
Main thread and side chats
Each agent keeps one long-running main thread with you, and any number of side chats for one-off jobs.
# Main thread and side chats Every agent on your team keeps one **main thread** with you. It is the conversation you come back to day after day, like a running chat with a colleague. Everything else you start with that agent is a **side chat**: a separate conversation for one job, which you can leave once it is done. ## The main thread Open an agent from the team rail and you land on its main thread at `/agents/<agent>`. The first time you open an agent, the brain starts the thread for you. It is empty until you send something. An empty main thread shows the agent's face, **Main Thread with** and the agent's name, a line on what the agent does, and three tasks to **Start with**, drawn from the agent's skills (each with its description). An agent with fewer than three skills fills the list with general questions. Select one to send it. The top of the page shows the agent's face and name, a **Main Thread** chip and what the agent is doing (for example "Idle, last active 17h ago"). Messages from different days are separated by a line naming the day: **Today**, **Yesterday** or the date. Type in the box at the bottom, which says **Message** and the agent's name, to add to the thread. You can pick the model there, as in any chat. A main thread never ends, so the agent does not read all of it back on every turn. It reads the most recent part: up to the last 40 messages, and less when they are long. Older messages stay in the thread for you to scroll back to. Facts that should last belong in the [shared memory](https://docs.skilltreeos.ai/agents-and-memory/shared-memory/). ## Side chats Select **New Side Chat**, at the top of the agent's page or under the agent in the team list, to start a fresh conversation with that agent. It becomes a side chat as soon as you send the first message. A side chat shows the agent and its title at the top (for example "Atlas / Run a quick script"), a **Side Chat** chip and **Back to Main Thread**. Its box says **Reply in this side chat**. Your side chats with an agent are listed beside its main thread, newest first, and under the agent in the open team list (the newest eight, with **See All** for the rest). Each Control Room tab keeps its own side chat with its agent, named after the tab (for example **Content Dashboard**) and marked with a dashboard mark in the team list. An answer from it reaches the main thread only when you select **Send to Main Thread**, which adds it as a note from the dashboard. See [Control Room](https://docs.skilltreeos.ai/dashboards/control-room/). Chats you had before main threads existed are side chats. A chat you start from **Chats** in the top bar or **New Chat** in the team rail becomes a side chat of whichever agent takes it: the one Auto picks, or the one you choose. See [New chat and Auto](https://docs.skilltreeos.ai/chats/new-chat-and-auto/). ## Asking the Company Brain instead Under each answer from a department agent, in its main thread or a side chat, **Ask** and the Company Brain's name **Instead** (for example **Ask Atlas Instead**) sends your question again, this time to the Company Brain. You move to the Company Brain's page, and the question is sent in its main thread. The Company Brain's own answers do not show it.Every agent on your team keeps one main thread with you. It is the conversation you come back to day after day, like a running chat with a colleague. Everything else you start with that agent is a side chat: a separate conversation for one job, which you can leave once it is done.
The main thread
Section titled “The main thread”Open an agent from the team rail and you land on its main thread at /agents/<agent>. The first time you open an agent, the brain starts the thread for you. It is empty until you send something.
An empty main thread shows the agent’s face, Main Thread with and the agent’s name, a line on what the agent does, and three tasks to Start with, drawn from the agent’s skills (each with its description). An agent with fewer than three skills fills the list with general questions. Select one to send it.
The top of the page shows the agent’s face and name, a Main Thread chip and what the agent is doing (for example “Idle, last active 17h ago”). Messages from different days are separated by a line naming the day: Today, Yesterday or the date. Type in the box at the bottom, which says Message and the agent’s name, to add to the thread. You can pick the model there, as in any chat.
A main thread never ends, so the agent does not read all of it back on every turn. It reads the most recent part: up to the last 40 messages, and less when they are long. Older messages stay in the thread for you to scroll back to. Facts that should last belong in the shared memory.
Side chats
Section titled “Side chats”Select New Side Chat, at the top of the agent’s page or under the agent in the team list, to start a fresh conversation with that agent. It becomes a side chat as soon as you send the first message.
A side chat shows the agent and its title at the top (for example “Atlas / Run a quick script”), a Side Chat chip and Back to Main Thread. Its box says Reply in this side chat.
Your side chats with an agent are listed beside its main thread, newest first, and under the agent in the open team list (the newest eight, with See All for the rest).
Each Control Room tab keeps its own side chat with its agent, named after the tab (for example Content Dashboard) and marked with a dashboard mark in the team list. An answer from it reaches the main thread only when you select Send to Main Thread, which adds it as a note from the dashboard. See Control Room.
Chats you had before main threads existed are side chats. A chat you start from Chats in the top bar or New Chat in the team rail becomes a side chat of whichever agent takes it: the one Auto picks, or the one you choose. See New chat and Auto.
Asking the Company Brain instead
Section titled “Asking the Company Brain instead”Under each answer from a department agent, in its main thread or a side chat, Ask and the Company Brain’s name Instead (for example Ask Atlas Instead) sends your question again, this time to the Company Brain. You move to the Company Brain’s page, and the question is sent in its main thread. The Company Brain’s own answers do not show it.