> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/administration/using-the-essential-assistant.md). # Essential Assistant The Essential Assistant lives in a floating bubble in the corner of every signed-in page. Click the bubble to open the panel, and click it again (or the X in the top bar) to close it. You can drag the bubble to reposition it. Inside the panel, the Ask Essential tab is where you chat; the Talk to a human tab is where you reach Essential's team for support and setup requests. To start fresh, open the chat list and click New chat. Your past conversations are saved there, sorted by most recent, and you can search them by typing in the Search chats box or reopen one by clicking it. To remove a conversation, delete it from the list and confirm; this can't be undone. When you reopen a long conversation, scroll to the top of the chat to load older messages. You can keep scrolling upward to move farther back. The assistant can also refer back to files shared earlier in the same conversation, so you don't need to attach a file again just because it is outside the messages initially shown. The assistant is automatically aware of the page or record you're viewing, so you can ask about "this quote," "this customer," or "this inspection report" without restating which one. The input placeholder reflects that context. You can also give the assistant a file to look at — a field photo, a PDF report, a spreadsheet of devices. Click the paperclip in the message box to pick files, or drag them straight onto the chat panel, up to ten per message. See [Attaching files to the Assistant](/administration/using-the-essential-assistant/attaching-files-to-the-assistant.md) for the supported formats and size limits. To dictate a request, click the microphone in the message box and start speaking. Click the stop button when you finish, or click X to discard the recording. Essential turns the recording into text in the message box without sending it, so you can review or edit the text before choosing Send. Any text already in the message box is preserved and the dictated text is added after it. You can give the assistant its own name and personality from the Customize agent option, which shapes how it writes. Until you save a customization, it uses the default Quinn name and personality shown there. The assistant streams its replies as it works, and only some of its abilities make changes; many requests are read-only. While the assistant is working, the Send button becomes a Stop button. Choose **Stop response** to cancel the current reply. The stopped turn remains in the conversation as **Response stopped**, and you can send a new request right away. If a reply cannot finish, the failed turn remains in the conversation as **Agent failed to respond. Please try again.** You can send a new request without deleting the failed turn or restarting the chat. When the assistant proposes a change to a draft quote or invoice, it arrives as a proposal card with Approve and Reject — nothing changes until you approve it. See [What the Essential Assistant can and can't do](/administration/using-the-essential-assistant/what-the-essential-assistant-can-and-cant-do.md) for the full list of what it can and cannot change. > **Where to find it:** The floating sparkle bubble in the corner of any signed-in page. Click it to open the assistant panel, which has an Ask Essential tab and a Talk to a human tab. ## Related guides * [Editing a quote or invoice through the Assistant](/administration/using-the-essential-assistant/editing-a-quote-or-invoice-through-the-assistant.md) * [What the Essential Assistant can and can't do](/administration/using-the-essential-assistant/what-the-essential-assistant-can-and-cant-do.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://learn.withessential.com/administration/using-the-essential-assistant.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.