> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getkato.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use Ask Kato

> Open a conversation, add workspace context, ask a focused question, and check the result.

export const DocImage = ({src, alt, caption, kind = "workspace", thumbnail = false, natural = false}) => {
  const paths = {
    objects: "m12 3 9 4.5v9L12 21l-9-4.5v-9L12 3Z M3 7.5l9 4.5 9-4.5 M12 12v9",
    attributes: "M4 5h16 M4 12h16 M4 19h16 M8 3v4 M16 10v4 M10 17v4",
    records: "M5 3h14v18H5z M8 7h8 M8 11h8 M8 15h5",
    relationships: "M8 8H4v8h4 M16 8h4v8h-4 M8 12h8 M10 10l-2 2 2 2 M14 10l2 2-2 2",
    views: "M3 4h18v16H3z M3 9h18 M9 9v11 M15 9v11",
    importing: "M12 3v12 M8 11l4 4 4-4 M4 16v5h16v-5",
    workspace: "M4 4h16v16H4z M4 9h16 M9 9v11",
    navigation: "m5 5 14 5-6 3-3 6-5-14Z",
    team: "M16 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-4-4H6a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2 M16 4a4 4 0 0 1 0 8 M22 21v-2a4 4 0 0 0-3-3.87 M13 7a4 4 0 1 1-8 0 4 4 0 0 1 8 0Z",
    tasks: "M9 6h11 M9 12h11 M9 18h11 M3 6l1 1 2-2 M3 12l1 1 2-2 M3 18l1 1 2-2",
    meetings: "M4 5h16v15H4z M4 10h16 M8 3v4 M16 3v4 M8 14h3 M8 17h6",
    ai: "m12 3 2.5 6.5L21 12l-6.5 2.5L12 21l-2.5-6.5L3 12l6.5-2.5L12 3Z",
    automation: "M9 3h6v6H9z M3 16h6v5H3z M15 16h6v5h-6z M12 9v4 M6 16v-3h12v3"
  };
  return <figure className={["kato-visual", thumbnail ? "kato-visual--thumbnail" : ""].filter(Boolean).join(" ")}>
    {src ? <div className={["kato-visual-frame", natural ? "kato-visual-frame--natural" : ""].filter(Boolean).join(" ")}>
        {thumbnail ? <img src={src} alt={alt || ""} loading="lazy" decoding="async" /> : <a className="kato-visual-fullsize" href={src} target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label={`Open full-size image: ${alt || caption || "Kato guide"}`}>
            <img src={src} alt={alt || ""} loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
          </a>}
      </div> : <div className="kato-visual-frame kato-placeholder" role={thumbnail ? undefined : "img"} aria-label={thumbnail ? undefined : `Image placeholder: ${alt || caption || "Kato workspace"}`} aria-hidden={thumbnail ? "true" : undefined}>
        <span className="kato-orbit kato-orbit--outer" />
        <span className="kato-orbit kato-orbit--inner" />
        <span className="kato-visual-icon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.4" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" aria-hidden="true"><path d={paths[kind] || paths.workspace} /></svg></span>
        {!thumbnail && <span className="kato-placeholder-label">Image placeholder</span>}
      </div>}
    {caption && !thumbnail && <figcaption>{caption}{src && <span className="kato-visual-hint">Select the image to view it full size.</span>}</figcaption>}
  </figure>;
};

Ask Kato is the assistant inside your workspace. Use it to understand tasks,
meetings, and records, prepare for a conversation, or draft the next step.
Start with a specific item and a question you can check against your work.

**Before you begin:** open the correct workspace and make sure the information
you want to use exists there. Connect your calendar first if your question
requires synced meetings. [Connect Google Calendar](/integrations/google-calendar).

<Note>
  Ask Kato in the product is separate from the assistant on this documentation
  site. The docs assistant helps you find instructions; the product assistant
  works with your workspace context.
</Note>

## Open Ask Kato

Select **Ask Kato** in a page header where it is available. A conversation panel
opens beside the current page. To return to a conversation later, use **Chats**
in the sidebar or **Recent chats** in the assistant header.

<DocImage natural src="/images/workspace-overview.png" alt="Kato Inbox showing the Ask Kato button in the top-right corner above the linked company panel" caption="Open Ask Kato from the top-right of a workspace page, then name or mention the item you want to discuss. Example data shown." />

## Send your first question

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a conversation">
    Open Ask Kato. Select the **+** button, labeled **New chat**, when you want
    to start a separate topic instead of continuing the current conversation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the item you mean">
    Type **@** in the composer and search for a record, task, or person. Select
    the matching result to insert a mention. You can also use the mention
    control in the composer. Available results depend on the context and your access.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask a focused question">
    Try **“What open tasks are linked to this project? Group them by status and
    include due dates.”** Mention your project so “this project” is unambiguous.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send and review">
    Press **Enter** to send. Use **Shift + Enter** for a new line. Read the
    response and open relevant records or tasks to check the names, dates,
    and status before using the answer.
  </Step>
</Steps>

**Expected result:** the answer discusses the selected project and the work
available to the conversation. If Kato cannot find a detail, add the missing
context or ask what information it needs.

## Give the request a clear shape

Include the item, a time range, and the format you want back. The diagram below
shows how to turn a broad request into one you can verify.

<DocImage natural src="/images/ask-kato-request.svg" alt="A request has three parts: context such as the Relio project and this week, a goal such as finding blockers, and an output such as a short list with task names" caption="A useful prompt names the context, the goal, and the output. This is a request-writing diagram, not an app screenshot." />

```text theme={null}
Using the Relio website project and its open tasks, draft an internal update
for this week. Use three sections: completed work, blockers, and next steps.
Include task names. If a due date is missing, say it is missing.
```

Replace **Relio website** with a record in your workspace. The company names in
these examples are illustrative; the prompts do not connect to those companies.

## Requests to try

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Daily planning">
    ```text theme={null}
    What tasks need my attention today? Separate overdue work from work due
    today, and include the project for each task when it is available.
    ```

    Check the task dates and current statuses before changing your plan.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Client update">
    ```text theme={null}
    Summarize the open work for Relio this week. List blockers and missing
    information separately. Keep the update under 150 words.
    ```

    Mention the client's record and verify the time range and linked work.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Meeting preparation">
    ```text theme={null}
    Use this project's context to draft five questions for our next review.
    Focus on unresolved decisions and tasks waiting for client input.
    ```

    Mention the project or meeting and check that the questions are still relevant.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Follow-up draft">
    ```text theme={null}
    Draft a short follow-up from this meeting. Separate decisions from actions,
    include owners where recorded, and flag anything that still needs confirmation.
    ```

    Review the meeting details before sharing the draft. A draft is not a sent email.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Know the conversation controls

| Control              | Use it to                                                    |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **New chat (+)**     | Start a separate conversation.                               |
| **Recent chats**     | Reopen an existing conversation when history is available.   |
| **More options (⋮)** | Open the full-page chat experience or **Ask Kato settings**. |
| **Close (×)**        | Close the panel and return your attention to the page.       |
| **@ mention**        | Identify a supported workspace item in your request.         |
| **Copy response**    | Copy an answer for use elsewhere after reviewing it.         |

## Refine an answer

Continue in the same conversation when the topic is unchanged. For example:

* “Focus only on tasks still waiting for client input.”
* “Use the due date on the project record.”
* “Which details are missing from the information you found?”

If the underlying information is wrong, update the record or task too. A prompt
can clarify your intent, but it cannot make an absent deadline reliable.

## Check answers and proposed actions

Read the source details behind an answer when references are available. When a
response includes a proposed change, review the target item and the new values
before using its action controls. After a change, open the affected item to
confirm the result. A generated list of tasks is not necessarily a saved task list.

When you only want ideas, say so: **“Suggest three follow-up tasks; do not create
them yet.”** For web research, respond to the permission request if Kato presents
one. Connected sources and your settings determine which information is available.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The answer is about the wrong client or project.">
    Check the workspace, select the intended record with an @ mention, and
    restate the question. Start a new chat if the earlier conversation was about
    a different client.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="An expected meeting or record is missing.">
    Confirm that you can open it yourself. For synced information, check the
    relevant connection in settings. Name or mention the item directly and
    narrow the date range.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I have reached my credit limit.">
    Check your plan and available credits. Free includes 100 personal credits
    each month; Pro includes 1,000 per person each month. See
    [Billing and plans](/documentation/billing-and-plans) for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A response still does not help.">
    Use the response feedback control when available, or
    [contact support](/documentation/contact-support). Include what you asked,
    what you expected, and the workspace or item link needed to investigate.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Keep going

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="After a meeting" icon="calendar" href="/recipes/meeting-follow-ups">Turn the meeting's actual outcomes into a reviewed follow-up.</Card>
  <Card title="Keep context connected" icon="database" href="/documentation/data/relationships">Link records so the work is easier to understand.</Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [Navigating Kato](/documentation/navigating-kato.md)
- [Turn a meeting into a plan](/recipes/meeting-follow-ups.md)
- [Changelog](/changelog.md)
- [WhatsApp](/integrations/whatsapp.md)
- [Timely](/integrations/timely.md)