Agent Panel

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Opening the Agent Panel

• Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Shift+A (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+A (Linux/Windows)
• Menu: View → Toggle Agent Panel
• Command Palette: “assistant: toggle focus”

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Panel Layout

• Navigation bar - Access thread history and settings
• Thread view - Current conversation with the AI
• Message editor - Input area for your prompts
• Tool cards - Visual representation of AI actions (edits, terminal commands, file reads)

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Starting a Conversation

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New Thread

1. Click the ”+” button in the navigation bar
2. Or use Cmd+N (macOS) / Ctrl+N (Linux/Windows)
3. Type your message in the editor
4. Press Enter to send (or Cmd+Enter if use_modifier_to_send is enabled)

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Text Thread

• Use the dropdown next to ”+” and select “New Text Thread”
• Text threads are faster and don’t execute commands or edit files
• Great for brainstorming, explanations, and code reviews

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Adding Context

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File Context

@filename.rs Explain this authentication module

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Directory Context

@src/components/ Review the structure of my components

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Git Diff Context

@git:diff Review my uncommitted changes

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Diagnostic Context

@diagnostics Fix these TypeScript errors

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Terminal Context

@terminal Explain this error output

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Web Context

@https://docs.rs/serde Parse this documentation

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AI Actions

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Code Editing

• Diff preview - See what will change before accepting
• Accept button - Apply the changes
• Reject button - Discard the suggestion
• Open in editor - View changes in a full editor pane

Edit src/main.rs to add error handling to the parse function

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Terminal Commands

Run the test suite

• The command to be executed
• Approve to run it
• Reject to cancel
• Real-time output once approved

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File Operations

Create a new configuration file for the database connection

• Create new files
• Read file contents
• Edit existing files
• Move or rename files

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Thread Management

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Thread History

1. Click the menu icon (≡) in the navigation bar
2. Select “View All” to see all threads
3. Or view recent threads in the dropdown menu

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Thread Search

• In the history view, use the search box
• Search by title, content, or date

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Thread Export/Import

Cmd+Shift+C (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+C (Linux/Windows)

Cmd+Shift+V (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+V (Linux/Windows)

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Agent Profiles

{
  "agent": {
    "default_profile": "write",
    "profiles": {
      "write": {
        "name": "Code Writer",
        "tools": {
          "edit_file": true,
          "create_file": true,
          "terminal": false
        },
        "default_model": {
          "provider": "anthropic",
          "model": "claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022"
        }
      },
      "review": {
        "name": "Code Reviewer",
        "tools": {
          "edit_file": false,
          "create_file": false,
          "terminal": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

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Tool Permissions

{
  "agent": {
    "tool_permissions": {
      "default": "confirm",
      "tools": {
        "terminal": {
          "default": "confirm",
          "always_allow": [
            {"pattern": "^cargo test"}
          ],
          "always_deny": [
            {"pattern": "^rm -rf"}
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

• allow - Execute without confirmation
• confirm - Always ask first (default)
• deny - Never allow

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Model Selection

1. Click the model name at the top of the panel
2. Select from available models
3. Your choice persists for the current thread

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Advanced Features

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Multi-file Editing

Refactor the authentication system across all auth-related files

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Streaming Tools

{
  "agent": {
    "inline_assistant_use_streaming_tools": true
  }
}

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Extended Thinking

{
  "agent": {
    "default_model": {
      "provider": "anthropic",
      "model": "claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219",
      "enable_thinking": true
    }
  }
}

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Diff Review

• Click “Open Diff” in the navigation bar
• Or use Cmd+Shift+D (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+D (Linux/Windows)

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Settings

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Panel Position

{
  "agent": {
    "dock": "right"  // "left", "right", or "bottom"
  }
}

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Panel Size

{
  "agent": {
    "default_width": 640,  // pixels, for left/right dock
    "default_height": 320  // pixels, for bottom dock
  }
}

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Message Editor

{
  "agent": {
    "use_modifier_to_send": false,  // if true, require Cmd+Enter to send
    "message_editor_min_lines": 4   // minimum editor height
  }
}

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Notifications

{
  "agent": {
    "notify_when_agent_waiting": "primary_screen",  // "all_screens" or "never"
    "play_sound_when_agent_done": false
  }
}

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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Tips & Best Practices

1. Be specific - Provide clear context about what you want to accomplish
2. Use mentions - Reference specific files and code regions
3. Review changes - Always check diffs before accepting edits
4. Iterate - Have a conversation, don’t expect perfection on the first try
5. Use profiles - Create profiles for different workflows (coding, reviewing, debugging)
6. Check tool permissions - Configure safe defaults to avoid accidental destructive operations

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Troubleshooting

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Agent not responding

• Check your internet connection
• Verify API keys in Settings → Language Models
• Check the model selection (some models may be unavailable)

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Context not being used

• Ensure files are open or properly mentioned with @
• Check that mentioned files exist in your project
• Large files may be truncated (check model token limits)

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Commands not executing

• Verify tool permissions settings
• Check that the terminal is accessible
• Ensure the workspace is trusted