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

# Chat With Dume

> How to talk to Dume: sessions, connected tools, attachments, and getting a useful answer on the first try.

## What makes Dume different

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Context-aware" icon="brain">
    Dume remembers your profile and previous sessions instead of starting cold every time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tool access" icon="plug">
    Acts on your connected tools directly. No copy-pasting between apps.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plain language" icon="comments">
    Ask for what you want the way you'd ask a person, not a command syntax.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Live data" icon="bolt">
    Pulls current information from your connected tools, not a cached snapshot.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Once you've [personalized Dume](/getting-started/personalisation) and [connected a tool](/getting-started/connect-your-first-tool), the dashboard is where you'll spend most of your time.

## The dashboard

You can have several conversations open as tabs at once. A tab keeps working in the background while you look at another one, so you can check back later and it'll already be done.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Conversation area">
    Your messages appear on the right, Dume's on the left. While Dume is working on something multi-step, a live to-do list shows what it's doing and what's left.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Message box">
    * **Shift + Enter** for a new line, **Enter** to send
    * The **+** button lets you attach files (web app only) or reach connected tools
    * The **mic** icon dictates your message. A separate **voice mode** button opens a live spoken conversation; see [Voice mode](/core-workspace/voice-mode)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="History">
    Every session is saved. Use the menu on a conversation to pin, rename, or delete it; see [History](/core-workspace/history).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Talking to your connected tools

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start with plain language">
    Dume figures out which connected tool to use from what you ask. You don't have to name it.

    ```
    What's on my calendar today?
    Find emails from John about the launch
    Summarize the open pull requests on my repo
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review what comes back">
    Responses pull real data from the tool involved: a calendar event, an email thread, a GitHub PR. Not a paraphrase.

    <Check>
      If a tool doesn't have the data yet (nothing scheduled, no matching emails), Dume says so rather than inventing something.
    </Check>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take action, not just look">
    Ask Dume to create or change things, not just report on them.

    ```
    Schedule a 30-minute call with Sarah tomorrow at 2pm
    Create a GitHub issue for the bug we just discussed
    Post a summary of today's standup to Slack
    ```

    <Warning>
      Anything that modifies data, like sending, creating, or deleting, asks for confirmation first. Review before you approve.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Chain multiple tools in one request">
    ```
    Check today's calendar events, then email the attendees of any meeting after 4pm to say I'll be 10 minutes late.

    Find GitHub issues assigned to me and summarize them in a Slack message to the team.
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Staying in context

Dume keeps track of what you just asked, so follow-ups don't need to repeat context:

```
You: Show me my calendar for tomorrow
Dume: [lists tomorrow's events]

You: Move the 2pm to 3pm
Dume: Moved "Design Review" from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM tomorrow.

You: Add John to that one
Dume: Added john@company.com to Design Review at 3:00 PM.
```

## Writing a better prompt

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Be specific">
    Instead of "Check my schedule," try "What meetings do I have tomorrow afternoon?"

    Instead of "Find files," try "Find slide decks about the Q3 launch from last month."
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Reference what came before">
    ```
    You: Show me the budget spreadsheet
    Dume: [displays it]
    You: Share this with finance@company.com
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Combine steps">
    ```
    Check my calendar for next week and flag anything that overlaps with the Acme deal timeline.

    Find all emails about Project X and summarize them in one message.
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## When Dume asks you something back

Dume will ask for clarification rather than guess, especially before anything irreversible:

* **Multiple matches**: "Which John do you mean, John Smith or John Doe?"
* **Ambiguous timing**: "This Thursday or next Thursday?"
* **Confirming a destructive action**: "This will delete 15 files. Proceed?"

Answer with the specific detail it's asking for, and it'll continue where it left off.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A connected tool isn't responding">
    Rephrase and try again, then check the integration's status on the [Integrations](/integrations/overview) page. It may need to be reconnected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Dume misunderstood the request">
    Be more specific about what you want, or name the tool explicitly: "In Slack, find messages about the outage."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="An action didn't go through">
    Check that the integration has write access, not just read. Some connections default to read-only until you grant more.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>