Chat Panel
The chat panel lets you ask questions about the currently loaded mailbox context. It can use built-in tools for search, sender mail, threads, and sender statistics, then display an answer without leaving the TUI.
Overview
Section titled “Overview”Press c from the main UI to open chat. Chat is available when Herald is not loading, AI is configured, and the terminal is wide enough to render the main view beside the chat panel.
Screen Anatomy
Section titled “Screen Anatomy”| Area | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Chat title | Right-side panel title. |
| History | User and assistant messages from the current chat session. |
| Tool-derived answers | Assistant responses that may summarize search, thread, or sender-stat tool output. |
| Input | One-line chat input. |
| Waiting state | Chat stops accepting new submit actions while the assistant is responding. |
| Timeline filter | Assistant can return a filter that narrows Timeline to matching message IDs. |
Controls
Section titled “Controls”| Key | Context | Preconditions | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
c | Main UI | Not loading and width allows chat. | Opens chat and focuses input; pressing again closes it. |
enter | Chat input | Chat is focused and not waiting. | Sends the current message. |
esc | Chat focused | Chat is open. | Closes chat and restores default panel focus. |
tab | Chat focused | Chat is open. | Leaves/closes chat focus and returns to default panel focus. |
q | Any chat state | Any state. | Quits Herald. |
Workflows
Section titled “Workflows”Ask a Mailbox Question
Section titled “Ask a Mailbox Question”- Open Timeline or Cleanup.
- Press
c. - Ask a specific question such as “show recent invoices” or “which senders have the most unread mail?”
- Press
enter. - Read the answer and any applied filter state.
Use a Chat Filter
Section titled “Use a Chat Filter”- Ask a question that implies a filtered set of messages.
- If the assistant returns a filter, Timeline switches into filtered view.
- Navigate and open messages normally.
- Press
escin Timeline to clear the chat filter.
States
Section titled “States”| State | What happens |
|---|---|
| Width too small | Pressing c reports that chat is hidden at this size. |
| AI unavailable | Chat cannot produce assistant responses. |
| Waiting | Input remains visible, but enter does not submit another message until the current response finishes. |
| Tool unsupported | Herald falls back to ordinary assistant responses if the provider does not support tool calling. |
| Tool loop limit | Chat uses a bounded tool loop to avoid runaway tool calls. |
| Timeline filter active | Status indicates a filtered Timeline; esc clears it. |
Data And Privacy
Section titled “Data And Privacy”Chat sends the user’s question, current folder, folder counts, and a compact set of recent email context to the configured AI backend. Chat tools can read cached email metadata, sender statistics, threads, and search results. External AI providers receive the chat prompt and any tool results needed to answer.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”If c does not open chat, widen the terminal or wait until loading completes.
If answers ignore recent messages, refresh the folder with r and try again.
If a filter hides too much, press esc in Timeline to clear the filter.