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Desktop Quick Chat

Fast chat from anywhere on your computer.

Quick Chat on Desktop

Last Updated: 2026.07.07


Overview

On the desktop app, you can fire off a question to Sapience without leaving whatever you're working on. Press a shortcut, type your question, and a separate focus-mode chat window pops up with an agent already answering — while your main Sapience window stays exactly where you left it.

It's built for quick, interruption-free questions: ask, read the answer, get back to work.


How to Use It

  1. Anywhere in the desktop app, press Ctrl+Shift+Space — a small input box appears.
  1. Type your question and press Enter.
  1. A compact ~800×650 chat window opens, with your chosen agent (by default, Web Research) already answering.
  1. Read the answer, click any citation links, ask a follow-up.
  1. Press Escape (or close the window) to dismiss it.

Your main window is never touched — same project, same note, same scroll position. Nothing you were doing gets interrupted.


Why It's Handy

  • No context-switch. Previously this shortcut hijacked your main window; now it opens its own window, so your work stays put.
  • Instant to reopen. The Quick Chat window is reused — reopening it is immediate. Each new question starts a fresh conversation.
  • It won't vanish while you read. The window only closes when you press Escape or close it — not when you click away — so following a citation link or switching apps never loses your answer.

Choosing Your Quick Chat Agent

By default, Quick Chat uses the Web Research agent. To change it:

  • Go to Desktop Settings → Quick Chat and pick the agent you'd like Quick Chat to use (leave it empty to keep Web Research).

Good to Know

  • Desktop only. Quick Chat is a feature of the Sapience desktop app.
  • Fresh each time. Every question you launch starts a new conversation, so answers don't bleed together.
  • Your main window is sacred. Quick Chat never navigates or disturbs the window you're working in.

Summary

On the desktop app, Ctrl+Shift+Space opens a quick input box; type a question and a small focus-mode chat window answers it — by default with the Web Research agent — without ever disturbing your main window. Press Escape to dismiss it, pick your preferred agent in Desktop Settings → Quick Chat, and keep your flow uninterrupted.

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