Composing and messages
How does the composer work?
At the bottom of an active, non-hidden conversation is the message box, placeholder "Ask anything…":
- Enter sends your message. Shift + Enter adds a new line without sending. The hint under the box spells this out: "Enter to send · Shift + Enter for new line · Ctrl+V to paste an image."
- The box grows as you type or paste multi-line text, up to a maximum height, then scrolls internally.
- The send button (an arrow icon) is disabled only when there is no text and no attached image. You can send an image with no caption, and you can send another message before ACE has finished replying. It goes to the run in progress rather than being blocked.
Attaching an image
Click the image icon next to the composer, or paste an image directly into the box (Ctrl+V):
- Accepted formats: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, up to 10 MB. The server verifies the actual file content, not just its declared type, and rejects anything else.
- The staged image shows as a small thumbnail with a remove (✕) button before you send.
- Once sent, it renders inline as a thumbnail. Click it to open a full-size lightbox view.
- A conversation's title is generated from your first message (truncated to 48 characters). If you send an image with no text, the title comes from the image's filename (or just "Image").
Starter prompts on a fresh chat
Opening a brand-new, empty conversation shows "What can I help you build today?" under a star icon, with the current project's name underneath. Four suggestion cards fill the composer with a ready-made prompt. They do not send automatically; you still review and press Enter:
| Card title | Prompt it fills in |
|---|---|
| Explain the architecture | "Walk me through how this repo is structured and the key modules." |
| Set up locally | "What dependencies do I need and how do I run this project?" |
| Add a new API endpoint | "Show me the pattern for adding a new route in this codebase." |
| Session history context | "What has been built or changed in recent sessions?" |
While ACE is replying
You see a "Thinking…" bubble in the thread. If ACE is actively narrating what it is doing, that bubble shows its live progress text instead. Replies stream in live. If you reload the page or your connection drops mid-answer, Chat reconnects and catches up automatically, so you do not lose the thread or need to resend anything.
Kinds of messages in a thread
Besides your messages and ACE's normal replies, a thread can contain:
- Agent activity (shown muted, indented, with a small dot): running commentary on what ACE is doing, distinct from its final answer.
- System notes: shown in a dashed box, for status updates that are not part of the back-and-forth.
- Errors: shown with a red-tinted border, for example a failed send.
- Work handoff cards: see Action required and work handoff.
Each message shows who sent it ("You", the other member's name, or "ACE"), and a timestamp (hover for the full date and time).