This guide covers how to start a conversation with Steward, either directly in the editor or through the chat interface.

## Starting a conversation in the chat

1. Click the **"Open chat"** icon in the left ribbon to open the chat interface.
2. A conversation note (`Chat.md`) opens in the Steward folder.
3. Type after the `/ ` (slash + space) to start interacting with Steward.
4. Type `/ ?` to see all available commands.

## Starting a conversation in the editor

You can also interact with Steward directly in any open note:

1. Open any note in the editor.
2. Type `/ ` (slash + space) followed by your command or query.
3. Steward will process your request and respond inline.

This is useful when you want to work within the context of a specific note, for example, editing or reading content in the current note.

## Tips for interacting

- **New lines in input:** Press `Shift+Enter` to add a new line in your command input (uses 2-space indentation).
- **Change the model:** Type `m:` or `model:` in the input and select from the dropdown.
- **Reference files and folders:** Type `@` after a command to search and attach files or folders as context for your request.
- **Stop a running command:** Press `ESC` or type `Stop` in the command input.
- **Revert changes:** Type `Undo` in the command input to revert the last changes.

## Standard commands

Type `/ ?` to see the full list of available commands. Steward includes these standard commands:

| Command  | Description                                                |
| -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `search` | Search your vault for notes                                |
| `speech` | Speech-related commands                                    |
| `image`  | Image generation                                           |
| `/>`     | Local shell, transcript mode                               |
| `new`    | Start a new chat session (closes the current conversation) |

Other capabilities like reading content, editing notes, managing vault files, and updating frontmatter are **tools** that Steward activates automatically for the specific task at hand. You don't need to invoke them directly — just describe what you want and Steward will use the right tools.

You can also create your own [User-defined commands](User-defined-commands.md) that combine multiple commands and tools into a single reusable workflow.