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Chat Mode Guide

AIA's chat mode provides interactive conversations with AI models, maintaining context and supporting advanced features like multi-model interactions, tool usage, and persistent sessions.

Starting a Chat Session

Basic Chat

# Start an interactive chat session
aia --chat

# Start chat with a specific model
aia --chat --model gpt-4

# Start chat with initial context
aia --chat --role assistant my_context.txt

Chat with Initial Prompts

# Begin chat after processing a prompt
aia --chat my_initial_prompt

# Chat with system prompt
aia --chat --system_prompt helpful_assistant

# Chat with role-based context
aia --chat --role code_expert debugging_session

Chat Interface

Basic Commands

Once in chat mode, you can use these commands:

  • Regular messages: Type normally and press Enter
  • /help: Show available chat commands
  • /exit or /quit: End the chat session
  • /clear: Clear conversation history
  • /save filename.md: Save conversation to file
  • /model model_name: Switch AI model
  • /temperature 0.8: Adjust creativity level
  • /tools: List available tools
  • /context: Show current context

Special Features

Multi-line Input

You: ```
This is a multi-line input.
You can write code, long explanations,
or complex queries across multiple lines.

File Upload During Chat

You: Please analyze this file:
//include my_data.csv

What patterns do you see?

Code Execution

The current date and time is:
//ruby Time.now

Files in the current directory are:
//shell ls -la

which files are over 1 week old?

Advanced Chat Features

Multi-Model Conversations

Consensus Mode

# Start chat with multiple models seeking consensus
aia --chat --model "gpt-4,claude-3-sonnet,gemini-pro" --consensus

# Models will collaborate to provide unified responses

Parallel Responses

# Get responses from multiple models simultaneously
aia --chat --model "gpt-4,claude-3-sonnet" --no-consensus

# You'll see separate responses from each model

Model Comparison

You: Compare these approaches to solving the problem:
//compare "Explain recursion vs iteration" --models gpt-4,claude-3-sonnet

Which explanation is clearer?

Context Management

Persistent Context

AIA maintains conversation context automatically: 

You: I'm working on a Python web application using Flask.
AI: Great! Flask is an excellent choice for web development...

You: How do I handle user authentication?
AI: For your Flask application, here are several authentication options...

Context Inspection

You: /context
# Shows current conversation history and metadata

Context Clearing

You: /clear
# Clears conversation history while keeping session active

You: /new
# Starts a completely fresh session

Tool Integration in Chat

Enabling Tools

# Start chat with specific tools
aia --chat --tools ./my_tools.rb

# Start with tool directory
aia --chat --tools ./tools/

# Restrict tool access
aia --chat --tools ./tools/ --allowed_tools "file_reader,calculator"

Using Tools in Conversation

You: Can you analyze the performance metrics in this log file?
//tools performance_analyzer
//include /var/log/app.log

AI: I'll analyze the performance data using the performance analyzer tool...

Tool Discovery

You: /tools
Available Tools:
- file_analyzer: Analyze file contents and structure
- web_scraper: Extract data from web pages
- calculator: Perform complex mathematical calculations

Chat Session Types

Code Review Session

# Start specialized code review chat
aia --chat --role code_expert --system_prompt code_reviewer

You: I need help reviewing this Python function:
//include my_function.py

AI: I'll review this code for bugs, performance issues, and best practices...

You: What about security concerns?
AI: Looking at the security aspects of your function...

You: Can you suggest unit tests for this?
AI: Here are comprehensive unit tests for your function...

Data Analysis Session

# Start data analysis chat with tools
aia --chat --tools ./analysis_tools/ --model claude-3-sonnet

You: I have a dataset I need to analyze:
//include data.csv

AI: I can help you analyze this dataset. Let me start by examining its structure...

You: Focus on the correlation between sales and marketing spend
AI: I'll analyze the correlation using statistical tools...

Writing Session

# Start creative writing session
aia --chat --model gpt-4 --temperature 1.2 --role creative_writer

You: Help me write a technical blog post about microservices
AI: I'd be happy to help! Let's start by outlining the key points...

You: Make it more engaging for developers
AI: Here's how we can make it more engaging...

Learning Session

# Start educational chat
aia --chat --role teacher --system_prompt patient_explainer

You: Explain how blockchain works, but I'm completely new to this
AI: Let me explain blockchain in simple terms, starting from the basics...

You: Can you give me a practical example?
AI: Absolutely! Let's use a simple example everyone can relate to...

Voice and Audio Features

Text-to-Speech

# Enable speech output
aia --chat --speak

# Choose specific voice
aia --chat --speak --voice nova

# Use high-quality speech model
aia --chat --speak --speech_model tts-1-hd

Audio Input

# Use speech-to-text for input
aia --chat --transcription_model whisper-1 audio_input.wav

Interactive Voice Chat

# Full voice interaction
aia --chat --speak --voice echo --transcription_model whisper-1

# Great for hands-free operation or accessibility

Session Management

Saving Conversations

# Within chat
You: /save project_discussion.md
Conversation saved to project_discussion.md

# Or with full path
You: /save /path/to/conversations/analysis_session.md

Loading Previous Context

# Start chat with previous conversation
aia --chat --include previous_session.md

# This loads the conversation as context

Session Configuration

# Change model mid-conversation
You: /model gpt-4
Switched to gpt-4

# Adjust creativity
You: /temperature 0.3
Temperature set to 0.3 (more focused)

# Enable verbose mode
You: /verbose on
Verbose mode enabled

Chat Workflows

Research and Analysis Workflow

  1. Information Gathering: Load documents and data
  2. Initial Analysis: Ask broad questions
  3. Deep Dive: Focus on specific areas
  4. Synthesis: Combine insights
  5. Documentation: Save findings
You: I'm researching market trends in AI development
//include market_report.pdf
//include competitor_analysis.csv

AI: I'll help you analyze these market trends...

You: What are the key growth drivers?
AI: Based on the data, here are the main growth drivers...

You: How do our competitors compare?
AI: Looking at the competitive landscape...

You: /save ai_market_research.md

Development Workflow

  1. Code Review: Analyze existing code
  2. Problem Solving: Debug issues
  3. Implementation: Write new features
  4. Testing: Create test cases
  5. Documentation: Generate docs
You: Let's review and improve this API endpoint:
//include api_endpoint.py

AI: I'll review this endpoint for potential improvements...

You: It's running slowly, can you identify bottlenecks?
AI: I see several performance issues...

You: Help me optimize the database queries
AI: Here are optimized versions of your queries...

You: Generate unit tests for the optimized version
AI: Here are comprehensive unit tests...

Customization and Configuration

Chat-Specific Configuration

# ~/.aia/chat_config.yml
chat:
  default_model: gpt-4
  save_conversations: true
  conversation_dir: ~/aia_conversations
  auto_save_interval: 300  # seconds
  max_context_length: 16000
  show_token_count: true

speech:
  enabled: false
  voice: alloy
  auto_play: true

tools:
  auto_discover: true
  default_paths: [~/.aia/tools, ./tools]
  security_mode: safe

Custom Chat Commands

You can define custom chat commands by creating tool functions:

# ~/.aia/tools/chat_commands.rb
class ChatCommands < RubyLLM::Tool
  def summarize_conversation
    # Custom command to summarize the current conversation
    "<%= AIA.chat.context.summarize %>"
  end

  def export_code_snippets
    # Extract and export all code snippets from conversation
    "<%= AIA.chat.extract_code_blocks %>"
  end
end

Troubleshooting Chat Mode

Common Issues

Context Too Long

Error: Context exceeds maximum length
Solution: Use /clear to clear history or /context trim to keep recent messages only.

Model Not Responding

Error: Model timeout or connection error
Solution: Check your internet connection and API keys, try switching models.

Tool Not Found

Error: Tool 'my_tool' not found
Solution: Verify tool paths with /tools and check tool file syntax.

Performance Optimization

Reduce Token Usage

  • Clear context regularly with /clear
  • Use shorter, more focused messages
  • Summarize long conversations periodically

Improve Response Speed

  • Use faster models for simple queries
  • Cache frequently used context
  • Optimize tool implementations

Memory Management

# Monitor memory usage
aia --chat --debug --verbose

# Use memory-efficient models
aia --chat --model gpt-3.5-turbo

Best Practices

Effective Chat Techniques

  1. Be Specific: Clear, detailed questions get better responses
  2. Provide Context: Include relevant information upfront
  3. Iterate: Build on previous responses for deeper insights
  4. Use Tools: Leverage tools for data processing and analysis
  5. Save Progress: Regular saves prevent loss of valuable insights

Security Considerations

  1. Sensitive Data: Avoid sharing confidential information
  2. Tool Access: Restrict tool permissions appropriately
  3. Session Management: Clear sensitive conversations
  4. API Keys: Keep credentials secure

Productivity Tips

  1. Keyboard Shortcuts: Learn and use available shortcuts
  2. Template Messages: Create reusable message templates
  3. Model Selection: Choose appropriate models for different tasks
  4. Batch Operations: Process multiple items in single conversations

Integration with Other AIA Features

Pipeline Integration

# Start chat after pipeline completion
aia --pipeline "data_prep,analysis" --chat dataset.csv

# Process results in chat mode

Configuration Integration

# Use predefined configurations in chat
aia --config_file chat_setup.yml --chat

# Override specific settings
aia --chat --temperature 0.9 --max_tokens 3000

Output Integration

# Save chat output to file
aia --chat --out_file discussion.md --markdown

# Append to existing files
aia --chat --out_file project_log.md --append

Chat mode is one of AIA's most powerful features. Experiment with different models, tools, and workflows to find what works best for your use cases!