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How To Use Chat Agent

Talk to an AI model about your ARC project. Ask questions about robot skills, control commands, scripting, and project globals. The assistant pulls live context server-side so its answers stay grounded in your current project.

Getting Started

  1. Pick a model
    Open the Model dropdown and choose the AI model you want to use. Models marked with a usage level, such as Pro, indicate their tier.
  2. Type your prompt
    Enter your question in the input box. Multi-line prompts are supported, and you can press Enter to add a new line.
  3. Send
    Click Send, or press Ctrl+Enter to submit.
  4. Read the reply
    The response appears in the transcript with full markdown formatting, including fenced code blocks.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl + Enter Submit prompt
Enter Insert a new line in the prompt without submitting

Toolbar Controls

Model

Dropdown of available AI models. The list is fetched from the server when the chat opens. Send is disabled until a model is selected.

Refresh

Re-pulls the model list and your credit balance. Use this when a new model has been added mid-session, or after purchasing credits in the browser.

Manage Credits

Opens the Synthiam AI credits page in your default web browser so you can review usage or purchase additional credits.

Status Bar

Displays loading state, credit cost of the most recent reply, your remaining balance, and any errors, which appear in red.

What the Assistant Knows

Every time you send a prompt, the chat automatically includes the following context with your request:

  • Conversation history
    All prior turns in the current session, including any code the assistant has already suggested.
    Client
  • Project global variables
    A snapshot of every global variable in your project, including name, value, type, description, and array entries.
    Client
  • Project name
    The filename of the currently open project, or Unnamed if the project has not been saved.
    Client
  • Control commands and robot skill info
    Pulled server-side through tool calls when the assistant needs them.
    Server
  • Synthiam documentation
    Retrieved server-side through tool calls when relevant to your question.
    Server

Tips for Good Results

Be specific

Mention the robot skill or control by name. “How do I make the Auto Position skill loop?” is better than “How do I loop?”

Reference your variables

The assistant can see all your project globals, so ask about them by name and it will use the current values.

Iterate

Conversation history is preserved. Refine an answer with follow-up prompts instead of starting over.

Use code blocks for code

If you are pasting an error or snippet, wrap it in triple backticks so the assistant parses it correctly.

Compared to the AI Script Agent

AI Assistant Chat keeps the full response, including code blocks, inline in the transcript. Use it for questions, explanations, and exploratory conversations.

AI Script Agent strips code from the chat and pushes it directly into a script editor. Use it when you want generated code dropped straight into a runnable script.

Troubleshooting

No AI model is selected, or the model list failed to load. Click Refresh to try again. If the status bar shows “No AI models available,” check your internet connection and Synthiam account status.

The request failed. The error message includes a public code you can reference. Common causes include an expired session, insufficient credits, or a temporary server outage. Click Refresh and try again.

The balance fetch is best-effort and will silently fail if the server cannot be reached. It does not block you from sending messages. Click Refresh to try again, or check the credits page through Manage Credits.

The transcript page may still be loading. Any prompts sent before it finishes are queued and flushed automatically once the page is ready. Give it a moment.

Project Configured. Time to Build.

Open any script in ARC, click the AI Script Assistant button, and describe what you want. The work you just did makes every reply better.

Get ARC → View AI Credits