Conversation & Input
Attachments
Drag files to the composer or click the paperclip:
| Type | Processing |
|---|---|
| Text/code | Read directly |
| Images | Visual model recognition; auto-fallback for non-vision models |
| Word/Excel/PPT/PDF | Extract text content |
| Archives | Extracted, files listed for selective reading |
| Audio/video | Transcribed via ASR (requires engine config) |
Up to 20 attachments per message, with no per-file size limit (the source file for visual image recognition is capped at 20MB, and file-tree uploads are capped at 20MB). For very large files, attach only the key part.
Slash Commands
Type / for the command panel:
/plan//spec: produce a plan or a spec before executing/goal//autonomous: start a goal loop or an autonomous run (optional token budget)/skills//mcp//scheduler: open skills, MCP servers, and scheduled tasks/new//resume//fork//rename//side//btw//archive//subagents: new, resume, fork, rename, side chat, quick aside, archive, and in-session sub-agents/compact//recap: compress context; generate a stage recap/export//export copy: export the session as Markdown, or copy it/settings//model//sandbox//pet: settings, model, sandbox scope, and desktop pet/help: list every available command
Voice Input
The microphone button right of the input: hold to talk, release to transcribe. The voice-conversation button enters continuous dialogue mode. See Voice Input and Read Aloud.
@ References
Type @ to reference five kinds of objects and let LanMate work directly with them:
- Files: artifacts from this session or files in the workspace; type part of the name to find them
- Sessions: past sessions in the current project, bringing earlier conclusions into context
- Board tasks: reference by identifiers like
LAN-1; the agent reads the task details before acting - Experts: bring a specific expert into this turn—handy when you want a particular perspective
- Plugins: reference an installed plugin so LanMate can use its capabilities in this turn
You can reference several at once; each shows as a removable chip in your message. It covers “fix it per this task”, “continue from last week’s report”, “have legal take a look”—no copy-pasting back and forth.
Text Quotes and Annotations
Select any text in a LanMate reply to get the floating menu:
- Quote to composer: quotes with the original text and position markers; multiple quotes can be active at once and reordered, so follow-up questions focus on exactly those passages
- Ask in a temporary chat: open a side conversation carrying the selected content, without interrupting the main task
Quotes can be edited and removed later, with original-text highlighting preserved—especially useful for pinning down discussion points in long replies. With text selected, you can also ask the temporary chat directly, “what does this paragraph mean” or “rewrite this paragraph for me”.
Paste Behavior
Everything pasted into the composer is normalized to plain text (rich-text formatting copied from web pages or AI replies won’t linger). Image and file pastes, and the auto-conversion of very long text into attachments, work as before.
Turn Modes
The mode label above the input controls how the current turn runs. Besides “Auto (default)”, there are three controlled modes:
| Mode | In one sentence | What the agent can do |
|---|---|---|
| Auto (default) | Just do it | All tools |
| Plan | Propose a plan, act after you approve | Read-only (read files, inspect code, ask clarifying questions); nothing gets modified |
| Spec | Write a spec first, confirm acceptance criteria, then implement | Draft phase is read-only; full tools return after you confirm, executing per checklist |
| Goal | Set a goal and advance step by step until it’s met | All tools; autonomously continues the goal loop, with an optional token budget |
Plan Mode
For tasks where the approach is contested and you want alignment before work starts. The agent studies the current state and proposes a step-by-step plan; execution begins after you approve, or just say “make step 2 write the tests first” to adjust.
Open-ended questions where you’re not sure what you want also go here: the agent explores from several angles, asks follow-ups, and offers options and trade-offs to help you clarify a fuzzy idea—convergent questions get a clear plan, open questions get options. It won’t modify files; write-type commands are blocked, but read-only commands (like cat, ls, grep, git status) can run to understand the current state. Once you’ve talked it through, switch back to Auto to land it.
Refactor the user module; give me a plan firstSpec Mode (coding tasks)
For coding tasks with complex requirements that need explicit acceptance criteria. The agent produces three documents (spec / task list / acceptance checklist); after you confirm in the UI, it implements per the list, checking off items as it goes and closing automatically when all are done.
Use Spec mode to implement Excel exportThe confirmation step is a gate: approve directly, or send it back with revision notes. The spec stays in the project for future iterations against the same standard.
Goal Mode
For tasks with a clear direction that need continuous progress: set the goal in one sentence (optional token budget), and LanMate enters a goal loop — executing step by step, reporting as it goes, until the goal is met or you stop it.
Clean and align these three data sources, then produce a reconciliation reportUnlike Plan/Spec’s “think before doing”, Goal is “pick a direction and keep going”. When you need heavier budget control and quality gates (automatic test-based acceptance), see Autonomous Runs & Goals.
Switching
- The mode label above the input. Turn mode is a global switch: it persists across session switches until you manually change it back to “Auto (default)”
- Slash commands:
/plan,/spec,/goal - Spec returns to Auto automatically when finished
Context Usage
After each turn, the session header shows current context usage (a bar plus percentage). When it fills up you can act proactively instead of waiting for auto-compaction:
- Keep digging: over 80% usage, run
/compactto compress manually—key conclusions stay, process details go - Change direction: start a new task; context starts fresh
- Quick question: switch to a side chat and leave the main session’s context untouched
Auto-compaction triggers near the window limit and leaves a “Context Compacted” marker. Compaction loses detail—important conclusions, file paths, and data definitions are best saved to notes or files before compressing.
Drafts
Drafts work two ways:
- Empty session (no message sent yet): drafts are saved locally per project, and a virtual session entry in italics shows under the project in the sidebar; drafts survive session switches and app restarts
- Existing session (conversation in progress): unsent input is kept in memory per session and is lost on app restart; switching away and back keeps it
Goal Mode
For long tasks, enable Goal Mode: set a clear target, and LanMate advances step by step, reporting progress at the end of each step, until the goal is met or you stop it. The entry points are the “Goal” option in the Turn mode menu and the /goal command; for heavyweight usage with budget control and quality gates, see Autonomous Runs & Goals.