Quick ask
A small window you open from any app to ask Alexein something, or to rewrite the text you selected and paste it back.
Quick ask is a small window you open from any app. Ask, read the answer, and press Esc to go back to what you were doing.
- Open it with ⌃⇧Space (Ctrl+Shift+Space on Windows and Linux), from the menu bar or tray icon, or with the bird.
- Change the shortcut under Settings › Quick ask: click the shortcut, then press the keys you want.
Quick ask takes the same keys as the main window, and approvals work there too.
Keys
| Does | Mac | Windows and Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Continue the chat in the main window | ⌘↵ | Ctrl+Enter |
| Show your chats | ⌘L | Ctrl+L |
| Open one of the first nine chats | ⌘1 to ⌘9 | Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9 |
| Actions and chats | ⌘K | Ctrl+K |
| Bring back your last question (empty box) | ↑ | ↑ |
| Close | Esc | Esc |
Drop or paste files onto quick ask to attach them.
How long it keeps its chat
Quick ask keeps its chat for 15 minutes. Open it again within that time and you see the chat you left. After that, it starts a new one. Change this under Settings › General › Quick ask keeps its chat for: Never, 5 min, 15 min, 1 hour or Always.
Use the text you selected
Quick ask can read the text you selected in another app. Ask about it, rewrite it, and paste the answer back in its place.
Turn it on
It is off until you turn it on.
Open quick ask and press ⌘K (Ctrl+K). Choose Use the text you select in other apps…. You can also choose Turn on on the tip that quick ask shows the first time.
On a Mac, macOS asks you to allow Alexein. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility and turn Alexein on. Then quit Alexein and open it again.
Select text in any app, then press the quick ask shortcut.
To turn it off, choose Stop reading the text you select in quick ask's ⌘K.
Use it
Quick ask opens with a box that says Using the text you selected in Slack (or the app you were in). The text goes with your question. With no question, Alexein helps with the text.
- Quick buttons: Rewrite, Shorten, Fix grammar and In my voice. A project with notes adds In Brightbean's voice (with the project's name).
- Remove drops the text, so it isn't sent.
- Paste back into Slack, under the answer, puts the answer in place of the text you selected.
Good to know:
- Your clipboard is put back. To read some apps, Alexein copies the selection for a moment. It puts back what you had copied before. If it can't, it tells you.
- Password fields are never read.
- Up to 20,000 characters of selected text are used.
- On Windows, it never copies or pastes in a terminal.
- On Linux, this isn't available yet.
- On a Mac, after you install a new version, you may need to allow Alexein again under Accessibility.
The bird
Settings › General › Show the bird puts a small circle on the edge of your screen. Click it to open quick ask. Drag it anywhere, and it settles on the nearer edge. It is on by default on a Mac.
Related
- Chat and memory: the main window.
- Shortcuts and settings: every key.
- Troubleshooting: when the shortcut or the selected text doesn't work.