The box at the bottom of Chat. Type, attach files and folders, point at a file with @, run a Playbook with a slash, dictate by voice, and send or stop.
Mac appAvailableThe Permissions row of its plus menu is in the advanced view only.
Windows appAvailableDescribed on the Chat page, with Attachments and Slash commands.
The message box is where you write to Haruno. It sits at the bottom of Chat, and of the chat column beside other pages. Besides text it takes files, folders, Playbooks and your voice.
The parts
The plus button (Add Context), on the left. It opens a menu. See below.
The box. It says Message Haruno…. Drag the grip above it up or down to make it taller or shorter. Haruno remembers the height.
The microphone, on the right, when voice input is on offer. See below.
Send, which turns into Stop while Haruno works.
Return sends. Shift and Return together start a new line. ↑ on the first line brings back the message you sent before, and ↓ walks forward again. Your unfinished text comes back when you walk past the newest one. The full list of keys is in Keyboard shortcuts.
You can keep typing while Haruno works. Send waits until the reply is finished. The same is true while Haruno prepares its isolated space for the first time, or while an update installs: Send waits and your text is kept.
The choices under Recent Playbooks and the project choices are off while Haruno is working.
Attach files and folders
There are three ways.
The menu.Attach File or Attach Folder.
Drag. Drop files or folders onto the box. It says Drop files to attach.
Paste. Copy files in Finder, or copy a picture, and paste into the box. A pasted picture is saved with the chat.
Each attachment shows as a small chip above the box, with a cross to remove it. Chips stay on the chat after you send, so Haruno keeps working with the same files in the next message. The crosses are off while Haruno is working, because it may be reading the file at that moment.
Haruno checks what a file really is, not only its name. Programs and shortcuts cannot be attached. The note says Programs and shortcuts can't be attached. If a check takes too long, the file is left out and the note says so. A folder is refused only if it is an application. A pasted picture that is very large is refused. The note says This image is too large to paste. Attach the original file instead.
Point at a file with @
Type @ and the first letters of a name. A list shows matching files and folders from the chat's working folder. Move with the arrow keys, then press Return or Tab to choose one, or click it. Esc closes the list. The name goes into your message as text. Choosing a name does not send the message and does not attach the file. If nothing matches, the list says No matching files.
Run a Playbook with a slash
Type / at the very start of the message. A list of your Playbooks appears. Choose one the same way. Its command goes into the box. Add any words you like after it and press Return. A slash anywhere else in the message is just text. See Playbooks.
Dictate
Click the microphone and speak. A waveform and a timer show while it listens. Click again to stop. The words appear in the box, ready for you to read and send. A recording stops by itself after a minute.
The recording is sent to Haruno's transcription service to be turned into text, then discarded. Haruno records only while the microphone is on.
You have to be signed in. If you are not, the button is off, and hovering says Sign in to use voice input. Open Settings (⌘,).
The first time, macOS asks to allow the microphone. If you said no, Haruno says Haruno can't use the microphone. Allow it in System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Microphone.
Who has it
Everyone, in the normal view and the advanced view. The Permissions row is the advanced view only.
What to tell a customer
The box takes what people already do: type, drag a file in, paste a screenshot, or talk. Anything attached is checked first, and programs are never let in.