> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orkestral.pro/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chat

> Talk to the CEO and direct the team in natural language.

Chat is the main surface of Orkestral. You don't operate one assistant, you direct a team. You talk to the **CEO** agent in plain language, and it reads your code, plans the change, and delegates to the right specialists.

<Note>
  Describe **what** you want, not **how** to build it. Say "users should be able to reset their password by email", the CEO figures out the files, the approach, and who does the work.
</Note>

## How to chat

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a chat" icon="comments">
    Pick the repo you want to work in, then start typing in the message box. The CEO already has full context on the connected codebase.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Describe the outcome" icon="bullseye">
    Write a feature, a fix, or a refactor in natural language. Be as specific about the goal as you like, leave the implementation to the team.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send and watch" icon="bolt">
    Press send. The CEO replies with a friendly plan, then the team gets to work. You stay in the loop the whole time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Vague is fine to start. "The login page feels slow" is a valid turn, the CEO will investigate the code before proposing anything.
</Tip>

## What happens after you send

Every message turns your request into trackable work. The flow runs end to end:

<CardGroup cols={4}>
  <Card title="Plan" icon="brain">
    The CEO reads the relevant code and writes a clear plan for the change.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delegate" icon="users">
    It routes the work to the right specialists in the reporting hierarchy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Execute" icon="code-branch">
    The local Forge applies the code changes on your machine at \$0 API cost.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Review" icon="list-check">
    The Code Reviewer checks the result before it comes back to you.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

The conversation feeds **issues** and the **knowledge base** automatically, so the work is tracked and remembered without extra effort.

## Route a turn with @mentions

To hand a turn straight to a specialist, **@mention** them. The specialist picks up the full chat context and does the work, no need to re-explain.

```text theme={null}
@Code Reviewer take another pass at the auth changes and flag anything risky.
```

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="When to use the CEO (default)" icon="users">
    Leave the message unaddressed when you want planning and delegation. The CEO decides who should handle each part.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When to @mention a specialist" icon="robot">
    Use it when you already know who you need, for example `@Frontend`, `@Backend`, `@DevOps`, `@QA`, `@Designer`, or `@Tech Lead`. The turn routes directly to them with the conversation context intact.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Tip>
  @mentions are great for follow-ups: ask the **Code Reviewer** to double-check a change, or the **Frontend** to polish the UI of something the CEO just shipped.
</Tip>

## The reports you get back

Orkestral talks back to you in friendly, readable language, not raw diffs or logs.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Plan reports" icon="list-check">
    Before work starts, you see what the team intends to do and who will do it, so you can confirm or redirect.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Summary reports" icon="comments">
    After work completes, you get a plain-language summary of what changed and why, with the issues and knowledge base updated behind the scenes.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Everything stays local in `~/.orkestral`. No server, no telemetry, your chat and your code never leave your machine.
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Meet the team" icon="users" href="/en/agents">
    See each specialist and how the reporting hierarchy works.
  </Card>

  <Card title="The Forge" icon="bolt" href="/en/forge">
    Learn how the local model executes changes at \$0 API cost.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>