AI Agent

You can ask Pointy's agent to set up an analysis, connect existing steps, or write a script, just as you would ask a colleague. It can also help you understand what is already there. Its edits stay separate from the shared folders until you inspect and apply them.

For example:

• “Explain the inputs and parameters of step 42. Don't change anything yet.”
• “Set up a quality-control step for each sample, keeping their results separate.”
• “Make a copy of step 42 with a stricter threshold. Keep the original for comparison.”

Tell the agent what you want to learn or produce, which steps to use, and what you want to leave unchanged. Step numbers help when several steps have similar names. You do not need to describe repository files or know how Pointy stores them.

When you send a message, Pointy tells the agent which folder page you have open, so it can assume that is the folder you mean. That note does not appear in the chat. If a turn fails or you stop it, Pointy sends the note again with your next message.

Opening the agent panel

Use Agent in the bottom status bar. The panel is available on every workspace page. Focus agent panel gives the chat more space; use Exit focus mode (Esc) to return to the smaller panel.

Close agent panel hides the panel without stopping the agent. Opening it again brings back the chat you were using.

Asking for help

Type your request and click Send, or press Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on macOS). The reply appears in the chat as the agent works. Until the first reply arrives, the chat shows Waiting for a reply. You can keep inspecting the folder while you wait.

When a tool call has been running for a while, the chat shows a line such as Running bash · 0:24 with the command the agent is running.

Steering a running turn

You do not have to wait for the agent to finish before correcting it. While it works, Send becomes Steer. For example: “Keep the original step; make a copy for this comparison instead.” The same keyboard shortcut sends the correction. Your steer appears at once as a You message marked Steering until the agent picks it up.

Stopping

Stop interrupts the agent. You may briefly see Stopping, and the turn is then marked Stopped. If the agent had not replied yet, the message reads Stopped before a reply. Stopping does not undo edits the agent already made: they stay in the changeset, and you can inspect them, continue the chat, or discard them.

Stopping the agent does not stop an analysis that is already running; use the step's own Stop button for that.

Answering questions

The agent may pause to ask you a question. For a single-choice question, click an option and your answer is sent straight away. For a multiple-choice question, select the options you want and click Send answer. You can also type your own answer in the message box.

While the chat waits for your answer, its entry in the chat history shows Needs input, and the agent's time budget is paused: time spent waiting for your answer does not count against it.

Following references

A step reference in a reply links to the step's output in the folder you have open, or in the first folder that lists it. A folder name links to that folder's page. A step reference also gets a run button when the step has not run successfully. These links point to the same steps you can open in a folder, not copies stored in the chat.

When a run fails, or a step fails certification, open the step's log and choose Investigate with agent. Pointy starts a new chat and sends the step's build log to the agent right away, asking it to investigate the failure.

Long conversations and errors

In a long chat, Pointy may show Summarising the conversation so far. The agent is shortening the earlier conversation to make room for more work. When the chat has used about half of the context the model can consider at once, Pointy adds a warning telling you how full the chat is; it appears once as the chat reaches that point. Restate important constraints if you need to, or start a new chat for a separate task.

Pointy stops a turn that runs too long: by default a turn is limited to 30 minutes; time spent waiting for your answer does not count. Your administrator can change the limit in the backend configuration.

If the agent reports an error, read it before sending the same request again. It may already have made some edits. Check those before deciding whether to continue or discard them.

Reviewing and applying changes

When the agent has made edits, a Changeset box appears at the end of the chat. It lists the changed files and shows what was added or removed; each file's diff is open and can be folded away. A changeset is simply the group of edits you can accept or discard together.

Check that it changes the steps and parameters you intended. Read any changed scripts as well as the agent's explanation. If something is unclear, ask the agent to explain or revise it before applying.

The changeset shows its status:

• Proposed: ready for you to inspect and apply or discard.
• Needs review: the changeset conflicts with newer changes in the shared folders, so Pointy asks the agent to resolve the conflict before you apply again.
• Not applied: Pointy did not apply the changeset because it introduces evaluation failures.
• Applied or Discarded: the record of what you did with an earlier changeset.

Applying changes

Choose Apply changes to save the proposed edits to the shared folders. Pointy checks for conflicting changes first; your original folders are not overwritten just because the proposal could not be applied.

If the shared folders gained changes that conflict with the changeset, Pointy asks the agent to resolve the conflict: the request appears as a message in the chat, and the agent works on a copy that combines both sides. When the agent finishes, apply again. If the agent cannot resolve it, the changeset stays Needs review and you can Discard changeset instead.

If applying would leave a folder or step in a state that does not evaluate, Pointy does not apply it. The changeset shows Not applied and lists the failures, and the chat shows Needs fix. Your next message sends those failures to the agent, which is asked to fix them; when it has, choose Apply changes again.

After a successful apply, the folder page refreshes and the chat records what was applied, so you can continue from the applied state. You can also open the step's Inspect Parameters or Edit form to check it or make a manual adjustment.

Applying an edit is not the same as checking its scientific result. Run the affected steps, inspect their outputs, and review the results when you are satisfied.

A reviewed step is locked for the agent too: Pointy will not apply a changeset that changes a reviewed step. Remove its review first, or ask the agent to make a new copy so the reviewed result stays intact.

Discarding changes

Choose Discard changeset to throw away edits that have not been applied. The chat records that decision and stays open, ready to work from the latest saved version. This does not undo changes you applied earlier.

Apply and discard are available only while the agent is not working.

What the agent can change

The agent can create and edit folders, steps, and step source files. It cannot change the instance's templates or software configuration; if it edits anything else, Pointy leaves those edits out of the changeset and reports them in the chat. Ask your administrator if an analysis needs a new template or a change to the available software.

Each chat works on a separate copy of the saved folders and steps. Pointy brings in newer saved changes before the next request where possible, and checks again when you apply. This lets you inspect a proposal without changing the analysis other people are using.

Managing chats

New chat

Choose New chat in the panel header or in the chat history. Use separate chats for separate tasks. Several chats can work at once; switching between them does not stop their work. Sending a message in a chat that is already working steers that work rather than starting another task in the same chat.

A chat that never receives a message is removed automatically, so New chat is unavailable while the current chat is still empty.

Naming a chat

Pointy gives the chat a short title based on your request. Until that is ready, it shows the start of your first message. To rename it, click Rename chat beside the title, enter up to 80 characters, and press Enter or click Save. Escape or Cancel cancels. Automatic naming will not replace a name you choose.

Chat history and links

Use Open chat history to switch between chats. Chats are listed newest first. Show archived (N) reveals the chats you have put away.

A changes label means the chat has edits waiting to be applied or discarded. Working, Needs input, Reconnecting, Needs review, and Needs fix tell you what is happening in that chat.

Use Copy link to chat to return to a conversation or send it to a colleague. The You label on a message that started a request links to that point in the conversation. Your colleague needs access to the same Pointy instance; a link does not make the chat public.

Archiving and deleting

When you are done, open chat history and use Archive on the chat row. The button appears only when the agent is not working; finish or stop it first. Archived chats move under Show archived (N), where you can still read them, but you cannot send more messages. Their conversation is kept. Apply or discard anything you still want before archiving.

To delete an archived chat permanently, click Delete permanently on the chat row and confirm with Confirm. This removes the chat metadata, logs, worktree, and agent branch, and it cannot be undone. It removes any unapplied edits as well; it does not undo changes already applied to the shared folders.