Chats

How you interact with Calvin's agents to get work done

Chats are the primary way you communicate with Calvin's agents. Each chat represents a single task or objective within a workspace. You describe what you need, the agent plans and executes, and you review the result — all through a conversational interface.

To create a new chat, click the "+" button next to the workspace name at the top of the chat panel. The New Chat dialog asks for a name (to help you identify the task later), a task description (where you describe what you want Calvin to do in natural language), and optional attachments such as design mockups, screenshots, or reference documents.

Under Advanced Options, you can set a custom branch name for the chat session. By default, Calvin creates a feature branch automatically, but you can specify your own naming convention if you prefer. You can also enable Epic mode, which allows the agent to run for a longer period with greater accuracy — ideal for complex, multi-step tasks that require deeper analysis and more thorough execution.

The "Create plan first" checkbox tells Calvin to present a detailed plan before starting any work. This is useful when you want to review and approve the approach before the agent begins executing. When this option is enabled, the agent will outline its plan with numbered steps and wait for your confirmation before proceeding.

Once a chat is submitted, the agent begins working. You will see a Plan section appear in the chat showing each step and its status (Completed, In Progress, or Pending). Below the plan, a Worklog section is available that you can expand to see the detailed actions the agent took — files created, code written, commands run, and decisions made.

You can continue the conversation at any time by typing in the chat input at the bottom of the panel. Ask for adjustments, request changes, or give the agent additional instructions. The "+" button next to the chat input provides quick access to add an Attachment, a Tip (to guide the agent's behavior), a Block (to install infrastructure), an Agent (to bring in a different specialist), a Connector (to integrate an external service), or an Artifact (to reference a previously shared output).

Each chat has a lifecycle with three possible statuses. Working means the chat is active and the agent is either executing or waiting for your input. Completed means the task is finished and changes have been merged or a pull request has been created, depending on your workspace configuration. Discarded means the chat was abandoned without applying its changes.

You manage chats through the three-dot menu next to the chat name. Complete Chat marks the task as done and triggers the configured chat closing action (merge and push, or create pull request). Export Chat saves the conversation and worklog for reference. Transfer Chat reassigns the chat to a different team member. Discard Chat abandons the chat without applying changes. Delete Chat permanently removes the chat.

You can also assign chats to team members. The owner badge next to the chat name shows who is currently responsible for the task. Click the dropdown next to the workspace name to see all chats in the workspace, filtered by status and assignee.