# Tour the interface

> A walkthrough of the Specify interface, including the sidebar, tabs, search, Inbox, and AI panel, and what each area does, with real screenshots.

The Specify interface has a **sidebar** on the left, a **tab area** in the center, and an **AI panel** on the right that opens when you need it. This page walks through what each area does, using real screenshots.

<Screenshot name="editor" alt="The Specify interface with the sidebar on the left and the document editor in the center" caption="Pick a document in the sidebar to open it in the tab area in the center." />

## Sidebar

From top to bottom, the sidebar contains the following.

| Area | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Search** | Opens the command palette to find documents and commands. The shortcut is <Kbd>⌘K</Kbd>. |
| **Home · Chat · Inbox** | Switches the sidebar list between the document tree, conversation history, and task list. |
| **New (+)** | Creates a project, document, or chat, or adds an external node (file). |
| **Projects** | The list of document projects. Documents connected to GitHub repositories collect here. |
| **Explorer** | The tree of documents and folders in your workspace. It has New Folder, New File, and Upload File buttons. |
| **Trash** | Restores deleted documents or deletes them permanently. |
| **Account menu** | Select the workspace name at the bottom to switch workspaces, invite members, or open Skills & connectors, Settings, or Sign out. |

## Create new items

Select the **New (+)** button in the sidebar to see what you can create.

<Screenshot name="new-menu" alt="The New menu showing Create project, New Document, New Chat, and Add External Node" />

- **Create project**: Creates a [document project](/en/guides/doc-projects) that generates docs from a GitHub repository.
- **New Document**: Creates a blank document you can edit right away. See [Write and edit docs](/en/guides/editor).
- **New Chat**: Starts a new conversation with AI. See [AI chat and questions](/en/guides/ask-ai).
- **Add External Node**: Uploads a file such as a PDF, Word document, or spreadsheet so AI can use it as a reference.

## Command palette

Select **Search** in the sidebar or press <Kbd>⌘K</Kbd> to open the command palette. You can jump straight to a document by title or run an action such as creating a new document. Results are split into **All**, **Actions**, **Resources**, and **Navigation** tabs.

<Screenshot name="command-palette" alt="The command palette with API entered, showing the API Reference document in the results" />

## Tab area

Documents, chats, and document project setup all open as tabs in the center area. You can keep several documents open as tabs and move between them, and right-click a tab to choose **Close**, **Close Others**, **Close to the Right**, or **Close All**.

## Chat

When you open a **New Chat**, a message box appears in the center. You can also start from an example request with the **Research**, **Writing**, **Analysis**, **Ideas**, and **Summary** buttons at the top.

<Screenshot name="home" alt="The new chat screen, with example request buttons at the top and the message box and model picker at the bottom" />

Below the message box are the **Connect repository** button and the model and reasoning effort picker. For details, see [AI chat and questions](/en/guides/ask-ai).

## Inbox

The Inbox is where the tasks the agent handles in the background collect. Check the progress and results of long-running tasks such as document generation and automation runs. When a completed task hasn't been reviewed yet, a dot appears on the Inbox icon in the sidebar.

<Screenshot name="inbox" alt="The Inbox list open in the sidebar, showing agent task cards" />

Select a task card to see its **Request**, **Result summary**, **Progress timeline**, and **Sub-tasks**.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card icon="file" title="Write and edit docs" href="/en/guides/editor">Block commands, sharing, and file uploads</Card>
  <Card icon="message" title="AI chat and questions" href="/en/guides/ask-ai">Get answers grounded in your team's materials</Card>
  <Card icon="blocks" title="Settings at a glance" href="/en/workspace/settings">Account, workspace, and AI settings</Card>
</CardGroup>