AI chat basics
New to AI tools? No problem. Learn to ask in plain words, focus the chat with ⌘J, and build or edit the current tab step by step.
5 min read
AI Chat
AI chat is the easiest way to drive nidavellir. You do not need to memorize buttons or menus — just type what you want in plain language, like texting a helpful teammate: “write me …”. The AI then builds and edits the thing you have open (the artifact) for you.
First, a few unfamiliar words. You do not need to memorize this table — just come back here whenever a term looks new.
Artifact
Each thing you make inside a project — a proposal, a deck, a prototype, a video, a kanban board. There is one per tab along the top.
Prompt / instruction
The request you send the AI. Just write what you want as a sentence, like “draft a company-intro proposal”.
Streaming
The reply appears live, as if being typed, instead of all at once. Just wait for it to finish.
Model
The AI “brain” that handles your request. The default is Claude Sonnet, and it automatically thinks harder for tougher requests.
Opening the chat panel
The AI chat panel sits on the left of the workspace. Press ⌘J (Ctrl+J on Windows) anywhere and the cursor jumps straight into the input box. Type what you want, press Enter, and that is it. By default the AI builds and edits whichever tab you have open.
The AI chat panel in the workspace
Focus the chat with ⌘J; a natural-language instruction edits the current tab.
Not sure what to type? Copy one of these to start. There is no wrong answer — if you do not like the result, just ask again.
First prompts to try (open the artifact you want, then send one)
Draft a proposal
“Draft a company-intro proposal”
Add a slide
“Add a team-intro slide to the deck”
Rewrite simpler
“Rewrite this paragraph shorter and in simpler words”
Press ⌘J to jump to the chat input.
You are ready when the cursor blinks in the input box on the left.
Type what you want in plain words and press Enter.
You will see the reply fill in live (streaming).
Watch the AI create or edit the result in the current tab.
It does not just write text — the actual proposal, deck, etc. changes.
If it misses, refine your wording and send again.
You can cancel your own in-flight request at any time.
Writing good instructions
The more specific the instruction, the better the result. Include who it is for (audience), the feel (tone), how long (length), and which artifact. A single sentence carrying those four beats a vague one-liner.
Specific examples — carrying audience, tone, length and artifact
Audience + tone + length
“Draft a one-page proposal overview for fintech startup investors, in a confident tone”
Name another artifact
“Add a market-size slide to the deck and highlight three key figures”
Rewrite
“Rewrite the proposal intro shorter and more concise, for executives”
Build a prototype
“Build a landing page in the prototype with an email field and a submit button”
The most common beginner mistake is being too vague, like “write a proposal”. The AI has to guess the blanks and can drift. Add one more line: for whom, about what, and how long.
If a result misses, cancel and refine the instruction rather than piling on. Naming the audience, tone and length works far better than adding “why?”. You do not need it perfect in one shot — trading a few short messages is the trick.
Write comfortably in your own language — you never have to switch to English. The reply language follows your workspace setting.
The AI does more than write — it performs real product actions: drafting proposal sections, editing the deck, running the prototype (⌘R), setting the project summary and more. See Combining AI with editing for what you can ask.
Focus the chat input
Send the instruction
Run the prototype
Undo your own typing
Handy shortcuts. Read ⌘ as Ctrl on Windows/Linux.
I do not know what to type.
Just describe the result you want in plain words. Copy one of the example cards above to start. There is no wrong answer, and you can always ask again.
What if I do not like the answer?
Cancel it if it is still running, then resend with a more specific instruction. Any change it already made can be undone, so experiment freely.
Does it work better in English?
No. Write in whatever language you are comfortable with; it understands and replies in the same language.
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