Composer

The composer is the prompt box that sits over the active pane.

Open it with ⌘N on macOS, or Ctrl+N on Windows and Linux. Use it to start an agent in an empty pane or send a follow-up message to the agent already running there.

What the composer sends

The composer writes text into the terminal session. It does not turn the agent into a hidden chat product. If the agent opens a native prompt, asks for permission, or prints output, you still see that in the terminal.

When a pane is empty, choose an installed agent from the picker and send the first prompt. Coldtea starts that CLI, waits until the terminal is ready for input, then sends your message.

When a pane already has an agent, the composer sends the message to that running agent. If you switch the picker to a different agent while another one is active, Coldtea warns before replacing the running context.

Mention files with @

Type @ to search files in the active project or worktree and insert a mention. The mention drops the file's path into your prompt, so the agent knows which file you mean.

Attach files

Use the attach button to pick one or more files. Coldtea adds those paths to the outgoing message as file references, and you can remove any attachment before you send.

File references are still prompt text. They help the agent find the right place, but they are not a guarantee that the agent will read every file perfectly. For important context, name the file, the relevant lines, and the outcome you want.

Voice input

The composer can record a voice note and transcribe it into the draft. Start recording from the voice button, stop when you are done, and Coldtea inserts the transcription where your cursor was. Read it before sending, especially around file paths, flags, and issue IDs. Voice input needs microphone access.

Follow-ups

Use follow-up prompts for small corrections:

Only update the docs pages in apps/docs/content/docs/terminal. Do not touch setup or reference pages.

For a bigger change, write a new prompt with the current state instead of a bare "keep going." Agents do better when the next instruction names the boundary.

Good composer habits

A useful prompt has three parts:

1. The job.
2. The boundary.
3. The check.

Fill the remaining workspace docs pages. Keep the existing voice, change only those files, and run the docs lint, type, and build checks when done.

That is not clever. It is clear, and clear is what you want when an agent can edit files.

Next: make a code change, or read about context.