import { Callout, Cards } from "nextra/components";

# Workspace Usage

The DeerFlow App workspace is a browser-based interface for having multi-turn conversations with the agent, tracking task progress, viewing artifacts, and managing files.

## Starting a conversation

Open the app at `http://localhost:2026` (or your deployment URL). The workspace is split into:

- **Sidebar** (left): thread list, new thread button, and navigation to agents and settings.
- **Conversation area** (center): the active thread's message history.
- **Input bar** (bottom): text input, skill selector, model selector, and attachment controls.

To start a new thread, click **New Thread** in the sidebar or use the keyboard shortcut. Each thread is independent — it has its own conversation history, artifacts, and state.

## Selecting a model

Use the model picker in the input bar to choose which configured model to use for the current request. Models listed here correspond to the `models:` entries in your `config.yaml`.

The selected model applies to the next message only. You can switch models between messages in the same thread.

If a model supports **thinking mode**, a toggle appears next to the model selector. When thinking is enabled, the agent's internal reasoning steps are shown inline in the response.

## Selecting a skill

Click the **Skills** button in the input bar to open the skill selector. Enabled skills are listed here. Selecting a skill tells the agent to apply that skill's workflow and instructions for the current message.

<Callout type="tip">
  Skills are most useful when you want the agent to follow a specific approach,
  such as deep research methodology or structured data analysis. For general
  questions, you typically do not need to select a skill.
</Callout>

## Plan mode

Toggle **Plan Mode** in the input bar to enable the todo list middleware. In plan mode, the agent creates and maintains a visible task list as it works through a complex multi-step objective. Each task shows its status (`pending`, `in_progress`, `completed`) in real time.

Plan mode is most useful for complex tasks with 3 or more distinct steps.

## Uploading files

Click the attachment icon in the input bar to upload files. Supported file types include PDFs, text files, spreadsheets, and images.

Uploaded files are stored under the thread's working directory (`/mnt/user-data/uploads/`) and are accessible to the agent during the conversation. PDFs are automatically converted to Markdown for better model comprehension (the converter can be configured via `uploads.pdf_converter` in `config.yaml`).

## Viewing artifacts

When the agent produces output files (reports, charts, code, etc.), they appear in the **Artifacts** panel. Each artifact shows a preview (for supported types) and a download link.

Artifacts are tracked in the thread state and persist across page reloads.

## Understanding the message stream

Each agent response in the conversation may contain:

- **Text**: the agent's direct reply.
- **Thinking** (if thinking mode is enabled): the model's internal reasoning, shown in a collapsible block.
- **Tool calls**: a record of which tools were called and with what arguments.
- **Tool results**: the output returned by each tool.
- **Subagent output**: if the agent delegated a task, the subagent's progress appears inline.

Tool calls and thinking steps are collapsed by default. Click to expand them.

## Switching agents

If you have created custom agents, use the **Agent** selector in the input bar to switch to a different agent. The selected agent persists for the duration of the thread.

Custom agents may have different models, skills, tool sets, and system prompts. See [Agents and Threads](/docs/application/agents-and-threads) for how to create and manage custom agents.

<Cards num={2}>
  <Cards.Card title="Agents and Threads" href="/docs/application/agents-and-threads" />
  <Cards.Card title="Configuration" href="/docs/application/configuration" />
</Cards>
