# Chat with your knowledge

Each conversation with the assistant is a **session**, and each session works in one brain at a time.

## Start a session

1. Select **New session** in the sidebar.
2. Check the brain picker beside the message box. It shows where this conversation works: **Org-wide**, **Personal**, or one of your brains.
3. Ask your question, for example "What did we decide about pricing for the support plan?"

The session appears under **Sessions** in the sidebar, so you can come back to it.

To ask about one file, open it under **Knowledge** and select **Ask about this**. It starts a session in that file's brain.

## Choose the brain

**Org-wide** is the default. From there, the assistant can look into any other brain you can reach when your question needs it. A brain set to require approval asks you first: select **Approve** or **Deny** when it does.

Choose one brain to keep the conversation to that brain. If you switch partway through, ako asks you to confirm, because the answers so far came from the brain you're leaving.

## What you can ask it to do

- **Find and explain**: search and read your brains, and say which files an answer came from.
- **Write**: add or change files. Changes to protected folders are sent for [approval](/brains/review-proposals).
- **Check facts**: compare a sentence with the brain's ground truth.
- **Suggest a brain or a routine**: it shows you what it will create, and nothing happens until you confirm or approve.
- **Import files**: see [Import existing files](/brains/import-files).
- **Work with Linear**: read issues, and create one when you ask, if your organisation has [connected Linear](/connections/linear).

The assistant follows your organisation's [skills](/assistant/add-a-skill) and each brain's `AGENTS.md`.

## Attach files

Select **+** beside the message box, then **Attach files**. The assistant can read them in this conversation. Attaching doesn't add them to a brain.

## Turn a connection off for one conversation

Connections such as Linear are listed under **+**. Switch one off there to keep it out of this conversation only.