Attachments and what the assistant sees
In short: The assistant reads what a chat is "about": publications, map elements and files you attach. For a publication it always sees the abstract, the full text when a PDF is stored, and your newest 25 notes and highlights on it. Open the chat's About panel to see exactly what's in view. A chat can be about up to 12 things, including up to 10 files of 32 MB each.
What the assistant reads
| Item in About | What the assistant gets |
|---|---|
| A publication | Its details and abstract, always. Its full text when a PDF is stored for you. Your newest 25 notes, highlights and comments on it. |
| A map, node, edge or cluster | The element and its place on the map. A Chat with this map chat gets a summary of the whole map. |
| An attached file | Its contents, if it's a type the assistant can read. |
A stored PDF is either a shared open-access copy that SciNodes fetched or your own upload. Your uploads are visible only to you, so only your chats read them. See Fetching and uploading PDFs.
Attach a publication from the library
- Open a chat in the Research Assistants tab.
- Click + (Attach) to the left of the message box.
- Click Attach a publication from the library.
- Search with "Search the library…" and click a publication. Each row ends with "PDF stored" or "abstract only", so you know what the assistant will get.
- The publication is added to About ("Added to About.").
Adding a publication adds to what the chat is about. It never replaces what's already there. Publications already attached show "already attached".
Attach a file
- Send at least one message first. A file belongs to the chat, so the chat must exist.
- Click + → Attach a file and choose the file.
- When it's uploaded you see "file name added to About."
Attached files belong to that chat only. They aren't added to your library, and other chats can't see them.
Formats and limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Things one chat can be about | 12 |
| Files per chat | 10 |
| Size per file | 32 MB |
| Notes read per item | The newest 25 |
| The assistant reads | Stored, but not read |
|---|---|
| PDF, TXT, MD, CSV, TSV, JSON, YAML, LOG, BIB, RIS | DOCX, DOC, XLSX, PPTX, PNG, JPG, GIF, WEBP, ZIP and any other type |
If you attach a type the assistant can't read, you're warned first: "file name will be attached, but its contents cannot be read by the assistant." The assistant still knows the file is there and its name.
Check what's in view in the About panel
- Click the people icon (Toggle members & publications) at the top right of the chat.
- Under About, click the arrow next to an item to expand it.
- Read its status line and notes list.
Status lines for a publication:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Full text in view" | The assistant read the PDF on your last message. Details show the page count, "opening part only" for very long texts, and "your upload" for your own copy. |
| "PDF stored, not yet read" | A PDF is stored. It's read when you send your next message. |
| "Full text being read" | The PDF is still being read. It's in view from your next message. |
| "Abstract only" | Only the abstract is in view. The line below says why and what to do, for example "Fetch the PDF from the library to bring the full text into view." |
Status lines for a file: "Contents in view", "Attached, not yet read", "Being read", "Stored, not read", "No text found", "Could not be read" or "Not read this message".
Notes appear as "Your note", "Highlight · page N" or "Comment · page N". Notes past the newest 25 are marked "not in view". If a publication has none, you see "No notes yet". Click a note to open it in the Notes tab.
When SmarterPDF launches, a converted publication will show "SmarterPDF in view" (coming soon). See SmarterPDF.
Fix an "Abstract only" publication
Hover over the publication in About to see its buttons:
- Fetch the PDF for this publication when an open-access copy can be found.
- Upload a PDF for this publication when it can't.
- Replace the stored PDF when one is stored already.
Remove something from About
- Hover over the item and click ✕ (Remove from About), or right-click it and choose Remove from about.
- In the "Remove from about?" dialog:
- For a publication, click Remove. It stays in your library; only this chat stops reading it.
- For a file, click Remove and delete. The file is deleted and this can't be undone.
The assistant stops reading the item from your next message.
The first reply about a publication
The first message about a publication whose PDF hasn't been read yet takes longer, up to about 20 seconds, while SciNodes reads the PDF. A side-panel chat tells you up front what it can see, for example: "I can see its abstract and your 2 notes on it, and I will read the stored PDF when you send a message."
Troubleshooting
- "Send a message first, then attach a file." The chat is still a draft. Send a message, then attach.
- "Wait for the reply, then attach the publication." A reply is on its way. Attach once it arrives.
- "That file is too large to attach." The file is over 32 MB. Split it or attach a smaller version.
- "This chat is already holding as many files as it can." The chat has 10 files. Remove one, or start a new chat.
- "That file is not what its extension says it is." The contents don't match the file extension, for example a renamed file. Save it in the right format and try again.
- "File storage is not available right now." Try again later.
- "a chat can be about at most 12 things" Remove an item from About before adding another.
- "Too many things are attached for its full text to fit. Remove one to bring it back." The chat holds too much text for one message. Remove an item you no longer need.
- "The PDF has no text layer to read (a scan), so only the abstract is in view." The PDF is a scanned image. Upload a PDF with selectable text if you have one.
FAQ
Does attaching a file add it to my library?
No. Chat files belong to that one chat. To add a publication to your library, use Add Publications in the Library tab.
Can the assistant read Word or Excel files?
No. They're stored but not read. Save the content as PDF, plain text or CSV and attach that instead.
Why does the assistant only see the abstract?
No PDF is stored for you, the PDF is a scan with no text, or the chat holds too much text. Expand the publication in About to see which.
Does the assistant read all of my notes?
It reads your newest 25 notes about each item. Older ones are marked "not in view".