Manual Voice and chat agent
The chat agent
A chat window you can talk to, which can search your notes, create and edit them, check your calendar, and search the web if you've added a cloud provider key.
The chat agent is a conversation rather than a one-shot instruction. It opens in an overlay above whatever you're working in, keeps its history, and can act on your notes.
Unlike the voice agent, it doesn't type into the app you're using — the conversation stays in its own window.
Opening it
Set the Chat Agent Hotkey under Settings → Hotkeys under App. The same key opens and closes the overlay.
Inside, you can type, or hold the input's speak control to talk. The placeholder tells you which key to press.
What it can do
The agent has tools it can use on your behalf, and it tells you which one it's running as it goes — "Searching notes…", "Creating note…", and so on.
| Tool | What it does | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Search notes | Finds relevant notes | Always |
| Read note | Opens one note in full | Always |
| Create note | Writes a new note | Always |
| Update note | Edits an existing note | Always |
| List folders | Reads your folders, so it files things sensibly | Always |
| Copy to clipboard | Puts text on your clipboard | Always |
| Web search | Searches the web | Cloud provider key set |
| Calendar | Reads your upcoming events | Google or Microsoft calendar connected |
Two of those are conditional. Web search only works when you've added a key under Cloud Providers in Settings — the local model has no way to reach the web on its own. Calendar appears only once you've connected Google Calendar or a Microsoft calendar under Settings → Integrations — without one the agent has no view of your schedule and will say so.
Conversations
Conversations are saved and you can pick one back up. New starts a fresh one, which is worth doing when you change subject — a long conversation carries its earlier context into every answer.
Any reply can be copied out with Copy to clipboard.
Choosing a model
Set it under Settings → Language Models under AI Models, on the Chat tab. By default it's the local model (Qwen 3.5 4B recommended); if you've added a cloud provider key you can pick that instead. It's independent of the voice agent's model, so you can run a larger model for conversation and a faster one for quick voice instructions.
System Prompt on the same tab sets custom standing instructions for the chat agent.
Chat vs the voice agent
| Chat agent | Voice agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens | An overlay window | Nothing — types at your cursor |
| Keeps history | Yes | No, each instruction stands alone |
| Can use tools | Yes | No |
| Best for | Working with your notes, research, back-and-forth | One-off instructions while writing |
Related
Still need help?
Write to [email protected] with your Windows version, your Neato Echo version (Settings → System), and what you were doing. A person reads every message.