Chat with Iris

Press / in any mode to open the universal chat interface. Chat with Iris about code, ask for changes to generated content, or get explanations—all while maintaining context across modes.

Chat with Iris

What Makes Chat Special

Universal & Persistent

Works everywhere: Available in all modes
Persists across mode switches: Start a conversation in Commit, continue in Review
Shared context: Iris knows about all generated content (commits, reviews, PRs, etc.)

Direct Content Updates

Iris has special tools to modify content directly:

update_commit — Edit commit messages
update_pr — Modify PR descriptions
update_review — Change review content

No need to regenerate—just ask for changes.

Opening Chat

Key	Action
`/`	Open chat modal
`Esc`	Close chat (conversation persists)

Chat Interface

The chat modal appears as an overlay with a conversation history and input field. Messages are rendered with markdown support, and Iris shows a thinking indicator while processing.

Chat Controls

Key	Action
`Type`	Enter your message
`Enter`	Send message to Iris
`Esc`	Close chat modal
`j`/`k` or `↓`/`↑`	Scroll chat history
`Ctrl+d`/`Ctrl+u`	Page up/down

What You Can Ask

Ask About Generated Content

You: Why did you choose this title for the commit?
You: Explain the security issues you found
You: What makes this a breaking change?

Iris will reference the current mode's content to answer.

Request Content Changes

You: Make the commit message shorter
You: Add more detail to the security section
You: Rewrite the PR description to be more technical
You: Use a different emoji

Iris will use her update tools to modify content directly.

Get Code Explanations

You: What does the reducer pattern do here?
You: Why is this file tree component separate?
You: Explain the visual selection feature

Iris can access project documentation (README, CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md) to give context-aware answers.

Troubleshoot Issues

You: Why isn't the commit message showing?
You: How do I stage all files?
You: What do the scroll indicators mean?

Iris knows Studio's features and can guide you.

Context Awareness

Chat automatically loads context from:

Current mode's generated content
- Commit message (if in Commit mode)
- Review output (if in Review mode)
- PR description (if in PR mode)
- Changelog (if in Changelog mode)
- Release notes (if in Release mode)
Project documentation
- README.md
- CLAUDE.md (developer instructions)
- AGENTS.md (agent behavior docs)
Conversation history
- All previous messages in the session
- Context builds throughout conversation

Example Conversations

Commit Mode: Refining Messages

You: The commit message is too long. Make it more concise.

Iris: I've updated the commit message to be more direct:
      ✨ Add emoji selector to commit UI

      Let me know if you'd like it even shorter!

You: Perfect! Now add that I also fixed a bug with the file tree.

Iris: Updated:
      ✨ Add emoji selector and fix file tree selection

Iris modifies the message directly using update_commit.

Review Mode: Understanding Issues

You: Explain the performance issue you found in line 45

Iris: The issue on line 45 is an O(n²) nested loop:

      for commit in commits:
          for file in all_files:  # Scans all files for each commit
              ...

      This scales poorly with large repos. Consider indexing
      files by commit ID first, then doing O(1) lookups.

You: Can you add this optimization as a suggestion in the review?

Iris: Done! I've added a "Performance Optimization" section
      to the review with the indexed lookup pattern.

PR Mode: Formatting Changes

You: Make the PR description more bullet-pointy, less prose

Iris: Updated the PR to use concise bullet lists:

      ## Changes
      - Added emoji selector modal
      - Fixed file tree selection sync
      - Improved keyboard navigation

      ## Technical Details
      - New `EmojiSelector` modal component
      - `sync_file_selection()` helper for tree<->diff sync

You: Great! Add a migration note about the new emoji feature.

Iris: Added:

      ## Migration
      - Emoji mode defaults to Auto (AI chooses)
      - Use `g` key to open selector in Commit mode

Explore Mode: Code Questions

You: Why does this file use a reducer pattern?

Iris: The reducer pattern in `state.rs` provides:

      1. Predictable state transitions
      2. Pure functions for testing
      3. Clear event history for debugging
      4. Time-travel replay capability

      It's documented in CLAUDE.md under "Studio Architecture":

      > Pure function: (state, event) → (state, effects)
      > No I/O inside reducer—side effects returned as data

You: Show me how to add a new event type

Iris: To add a new event:

      1. Add variant to `StudioEvent` enum in `events.rs`:
         ```rust
         pub enum StudioEvent {
             YourNewEvent { data: String },
         }
         ```

      2. Handle in reducer (`reducer.rs`):
         ```rust
         match event {
             StudioEvent::YourNewEvent { data } => {
                 state.your_field = data;
                 (state, vec![])
             }
         }
         ```

      3. Dispatch from handler or async task

Direct Content Updates

Iris can modify generated content without regeneration:

Update Commit Message

You: Change the emoji to 🐛

Iris: ✓ Updated commit message emoji to 🐛

Behind the scenes: update_commit(new_message)

Update Review Content

You: Remove the style nitpicks section

Iris: ✓ Removed "Style & Formatting" section from review

Behind the scenes: update_review(filtered_content)

Update PR Description

You: Add a "Breaking Changes" section

Iris: ✓ Added Breaking Changes section:

      ## Breaking Changes
      - Emoji selector modal requires new keybinding (g)
      - EmojiMode enum replaces boolean use_gitmoji flag

Behind the scenes: update_pr(new_description)

Markdown Rendering

Iris's responses support rich markdown:

Bold and italic text
inline code
code blocks with syntax highlighting
Blockquotes
Lists (bulleted and numbered)
Links (displayed, not clickable in TUI)

Code blocks in chat match Studio's syntax highlighting theme.

Chat Status Indicators

Iris Is Thinking

Iris: ⠋ Thinking...

Animated Braille spinner while Iris processes your request.

Error State

Iris: ✗ Error: Could not update commit message
      (No message currently generated)

Red text for errors with explanation.

Tool Use

Iris: 🔧 Using update_commit tool...
      ✓ Commit message updated

Shows which tools Iris is calling (if visible in debug mode).

Privacy & Persistence

What Persists

Message history: Survives modal close, mode switches
Context: All generated content from current session

What Doesn't Persist

Chat state: Cleared when you quit Studio
API calls: Each message is a new request (no server-side storage)

Data Flow

You type message → Sent to LLM with context
LLM responds → Displayed in chat
If tool call needed → Iris executes locally
Result → Shown in chat

No data leaves your machine except LLM API calls.

Advanced Usage

Multi-Turn Conversations

Chat maintains context across turns:

You: What's the biggest file in the diff?

Iris: `src/studio/state.rs` at 1,183 lines is the largest
      file in this diff.

You: Show me its main struct

Iris: The main struct is `StudioState`:
      ```rust
      pub struct StudioState {
          pub repo: Option<Arc<GitRepo>>,
          pub git_status: GitStatus,
          pub config: Config,
          pub active_mode: Mode,
          pub focused_panel: PanelId,
          pub modes: ModeStates,
          // ... 14 fields total
      }
      ```

You: Why is repo an Option?

Iris: It's `Option<Arc<GitRepo>>` because Studio can run:
      1. Outside a git repository (demo mode)
      2. With repository errors (permissions, corruption)

      The `Arc` allows sharing across threads for async tasks.

Combining Chat with Tools

Use chat to understand, then use Studio tools to act:

Ask in chat: "Which files should I review first?"
Iris suggests: File list based on change significance
You navigate: Use j/k to select file
You view: Enter to load in diff panel

You: Generate a commit message
[Iris generates]

You: Too formal. Make it casual.
[Iris updates]

You: Add an emoji
[Iris updates with emoji]

You: Perfect!

Each iteration refines without full regeneration.

Limitations

What Chat Can't Do

Navigate UI: Can't move focus or select files for you
Execute git commands: Can't commit, push, or stage files
Open external tools: Can't launch editors or browsers
Modify files: Can only update Studio-generated content

What Chat Can Do

Read generated content: Commits, reviews, PRs, changelogs, release notes
Update generated content: Direct modification via tools
Access project docs: README, CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md
Explain code: Based on visible context and documentation
Guide usage: Studio features, keybindings, workflows

Tips for Effective Chat

Be Specific

❌ "Make it better" ✅ "Make the commit message more concise and add technical details"

Ask One Thing at a Time

❌ "Fix the emoji, shorten the message, and add a footer" ✅ "Change the emoji to 🐛" → wait → "Now shorten the message"

Reference Context

✅ "In the review, explain the security issue on line 45" ✅ "Why did you categorize the database change as 'Changed' not 'Added'?"

Use Chat for Questions, Hotkeys for Actions

Chat: "Why is this file tree organized this way?"
Hotkey: r to regenerate, e to edit

Next Steps

Learn mode-specific workflows:
- Commit Mode — Refine messages with chat
- Review Mode — Understand review findings
- Explore Mode — Ask about code history
Master Navigation Patterns to move quickly
Read Studio Overview for global features

Chat with Iris ​

What Makes Chat Special ​

Universal & Persistent ​

Direct Content Updates ​

Opening Chat ​

Chat Interface ​

Chat Controls ​

What You Can Ask ​

Ask About Generated Content ​

Request Content Changes ​

Get Code Explanations ​

Troubleshoot Issues ​

Context Awareness ​

Example Conversations ​

Commit Mode: Refining Messages ​

Review Mode: Understanding Issues ​

PR Mode: Formatting Changes ​

Explore Mode: Code Questions ​

Direct Content Updates ​

Update Commit Message ​

Update Review Content ​

Update PR Description ​

Markdown Rendering ​

Chat Status Indicators ​

Iris Is Thinking ​

Error State ​

Tool Use ​

Privacy & Persistence ​

What Persists ​

What Doesn't Persist ​

Data Flow ​

Advanced Usage ​

Multi-Turn Conversations ​

Combining Chat with Tools ​

Iterative Refinement ​

Limitations ​

What Chat Can't Do ​

What Chat Can Do ​

Tips for Effective Chat ​

Be Specific ​

Ask One Thing at a Time ​

Reference Context ​

Use Chat for Questions, Hotkeys for Actions ​

Next Steps ​

Chat with Iris

What Makes Chat Special

Universal & Persistent

Direct Content Updates

Opening Chat

Chat Interface

Chat Controls

What You Can Ask

Ask About Generated Content

Request Content Changes

Get Code Explanations

Troubleshoot Issues

Context Awareness

Example Conversations

Commit Mode: Refining Messages

Review Mode: Understanding Issues

PR Mode: Formatting Changes

Explore Mode: Code Questions

Direct Content Updates

Update Commit Message

Update Review Content

Update PR Description

Markdown Rendering

Chat Status Indicators

Iris Is Thinking

Error State

Tool Use

Privacy & Persistence

What Persists

What Doesn't Persist

Data Flow

Advanced Usage

Multi-Turn Conversations

Combining Chat with Tools

Iterative Refinement

Limitations

What Chat Can't Do

What Chat Can Do

Tips for Effective Chat

Be Specific

Ask One Thing at a Time

Reference Context

Use Chat for Questions, Hotkeys for Actions

Next Steps