Chat Interface

BB's chat interface is where you'll spend most of your time. Learn how to use it effectively to achieve your objectives.

Interface Overview

Key Elements

Header Area

  • Project selector
  • Conversation selector
  • Connection status
  • Token usage indicator

Chat Area

  • Message history
  • Tool operations
  • File suggestions
  • Message input

Message Types

Blue - Your messages
Green - BB's responses
Yellow - Tool operations
Purple - System messages

Starting Conversations

New Conversation Steps

  1. Select your project

    Use the project selector in the header

  2. Click "New Conversation"

    Or use the conversation selector dropdown

  3. Share your objective
    • Focus on what you want to achieve
    • Provide relevant context
    • Let BB guide the process
  4. Conversation Title
    • BB automatically creates title from your first message
    • Title reflects the conversation's main objective
    • Helps organize and identify conversations

Pro Tips:

  • Create separate conversations for different tasks
  • Use clear, descriptive conversation titles
  • Start fresh conversations for new objectives
  • Keep conversations focused on specific goals

File Suggestions

BB provides intelligent file suggestions to help you quickly reference project files. There are two ways to trigger suggestions:

Trigger Methods

  • Slash Trigger (/):
    Type a forward slash to show suggestions
  • Tab Trigger:
    Press Tab to show suggestions at any point

Advanced Features

  • Wildcards:
    Use * to match any characters:
    • *.ts - All TypeScript files
    • test/* - All files in test directory
    • src/**/*.tsx - All TSX files in src tree

Navigation & Selection:

Keyboard Controls
  • ↑/↓ - Navigate suggestions
  • Enter - Select suggestion
  • Escape - Close suggestions
Best Practices
  • List files on separate lines
  • Use Tab for quick navigation
  • Combine wildcards with paths

Keyboard Shortcuts

Message Controls

Send messageCmd/Ctrl + Enter
New lineEnter
Clear messageEsc

Navigation

Expand/collapse messageSpace
Navigate messages
↑↓
Show help?

Token Usage

Tokens are the "cost unit" for working with BB. Longer conversations use more tokens and can become expensive.

Managing Tokens

  • Watch the token counter in header
  • Use conversation summaries
  • Start fresh conversations
  • Remove unused files

Cache Status

  • Green - Cache active (90% discount)
  • Yellow - Cache expiring soon
  • Gray - No active cache

Token Tips:

  • Keep conversations under 60k tokens
  • Use summaries for long conversations
  • Create new conversations for new tasks
  • Remove files when no longer needed

Next Steps

Managing Conversations

Learn best practices for organizing and managing your conversations.

Thinking in Objectives

Master BB's objectives-focused approach to development.