Writing to an agent
The message box — attachments, mentions, steering, the queue and suggestions.
The message box at the bottom of a session is where you talk to the agent. Enter sends.
While the agent works
Section titled “While the agent works”You don’t have to wait for a turn to end:
- Enter steers: the message goes into the running turn, and the agent takes it into account as it goes (Claude Code and Codex; the others queue instead).
- Ctrl+Enter queues it for after the turn. Queued messages wait in a bar above the box, each with Send now, Edit in composer and Remove from queue. ↑ in an empty box takes the last one back to edit.
- Stop interrupts the turn.
Attachments
Section titled “Attachments”The + menu (or Ctrl+U) offers Add files or photos and Add folder; you can also paste or drop them on the window.
- Images go to the agent as images, up to 20 a message. Pasted ones are kept in Newen’s data folder.
- Other files and folders go in as
@pathmentions, relative to the session’s folder, for the agent to read itself.
Mentions
Section titled “Mentions”Type @ for a list: other sessions first (written @[title], so the agent can read that conversation), then the folder’s files. ↑ ↓ pick, Enter takes one, Esc closes.
Slash commands
Section titled “Slash commands”Type / at the start of the box, or after a space, for Newen’s commands and the agent’s own: /model, /effort, /permissions, /plan, /diff, /fork, /storage and more. A command of the agent’s that shares a name with one of Newen’s is marked Custom command and goes to the agent. See Slash commands.
/btw followed by a question asks it on the side, without interrupting the session or adding to its conversation.
Suggestions
Section titled “Suggestions”Claude Code proposes your likely next message when a turn ends; it shows as the box’s placeholder, and Tab or → in the empty box takes it. Turn it off with Prompt suggestions in Settings › Claude Code.
Drafts
Section titled “Drafts”What you type is kept per session: switch sessions and come back to find your draft as you left it.
What you see back
Section titled “What you see back”Each tool shows as a row with a short verb: Read, Edited, Searched, Listed, Opened a page, Searched 4 sites. Open one for the details. The agent’s task list shows as Step 3 of 5. A line under the last message says Thinking or Working, with the tokens used and the turn’s clock.
The ring in the top bar is the context window: how full the conversation is, and for Claude Code and Codex your plan’s usage limits (session and weekly). The right rail’s Context card breaks it down, with the session’s cost when there is one. When the agent compacts its context, the conversation says so.