AI Chat Panel

The AI Chat is your intelligent design assistant built into LoomCAD. It understands natural language commands and can create components, wires, and perform design tasks automatically.

TIP

For AI capabilities, prompting strategies, and workflow guides, see AI Copilot Overview. This page focuses on the panel interface and controls.

TIP

You can configure your own API keys for AI providers in Profile Menu → API Keys. This gives you higher rate limits and more control over your AI usage.

ai-chat-overview.png

AI Chat panel showing a conversation with the AI

Show message history, input field, and context badges

Opening AI Chat

Method 1: click AI button in Status Bar

Method 2: (if configured) Use keyboard shortcut

The AI Chat panel appears as a floating, draggable window. New users see a welcome message with quick-start tips on first opening. Hover over the header to see the move cursor, then drag to reposition:

ai-chat-drag-cursor.png

Move cursor appears over the header when dragging is available

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Panel Layout

ai-chat-layout.png

AI Chat panel with labeled sections

Header

• Chat title - auto-generated or custom name
• Model selector - choose AI provider/model

Header buttons (left to right):

Button	Description
	Model settings
	Chat settings
	Chat history
	Chat actions
	New chat
	Expand to fullscreen
	Toggle debug info (show/hide message IDs)
	Hide chat

Model selector dropdown:

ai-chat-model-dropdown.png

Model dropdown showing available AI models

Provider	Models	Notes
Anthropic	Claude Sonnet, Claude Opus, Claude Haiku	Recommended
Google	Gemini, Gemma	Fast, multimodal
OpenRouter	GPT, Mixtral, 100+ models	Variety of options
LM Studio	Local models	Privacy, offline use

Model Settings

model-settings.png

Model settings dialog

Element	Description
Current model	Shows selected AI model
Max Tokens	Maximum number of tokens in the response (leave empty for default)
Temperature	Controls randomness: 0.0 = deterministic, 1.0 = very creative (leave empty for default)
RESET	Reset to default values
CANCEL	Close without saving
SAVE	Save settings

Note: If settings are not specified, the model will use its default values.

Chat Settings

chat-settings-dialog.png

Edit Chat History dialog

Element	Description
Title	Chat name (editable)
Shared Access	Toggle to allow access to other users
Tags	Add tags for categorization
✨ AUTO GENERATE TITLE	Auto-generate chat title based on content
CANCEL	Close without saving
SAVE	Save changes

Chat Actions

chat-actions-dialog.png

Choose an action for this chat dialog

Element	Description
Clear Chat	Remove all messages but keep the chat history record
Delete Chat	Permanently delete chat and all messages (cannot be undone)
CANCEL	Close dialog

Fullscreen Mode

ai-chat-fullscreen.png

AI Chat in fullscreen mode

Fullscreen mode expands the chat to fill the entire window. Press or Esc to exit.

Message Area

• Your messages - right-aligned
• AI responses - left-aligned
• Code blocks - syntax highlighted
• Context badges - shows what AI can see

Input Area

• Message input - type your prompt
• Send button - submit message

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Sending Messages

Basic Usage

1. Type your message in the input field
2. Press Enter or click
3. AI responds with text and/or code

Example Commands

Create components:

Create connector J1 with 8 pins

Connect wires:

Add a red wire from J1 pin 1 to J2 pin 1

Batch operations:

Create 5 connectors J1-J5, all 4-pin

Ask questions:

How do I export to PDF?

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Context Badges

Context badges are information blocks that are sent to AI along with your message.

context-badges-example.png

Context badges panel with add button and badges

Badge Panel Elements

Element	Description
+	Add badge button — opens dropdown (see below)
Badge icon	Type indicator
Badge name	Content description
Size	Data size (e.g., "3.7 KB")
	Toggle visibility — temporarily disable without removing
	Remove badge

click a badge to view its content.

Add Badge Dropdown

context-badges-dropdown.png

Add badge dropdown menu

Option	Description
Attach file	Attach a file (images, PDF, text/markdown)
Project context	Submenu with project data options (see below)
System message guide	Submenu with instruction templates (see below)
URL	Add web page content
Inspector context	Add selected element's properties

Project Context Submenu

context-badges-project.png

Project context submenu expanded

Option	Description
@all	All project data
@project	Project overview
@components	Component library data
@sheets	Drawing sheets data
@bundles	Wire bundle data

System Message Guide Submenu

context-badges-system-guide.png

System message guide submenu with instruction templates

Instruction templates that can be enabled/disabled:

Template	Description
General instructions	Basic AI behavior guidelines
Query commands	Commands for querying project data
Draw commands	Commands for creating elements
Update commands	Commands for modifying elements
Move commands	Commands for repositioning elements
Erase commands	Commands for deleting elements
Extract wires	Wire extraction instructions
Merge anchors	Anchor merging instructions
Convert to sideview	Side view conversion instructions
Make sideview	Side view creation instructions

Enabled templates are included as context badges automatically.

Attachments

chat-attachments.png

Chat with attached image

Add context by attaching files:

Type	Use Case
Images	Wiring diagrams, photos
PDFs	Datasheets, specifications
Text files	Any text format: TXT, JSON, YAML, XML, CSV, etc.

To attach:

1. click + in the badge panel
2. Select Attach file
3. Choose file from disk

Image Analysis Use Case

When you attach an image:

Extract the wires from this wiring diagram

AI analyzes the image and can:

• Identify components
• Detect wire connections
• Propose schematic creation

Using Badges

• Add badges to provide context to AI
• AI automatically accesses badge data
• No need to copy-paste information
• Toggle visibility to temporarily exclude data

Example with DigiKey badge:

Create connector J1 using this DigiKey component

AI reads the specs from the open DigiKey dialog and creates the component with all properties.

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Code Execution

AI can generate JavaScript code to modify your design.

code-execution.png

AI response with code block and Run Script button

Running AI-Generated Code

1. AI provides code in a code block
2. click Run script
3. Code executes on your design
4. OK message appears if script ran successfully

code-execution-ok.png

OK message after successful script execution

Script Errors

If script has errors, an error message appears with details:

code-execution-error.png

Error message with line number and action buttons

Element	Description
Error message	Description of the error
Line/column	Error location in code
Code snippet	Fragment with highlighted error line
SCROLL TO ERROR	Jump to error in code block
ASK AI	Ask AI to fix the error

Error line is highlighted automatically. click SCROLL TO ERROR to scroll to it if not visible:

code-execution-scroll-error.png

Error line highlighted in code block

click

ASK AI to get error explanation and corrected script:

code-execution-ask-ai.png

AI explains error and generates fixed script

Manual Edit

You can also fix errors manually by editing the message:

code-block-edit-enter.png

Message dropdown menu with Edit option

click the dropdown arrow on a message to access:

Option	Description
Edit	Edit the message content
Delete	Delete this message
Delete all from here	Delete this and all following messages

After selecting Edit, the message becomes editable:

message-edit.png

Message being edited with Save and Cancel buttons

1. Edit the code in the text area
2. click Save to apply changes
3. Error indication resets and script can be run again

Code Block Features

Feature	Description
Syntax highlighting	JavaScript code is colored
Copy button	Copy code to clipboard
Run script	Execute the code
Save	Save script for reuse
Error markers	Shows line numbers with errors

Save Script

click

Save to save the script for later reuse:

script-save-dialog.png

Save Script dialog

Field	Description
Destination	Choose current project or library
Script name	Required name for the script
Description	Optional description
Tags	Optional tags for organization

Destination dropdown example:

script-save-destination.png

Destination dropdown with current project and libraries

Filled form example:

script-save-filled.png

Save Script dialog with filled fields

After saving, the script appears in the Scripts tab in the Sidebar:

scripts-tab.png

Saved script in the Scripts tab

Safe Execution

• Code runs in a sandboxed environment
• Can only affect your LoomCAD project
• Cannot access external systems
• Undo available if something goes wrong (Ctrl+Z)

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Generate Further

When the AI model runs out of context window space, it may produce an incomplete response. In this case, a Generate further button appears at the end of the message.

generate-further-1.png

Incomplete AI response with Generate further button

click the button to continue generation:

generate-further-2.png

Continued generation with more content

generate-further-3.png

Further continuation of the response

When the response is complete, the button disappears and Run script / Save buttons appear for code blocks:

generate-further-4.png

Complete response with Run script and Save buttons

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Message Actions

click the dropdown arrow on your message to access actions:

message-actions-menu.png

Message actions dropdown menu

Action	Description
Edit	Edit message content
Delete	Delete this message
Delete all from here	Delete this and all following messages
Regenerate answer	Regenerate AI response to this message

AI Message Actions

click the dropdown arrow on an AI message:

ai-message-actions-menu.png

AI message actions dropdown menu

Action	Description
Edit	Edit message content
Delete	Delete this message
Delete all from here	Delete this and all following messages

Edit Messages

click Edit to modify any message. Two editing modes are

available:

Quick Edit

message-edit.png

Quick edit mode

1. Edit the text directly
2. click Save to apply

Message Editor

click Edit Mode to open the full

editor:

ai-message-edit-mode.png

Message editor with formatting toolbar and preview

Element	Description
Preview Mode	Return to quick edit mode
Formatting toolbar	Bold, italic, lists, code blocks, tables, etc.

Common Elements

Available in both editing modes:

Element	Description
Message completed	Uncheck to show "Generate further" button
Editor pane	Raw markdown text on the left
Preview pane	Rendered preview on the right
Character Count	Shows message length
Scroll Auto	Auto-scroll preview with editor
Cancel / Save	Discard or apply changes

Delete Messages

click Delete to remove a single message, or **Delete all from

here** to remove the message and all following messages.

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Chat Management

click to open

chat history list:

chat-history-list.png

Chat history list showing all conversations

Main Header

In list mode, the main header shows an additional button:

Element	Description
	Back to current chat

All other buttons remain the same as in Header.

List Header

Element	Description
Chats	Panel title
	Refresh chat list
	Import chat history from previously exported JSON file
	Create new chat

Create New Chat Dialog

click from

Header or from List Header to open:

create-chat-dialog.png

Create New Chat History dialog

Element	Description
Title	Chat name (required)
Shared Access	Toggle to allow access to other users
Tags	Add tags for categorization
CANCEL	Close without creating
CREATE	Create new chat

Search

Type in the search field to filter chats by title.

Chat List

Each chat item shows:

Element	Description
Title	Chat name (auto-generated or custom)
Date/Time	When chat was last active
Message count	Number of messages in chat
	Chat options menu

click a chat to open it.

Chat Options Menu

chat-context-menu.png

Context menu for chat item

Option	Description
Edit	Edit chat title and settings
Share	Share chat with other users
Export	Export chat to JSON file
Archive	Move chat to archive
Delete	Delete chat permanently

Pagination

Navigate through pages of chats using the page numbers at the bottom.

Auto-Titling

After your first exchange, AI automatically names the chat based on content. To rename, use Chat Settings.

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AI Capabilities

What AI Can Do

• Create components with properties
• Draw wires and bundles
• Modify existing elements
• Answer questions about LoomCAD
• Explain features and workflows
• Generate batch operations
• Analyze designs for issues

What AI Cannot Do

• Access external websites (except via badges)
• Modify system files
• Execute arbitrary system commands
• Access other users' projects

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Troubleshooting

"No API Key" Error

Configure API keys in Profile Menu → API Keys:

1. click your profile in the top right
2. click API Keys
3. Enter key for your provider
4. click UPDATE to save

Rate Limit Errors

If you hit rate limits:

• Wait a few minutes
• Use a different model
• Configure your own API key (higher limits)

AI Not Understanding

Try:

• Be more specific in your prompt
• Provide context with badges (open Inspector, DigiKey)
• Break complex requests into steps
• Use simpler language

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Related Topics

• Status Bar - AI Chat toggle button
• Inspector - Inspector badge context
• Profile Menu - API key configuration