Compose tasks with the right context

The composer turns intent into an agent turn. A strong request says what outcome you want, names the relevant boundary, supplies evidence the agent cannot infer, and defines how to know the work is done. T3 Code then lets you attach different kinds of context without flattening everything into pasted prose.

Build a useful task

A practical message has four parts:

1. Outcome: the behavior, answer, or artifact you want.
2. Scope: the project area and what is in or out.
3. Evidence and constraints: files, screenshots, quoted responses, issue text, compatibility needs, or repository instructions.
4. Finish condition: tests, review evidence, file format, or an explicit report.

For example: “Fix the empty search result state in the mobile project. Match the attached design and preserve tablet layout. Run the focused component tests and report the files changed.” The task is concrete without prescribing an internal implementation before the agent inspects the code.

flowchart TD
N[What does the agent need?] --> F{A file or media asset?}
F -->|yes| A[Attach or paste it]
F -->|no| R{Exact part of an earlier response?}
R -->|yes| C[Cite selected text]
R -->|no| V{Another app window is the evidence?}
V -->|yes| S[Capture a SnapShot on desktop]
V -->|no| K{Reusable provider workflow?}
K -->|yes| SK[Select a skill with dollar]
K -->|no| M{Provider or T3 operation?}
M -->|yes| CMD[Select a slash command]
M -->|no| P[Write it directly in the prompt]
A --> Q[Review task, model, and permission mode]
C --> Q
S --> Q
SK --> Q
CMD --> Q
P --> Q
Q --> SEND[Send when uploads finish]

Attach files and media

Each message accepts up to eight files. Images may be up to 10 MB and other files up to 50 MB, subject to the selected environment’s upload support and limit. Uploads start immediately but the message cannot send until all finish. Retry or remove a failed upload.

Web and desktop accept dragged or pasted images. HEIC and HEIF photos become JPEG in those clients and when selected from iOS; the size limit applies after conversion. Mobile also accepts files through the system share sheet.

Attachments upload to the environment machine. That matters for two reasons:

• a remote provider receives environment-side paths, not paths on your phone;
• a stash containing uploaded files can only be restored in its original environment.

Mobile keeps local draft attachments and queued messages through disconnects and app restarts, then resumes uploads. Signing out of T3 Connect keeps that work on the device, but it is restored only after signing back into the same account. On web and desktop, reloading during an upload means attaching that file again.

Preview and keep message files

Select an image or video to preview it. On web and desktop, its context menu can save the media or copy its path or URL; on mobile, touch and hold to save or share. Playback support depends on the client, so save a video when its format cannot play in place. A linked environment file remains the original file: moving or deleting it can break the preview.

Agent links can open files outside the workspace read-only. An outside-workspace HTML file cannot load neighboring scripts, styles, or images. Web and desktop can render HTML and PDF; switch HTML to source when markup matters, and a line link opens source automatically. Rendered HTML cannot access the T3 Code session. Mobile opens PDFs through the native iOS viewer or Android’s system chooser.

Cite, recall, or stash instead of rewriting

On web and desktop, select text inside one assistant response and choose Cite in composer. Add a comment explaining what should change. The quote remains readable even if its source later becomes unavailable; selecting it navigates back when the source still exists. Mobile displays citations but does not create them.

Press ArrowUp in an empty composer to recall sent prompt text in the current thread, and ArrowDown to move forward. Recall restores only typed text—not attachments, terminal context, or other extras. Once you edit recalled text it becomes a normal draft.

Use Cmd+S or Ctrl+S on web/desktop to stash the current prompt and attachments. With an empty composer, the shortcut restores one stash or opens the stash menu. Uploaded files remain available for 24 hours; after expiry, restore the text and attach the missing file again.

Use commands and skills

Type / to open commands and $ to select a skill available for the chosen environment and provider. Mobile exposes both on New task as well.

Provider-native commands must begin the message. T3 Code commands such as /model and /plan, plus skill mentions, can appear on any line. /compact reduces context for a supported existing conversation; web and desktop also expose this action from the context meter.

Skills are best for repeatable procedures with their own instructions or tools. Choose one when the task matches it; do not add skills merely because they are available. Provider configuration controls which skills appear, and provider rules can affect whether several named skills run in one message. Provider-specific skill rules are collected in Choose providers, models, accounts, and permissions.

Dictate a draft on iPhone

On a supported iPhone with iOS 26 or later, choose the microphone, record for up to five minutes, and confirm to transcribe. The text is inserted at the selection you had when recording began; review names, paths, and commands before sending.

The first use may download Apple’s speech model and needs a network connection. Later transcription for that language runs on the device and can work offline. Canceling, leaving the screen, or an audio interruption discards the recording but keeps the existing draft. T3 Code deletes temporary audio after transcription or cancellation; the submitted message contains the text.

Capture visual context with SnapShots

The desktop app can capture another application window and attach the image to the current draft. A SnapShot carries the app name and window title and can include accessibility text, controls, and element positions. That richer context helps an agent reason about an error dialog or target interface beyond raw pixels.

Enable Settings → SnapShots, grant platform permissions, and choose a global shortcut. The default on macOS and Windows is both Shift keys. Switch to the target window and press the shortcut; T3 Code attaches the capture and returns to the draft. Captures persist on disk until attached, so closing the app during handoff does not necessarily lose them.

Turn Include app text off when the screenshot alone is appropriate. Accessible content varies by application, and T3 Code falls back to the image if an app is too slow. SnapShots support macOS, Windows, and Wayland Linux; X11 is unsupported and individual Wayland desktops have different setup requirements.

Answer questions without disturbing the main draft

When an agent asks a question with custom input, its answer can include up to eight attachments across the answer set. Each question keeps its own files, separate from the normal composer draft. Files upload to the thread’s environment and remain in history after submission. Questions restricted to fixed choices do not accept attachments.

A failed response keeps its answer draft so you can retry. Reverting a thread removes files attached to discarded answers; deleting the thread applies the same cleanup as other message attachments. If attachment controls do not appear on a custom-answer question, update the environment server.

This is useful when the agent discovers missing evidence mid-turn: attach the failing screenshot or sample document directly to the question rather than canceling the task and rebuilding the main prompt.

Context hygiene for long-running work

• Start a new thread for a separate task; context relevance usually matters more than conversation length.
• Use a follow-up in the same thread when it depends on its decisions and changes.
• Cite the exact disputed sentence instead of pasting a whole response.
• Attach source evidence; summarize what the agent should learn from it.
• Compact a supported long conversation when the context meter or provider suggests it, then restate any constraint that must survive summarization.
• Remember that links to environment files can break if those files move or are deleted. Save durable artifacts inside the project when appropriate.

Messages support up to 120,000 characters. An oversized draft stays in the composer so you can split it. Several focused turns are usually easier to review than one message that combines unrelated work.

Source trail

Sources: messages and context, question attachments, SnapShots, and keybindings.