Auto, Search and Ask: choose what Enter does
Auto opens web addresses and goes to places for you, Search sends your words to your search engine, and Ask always sends them to Plexii.
The box you type in to Plexii can do more than ask a question. Type a web address and it can open the page, type "take me to" and the name of a desk and it can take you there, or type a few words and it can search the web. Three small buttons under the box, Auto, Search and Ask, decide what pressing Enter does with what you typed.
Use Auto to let the box work out what you mean and show you before it acts, Search when you want to use the box as a search bar, and Ask when everything you type is for Plexii.
Before you start
- Every plan includes the three modes.
- Ask needs AI to run. When you are signed in, Plexii runs on PlexiDesk credits, or you can use your own Anthropic key. See AI credits and where your AI runs. Opening an address, going to a place and searching the web do not use AI.
- The modes are in the Plexii panel and on the Plexii hub. The box in a widget's AI Chat tab in focus mode always asks Plexii.
The three modes at a glance
| Mode | Its tooltip | What Enter does |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | Smart: URLs open, take-me-to navigates, everything else asks | Works out what you mean, shows it in a row of choices, then does the first choice. Questions and longer messages go to Plexii. |
| Search | Type straight into your search engine — results open in Plexii | Searches the web for what you typed. Plexii does not answer. |
| Ask | Everything goes to Plexii | Sends what you typed to Plexii, every time. |
Auto is where every new install starts.
Switch mode
- Open Plexii. See Meet Plexii, your assistant.
- Find the three buttons, Auto, Search and Ask, in the row of controls under the box you type in. The mode in use is highlighted.
- Click the mode you want.
If there are words in the box when you click, the button also acts on them straight away: Search searches the web for them, and Ask sends them to Plexii. Clicking Auto only switches the mode.
PlexiDesk remembers your mode on this computer. It stays the same when you start a new chat, switch conversation, move between the panel and the hub, or restart.
Auto: see what Enter will do first
In Auto, when what you type could mean more than one thing, a row of choices appears just above the box. Nothing happens until you act.
- The highlighted choice is what Enter will do. It is marked ⏎.
- Press Tab to move the highlight to the next choice. The others are marked ⇥.
- Click Open, Go to or Search the web to do it straight away. Clicking Ask Plexii highlights it, so Enter sends your words to Plexii.
The choices you can see:
| Choice | When it appears | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Open and the site, such as Open example.com | You typed a web address on its own | Opens the page in Plexii's browser |
| Go to and a name, such as Go to Wedding desk | You typed take me to, go to, open or show and the name of a desk, a document, or Home, Tasks, Calendar, Files or Vault | Takes you there |
| Search the web | You typed a short phrase, or asked to be taken somewhere that is not in your workspace | Searches the web for it in Plexii's browser |
| Ask Plexii | Alongside any of the above | Sends your words to Plexii |
How Auto decides:
- A web address on its own, such as example.com, leads with Open, with Ask Plexii next.
- "Take me to", "go to", "open" or "show" and a name leads with Go to for the best matches among your desks, documents and pages. You do not need the exact name: "take me to my wedding desk" finds a desk called Wedding desk.
- "Take me to" or "go to" something that is not in your workspace leads with Search the web, so "take me to the museum opening hours" searches for it straight away.
- A short phrase of six words or fewer offers Search the web and Ask Plexii. In a new conversation Search the web comes first. Once the conversation has started, Ask Plexii comes first, because a short reply such as "sounds good" is usually meant for Plexii.
- A question, which ends with a question mark or starts with a word such as how, what, why, can or is, shows no choices. Enter asks Plexii.
- A request, which starts with a word such as write, draft, summarise, plan, explain or compare, shows no choices. Enter asks Plexii.
- A long message, one with more than one line, or one longer than about 160 characters, shows no choices. Enter asks Plexii.
Search: use the box as a search bar
In Search, the box reads Search the web — results open in Plexii. Type what you are looking for and press Enter. The results page from your search engine opens full screen in Plexii's browser, and the box clears.
Plexii's browser searches with DuckDuckGo unless you choose another engine. To change it, open Plexii's browser and click the search engine button in its toolbar. Its tooltip starts Search engine —. See Browse the web inside PlexiDesk.
Search is not the same as live web search. Search shows you a results page and Plexii does not answer. The globe beside the buttons lets Plexii read web results and cite them in its answer. See Turn live web search on or off.
Ask: everything goes to Plexii
In Ask, the box behaves as a plain message box. Enter always sends what you typed to Plexii, even a web address or a single word, and no row of choices appears. Use it when you are deep in a conversation and do not want a short reply read as a search.
Tips
- Press Shift Enter for a new line. A message with more than one line always goes to Plexii in Auto.
- Use Tab to check before you commit. In Auto, Tab steps through the choices so you can see each one before you press Enter.
- @ mentions keep Tab. While the @ list is open, Tab picks from the list rather than moving through the choices. See Point Plexii at specific things with @.
- The command palette offers the same kind of choices. Press ⌘ K on a Mac or Ctrl K on Windows and type an address, a search or a question. See Search and commands (Cmd+K).
Common questions
I pressed Enter and a web page opened instead of an answer. You were in Auto and the first choice was Open or Search the web. Press Tab to move to Ask Plexii before you press Enter, phrase it as a question, or switch to Ask.
Plexii does not answer anything I type. Check whether Search is highlighted. In Search every message goes to your search engine. Click Ask or Auto.
The row of choices does not appear. It appears only in Auto, only when what you typed could mean more than one thing, and not while Plexii is writing an answer. Questions, requests and long messages go straight to Plexii.
Which search engine does Search use? The one chosen in Plexii's browser, DuckDuckGo unless you changed it.
Related tasks
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