Using Metal Chat

Metal Chat is the primary way to ask questions, run analysis, and interact with your firm's data. This guide covers the chat editor, context sources, skills and workflows, and keyboard shortcuts.

The chat editor

The chat editor is where you type questions and requests. It supports plain text as well as inline shortcuts for referencing context and running actions.

Below the editor you'll find:

• + button — open the context browser to configure data sources

• Sparkle button — open the actions browser to run skills and workflows

• Mode selector — switch between Agentic and standard response modes

• Send button — submit your message

Below the editor there are quick-access buttons for common tasks: Build a Skill, Start a Project, and Prompt Library.

Context sources

Context sources determine which data Metal searches when answering your question. Click the + button below the editor to open the context browser and toggle sources on or off.

Firm knowledge

Your organization's uploaded documents, CRM data, deal records, and internal files. This is the primary source for firm-specific questions about portfolio companies, deals, and internal research.

Click Refine to narrow the search to specific folders, shared folders, or data sources within your firm's knowledge base. This is useful when you want Metal to focus on a particular deal room, a specific team's documents, or a subset of your CRM data.

Web

Supplements your firm's internal data with public information. Useful for market research, competitor analysis, news, and general knowledge questions that go beyond what's in your firm's files.

3rd party connections

Metal integrates with external data providers and services. These connections appear as toggleable sources in the context menu. Each connection gives Metal access to specialized datasets — for example, SEC filings, industry databases, or other financial data services. Available connections depend on what your organization has configured.

Upload

Attach files directly to your message for Metal to analyze. Supported formats include PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and more.

• Keyboard shortcut: ⌘⇧U on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+U on Windows

• Uploaded files are saved to My Files unless you specify a different destination

• You can upload multiple files at once

Refining context

When Firm knowledge is enabled, click Refine to control exactly which sources Metal searches:

• Shared folders — team-level document collections

• My Files — your personal uploads

• CRM data — deal records, contacts, and company information from your connected CRM

• Specific folders — drill into particular folders for targeted searches

This is especially useful for large organizations where the full knowledge base is extensive and you want focused, relevant results.

Referencing specific context with @

Type @ in the editor to open the context menu. This lets you reference a specific item as context for your question:

• Companies — search and select from your firm's company records

• Files — attach a specific document from your shared folders

• Folders — reference an entire folder of documents

Selected items appear as tagged mentions in your message so Metal knows exactly what context to use.

What's the difference between @ and the context browser? The context browser (+ button) controls which broad data sources Metal searches — like your entire firm knowledge base or the web. The @ shortcut lets you point to a specific company, file, or folder so Metal focuses on that particular item.

Skills

Skills are curated sets of instructions that guide Metal to produce better, more consistent results for specific types of tasks. Think of them as expert playbooks — they encode best practices, preferred formats, and domain-specific knowledge so you get professional-quality output every time.

Examples include company research templates, news monitoring, report formatting, and custom analysis frameworks your team has built.

Scope badges

Each skill shows a badge so you know where it comes from:

Creating and managing skills

• Click Build a Skill on the home page to start the guided skill builder

• Type /create-skill in the editor for the same guided flow

• Go to Settings > Skills to view, edit, or delete your skills

• Click Manage skills at the bottom of the actions menu to go directly to skill settings

Workflows

Workflows are multi-step, deterministic processes that run a structured sequence of operations. Unlike skills (which guide how Metal responds), workflows execute a defined pipeline — collecting data, performing analysis, and generating formatted output.

Examples include Revenue Bridge reports that take raw financial data and produce a complete year-over-year analysis with charts and commentary.

To run a workflow, select it from the actions menu or type / and search for it by name.

Browsing skills and workflows

There are two ways to access skills and workflows:

1. Type / in the editor to open the actions menu inline — start typing after / to filter the list

2. Click the sparkle button below the editor to open the actions browser popover, which includes an inline search field

Keyboard shortcuts

FAQ

Q: What's the difference between Agentic and standard mode? Agentic mode allows Metal to take multiple steps, use tools, and reason through complex questions autonomously. Standard mode gives a single direct response. Use Agentic for research-heavy or multi-part questions.

Q: Can I hide the quick-access buttons? Yes. Click Hide on the right side of the button row. Click Show to bring them back.

Q: Can I create my own skills? Yes. Click Build a Skill on the home page, type /create-skill in the editor, or go to Settings > Skills.

Q: How do I know which skills are available to me? Open the actions menu (sparkle button or type /) and look at the scope badges. Firm skills are shared across your organization, System skills are built into Metal, and Yours/Shared skills are personal or team-shared.

Q: Can I use multiple context sources at the same time? Yes. You can enable Firm knowledge, Web, and any 3rd party connections simultaneously. Metal will search across all enabled sources to give you the most comprehensive answer.

Q: Where do uploaded files go? Files are saved to My Files by default. You can also upload files into specific shared folders or project folders from those respective pages.