The assistant can act inside the apps open on your Academica desktop. Each open window exposes a small, bounded set of things it can report and actions it can take. The desktop keeps track of the windows; each app decides what happens inside it.
Three layers of control
| Layer | Job |
|---|---|
| Conversation | Understands that you want to act inside an app |
| Control | Checks the request and routes it to the right window |
| Application | Reads its own state and performs the supported action |
Finding the right window first
request → find the exact window → check what it shows → run a supported action → confirm the result
What each app can do
| App | What it can report | What it can do |
|---|---|---|
| Files | Folder, selection, visible items | Open, rename, move, trash |
| Sheets | Sheet, range, columns, rows | Edit cells, sort, summarize |
| Docs | Blocks and selection | Insert, edit, remove, format |
| Canvas | Nodes, edges, selection, view | Add, connect, move, remove |
| Academica | Active research tool and result | Move between research tools |
| Data | Catalog, table, and entity summaries | Navigate, filter, inspect |
| Code | Workspace, files, diagnostics | Read, edit, patch, run a task |
Honest results, or a clear failure
- Long contents come back as summaries with a clear marker when trimmed.
- The app is re-read after each change before the next action.
- An action is reported as done only after the app confirms the change.
- A missing or unavailable app fails plainly, never as a false empty result.