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Chat Canvas

The Chat Canvas is a freeform visual workspace for coordinating multi-agent work. Where the standard Chat panel is linear (message → reply → message), the Canvas lets you arrange agent conversations as nodes on a 2D surface, draw connections between them, and see the full picture of a complex agent workflow at a glance.

Open via: Agents dropdown → Chat Canvas

When to use the Canvas​

Use Chat Canvas when:

  • You are orchestrating multiple agents and want to see how their outputs feed into each other
  • You want to compare the outputs of several agents running in parallel on the same task
  • You are designing a workflow and want a visual scratch space before committing to a formal Action Plan

For single-agent conversations, the standard Chat panel is simpler and faster.

Canvas nodes​

Each agent conversation on the canvas is a node. Nodes show:

  • The agent name and avatar
  • The most recent message exchange (truncated)
  • The thread status badge (running, completed, paused)
  • A expand icon to open the full conversation thread

Drag nodes to reposition them on the canvas. Zoom in/out with the mouse wheel.

Connections​

Draw a connection from one node's output handle to another node's input handle to represent a dependency — "Agent A's output should feed into Agent B." Connections are visual annotations; they do not automatically wire data between agents in the runtime (use Action Plans for live orchestration). They are useful for documenting intent and navigating a complex canvas.

Starting new conversations from the canvas​

Click + Add Agent (toolbar or right-click canvas) to add a new agent node. Select an agent from the picker and type an initial message to start the conversation. The new thread appears as a node on the canvas.

Monitoring concurrent runs​

When multiple agents are running simultaneously, the Canvas shows all of them updating in real time. Status badges refresh without polling — the Canvas receives WebSocket push events from the server. Use this view during a swarm run to monitor which agents are working and which are waiting.

Saving a canvas layout​

Canvas layouts are saved automatically to the project. The next time you open Chat Canvas, your node positions and connections are restored. Different projects have independent canvas layouts.