Getting good answers
How to ask Zyan AI so it answers usefully — skills, attachments, model choice, what context it already has, and what it can act on rather than only describe.
Most disappointing answers come from a question that assumed context the assistant did not have, or from asking on the wrong surface. This page is the practical version: what it already knows, how to hand it the rest, and where the line sits between acting and describing.
Before you start
You need the ai_assistant plan feature, the zyan_ai permission and the workspace flag switched on — see Meet Zyan AI. To attach files you additionally need Files create and Files view, granted under Teamthe memberPermissions; owners always have them.
Start a conversation
Open the workspace
HomeZyan AI, or press the sparkles icon on the right-hand rail to use the dock instead.
Ask, or pick a skill chip
The empty canvas offers skill chips. A plain typed question works as well.
Add a skill with @
Type @ in the composer to pick one, for example
@website-audit https://example.com.
Attach what it cannot see
Use the paperclip for a file from your computer or from Google Drive.
Approve anything it wants to run
Documents and website audits pause and wait for your click.
Skills
Skills are @-mention shortcuts in the composer. The first three also appear as
chips on an empty canvas.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
@website-audit | Audits a site. It needs a URL |
@morning-brief | Your brief for the day |
@meeting-prep | Preparation for an upcoming meeting |
@client-report | A report about a client |
@wrap | Wraps up what you have been working on |
Context it already has
The assistant is not starting from nothing, and knowing what it already has stops you pasting things it can see.
| It already knows | It does not know |
|---|---|
| Your saved memory, agency-wide and per client | Anything you never told it and is not in Zyan |
| The conversation you are in, including attachments | What you discussed in a different thread |
| On the dock: the page you are on and the record open — a client, project, lead, inbox thread, SMS conversation or campaign | What is on a page you closed, or in an email client outside Zyan |
Ask from the dock when the record is open
"Summarise where this project stands" asked from the dock with the project open gets the project. Asked from a blank Zyan AI page, it has to ask you which project. Same question, different surface, very different answer.
Act versus describe
| It can act | It can only describe |
|---|---|
| Propose a task, reminder, note or lead update for you to approve | Send an email or an SMS — drafts only, you press send |
| Draft a reply and insert it into the page's composer | Change anything without an approval click |
| Create a document, after you approve it | Write to QuickBooks, which is read-only in Zyan |
| Run a website audit, after you approve it | Move money anywhere — Zyan never does |
| Save something to memory, when you click | Remember something you did not save |
Every proposal arrives as a card. Approve applies it, Approve all N applies a batch, and Review & create opens a dialog where you edit the title, description, priority, due date and client portal first.
Attachments
| Setting | What it changes | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Paperclip | Attach a file from your computer or from Google Drive. Uploads land in your private team Files. | — |
| Files per message | Up to 8 files on a single message. | 8 maximum |
| Photo size | Photos are downscaled. Anything above roughly 3.5 MB is refused with “Photo is too large”. | About 3.5 MB |
Choosing a model
The composer has a model menu, and your choice is remembered for you. A retired model quietly falls back to the default rather than erroring.
Not every model can browse the web
If you ask a web question on a model without web tools, you are quietly switched to the default model to answer it. Nothing breaks, but the answer may not come from the model you picked.
Keeping threads usable
Pin the conversations you return to — pinned threads stay at the top. Archive the ones that are finished: they leave Recent but still open and still accept messages. Zyan AILibrary in the sidebar holds documents the assistant created or you imported. The sidebar itself drags between 224 and 440 pixels, and double-clicking the handle resets it to 280.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The paperclip is missing, or an attachment fails | You lack Files create and Files view, or the file broke a limit | The owner grants both Files permissions; keep to 8 files per message |
| "Photo is too large" | The image is above roughly 3.5 MB | Re-export it smaller and attach again |
| A web question came back without web results | The model you picked has no web tools, so the default answered | Nothing to fix; pick the default model when you know you need the web |
| An audit or document never ran | It is waiting on your approval mid-answer | Scroll to the pending card and approve it |
| It keeps asking which client you mean | You asked from a blank page with no record open | Ask from the dock with the client open, or name the client in the question |
| A thread vanished from Recent | It was archived, not deleted | Open it from the archive; it still accepts messages |