Chat or Hex Code

Hex does two things: it talks with you like any AI chat, and it works as an agent on your projects. Every conversation is one or the other. Pick with the Chat / Hex Code switch at the top of the window.

	Chat	Hex Code
What it is	A normal conversation	The agent, working for you
Good for	Questions, explanations, writing, ideas, research, help with code you paste	Building, fixing and running code
Can it act?	No. It only talks	Yes: reads and edits files, runs commands, uses the browser, devices and connectors
Your files and terminal	No access	Works in the folder you choose
Web search	Optional	Yes
Agent mode (Plan / Ask / Auto)	None	Yes
Panes and the Run button	None	All of them

Chat

A Chat is a plain conversation. Hex answers in the chat and never does anything on your Mac: it can't open sites or apps, touch your files or run commands, and it won't claim to. If you ask for something like that, it says so, gives you the link or the steps, and points you to Hex Code.

The one thing a Chat can do beyond talking is look something up on the web when the answer needs current information. Turn that off or on with + → Search the web when needed.

Your name, custom instructions, memories and project knowledge still apply, so answers stay personal. Links in a Chat open in your default browser.

Hex Code

A Hex Code session is the agent described in the rest of these docs. It works inside a folder on your Mac, in the agent mode you pick, with every tool and pane.

In the browser

The web app at this site is the Chat side of Hex. It talks, looks things up on the web, and can put long content (a document, a page, code, a diagram) in an artifact that's kept in your Library. It has your chats, projects and settings, and uses models from a provider you add an API key for.

Hex Code, the agent that works on your files, is only in the desktop app, because it needs your Mac.

Switching

• You can switch a conversation at any time, except while a reply is in progress. The messages stay; only what Hex can do next changes.
• Switching to Chat closes that conversation's panes.
• New conversations start as a Chat. Change that in Settings → General → New chats start in: Chat, Hex Code, or whichever you used last.
• Whatever the setting, a new chat inside a project that has a folder starts in Hex Code, and so do scheduled tasks and chats you start from a file in the Files pane.
• The sidebar shows a speech bubble for Chats and a code symbol for Hex Code sessions.