Tell Castaly what you want to create, change, remove, or explore. Plain language is enough.
How Chat Works
Chat is the main way you work with Castaly inside a Project. You describe intent, answer questions, review what Castaly understood, and decide when the Project is ready to build.
Chat does not directly change code. Your messages help Castaly update the Spec and Graph first. Implementation starts only after you press Build and approve the Build Plan.
What Chat is for
Section titled “What Chat is for”Adjust the product definition before implementation. Castaly reflects settled decisions in the Spec and Graph.
When a decision affects the product, Castaly pauses and asks instead of guessing.
Read Build Plans, blockers, and action cards in Chat before you decide what should happen next.
After a Preview is available, use Chat to explain what needs another pass.
Bring in a Spec selection or Preview inspection so Castaly knows exactly what you mean.
The tabs beside Chat show the result of the conversation: Graph for structure, Spec for the source of truth, and Preview for the running Project.
What happens when you send a message
Section titled “What happens when you send a message”Castaly reads your request
Castaly works through your message, attachments, and Project context to understand what should change.
It asks when a decision is needed
If the request depends on a product choice, Castaly pauses and asks in Chat instead of making the decision silently.
It updates the definition
Once the intent is clear, Castaly updates the Spec and Graph so you can review what it understood.
You review before building
Check the result. If the definition is right, press Build and review the Build Plan before implementation begins.
What you may see in Chat
Section titled “What you may see in Chat”Chat contains more than ordinary messages. It also shows the controls and context needed to keep the Project moving.
Castaly explains what it understood, what changed, and what it recommends next.
When Castaly needs your judgment, it asks directly and waits for your answer.
Short status messages show what Castaly is doing while it interprets, plans, or builds.
Before implementation starts, Chat shows the plan so you can accept it or keep editing.
Some moments need a decision, retry, upgrade, or blocker resolution. These appear as cards in the conversation.
Spec selections and Preview inspection feedback appear above the composer before you send them.
For how Castaly clarifies requirements, see Clarify Your Intent. For attaching context from the Spec or Preview, see Add Context to Chat.
How to steer Castaly
Section titled “How to steer Castaly”You steer the work the same way you would steer a teammate: clearly, directly, and in context.
- Refine scope: “Focus only on the onboarding flow for now.”
- Change audience: “Rewrite this for early-stage founders, not enterprise buyers.”
- Set boundaries: “Keep the data model unchanged.”
- Ask for tradeoffs: “Show two approaches and recommend one.”
- Review before Build: “Find anything missing in the Graph before we build.”
- Redirect the work: “Pause that direction and simplify the homepage first.”
When Send is unavailable
Section titled “When Send is unavailable”Sometimes you can type, but you cannot send yet. That usually means Castaly is waiting for the current work to finish or for you to make a decision.
- Castaly is responding — Send is disabled and a Stop control appears so you can stop the current response.
- A build is running — Send is disabled until the build finishes. You can still draft your next message and attach files.
- A Build Plan is waiting — the textarea stays editable, but Send stays disabled until you choose Accept or Keep editing.
Next: Clarify Your Intent.