> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clairelabs.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ask Claire: chat with a document

> Ask Claire lets you ask questions about a submission without leaving your grading view. Confirm a student's argument or find a passage instantly.

Ask Claire lets you have a conversation with the student submission you are currently reviewing. Instead of scrolling back through pages to find a passage or second-guess your interpretation, you can ask a direct question and get an answer grounded in the document. It is especially useful when you want to check consistency across a long submission or confirm your reading of a student's argument before annotating.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/clairelabs/lIkpgo_hXczZEehk/images/image-5.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=lIkpgo_hXczZEehk&q=85&s=c917a16b68f08aed8829f71fad57d6b5" alt="Image" width="2082" height="1107" data-path="images/image-5.png" />
</Frame>

## When to use Ask Claire

* You are about to add an annotation — for example, noting that an argument lacks depth — but want to check whether the student addressed it elsewhere in the submission first.
* You remember reading an interesting point in an earlier section but can't locate it or recall it accurately.
* You are unsure whether you have interpreted a student's intentions correctly and want to verify before grading.

<Warning>
  Ask Claire is scoped to helping you understand and analyze student submissions. It will not provide technical support on how to use the platform — for platform questions, refer to this help center or contact us directly. It will also not assign grades or make assessments on your behalf.
</Warning>

## Opening and using Ask Claire

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the chat panel">
    Click the <Badge color="blue">Ask Claire</Badge> button on the left side of the screen, or press <kbd>\[</kbd> on your keyboard. The chat panel opens on the left side of the screen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask your question">
    Type your question naturally. Because Claire knows which Block you are currently focused on, you do not need to add extra context. For example: *"Is this mentioned elsewhere?"* or *"What does the student say about methodology in the introduction?"*

    <Note>
      Claire is contextually aware. It knows which Block you are focused on when you send a message, so you can ask direct questions without restating where you are in the document.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Close the panel">
    Press <kbd>\[</kbd> again to hide the chat panel and return to your full annotation view.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Keyboard shortcuts

| Key           | Action                                |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| <kbd>\[</kbd> | Show / hide the Ask Claire chat panel |

**Looking for more details?**

* To learn how to add highlights and notes to a submission, see [Annotate](/documentation/reader/annotate).
* If you want to keep private notes without them appearing in student feedback, check out the [Scratchpad](/documentation/reader/scratchpad).