Chat & Messages - Utari Docs

Overview

Chat & Messages is the core communication interface between you and your Utari workers. Through natural conversation, workers can ask for clarification, share progress updates, seek confirmation for important actions, offer options, and communicate about their work—creating a collaborative, interactive experience.

Chat & Message Capabilities

Ask Questions

Request clarification, confirmation, or additional information from users

Share Updates

Communicate progress, findings, and status throughout task execution

Wait & Pace

Pause execution to maintain thoughtful, quality work rhythm

Complete Tasks

Signal when all work is finished and ready for review

Natural Dialogue

Converse naturally like talking with a helpful colleague

Share Attachments

Include relevant files, screenshots, and resources in messages

Chat & Messages enables collaborative work where workers communicate naturally, ask when uncertain, and keep you informed—just like working with a thoughtful human colleague.

Using the Ask Tool

When Workers Ask Questions

Workers use the Ask tool to request input when it’s essential to proceed effectively:

Requesting Clarification

When: Requirements are ambiguous or unclearExamples:

    "You mentioned creating a report about Q4 performance. Would you like me to focus on:
    1. Sales metrics and revenue
    2. Product performance and user engagement
    3. Team productivity and operations
    4. All of the above in a comprehensive report?"
    
    "I found two Sarah Johnsons at TechCorp:
    1. Sarah Johnson, VP of Engineering
    2. Sarah Johnson, Senior Product Manager
    Which one should I research for the outreach?"
    
    "Should the presentation be:
    - Formal and detailed (for board meeting)
    - High-level and visual (for executive summary)
    - Technical and comprehensive (for team review)?"

Seeking Confirmation

When: Before high-impact changes or irreversible actionsExamples:

    "I'm about to delete 47 old files from the Archive folder. 
    This action cannot be undone. Proceed?"
    
    "I'll send this email to 500 customers. The message includes 
    the promotion code and starts the campaign. Ready to send?"
    
    "I'm going to create a new agent called 'Sales Qualifier' with 
    access to your CRM and email. This agent will automatically 
    contact leads. Should I proceed with this configuration?"

Gathering Additional Information

When: Missing critical details needed to complete the taskExamples:

    "To schedule the meeting, I need a few more details:
    - Preferred date and time?
    - Duration (30 min, 60 min)?
    - Should I include the slide deck as an attachment?"
    
    "I'm creating the social media posts. What's the:
    - Target audience for this campaign?
    - Preferred posting schedule?
    - Specific hashtags you want included?"
    
    "For the competitor analysis, which companies should I focus on?
    I found these mentioned in your notes:
    - Company A, Company B, Company C
    Are there others I should include?"

Offering Options

When: Multiple valid approaches exist and user preference mattersExamples:

    "I can structure the report in two ways:
    
    Option A: By department (Sales, Marketing, Product, Engineering)
    - Pros: Easy to see each team's contribution
    - Cons: Harder to see company-wide trends
    
    Option B: By metric (Revenue, Users, Efficiency, Innovation)
    - Pros: Clear performance tracking
    - Cons: Department contributions less obvious
    
    Which approach would be more useful for your needs?"
    
    "For the automation, I can:
    1. Run it every morning and send you a summary email
    2. Run it hourly and only notify on important changes
    3. Run on-demand when you trigger it manually
    
    What's your preference?"

Validating Assumptions

When: Assumptions are critical to task successExamples:

    "I'm assuming this data should be filtered to show only 
    US customers from the last 90 days. Is that correct, or 
    should I include international customers and/or a different 
    timeframe?"
    
    "I'm planning to use your standard email template for this 
    outreach. Should I customize it for this specific campaign, 
    or is the standard template appropriate?"
    
    "I see you want me to 'update the documentation.' Should I:
    - Update existing docs with new information
    - Create entirely new documentation
    - Both update existing and add new sections?"

Handling Ambiguous Results

When: Tool results don’t match expectations or are unclearExamples:

    "I searched for 'Project Phoenix' in your files but found 
    three different projects with that name:
    1. Project Phoenix (2023 Marketing Campaign)
    2. Project Phoenix (2024 Product Launch)
    3. Phoenix Initiative (Internal Process Improvement)
    
    Which one did you need information about?"
    
    "The data provider returned conflicting stock prices for ACME Corp:
    - Yahoo Finance: $45.23
    - Google Finance: $45.67
    - Bloomberg: $45.45
    
    Should I use a specific source or average them?"
    
    "I found the person you mentioned, but they have two LinkedIn 
    profiles with different employment information. Which one is 
    current or should I research both?"

Responding to Worker Questions

How to Provide Clear Answers

Direct Answers
Detailed Guidance
Conditional Instructions
Reference Examples

Best for: Simple yes/no or specific choices

    Worker: "Should I include charts in the report?"
    You: "Yes, include charts"
    
    Worker: "Delete these old files?"
    You: "Yes, go ahead"
    
    Worker: "Option A or Option B?"
    You: "Option A"

Best for: Complex scenarios requiring explanation

    Worker: "How should I structure the presentation?"
    You: "Structure it like this:
    1. Executive summary on slide 1
    2. Key metrics on slides 2-3
    3. Detailed breakdown on slides 4-7
    4. Recommendations on slide 8
    Keep it under 10 slides total, use our brand template"
    
    Worker: "Which leads should I prioritize?"
    You: "Focus on leads that:
    - Responded within last 24 hours
    - Work at companies with 100+ employees
    - Have decision-making authority
    Deprioritize the rest for now"

Best for: Situations requiring judgment calls

    Worker: "What if the client doesn't respond?"
    You: "If no response in 48 hours, send one follow-up.
    If still no response after another 48 hours, move to 
    low-priority nurture sequence and focus on other leads"
    
    Worker: "How should I handle errors?"
    You: "If it's a minor error (typo, formatting), fix it 
    automatically. If it's a data issue or structural problem, 
    flag it for my review before proceeding"

Best for: Learning from previous work

    Worker: "What style should the blog post be?"
    You: "Write it in the same style as the 'AI Trends 2024' 
    post we published last month. Same tone, similar structure, 
    around 1500 words"
    
    Worker: "How formal should the email be?"
    You: "Use the same tone as our usual customer outreach 
    emails—professional but friendly, like the template in 
    the Marketing folder"

Worker Communication Patterns

Natural Conversation Style

Workers communicate naturally, like helpful colleagues:

"I've found 15 relevant research papers. Reading through them now to identify key themes..."

"Halfway through the data analysis. I'm noticing an interesting trend in Q3 numbers that might be worth highlighting..."

"Just finished the first draft of the report. Taking a moment to review it before moving to the next section..."

"Interesting finding: Your competitor just hired 3 senior engineers from Google. This might indicate they're building out their ML capabilities."

"I noticed the conversion rate dropped significantly in August. Looking into what might have caused that..."

"Found a potential issue: Two customers have the same email address in the CRM. Should I flag this for cleanup?"

"I'm running into a rate limit with the API. Going to wait 60 seconds before continuing..."

"The original data source doesn't have information on Q1 2023. Should I try finding it elsewhere or note it as unavailable?"

"This task is taking longer than expected because of the large dataset. I'm optimizing the approach to speed it up..."

"Taking a moment to carefully review this before sending—want to make sure everything is accurate..."

"Pausing to verify these numbers against the source data..."

"Let me double-check this logic before proceeding..."

When Workers Use the Wait Tool

Workers pause execution deliberately to maintain quality:

Preventing Rushed Work

    "I'm going to wait 30 seconds between each API call to avoid 
    hitting rate limits and ensure all data is retrieved correctly."
    
    "Taking a brief pause to let the previous operation complete 
    before starting the next step..."
    
    "Waiting 60 seconds for the database to fully index before 
    running the query..."

Quality Control

    "Pausing for 15 seconds to carefully review the output before 
    proceeding to the next section..."
    
    "Taking a moment to verify these calculations are correct..."
    
    "Waiting to ensure the file upload completed successfully 
    before moving on..."

System Constraints

    "API rate limit reached. Waiting 120 seconds before resuming..."
    
    "Large file processing in progress. Pausing 45 seconds to 
    allow completion..."
    
    "Database operation queued. Waiting 30 seconds for execution..."

Task Completion Signals

When Workers Mark Tasks Complete

Workers use the Complete tool only when ALL work is finished:

All Tasks Completed

    ✓ All items in todo list marked complete
    ✓ User's original request fully addressed
    ✓ No pending actions remaining
    ✓ All outputs delivered to user

Final Verification

    Worker reviews:
    - Did I answer the original question?
    - Are all deliverables provided?
    - Did I address follow-up requests?
    - Are files properly organized and accessible?
    - Is anything left incomplete?

Completion Message

    "I've completed all the tasks:
    
    ✓ Created Q4 performance report with charts
    ✓ Analyzed competitor pricing strategies
    ✓ Generated 5 social media posts for campaign
    ✓ Uploaded all files to 'Q4 Campaign' folder
    
    All deliverables are ready in the outputs folder. 
    Let me know if you need any adjustments!"

Important: Workers only use the Complete tool when genuinely finished. If there’s any uncertainty, they’ll ask before completing rather than assuming work is done.

Communication Best Practices

For Users

Be Specific

Clear instructions lead to better results and fewer clarifying questions

Provide Context

Share relevant background so workers understand the bigger picture

Answer Promptly

Workers wait for your input when they ask questions—respond to keep work flowing

Give Examples

Reference previous work or examples to clarify expectations

Confirm Understanding

If a worker’s question seems off-base, clarify the original request

Provide Preferences

Share your working style and communication preferences

For Workers (What to Expect)

Ask When Needed

Workers will ask for clarification rather than guessing

Share Progress

Workers communicate what they’re doing and what’s next

Explain Decisions

Workers share reasoning when making judgment calls

Flag Issues

Workers alert you to problems, risks, or unexpected findings

Verify Important Actions

Workers confirm before high-impact or irreversible operations

Communicate Delays

Workers explain if tasks take longer than expected

Example Conversations

Collaborative Problem Solving

Working Through Ambiguity

  You: "Create a presentation about our product"
  
  Worker: "I'd like to clarify a few things to make the 
  presentation most useful:
  
  1. What's the audience?
     - Internal team
     - Potential customers
     - Investors
  
  2. What's the main purpose?
     - Educational overview
     - Sales pitch
     - Product roadmap
  
  3. How detailed should it be?
     - High-level overview (5-10 slides)
     - Comprehensive deep-dive (20+ slides)
  
  This will help me create exactly what you need."
  
  You: "It's for potential customers, sales pitch, 
  keep it high-level around 8-10 slides"
  
  Worker: "Perfect! I'll create a sales-focused 
  presentation with:
  - Problem statement
  - Our solution
  - Key benefits
  - Customer success stories
  - Pricing overview
  - Call to action
  
  Starting now..."

Handling Discovered Issues

Proactive Problem Flagging

  Worker: "I'm working on the email campaign and noticed 
  something concerning:
  
  The customer list has 500 contacts, but 127 of them 
  have bounced emails from previous campaigns. Should I:
  
  1. Remove bounced emails and send to 373 valid contacts
  2. Attempt to verify and update bounced email addresses first
  3. Send to all 500 and let the system filter bounces
  
  Option 1 is cleanest but smaller reach. Option 2 takes 
  more time but could recover some contacts. What's your 
  preference?"
  
  You: "Good catch. Go with option 1 for now—let's focus 
  on the valid contacts. We can do a separate cleanup 
  project for the bounced emails later"
  
  Worker: "Got it. Proceeding with 373 verified contacts. 
  I'll also create a report of the bounced emails for the 
  future cleanup project."

Collaborative Improvement

  Worker: "I've completed the first draft of the blog post. 
  It's about 1,200 words covering:
  - Introduction to the topic
  - Three main benefits
  - Implementation guide
  - Conclusion with CTA
  
  Would you like me to:
  - Expand it to include more examples?
  - Add technical details in specific sections?
  - Make it more concise?
  - It's good as-is?"
  
  You: "Looks good overall. Can you add a section about 
  common mistakes to avoid? That would be really valuable 
  for readers"
  
  Worker: "Absolutely! Adding a 'Common Pitfalls and How 
  to Avoid Them' section with 4-5 key mistakes and 
  solutions. This will fit well between the implementation 
  guide and conclusion..."
  
  [Later]
  
  Worker: "Added the common mistakes section with 5 
  pitfalls and solutions. The post is now about 1,500 
  words. Ready for your review!"

Troubleshooting Communication

Worker asks too many questions

Cause: Instructions may be too vague or worker lacks contextSolution:

Provide more detailed initial instructions
Share examples of previous similar work
Give explicit preferences and constraints upfront
Build up worker’s knowledge base with SOPs

Worker doesn't ask when they should

Cause: Worker may be making assumptionsSolution:

Explicitly encourage questions: “Ask if anything is unclear”
Review outputs and provide feedback
Clarify expectations about when to ask
Update agent configuration to ask more proactively

Communication feels too formal

Cause: Default professional toneSolution:

Update agent personality in configuration
Specify preferred communication style
Provide examples of your preferred tone
Use casual language yourself to set the tone

Worker doesn't explain their work

Cause: Agent may be configured for efficiency over explanationSolution:

Ask for progress updates: “Keep me posted as you work”
Request explanations: “Explain your approach”
Update system prompt to be more communicative
Encourage transparency in decision-making

Unclear what worker is waiting for

Cause: Question wasn’t clear or got lost in conversationSolution:

Ask directly: “What do you need from me?”
Review the last question posed
Clarify what information or decision is needed
Respond to the most recent ask question

Summary

You’ve successfully learned how to:

Communicate naturally with workers through conversational interface

Recognize when and why workers ask questions

Provide clear, helpful answers to worker inquiries

Understand worker progress updates and status communication

Interpret task completion signals

Apply communication best practices for effective collaboration

Chat & Messages creates a collaborative working relationship where workers communicate clearly, ask when uncertain, share progress transparently, and keep you informed—enabling effective teamwork between human and AI.

Next Steps

Agent Configuration

Configure agent communication style and personality

Create First Worker

Set up workers with clear instructions

Knowledge Base

Provide context through documented SOPs and guidelines

Task Management

Organize multi-step work with clear task tracking

​Overview

​Chat & Message Capabilities

Ask Questions

Share Updates

Wait & Pace

Complete Tasks

Natural Dialogue

Share Attachments

​Using the Ask Tool

​When Workers Ask Questions

​Responding to Worker Questions

​How to Provide Clear Answers

​Worker Communication Patterns

​Natural Conversation Style

​When Workers Use the Wait Tool

​Task Completion Signals

​When Workers Mark Tasks Complete

​Communication Best Practices

​For Users

Be Specific

Provide Context

Answer Promptly

Give Examples

Confirm Understanding

Provide Preferences

​For Workers (What to Expect)

Ask When Needed

Share Progress

Explain Decisions

Flag Issues

Verify Important Actions

Communicate Delays

​Example Conversations

​Collaborative Problem Solving

Working Through Ambiguity

​Handling Discovered Issues

Proactive Problem Flagging

​Iterative Refinement

Collaborative Improvement

​Troubleshooting Communication

​Summary

​Next Steps

Agent Configuration

Create First Worker

Knowledge Base

Task Management

Overview

Chat & Message Capabilities

Using the Ask Tool

When Workers Ask Questions

Responding to Worker Questions

How to Provide Clear Answers

Worker Communication Patterns

Natural Conversation Style

When Workers Use the Wait Tool

Task Completion Signals

When Workers Mark Tasks Complete

Communication Best Practices

For Users

For Workers (What to Expect)

Example Conversations

Collaborative Problem Solving

Handling Discovered Issues

Iterative Refinement

Troubleshooting Communication

Summary

Next Steps