Chat with Your Documents

Learn how to use Archie, Archivus’s AI assistant, to ask questions about your documents using the web interface.

What is Archie?

Archie is Archivus’s AI-powered chat assistant. You can ask questions about your documents and get instant answers with source citations.

Key Features:

  • Ask questions in natural language
  • Get answers with confidence scores
  • See source citations (which document, which page)
  • Chat with multiple documents at once
  • Remember context in conversations

How to Start Chatting

Method 1: Chat Panel (Quick Access)

  1. Press Cmd+Shift+C (or Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows/Linux)
  2. Or click the chat icon in the top-right corner
  3. Chat panel opens - Ask questions while browsing

Best for: Quick questions while viewing documents

Method 2: Chat Page (Full Interface)

  1. Click “Archie Chat” in the sidebar
  2. Or go to /chat page
  3. Full chat interface opens with history

Best for: Longer conversations and document analysis

Adding Documents to Chat

From Document View

  1. Open a document - Click on any document
  2. Click “Chat” button in the document view
  3. Document is added to chat automatically
  4. Start asking questions

From Chat Interface

  1. Open chat (panel or page)
  2. Click document selector (usually shows “Add documents”)
  3. Select documents from the list
  4. Multiple documents can be added
  5. Ask questions about any of them

Asking Questions

Basic Questions

Just type your question and press Enter:

  • “What is this document about?”
  • “What are the key terms?”
  • “When does this contract expire?”
  • “Who are the parties involved?”

Follow-up Questions

Archie remembers context, so you can ask follow-ups:

  • You: “What is this contract about?”
  • Archie: [Provides summary]
  • You: “What are the payment terms?”
  • Archie: [Answers based on previous context]

Multi-Document Questions

When you have multiple documents in chat:

  • “Compare these two contracts”
  • “What are the differences between these proposals?”
  • “Find all contracts expiring in Q4”

Understanding Answers

Confidence Score

Each answer includes a confidence score (0.0 to 1.0):

  • 0.9+: Very confident, highly accurate
  • 0.7-0.9: Confident, usually accurate
  • 0.5-0.7: Somewhat confident, verify important details
  • < 0.5: Low confidence, may need rephrasing

Source Citations

Answers include source citations:

  • Document name - Which document the answer came from
  • Page number - Which page (if applicable)
  • Excerpt - Relevant text snippet

Click citations to jump to that part of the document.

Chat Features

Chat History

  • All conversations saved - Access anytime
  • Resume conversations - Pick up where you left off
  • Search history - Find previous questions
  • Delete conversations - Clean up old chats

Document Context

  • Document preview - See document while chatting
  • Highlight matches - Answers highlight relevant sections
  • Quick actions - Download, share, organize from chat

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Cmd+K - Focus search/command palette
  • Cmd+Shift+C - Toggle chat panel
  • Enter - Send message
  • Shift+Enter - New line

Tips for Better Results

Ask Clear Questions

Good:

  • “What are the payment terms in this contract?”
  • “When does this agreement expire?”
  • “Who are the parties to this contract?”

Less Effective:

  • “Tell me about this”
  • “What’s in here?”
  • “Explain”

Be Specific

Better:

  • “What is the termination clause?”
  • “What are the liability limits?”

Less Specific:

  • “What are the important parts?”
  • “What should I know?”

Use Follow-ups

Instead of one big question, break it down:

  1. “What is this document about?”
  2. “What are the key dates?”
  3. “What are the payment terms?”
  4. “Are there any risks?”

Example Conversations

Contract Analysis

You: “What is this contract about?”

Archie: “This is a service agreement between Acme Corp and Tech Solutions Inc. It covers software development services for a 12-month period starting January 2025. Key terms include monthly payments of $10,000, deliverables include a web application, and termination requires 30 days notice.”

You: “What are the payment terms?”

Archie: “Payment terms are Net 30 days. Monthly invoices of $10,000 are due within 30 days of invoice date. Late payments incur a 1.5% monthly interest charge.”

Confidence: 0.94 Sources: Page 2, Page 5

Multi-Document Comparison

You: “Compare these three proposals”

Archie: “Here’s a comparison of the three proposals:

Proposal A: $50,000, 6-month timeline, includes maintenance Proposal B: $45,000, 4-month timeline, no maintenance Proposal C: $55,000, 5-month timeline, includes maintenance and support

Recommendation: Proposal B offers the best value for timeline, but Proposal C includes ongoing support which may be valuable long-term.”

Confidence: 0.87 Sources: All three documents

Troubleshooting

Low Confidence Answers

If confidence is low (< 0.7):

  1. Rephrase your question - Be more specific
  2. Check document - Make sure document is fully processed
  3. Add more context - Reference specific sections
  4. Break it down - Ask smaller, more focused questions

No Answer

If Archie can’t answer:

  1. Check document processing - Document must be fully processed
  2. Verify document is in chat - Make sure document is added
  3. Try different wording - Rephrase your question
  4. Check document content - Answer might not be in the document

Slow Responses

If responses are slow:

  1. Check internet connection
  2. Large documents take longer to process
  3. Multiple documents in chat increase processing time
  4. Wait a moment - Complex questions take time

Best Practices

Before Chatting

  • Upload documents first - Make sure documents are processed
  • Read summaries - Get overview before asking questions
  • Organize documents - Add relevant documents to chat

While Chatting

  • Ask one question at a time - Better results
  • Use follow-ups - Build on previous answers
  • Check sources - Verify important information
  • Save important chats - Bookmark useful conversations

After Chatting

  • Review answers - Check confidence scores
  • Verify sources - Click citations to verify
  • Take notes - Save important insights
  • Share insights - Share with team if needed

Next Steps

Ready to chat? Open Archivus and click “Archie Chat”!