Atoi 101

Your first useful session does not require a control plane. Sign in, make model access available, open a thread, and state one concrete outcome.

Sign in and check model access

Open Atoi and sign in. If no model is available in the composer, open Settings → Models. Atoi is BYOK-first: provider access comes from credentials you control, while the product owns the thread, project, and task workflow around the model.

Add a provider key, save it, then enable the models you want to see. After a key is saved, the product returns configuration status rather than the secret value. The model picker groups enabled models by provider. Models with a supported reasoning profile also expose a reasoning-strength control in the composer.

Keep the initial setup restrained. One dependable default model and one stronger reasoning option are enough to learn the product loop.

Start a thread

Home is a persistent orchestration thread. Use it for cross-project planning, routing, and the ongoing work you want to return to. Create a new thread when the conversation deserves its own title and history.

Write the first prompt in product terms. Include the outcome, the relevant boundary, and the evidence you expect. For example:

Review the current onboarding flow. Identify the two highest-risk gaps, recommend one change, and name the checks that would prove it.

That phrasing gives the thread a subject and makes the next action inspectable. Attach files when the model needs direct source material. Tag a project when its instructions, documents, files, or repository context should inform the work.

Know when to create or use a project

Stay in a plain thread for a self-contained question, a short review, or a decision that does not need shared project state. Reach for a project when any of these are true:

• The work should still be coherent next week.
• More than one thread needs the same context.
• A repository, branch, or workspace binding matters.
• The request is likely to produce durable tasks, changes, checks, or follow-up work.
• You want documents, files, instructions, and receipts in one named boundary.

A project association does not move the conversation into a special chat type. Use an @ project tag in the composer to add context and file the thread. You can also manage project associations from the thread menu.

Continue from the result

Read the response before expanding the workflow. If Atoi creates durable work, follow the task receipt instead of starting a replacement thread. The receipt carries status and proof back into the conversation. Opening its detail keeps the current route and adds ?task=<id>, so you can inspect the task without losing the thread.

The basic loop is small: plan in the thread, let durable work become a task, inspect the receipt, then decide what happens next.

Good first tasks

• Turn rough notes into a project plan with next actions.
• Compare two implementation approaches before handing work to an agent.
• Review a patch, preview, or code snippet and ask what still looks risky.
• Upload source material and ask Atoi to explain the structure before changing it.