Getting Started & Interface

Apis AI is divided into three main areas: the sidebar on the left, the workspace in the middle and the right panel with previews and tasks.

Sidebar

The left bar is your control center:

• New button – creates a new conversation, workflow or script depending on the active mode.
• Mode switch – switches between Chat, Workflows and Scripts.
• List – shows your chats, workflows (including history) or scripts depending on the mode. Entries can be renamed and deleted.
• Status line – shows the number of connected MCP servers and the installed version.
• Settings – opens or leaves the settings area.

Above the list is your default model (provider · model). An update notice also appears here as soon as a newer version is available.

The Three Modes

Chat Area

In chat, the most important controls sit in the input bar at the bottom:

• Provider pill – selects the active provider.
• Model pill – selects the model (with search and favorites).
• Thinking pill – enables Extended Thinking for this conversation, provided the model supports it.
• Sandbox pill – shows whether shell commands run in the sandbox or have full access.
• Todo pill – controls the reminder for open tasks.
• "+" menu – attachments and manual skills for the chat.
• Send – sends the message (or press Enter).

Above the input, a context bar shows how full the context window is as a percentage. If it is too small for tool calls, the app informs you and disables them for the first message.

Right Panel

The right panel has two tabs:

• Preview (artifacts) – shows code, SVG and chart blocks from the responses; charts can be saved as PNG.
• Tasks – lists the tasks the AI created or updated via task management.

Settings

The settings are divided into six tabs:

• Providers & Models – endpoints, API keys, default model.
• System & Prompts – updates and version, shared folders, system prompt, security.
• Extensions – MCP servers, rules and skills.
• Parameters – temperature, max tokens, tool rounds, compression.
• Appearance – theme, light/dark, font size, language.
• Legal & Help – imprint, privacy policy, third-party licenses, support.

Details can be found under Settings.

Your First Chat

1. Set up a provider – open Settings, then Providers & Models and create an endpoint with an API key (see Providers & Models).
2. Choose a model – tap the model pill at the bottom of the chat and select a model.
3. Send a message – enter text and send with Enter. You link files directly in the text with @name.
4. View the response – tool calls, thoughts and artifacts are shown collapsed per message; file changes appear as a Git-style diff.