Interface and conversations
Each LlamaBoss window is its own chat workspace. Windows that use a local model share one model service, so the model is only loaded into VRAM once.
Top bar
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Model pill | Shows the current model. Click it to switch between local GGUF models and models from AI providers you've connected. |
| Thinking chip | The · Auto label inside the pill. Click it to choose Auto, Off, On, Low, Medium or High thinking for this chat. It applies from your next message. See Thinking. |
| Robot button | Turns Agent Mode on or off for the current chat. |
| Project and Skills | Attach or manage a Project, and create, open, import or export Skills. The former Goal control was retired. |
| Context meter | Shows ctx used/total for the next request. The number is exact after each completed reply; a ~ means it's an estimate. Amber means older tool output is being trimmed from what the model sees, and red means the window is nearly full, so consider a new chat. Click the meter to open detailed context and response statistics. Turn it on in Settings → Behavior. |
Conversation sidebar
Open the sidebar with the ☰ button. Conversations are grouped under their Project or Unassigned. Each group has Pinned, Today, Yesterday, Previous 7 days and Older sections, and can be collapsed. Dates follow chat activity; reopening a chat alone does not move it to Today.
- Search: press Ctrl+F or Ctrl+K, type, then use the arrow keys and Enter to open a result. Esc clears the search.
- Keyboard: with the list focused, the arrow keys move between chats.
- Actions: each row's menu can rename, pin, archive, export, delete, or move the chat to a Project. You can also drag a chat onto a Project.
- Several at once: Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select, then pin, archive, move or delete them together.
- Archive: archived chats leave the main list. Open Archived in the sidebar to browse or restore them.
- Export: export one chat from its menu as Markdown or text. Export is a readable transcript; save/open uses the conversation JSON.
Activity line
The thin line above the composer shows what the agent is doing right now, such as which tool is running and for how long, or that it's waiting for your approval. If a tool runs for more than about 20 seconds, the taskbar button flashes when it finishes so you can work in another window meanwhile. Very long tools offer a Stop Long-Running Task option.
Multiple windows, one local model
Click + New Window in the sidebar, press Ctrl+Shift+N, or launch LlamaBoss again while it's running. Every window is a full chat workspace with its own conversation, Project, attachments and Agent Mode state.
Local-model windows share the running model. If one window is generating, a message from another waits its turn instead of interrupting. Windows using an AI provider don't touch the local model at all, and each can use a different provider model at the same time.
Composer
- Enter sends and Shift+Enter adds a new line. You can drag to make the box taller.
- Attach files with the paperclip, drag and drop, or paste an image.
- Large pasted text becomes a text attachment instead of filling the box. Ctrl+Shift+V pastes it straight into the message.
- While the model is answering, Send becomes Stop, which cancels the reply, a running tool sequence, or a pending approval.
- If the model is still loading, your message waits and sends when it's ready.
Saving and loading
Conversations save automatically as messages, tool results and metadata change. Background saves keep file writing out of the main chat flow. Before leaving a chat or closing the app, LlamaBoss completes a final save. If that fails, you can retry, save a recovery copy elsewhere, or keep the chat open. You can also use:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New chat in this window. |
| Ctrl+Shift+N | New window. |
| Ctrl+S | Save the conversation. |
| Ctrl+O | Open a saved conversation. |
A conversation already open in another window is brought to the front rather than loaded twice. Deleting a conversation also removes its chat folder and the generated files and attachments inside it; export or copy anything you want to keep first.