# Get the most out of the Tidy agent

> How to give the agent the right context, set it up to work your way, and prompts that work for bids, takeoff, RFIs, budgets, leveling and tasks.

Source: https://automatedconstruction.io/tidy/docs/guides/work-with-the-tidy-agent
Section: How to use Tidy

The agent does its best work when it knows which bid you mean, has read the files, and knows how your company works. This guide covers all three, then gives prompts for everyday jobs.

## 1. Point it at the right thing

- **Pin the bid.** Click **+** in the chat box and **Pin an opportunity**, or click **Open in Agent** on a bid. The agent starts with that bid's details and file list.
- **Paste an agent token.** Click **Copy agent token** on any page and paste it in. The agent opens exactly that bid, drawing page, budget or proposal. See [Agent tokens](https://automatedconstruction.io/tidy/docs/features/agent-tokens).
- **Attach what you have.** Drop in the invite email, a quote PDF or a screenshot. It reads images as well as text.
- **Work beside the drawing.** In a workspace, click **Agent** to chat with the sheet open.

## 2. Let it read the documents first

On a new bid, start with "Ingest all files on this bid". The agent indexes the drawings and specs so later answers are fast and come with page citations you can click.

## 3. Teach it how you work

| Tool | Use it for | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Memory | Facts and standing preferences | "Remember: we carry 10% waste on ceiling tile and 5% on grid." |
| Projects | A folder of chats with standing instructions, a linked bid, knowledge files and memory | A project for a large hospital job with its spec book and your scope notes |
| Skills | Step-by-step procedures the agent loads when they fit | "Our ACT takeoff checklist" or "How we write exclusions" |

Click **Draft with the agent** under **Skills** and it interviews you, then writes the skill for you to review. Admins can publish skills and memory to the whole company.

## 4. Choose how much it asks

Use the mode menu beside **+** in the chat box:

- **Manual** while you are getting to know it.
- **Accept Edits** for most daily work: it reads freely and asks before changes.
- **Auto Mode** when you trust a routine task.

Sending email and proposals always waits for you. Fine-tune each action in **Skills & Plugins > Permissions**. See [Agent permissions](https://automatedconstruction.io/tidy/docs/features/agent-permissions).

## Prompts that work

**Pipeline**

- "What is due this week, and who is on each?"
- "Which Undecided invites are due in under 10 days? Summarize the scope of each in one line."
- "Move the Riverside bid due date to the 24th and add a comment that the client extended it."

**Reading the documents**

- "Summarize the invite for this bid: scope, due date, site walk, bonding and insurance."
- "What ceiling systems does the spec call for? Cite the pages."
- "Find the finish schedule and list every room with ACT."

**Takeoff**

- "Set up workspaces for this drawing set."
- "Take off all 2x2 ACT on A-201 to A-204 using the legend on A-001."
- "What did you skip in that run, and why?"

**RFIs**

- "Draft RFIs for anything unclear about ceiling heights, each with a proposed answer."
- "Record the answer to RFI-003 from Addendum 1."

**Budget and leveling**

- "Build a budget from the accepted takeoff using our standard assemblies."
- "Enter the prices from this supplier quote on the budget." (Attach the PDF.)
- "Add these three sub quotes to the drywall package and tell me who covers the full scope."
- "Push the budget to the draft proposal."

**Proposals and follow-ups**

- "Create a proposal from the budget with our standard terms, addressed to both clients."
- "Draft a follow-up for every submitted bid with no reply in 3 weeks."

**Tasks and records**

- "Turn the action items from this email into tasks linked to this bid."
- "Fill the Spec notes column in my Pipeline record for every Accepted bid."

**Help with Tidy itself**

- "How do I level sub quotes in Tidy?"
- "Why can't I see the Add With Agent tab?"

The agent looks up these docs to answer how-to questions, and links you to the page it used.

## Keep chats healthy

- One chat per job keeps answers focused. Use **Projects** to group them.
- When the **Context** meter turns amber, click **Compact** to summarize older turns.
- Thumbs up or down under an answer tells the Tidy team what worked.

## Related

- [Tidy agent](https://automatedconstruction.io/tidy/docs/features/tidy-agent)
- [Skills and plugins](https://automatedconstruction.io/tidy/docs/features/skills-and-plugins)
- [Connect your own agent](https://automatedconstruction.io/tidy/docs/guides/connect-your-own-agent)