Ask about a canvas item

Start with the item, not a vague prompt

"Summarize this" is only useful when ALLO knows what "this" means. Item-level AI gives the question a target: the note, image, table, audio clip, file, link, generated draft, or other canvas item you are already reviewing.

In ALLO, this workflow appears through Object Chat, Ask ALLO actions, item preview, or an AI version badge on AI-created and AI-edited items. Use it when the answer should stay tied to one item, not the whole canvas.

For questions that need several sources or should create new output, select the relevant canvas objects and use AI Studio. For one item, stay in Object Chat.

Availability and access

Find the item-level AI entry point

Open the canvas and go to the item you want ALLO to read.

AI-created and AI-edited items show a small version badge, such as v1 or v2, near the item. Click it to open Object Chat for that item.

Manual or uploaded items do not get a visible v0 badge just because they exist. For those items, open the item preview or item actions. If Ask ALLO or Object Chat is there, use it. If the item has no AI action, select the relevant source objects and use AI Studio.

The object-level entry point keeps the conversation grounded in the item you selected. That is different from starting a broad AI Studio prompt and asking the model to guess which canvas material you mean.

Object Chat is separate from comments. A human comment stays in the comment thread. An Object Chat message stays in the AI chat session for that item.

If the item is still uploading, converting, generating, or processing, wait until it finishes. Pending items stay selectable so you can move or delete them, but preview, download, edit, and AI actions stay locked until the item is ready.

Ask questions that match the item

Be specific about the output. "Explain this table for a non-technical client" gives ALLO a job. "Thoughts?" gives you a soft answer you still have to reshape.

If the answer should use several items, select the relevant objects and use AI Studio instead of opening Object Chat on one item and hoping it guesses the rest.

If the item has visible source history on a freeform whiteboard, check whether that history is connected with smart arrows:

• Object Chat can use a smart arrow as previous context only when the arrow is attached from one real object to another real object.
• A line that only looks close to an item is useful for readers, but it is not reliable AI context.

Ask, edit, or generate

Use Object Chat for understanding: explain, summarize, critique, compare, extract, and review. This keeps the answer attached to the item you opened.

Use Object Chat edits only when the item supports direct editing. Text/post-it style items, spreadsheets, images, audio, and AI-generated webpage outputs have edit paths. Generic links, ordinary embeds, and unsupported files are ask-only: ALLO can answer questions about the source it can read, but it should not promise to rewrite the underlying object.

Use AI Studio when you want to create a new canvas object or generate a new version from broader context. AI Studio is the creation surface. Object Chat is the item surface.

When an edit is running, ALLO marks the target item with an editing lock. Leave that item alone until the edit finishes, then review the updated object before sharing it.

For generated images, version-style edits are useful when the direction is close but one detail is wrong: composition, emphasis, wording in the prompt, or a visual treatment that needs another pass.

Ask about one item

1. Open the canvas.
2. Open or select the item you want ALLO to read.
3. Open the item's Object Chat, Ask ALLO action, preview entry, or AI version badge.
4. Check the preview pane and make sure it shows the right item.
5. Ask a specific question.
6. Review the answer against the item.
7. Edit the item, ask a follow-up, add a human comment, or move to AI Studio if the answer should become new canvas content.

If the item-level answer should become a new canvas object, move to AI Studio or copy the useful parts into the canvas yourself. Do not treat an AI chat answer as reviewed work just because it is next to the source.

Permissions and credits

Object Chat does not bypass canvas permissions. If you cannot open the item, ALLO should not use it as hidden context for you.

Read-only and comment-only access can let you inspect an item or existing Object Chat history, but it does not let you send new AI prompts. Ask the canvas owner for edit access if you need to ask ALLO to analyze or change the item.

Object Chat and item AI actions use workspace AI credits. If credits are blocked, workspace admins can open Billing or configure credit recovery. Members, guests, and external collaborators need an admin to fix the workspace credit state.

Focused questions cost less time and cleanup. If the item is already close, a manual edit is often faster and cheaper than another AI turn.

Common mistakes

Do not ask about "this" from the wrong surface. Open the exact item and confirm the preview pane before sending.

Do not expect every uploaded or manual item to show an AI badge. The visible badge is reserved for AI-created and AI-edited items.

Do not ask Object Chat to edit an ask-only embed or file. Ask for a summary, critique, or next-step recommendation instead.

Do not assume file content is available while the file is still uploading, converting, or generating.

Do not use item-level AI to make private material safe for external sharing. You still need to review and redact sensitive content yourself.

Recover when item AI behaves differently than expected

The AI action is missing. Check whether the item is still processing, whether the object type supports Object Chat, whether you have write access, and whether the workspace has AI credits. For manual or uploaded objects, remember that no v0 AI badge is normal.

You can open Object Chat but cannot type. You are in a read-only or comment-only state. Ask for edit access to send prompts or run edits.

The answer references the wrong item. Close Object Chat, open it again from the correct item, and confirm the preview pane before asking again.

ALLO will answer but will not edit. The target is ask-only. Use the answer as guidance, edit manually, or create a new result in AI Studio.

The item is still processing. Wait for upload or generation to finish before asking. A pending shell is not the final source.

Credits are blocked. Ask a workspace admin to review AI credit billing. If you are an admin, use the Billing path shown in the credit prompt.

The result affects a customer, legal claim, billing issue, or decision record. Verify against the source before using it.