> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opencompany.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your first chat

> Say hello to your AI assistant and see a workflow run for the first time

<Info>
  This takes about 2 minutes. You need OpenCompany [installed](/installation) and one AI key added (or a local model connected) — see [Add your AI key](/add-api-keys).
</Info>

## What you'll see on first launch

The first time you open `http://localhost:3000`, the **Welcome Guide** opens over the canvas. It has five short steps: **Welcome**, **Concepts**, **API Keys**, **Canvas**, and **Get Started**. Click **Next** to walk through them, or **Skip for now** — you can bring it back any time from Settings, under Help, with the **Replay** button next to **Replay Welcome Guide**.

The API Keys step has an **Open Credentials** button that jumps straight to the key setup from [the previous page](/add-api-keys).

## The three example workflows

OpenCompany ships with three ready-made workflows. They load automatically on first launch and appear in the left sidebar.

<Frame caption="The three workflows that ship with OpenCompany">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeenieai/qp0eK9iuKm1AjNx0/images/diagrams/default-workflows.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=qp0eK9iuKm1AjNx0&q=85&s=c7e947fde483002025d1719fdb75cf27" alt="Diagram of the three example workflows: AI Assistant, AI Employee, and Claude Assistant" width="1100" height="1020" data-path="images/diagrams/default-workflows.svg" />
</Frame>

* **AI Assistant** — a personal assistant with chat, web search, and file tools. Start here: its core works with just one AI key.
* **AI Employee** — a multi-agent showcase that coordinates specialist agents. It needs several extra accounts; explore it later.
* **Claude Assistant** — the same idea built around the Claude Code agent; it needs a Claude subscription or API access.

## Run your first chat

<Warning>
  You need one AI key first. If you skipped it, do [Add your AI key](/add-api-keys) now — it takes 2 minutes.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the AI Assistant workflow">
    Click **AI Assistant** in the left sidebar.
    The workflow's nodes appear on the canvas.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the workflow">
    Press the green **Start** button in the top toolbar.
    The button changes to **Stop**, and the Chat Trigger node begins a gentle pulse — it is listening.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the chat panel">
    Click the **Chat / Console** bar at the bottom of the screen.
    The panel expands: a **Chat** box on the left, **Console** and **Terminal** tabs on the right.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Say hello">
    Type `Hello! What can you do?` into the box that reads **Type a message...** and press **Send** (or Enter).
    Your message appears in the Chat pane.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the reply in the Console tab">
    Click the **Console** tab on the right side of the panel.
    The AI's answer appears there within a few seconds.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The reply appears in the **Console** tab, not as a chat bubble. The Chat pane shows what you sent; the workflow's Console node prints what the AI answered.
</Note>

<Check>
  You sent a message, the nodes lit up as they worked, and the AI answered in the Console tab. You have run your first workflow.
</Check>

## What just happened

Your message woke the **Chat Trigger** node. The trigger handed your text to the **AI Agent**, which asked your chosen model for an answer. The agent passed that answer to the **Console** node, which printed it in the Console tab.

## Next step

<Card title="Build your own workflow" icon="diagram-project" href="/quickstart">
  Recreate that chat pipeline yourself, from an empty canvas, in about ten minutes.
</Card>