> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.valyu.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Work with Valyu Agent > Ask Valyu Agent questions in Slack, follow up in the thread, hand it files, ask for spreadsheets and slides, and schedule recurring research. Talk to Valyu Agent the way you talk to an analyst on your team. ## Ask > **You:** @Valyu Agent What changed in Apple's risk factors between the last two 10-Ks? Valyu Agent shows its progress in the thread, then replies with the key points and the sources. When the report is too long for the reply, it attaches the full report as a file that you can read in Slack. In `standard`, `heavy` and `max` mode it also attaches a PDF. Use **Stop** to end a run, and **Retry** to run it again. You can ask in four places: * **A channel:** mention `@Valyu Agent`. The answer goes in a thread. * **A direct message:** send the question. Each question gets its own thread, and suggested prompts show at the top. * **`/valyu`:** type `/valyu` and the question. * **Any message:** in the message's **More actions** menu, select **Research this**. Valyu Agent uses the message as the background for your question. ## Follow up Keep talking in the thread. You do not have to mention Valyu Agent again, and it remembers the conversation. > **You:** @Valyu Agent Who is John Doe? *(with his CV attached)* > > **You:** When did he go to school, and where? > > **You:** Expand on his private equity experience. When an earlier answer already holds the answer, Valyu Agent answers at once and says so. For new or more detailed information, it runs new research. When the thread is not enough, it reads the channel messages before the thread. A message that starts with `(aside)` is not for Valyu Agent. Add `!nocontext` to make it ignore the thread. ## Hand it files Attach the file to your question. > **You:** @Valyu Agent Summarise the key risks in this 10-K *(10-K.pdf attached)* > > **You:** Compare the margins with last year's deck *(earlier in the thread: Q3-deck.pptx)* > > **You:** Which slide has the hiring plan? Valyu Agent reads PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, CSV, text and image files. For a question about a detail, it searches the file for the passages it needs and answers with the page or slide. For an analysis of the whole file, it sends the file to DeepResearch. It uses a file from earlier in the thread when your question is about it, and it uses only your own files. See [Files](https://docs.valyu.ai/integrations/slack/reference.md#files) for the sizes. ## Get deliverables Ask for the format you need. > **You:** @Valyu Agent Map the main companies building AI chips, as a spreadsheet > > **You:** Turn that into five slides for Monday's meeting Valyu Agent attaches the files in the thread. It makes spreadsheets (`xlsx`, `csv`), slides (`pptx`), documents (`docx`) and PDFs. To ask with a flag, add `!xlsx`, `!csv`, `!pptx`, `!docx` or `!pdf` to your message. ## Schedule recurring research Admins and app managers can put research on a schedule in the chat. > **You:** @Valyu Agent Send me AI chip news every Monday at 8 > > **You:** Post a daily biotech brief to #research at 07:30 > > **You:** Show my scheduled reports > > **You:** Move the chip report to 7am If a detail is missing, Valyu Agent asks for it. A report goes to the conversation where you asked, at your Slack time zone, unless you name a channel or a time zone. Before a change, a pause or a delete, Valyu Agent shows a card. Nothing changes until you click **Confirm**. You can also manage reports in the app's **Home** tab: add a report, select **Preview** to get one now, and pause or delete a report. When a scheduled report cannot run, for example because the account has no credits, Valyu Agent tells the destination and the report owner. The **Home** tab then shows the error. ## Choose the depth Valyu Agent picks the research mode from your question. To set it yourself, add a flag: | Flag | Use it for | | - | - | | `!instant` | One fact, in under a minute | | `!fast` | A quick cited answer | | `!standard` | A full report or a comparison | | `!heavy` | A deep investigation, such as a market map | | `!max` | The most thorough report | See [Pricing](https://docs.valyu.ai/pricing.md) for the credits of each mode. ## Share the result To post a short summary of an answer in the channel, click **Also send to channel**. Use 👍 or 👎 to tell us how an answer went. ## Tips * Make a shared channel such as `#research` and invite Valyu Agent. The team then sees each other's questions and answers, and can follow up in the same threads. * Name the companies, periods and sources you care about. "NVIDIA data center revenue, the last four quarters, from the 10-Qs" gets a sharper answer than "NVIDIA revenue". * Valyu Agent can make mistakes. Before you use a figure in a decision, open its source. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.