Give it a file
Build-along · ~10 min at your own keyboard
A chat is useful. A chat with your own file is where it starts to pay. Drag in a PDF, a photo, or a spreadsheet and ask about what is inside. It will try to answer from your document, but attaching a file doesn't guarantee that. It can skip pages, misread a table, do the math wrong, or fill a gap with general knowledge that isn't in your file. So ask it to say where each answer came from, and ask one question the file can't answer, to see whether it admits that. Pick something low-stakes: a menu, a vendor price list, a photo of a job site. Remember the privacy rules from the last lesson. Nothing with SSNs, passwords, or bank numbers.
Ladder · Level 0The long version: Working with your own files ↗
Do this
0/6Checkpoints
- ▸You should now see the file name or a thumbnail in the chat.
- ▸You should now see answers that mention specific names, numbers, or details from your file, with where each came from.
- ▸You should now see how it handled a question your file can't answer.
The three ways this goes wrong
- The file will not attach, or the plus button is greyed out. — Free plans limit file size and type. Try a smaller file, or export the spreadsheet as a PDF. Photos from your phone usually work best.
- The answers sound generic and do not mention anything in the file. — Say: "Quote the exact line from the file that supports your answer." If it cannot, the file may not have been read. Re-attach it.
- A number in the answer does not match your file. — Reply: "I see X on page 2. Check again and show where you found your number." Never act on a number you did not check.
Share what happened
Paste: the type of file you used (PDF, photo, or spreadsheet), the best answer with where it came from, the number you checked, and what it said to the question your file can't answer.
Strip API keys, passwords, and tokens before you paste. Swap them for [KEY].
🔒 Don't paste confidential, personal-health, or payment info.