Starting a Chat in Evo Researcher is straightforward. Once Evo Researcher has been enabled for your organisation by an administrator, it appears automatically in the Evo navigation menu. From there, you can open a new Chat at any time.
To start a new Chat in Evo Researcher:
Open Evo Researcher from the Evo navigation menu.
Select New Chat from the left-hand navigation panel.
Type your question or request in the message box and press Enter or select Send.
Once you send your first message, the AI responds directly in the conversation thread. You can continue the conversation by sending follow-up messages in the same Chat. The AI retains the context of the conversation as you go, so you do not need to repeat information you have already provided.
If your request produces something worth keeping - such as a report, a summary, or a drafted document - the AI will often create an artifact automatically. Artifacts appear in the Preview panel alongside the Chat and can be downloaded or copied for use elsewhere. If the AI responds in the Chat thread instead of creating an artifact, you can ask it explicitly: "Save that as an artifact I can preview and download."
đ Note: If you lose your connection mid-session, the current Chat state may not be preserved. This is a known limitation. Wait a moment and refresh the page to reconnect.
Attach a file to a Chat message
You can attach a file to an individual Chat message for the AI to review in that turn. This is useful when you want to ask a quick question about a document - for example, to pull out key points from a report or check the content of a contract - without needing to set up a full Project.
Supported file types include common document formats such as PDFs. When you attach a file, the AI reads its contents and uses them to answer your question in that message turn.
â ď¸ Important: Attachments do not persist after that message turn. If you need the AI to reference a file throughout a longer session, use a Project with file uploads instead.
To attach a file to a Chat message:
Select the attachment icon in the message box.
Choose the file you want to attach.
Name the file in your prompt so the AI knows which file to reference - for example: "Summarise the key points from Q3-report.pdf."
Select Send.
The AI will read the file and respond based on its contents. You can ask follow-up questions about the same file within the same message turn, but once you move to a new message the attachment is no longer available to the AI.
Use a template in a Chat
Templates are pre-configured starting points that bring a set of actions, connectors, and instructions into a Chat. They are useful when you regularly carry out the same type of task and want the AI to be set up correctly from the start, without having to configure anything manually each time.
For example, a template might be set up to connect to a specific data source, follow a particular writing style, or carry out a defined research workflow. When you apply a template to a Chat, those settings are loaded automatically.
You can also attach Skills to a Chat independently of a template. Skills are reusable instruction blocks that guide the AI's behaviour - for example, telling it to follow a specific tone of voice or check content against a set of guidelines.
đ Note: You cannot add connectors or actions directly to a standalone Chat outside of a template. Actions and connectors must be configured as part of a template before they are available in Chat.
To use a template in a Chat:
Start a new Chat.
Select the template option from the Chat toolbar.
Choose the template you want to apply.
Type your message and select Send.
The AI will use the actions and connectors configured in the template to respond to your message. If you are not sure which template to use, check with your organisation administrator, who can advise on what is available and what each template is designed for.