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

# AI Chat & Document Q&A

> Ask questions across all your documents in plain language — no search queries, no manual lookups.

The **AI Chat** feature lets you have a conversation with your documents. Instead of opening each document individually to find a figure or a name, you ask a question in plain English (or Chinese) and the AI answers using the actual content of your processed documents.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/recordengineai/Rxi6-6QAU3yegBP8/images/user-guide/ai-chat-interface.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Rxi6-6QAU3yegBP8&q=85&s=4f08a22c6abe4d68e46a53975d9e6450" alt="RecordEngine AI Chat interface" className="rounded-lg" width="2760" height="2028" data-path="images/user-guide/ai-chat-interface.png" />

***

## How It Works

The AI Chat reads the **full extracted text** of every document in the selected folder — not just the summary, but all extracted fields, line items, and notes. It then answers your question by synthesising across all of those documents simultaneously.

<Info>
  All AI processing happens on your own server. Your documents and questions never leave your network.
</Info>

***

## Starting a Chat

1. Click **AI Chat** in the left sidebar
2. Select a **Contact** from the dropdown
3. Select a **Folder** within that contact
4. Type your question and press Enter

The AI has access to all processed documents in the selected folder. Documents that are still in **New** or **Processing** status are not yet available — wait for them to reach **Needs Review** or later before chatting.

***

## What You Can Ask

The AI Chat is designed for natural language questions. Here are some examples of what works well:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Lookup questions">
    * *"What is the invoice number on the most recent Acme invoice?"*
    * *"Who is the legal representative on the business license?"*
    * *"What was the total amount on the November fapiao?"*
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Aggregation questions">
    * *"What is the total of all invoices in this folder?"*
    * *"How many invoices are from vendors in Beijing?"*
    * *"What is the average invoice amount this quarter?"*
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cross-document questions">
    * *"Are there any invoices where the stated total doesn't match the sum of line items?"*
    * *"Which vendor appears most frequently across all invoices?"*
    * *"Do any documents have missing invoice numbers?"*
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Meeting and notes questions">
    * *"What action items were assigned to John in last week's meeting?"*
    * *"What decisions were made across all the Q4 meeting notes?"*
    * *"Who attended the most meetings this month?"*
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Compliance and verification questions">
    * *"Are there any invoices dated before the contract start date?"*
    * *"Which documents have a confidence score below 70?"*
    * *"Are there duplicate invoice numbers across any documents?"*
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Per-Contact AI Instructions

You can give the AI standing instructions for each contact — for example, telling it to always respond in a specific language, use a formal tone, or focus on particular fields.

To set instructions:

1. Go to **Contacts** and open the contact
2. Click **Edit**
3. Fill in the **AI Chat Instructions** field — for example:
   * *"Always respond in formal English. Focus on financial figures."*
   * *"This client's documents are in Chinese. Respond in Chinese."*
   * *"Always include the invoice number and vendor name in your answers."*
4. Save

These instructions are applied automatically every time you chat within that contact's folders.

***

## Saving Chat Transcripts

After a useful conversation, you can save the entire transcript as a document in RecordEngine:

1. Click **Save Transcript** at the top of the chat
2. The transcript is saved as a new document in the current folder
3. It appears in the document list and is searchable like any other document

This is useful for compliance records, meeting follow-ups, or sharing findings with colleagues.

***

## Multi-Turn Conversations

The AI maintains context across messages within a single session. You can ask follow-up questions without repeating yourself:

```
You:  What is the total of all invoices from Acme this month?
AI:   The total is ¥47,320 across 4 invoices.

You:  Which one has the highest amount?
AI:   Invoice INV-2025-1147 for ¥18,500, dated November 15.

You:  Does it have a due date?
AI:   Yes — the due date is December 15, 2025.
```

<Warning>
  Chat context resets when you start a new session or switch folders. If you need to preserve a conversation, save the transcript before navigating away.
</Warning>

***

## Mobile Chat App

RecordEngine includes a mobile-optimised chat interface accessible from any browser on your local network — no app installation required.

Open a browser on your phone and navigate to:

```
http://YOUR-SERVER-ADDRESS/chat/
```

The mobile app supports the same full chat functionality as the desktop interface, optimised for smaller screens.

<Tip>
  For clients or colleagues who only need to ask questions about their documents — without accessing the full RecordEngine interface — the mobile chat app is a clean, focused entry point.
</Tip>

***

## Chat API

The AI Chat is also available via the REST API, so you can embed document Q\&A in your own portal or application:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://YOUR-INSTANCE/api/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "question": "What is the total of all invoices this month?",
    "contact_id": 5,
    "folder_id": 12
  }'
```

See [Chat API](/api-reference/chat-api) for the full request and response schema.