Review documents in a conversation
Open session files beside chat, save comments, and work with GovTribe AI on successive drafts.
Open a conversation in GovTribe AI, then select the pencil icon beside the circular conversation-information control. Its tooltip reads Open document pane. You can review files while continuing the chat. The information control still shows credit usage, inputs, and outputs.
The pencil appears when the conversation has an accessible file to review. On smaller screens, the controls stack with conversation information above the pencil.
Find and open a file
When no document is open, the pane shows the file navigator under Edit files with GovTribe AI. After opening a file, select All files at the top of the pane to browse again. Expand a folder when one is available, or search by filename. Search shows matching files directly, with their folder paths beneath their names. Clear the search to return to folder browsing. Selecting a file opens it as the active tab; selecting an already-open file returns to its tab and closes the navigator. The active file is highlighted in the navigator and automatically provides document context for your next message.
The navigator includes accessible files attached to the conversation, reused files, government source files associated with the conversation, and saved outputs. Internal memory, skills, scratch files, and intermediate artifacts are omitted. A conversation with no folders shows a flat file list.
You can also select a file under Outputs in conversation information. Selecting a file or using the document toggle dismisses the information palette so the document is visible. GovTribe AI can open a completed document for your attention during its response. When it does, the GovTribe navigation and conversation list collapse to make room for the draft. Reopen either sidebar with its toggle whenever you need it. Opening a file keeps the text you are typing.
For a workspace file, select File details and actions (⋯) in the document toolbar to open the existing file-preview dialog. It includes file details, Rename, Use in chat, Move, Delete, and Download. Close the dialog to return to the same document and its saved annotations. Renaming updates the tab and navigator; deleting a file removes it from the open tabs. Government source documents keep their existing preview and download controls.
Arrange your review space
Drag the divider to resize the document pane, or focus the divider and use the arrow keys. Select tabs to switch files. Closing a tab keeps the file; closing the active tab selects the next available tab. Closing the last tab returns to the searchable file navigator.
Drag a tab to arrange files in the order you want. The insertion marker shows where it will land; hold near either end of the tab strip to scroll through more tabs. Release to place the tab, or press Escape to cancel. With a tab focused, use Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow or Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow to move it one position. Use the arrow keys without modifiers to focus another tab, then Enter to open it.
Hover over a long filename or focus its tab or All files row to reveal the rest of the name, just like a conversation title. The close button stays in place. If you prefer reduced motion, the full filename remains available in the tooltip without animation.
Closing the pane preserves its tabs and keeps the active file and its pending annotations ready for the next message. This browser remembers your open files and their order, active tab, pane width, and whether the pane was open for each conversation. Files you can no longer access are removed when the view is restored or refreshed. On a phone or narrow window, the document fills the available space; Return to chat keeps your selected file and annotations ready for the next message.
While the document pane is open, conversation information appears temporarily over the chat when selected.
Comment and request a revision
The conversation owner can select text to highlight it or comment on it, and use the document toolbar to place comments or draw rectangles around areas on a page. Annotations autosave to the exact draft being reviewed. Switching conversations waits for pending annotations to save; if saving fails, the current conversation stays open so you can choose Retry save. You can close the pane or return later to continue. People who can view the conversation and its files can inspect them; only the owner can save annotations and send revision requests.
Open the draft and add comments. Select a passage, then choose Highlight or Comment from the selection menu. Selecting text alone does not create an annotation or send anything to AI. Use Add comment to place a note anywhere on the page, or Draw rectangle to drag a box around a chart, image, or section and add a comment describing the change. While a tool is active, the toolbar shows what to do next, the pointer changes, and Escape cancels. After placing a note or rectangle, the comment editor opens beside the page; type the comment and press Enter to save it. Selecting an existing note, rectangle, or commented highlight reopens its editor, and clicking elsewhere on the page closes it. To discard a note or rectangle before writing a comment, press Escape or choose Cancel; one left without a comment is also removed when you click away. If saving fails, choose Retry save before switching files or sending.
Review your annotations. Select the chip labeled 1 annotation or N annotations beside your message draft to see the filename, quoted passages, comments, and page numbers. Select an entry to open the document at that annotation, or select its trash icon to delete that annotation; Undo restores it. The count updates after changes finish saving, including edits, deletions, and undo. Highlights with selected text count even without a comment; notes and rectangles need a comment to be kept. The chip appears only when the active file has pending annotations. Saved annotations on other files stay with those files.
Send your annotations, with optional instructions. Select Send annotations without typing to request “Apply my annotations to this file.” Or add your own instructions and send the message. The active document and its unsent comments, quoted passages, and page location automatically accompany the request. For notes and rectangles, nearby document text is included when available to help identify the intended area. State the requested change clearly; a nearby passage may not be the exact text you mean. Annotations are marked as sent after the message is saved, and the pending count updates. If sending fails, your annotations remain available to retry.
To remove the active file's pending annotations, select the chip's Clear pending annotations control (×). This deletes those marks from the document and saves the change. A brief Undo action restores the cleared marks. Clearing also works with the document pane closed. Annotations on other files, unchanged sent annotations, and the review history already attached to messages are preserved.
When you upload another file after sending annotations, the reviewed document is not added to that upload message unless it has new pending annotations. Plain follow-up messages still use the active document as context.
Expand Annotations on your sent message to review the comments included with it. Sent annotations also remain visible on the document. Editing a sent comment makes that comment pending again. New drafts open as separate files, preserving the earlier draft and its annotations. Annotations are not transferred automatically onto revised content.
This review workflow supports highlights, comments, and rectangles with comments. To change document wording, describe the changes in chat and ask GovTribe AI to create a revised draft.
Review different file types
| File type | Annotation tools |
|---|---|
| PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Highlight selectable text, place a comment, or draw a rectangle around an area. On PowerPoint, each slide is a page and comments stay at their location on that slide. |
| PNG, JPEG/JFIF, TIFF images | Use Add comment and select a spot on the image, or use Draw rectangle to mark an area and describe the change. Image previews do not extract text for highlighting. |
| CSV and other inline images, such as GIF, WebP, and SVG | Preview only; describe the requested change in chat. |
Comments are saved with the exact file and draft in the conversation. Download file retrieves the original document or image; it does not embed the saved review comments into that file.
Review template-based work
After creating a file from a template, review the working copy or completed output here like any other draft. Comments belong to that working copy or output. Reviewing it does not edit the master template or change the template library.
Preview availability and credits
PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and supported image formats can be previewed. CSV previews show up to 200 rows and 100 columns for files up to 10 MB. Unsupported formats retain Download file.
A new output may briefly show that it is being prepared. If the preview is unavailable or its access link expires, use Try again to request a fresh preview. Saved files can remain available after the conversation's execution environment expires. If the underlying file has changed, reopen it before continuing; the earlier review stays associated with the earlier content.
Opening files and saving annotations do not start AI work. Sending a message, including annotations without additional instructions, follows the conversation's normal credit and execution flow.
Related articles
- Files: Organize and reuse files across your workspace.
- Create a conversation: Use the composer, attachments, and skills.
- Manage conversations: Review inputs, outputs, and conversation controls.