# How it works

> What the assistant does on its own, what it asks you to confirm first, how undo works, and what it can't do.

Source: https://asktack.com/docs/how-it-works/

You text a request. The assistant works out what you mean, finds the right records in your connected tools, makes the change and texts you back what it did.

## The thread

Everything happens in one conversation:

- **Requests** in plain words. "Finished the Henderson job" is enough; you don't need special commands.
- **Links** when it needs you in a browser, for example to connect a tool.
- **Several texts in a row** are handled as separate requests, each with its own answer. A request split over two texts ("add a customer", then "Joe's Roofing 512-555-0142") still gets one answer.
- **Voice notes and photos aren't handled yet.** The assistant sees that you sent an attachment, but it can't transcribe voice notes or file photos to a job yet. Both are planned.

## Typing, reactions and replies

On iMessage you'll see a few signals while it works:

- **Typing bubble** while it's working on your text.
- **👀 on your text** if it's still working after about 5 seconds. It stays there as a sign it saw your text, unless a 👍 replaces it because something changed.
- **👍 on your text** when it changed something, like adding a customer or creating an invoice. A lookup or a report gets an answer but no 👍.
- **Answers come as inline replies** to the text that asked, so with several requests going you can see which answer is which.

To answer one of its questions, say **yes** or **no**, or tap a reaction on the question: 👍 or ❤️ means yes, 👎 means no. That works even if your phone sends the reaction as a text like *Liked "Send it?"*. If two questions are waiting, reply inline to the one you mean; a plain "yes" gets "Which one do you mean?"

On Android, texts arrive as normal text messages (SMS), which don't show reactions or inline replies the same way. Typing "yes" or "no" always works.

## What it does on its own, and what it asks first

Looking things up and creating everyday records (a job, a client, a note, a **draft** quote or invoice) happen right away, and you get a short summary. Sending something to another person, anything involving money, and deletes **always wait for your OK**. So do big batches (more than 5 records), details it can't tie to what you said, and names it matched only approximately.

Answer its question the way you'd answer a person: yes, no, or what to change. Approvals wait 30 minutes. Text **undo** (or "undo that") to reverse the last thing it created: 10 minutes for records, 24 hours for drafts. Sent items can't be unsent.

The full rules are on [Confirmations and undo](https://asktack.com/docs/confirmations-and-undo/).

Connecting tools, team roles and billing are handled on the [account dashboard](https://asktack.com/docs/account-dashboard/), not by text. You can disconnect a tool by text, though: see [Connecting your tools](https://asktack.com/docs/connecting-your-tools/#disconnecting).

## When something goes wrong

- **A tool is down or slow:** the assistant tells you the system isn't responding and that it will keep trying.
- **A connection expired:** it texts you a link to reconnect.
- **It's missing a detail:** it asks for exactly that ("I still need: email").
- **More than one match:** it lists them ("Which one? 1) John Henderson 2) Henderson HVAC LLC").
- **It can't find something:** it says so and offers to create it.

It is instructed never to say something worked unless the tool confirmed it.


## What it can't do

- It only acts in tools you've connected, with the access you approved.
- It takes instructions only from you, in your own thread. Text inside customer notes, emails or documents is treated as information, never as instructions.
- It can't recall messages or invoices that were already sent.
- It won't ask for passwords or payment details by text. If anything in your thread asks for those, don't send them.

## What it remembers

- **The conversation.** Your recent messages are read in full; older ones are kept as a short rolling summary.
- **Facts you tell it to keep,** such as "invoices are net 15" or "call me Rob." It saves only things you say about yourself or your business, never things it read in your tools and never secrets. Ask "what do you remember?" to see them, or "forget that" to remove one.
- **What it did.** It can look up the actions it took for you (jobs created, invoices sent) to answer questions like "did I already invoice Patel?"

## Team accounts

On the Crew and Pro plans, the owner connects the company's tools once and invites the team. Each person texts from their own phone, and the owner or an admin decides who can use each tool and who can send to customers. See [Your account dashboard](https://asktack.com/docs/account-dashboard/#roles).