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Two interfaces, one powerful experience. Use the Quick Panel for fast interactions and The Hub for deep work.

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Two Ways to Interact

The Hub

Full workspace with tabs, sidebar, and comprehensive management

Quick Panel

Lightweight floating panel for quick queries and voice commands

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General Concept

Alter provides two main interfaces for interacting with AI:
The main window interface with tabs, sidebar, and comprehensive workspace management. Best for:
  • Extended conversations
  • Workspace management
  • Multi-tasking with multiple contexts
  • Reviewing meeting transcripts
The lightweight floating panel accessible from the notch or hotkey. Perfect for:
  • Quick queries
  • Voice commands
  • Fast context additions
  • Rapid interactions

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Hub Interface

The Hub is divided into three main sections:
  1. Sidebar - Navigation for conversations, workspaces, transcripts, and more
  2. Main Content Area - Tabbed interface showing active content
  3. Input Area - Prompt box and context management

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Opening The Hub

1

Keyboard shortcut

Press Shift + Cmd + H
2

Menu bar

Select “Open The Hub” from the Alter menu bar icon
3

From a conversation

Open a conversation link from a floating panel

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Tab Types

Conversations

Chat sessions with AI models

Workspaces

Collections of files, folders, and apps

Transcripts

Meeting transcriptions and recordings

Calendar Events

Scheduled meetings and events

Scheduled Jobs

Automated tasks and workflows

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Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Cmd + BToggle sidebar visibility
Cmd + WClose active tab
Cmd + Option + →Next tab
Cmd + Option + ←Previous tab
Cmd + KClear all contexts
Cmd + DeleteDelete active conversation

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Managing Contexts

1

Add context

Drag and drop files, or use @ in the prompt box
2

Navigate

Use arrow keys to move between contexts
3

Clear

Press Cmd + K to remove all contexts

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Inspector Panel

Conversation Details

Metadata, export options, sharing links

Context Management

See all contexts in current conversation

Workspace Info

Statistics, files, and settings
Toggle the Inspector using the sidebar icon or inspector button.

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Quick Panel Interface

The Quick Panel (accessible from the notch) is divided into three sections:

1. Context

Your selected files, apps, and references

2. Prompt

Where you type or speak your request

3. Additional Selection

Quick access to models and actions
Use keyboard shortcuts in the Quick Panel:
  • ←, ↑, →, ↓ - Navigate between objects
  • Enter - Select an object
  • @ - Add elements to context
  • # - Show conversation history
  • > - Show meeting history
  • / - List and choose model
  • ? - Show help menu
See the Prompt Box section below for more keyboard shortcuts.

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The Context Section

The Context section displays elements sent to Alter for reference.

Files

Documents, images, audio files

Text Selection

Selected text from any app

Transcripts

Audio and YouTube transcripts

Folders

Entire directories

Workspaces

Saved workspace collections

Applications

Current app context

Web Pages

URLs and web content

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Keyboard Navigation

KeyAction
← ↑ → ↓Navigate contexts
SpaceAdd/remove selected
Cmd + KRemove all contexts

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Using Your Clipboard

Paste content directly: Cmd + V Your clipboard content is automatically added to Alter’s context.

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The Prompt Box

The Prompt Box is where the magic happens.
Start typing your prompt or an Alter Action title to send it to your AI model.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
EnterSend prompt with active model
Cmd + EnterSearch the web (via Gemini)
Shift + EnterNew line
@Add elements to context
#Show conversation history
>Show meeting transcription history
/List and choose model
?Show help menu
Invoke Actions: Type any character in an Action’s title to trigger it!

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Help Menu

Help menu
Press ? in the prompt box to see all available shortcuts.

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Conversation Windows

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Resizing Windows

Customize conversation window size for your workflow:

Width

Drag edges horizontally to resize

Height

Drag edges vertically to resize

Layout

Fit alongside other applications

Persistent

Size is remembered for future sessions
Useful for: Side-by-side work, reviewing long documents, screen sharing, different display setups

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Continuous Speech-to-Prompt

Have extended voice conversations without touching your keyboard:
1

Hold voice hotkey

Press and hold Fn (or your configured key)
2

Speak naturally

Say your prompt out loud
3

Release

Let go to send to conversation
4

Keep going

Each voice prompt adds to the same thread
Hands-free workflow: Perfect for brainstorming, dictation, or when your hands are busy.

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Conversation History

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Managing Chat History

Access history by typing # in the prompt box or using The Hub’s sidebar.
History with tags

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Organizing with Tags

Add tags like #personal to categorize chats: 
# #personal #food
Search for conversations matching multiple tags.

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Renaming Conversations

1

Right-click

Right-click any conversation in the list
2

Select Rename

Choose Rename from the menu
3

Type new name

Give it a descriptive name

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Exporting Conversations

Export as markdown for documentation or sharing:
1

Find conversation

Locate it in the history
2

Right-click

Open the context menu
3

Select Export

Choose the Export option
4

Save

Choose location and save as .md file

Export Uses

  • Documentation
  • Sharing with team
  • Archiving important discussions
  • Using in other tools

Core Features

Workspaces, Actions, and more

Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete shortcut reference