---
title: "The work pane"
description: "See what the whale is doing and what changed, beside the conversation: Overview, Terminal, Review, Browser, Files and the detail panes."
works_on: [desktop]
---

# The work pane

See what your whale is doing and what changed, without leaving the
conversation: its to-do list, what's waiting for you, the commands it left
running, its terminal, your files, and what the conversation has used.

**Works on:** the desktop app. Web and phone: not available yet.

![Overview during a reply: Environment, Context, Tasks, Background, Git and Cost](images/work-pane-overview.png)

## See where work is

The right side of the window starts on **Overview**. Each section shows only
when there's something in it, and most headings open their full pane:

- **Environment:** where this conversation runs and the folder you're in.
  See [Environments](environments.md).
- **Context:** how full this conversation is, as a bar and a percentage.
- **Tasks:** your whale's to-do list, with how many are done ("1 of 3").
- **Agents:** helpers the whale started, each with its state.
- **Approvals:** requests waiting for an answer, each with its heading, such
  as "Run a command?", and "Needs you" when you can answer it. Right-click
  one to copy its command.
- **Background:** commands your whale left running, with Running while they
  run.
- **Changes:** every changed file with its added and removed lines, for
  example "README.md +2 −0".
- **Git:** the branch you're on.
- **Cost:** what the conversation has cost so far and how much came from the
  cache. A model with no published price shows the cache part only.
- **People:** in a group conversation, who's in it and how many are here
  now ("2 here").
- **Activity:** what happened and when, such as "You allowed once".

The buttons at the top switch panes: Overview, Terminal, Review, Browser and
Files. The ⋯ button lists the rest: Tasks, Agents, Background, Context, Cost
and Editor. Notes, Git, Aside and Keep awake say "Not available yet".

Every pane is also in the palette (⌘K, Ctrl+K), for example "Show
terminal". `/jobs`, `/context`, `/cost` and `/subagents` open their panes too.

When the window is narrower than 1200 px, the panel opens over the
conversation; press the Overview button at the top right to show or hide it.

## In a group conversation

Overview leads with what matters now, such as a running agent or an
approval someone needs to give, and the other sections fold so you can open
them. **Approvals** says who can answer, for example "Alex or Sam can
approve", and that each request takes "Allow once or Don't allow". Context,
Tasks, Background and Cost aren't shown. See [Groups](groups.md).

## Watch the terminal

The Terminal pane shows the shell your whale works in, live. Before your
whale runs its first command there, it reads "A new shell starts when your
whale runs a command."

- Type into it to run your own commands in the same shell.
- ⌘F (Ctrl+F) finds text; Enter and Shift+Enter move between matches; Esc
  closes find.
- Shift+Tab moves focus out of the terminal. Tab goes to the shell.
- Right-click for Find, Select all, Clear, Interrupt and End shell…, plus
  Copy and Quote in reply when text is selected. End shell asks "End this
  shell?" first.
- If your whale keeps more than one shell, a button for each appears above
  the terminal.

The terminal works for conversations on this computer only, not for a
group conversation.

## Look at files

![Files: the folder as a tree](images/work-pane-files.png)

The Files pane shows the folder as a tree. Use the arrow keys to move,
→ and ← to open and close folders, and Enter to open a file. A file opens in
the **Editor** pane to read; you can't edit it there. Right-click a changed
file for **Show changes**, which opens Review.

## Review a change

1. Press **Changes**, or a file under it.
2. Review opens with the changed files at the top and the diff below, added
   lines in green and removed lines in red.
3. Press another file to switch. **Show file** shows the whole file around
   the change.

Right-click a line for **Copy** (with text selected), **Copy › Patch** for
the change around it, or **Copy › Path**. To find out who wrote a line, see
[Review what changed](review.md).

## Watch your whale's browser

When your whale uses a browser, the Browser pane shows that screen as it
changes. You watch; your whale drives. Until there's a browser to show, the
pane reads "Your whale's browser shows here when it opens one."

## See background work, context and cost

- **Background** lists each command with its state. Press **Output** to see
  the last lines it printed; right-click to copy the command or its output,
  or to stop one that is still running.
- **Context** shows how much of the conversation's room is used, in tokens,
  and when Codewhale makes room by summarizing.
- **Cost** shows what was sent, received and taken from the cache, and the
  cost when the model publishes a price.

## On the web

Not available yet.

## On your phone

Not available yet. A group conversation's **People** screen is on the phone;
see [Codewhale on your phone](phone.md).

## Related

- [Talk with the whale](conversation.md)
- [Approvals and permissions](approvals-and-permissions.md)
- [Review what changed](review.md)
- [Commands and the palette](commands.md)

Previous: [Approvals and permissions](approvals-and-permissions.md) · Next: [Review what changed](review.md)