Writing Helper

What is the Writing Helper?

The Writing Helper adds Steve & Agents to most multi-line text fields. You can ask them to write content for you or edit the content that's already in the field. It brings the power of AI right to where you work!

The Quick Basics

• Watch the video below for a quick introduction.
• Type whatever you want Steve to do, or pick an Agent from the list.
• If there's no text it will help you write something. If there is, it will help you rewrite or analyze it.
• Enter gives you the results in a floating panel so you can review and edit if you like.
• Command-Enter (or Control-Enter on Windows/ChromeOS) attempts to overwrites the existing text if you're feeling lucky. This doesn't work on all sites.
• Command-Z (or Control-Z on Windows/ChromeOS) while the Writing Helper is open tries to UNDO back to the last text.
• Temporarily get rid of it with a right-click.

Bringing Up the Writing Helper

You can bring up the Writing Helper over any editable text field in the following ways:

• Gmail and Outlook Web: Click on the little Writing Helper icon in the lower right of an email composer.
• Mac: Press Command-Shift-K
• Windows & ChromeOS: Press Control-Shift-K

If you don't like the default keyboard shortcut, you can change it! Press the puzzle piece icon in the Chrome toolbar, select Manage Extensions from the menu and then Keyboard shortcuts on the Extensions page in the left navigation menu. From there you can change the shortcuts for Ask Steve.

Using the Writing Helper

• You can start typing in the name of an Agent and then pick it from the list.
• Alternately you can select an Agent from the dropdown menu.
• Or if you don't have an Agent for what you want, just type whatever you want Steve to do!
• Pressing ENTER in the Writing Helper tells Steve/Your Agent to do what you asked. By default the response will be put in a floating panel on the page.
• If you want Steve/Your Agent to attempt to overwrite the existing content with the response, press Control-ENTER (ChromeOS, Windows) or Command-ENTER (Mac) instead. This doesn't work on all sites.

Once your request is completed, the Writing Helper stays open so that you can type in another request, so that you can iterate until the content is to your liking. To make it go away:

• Click anywhere outside the box.
• Press the Esc key
• Press Backspace until it goes away

NOTE: If there is already text in the text field, Steve/Your Agent will assume that your request is about that text and will work with that text.

Undo

If you press Command-Z (Mac) or Control-Z (Windows, ChromeOS) while in the Writing Helper, the system will attempt to restore the previous text. The formatting will likely be messed up. See below on how to fix it!

Fix Formatting

Sometimes Steve/Your Agent will mess up the formatting of text. You can always just ask Steve to fix the formatting and he will do so.

The Writing Helper icon

• This icon appears in the lower right of the email compose window in Gmail and Microsoft Outlook for the Web.
• If you want to make it disappear temporarily, right-click on it