Working with the Claude panel

What you’ll learn

• What the Claude panel shows while a step runs.
• How messages behave during a run and between runs.
• How to pin the panel and choose a model.

Open the panel

Ask Claude, at the top right of every page, opens the Claude panel. It talks about the feature you have open, so open a feature first: without one, the panel has nothing to talk about.

The panel shows the conversation for that feature:

• Claude's messages;
• its steps — the files it reads and the commands it runs — as short grey lines;
• results, questions and approval cards;
• a working line at the bottom, "Claude is working…", while it runs.

Talking to Claude

Type in the box at the bottom and click Send. What happens depends on whether a step is running.

While a step runs, your message goes to that step. Claude reads it at its next turn. Use it to steer:

1. "Leave the legacy API alone for this ticket."
2. "Use the existing formatAmount helper in core-lib instead of writing a new one."

When nothing runs, your message starts a short chat that continues the feature's Claude session, so Claude remembers the feature. Ask it to explain the plan, find where something is, or change the setup.

Example: after the plan for team-invites, you ask "Why is APP-102 in Tier 2 and not Tier 1?" Claude explains that the endpoint needs the new invitation type from core-lib. Satisfied, you approve the plan.

Tip: changing the setup through chat is safe. Claude only proposes the change; the app checks it, and you decide with Save and check or Discard.

Questions in the panel

When Claude asks something, the question appears under Claude asks with two to four answers as buttons. Click one, or type your own reply in the box.

Pin the panel

The pin button at the top of the panel keeps Claude open on the right of every page, next to your work. Click it again to unpin. Close Claude hides it. On smaller screens, the pinned panel floats over the page.

Choose a model

Model at the top of the panel sets which Claude model runs your steps and chats:

• Default for this phase — what your organisation chose for each phase. This is the recommended choice.
• Opus — most capable, highest cost.
• Sonnet — balanced.
• Haiku — fastest, lowest cost.

Your choice only affects your own runs and stays until you change it. Your organisation's budget still applies.

Tip: keep the default for Plan and Build. Use a faster model for quick questions about a feature if your organisation's budget is tight.

Check yourself

1. You send a message while Claude is building. When does Claude read it?

At its next turn in the running step.

2. Does chatting about a feature start a fresh Claude with no memory of it?

No. A chat continues the feature's Claude session, so Claude remembers the feature.

3. You choose Haiku in the panel. Does that change your colleagues' runs?

No. The model choice only affects your own runs.