From 1af45eccba9c2ebb4f02d0960f30d70f8a48e62d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Rune Olsen Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:58:09 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Update help book with recently shipped features Adds Mail Integration, Usage Analytics, CLI Access, and Paperless-NGX sections; refreshes stale content (Contacts no longer hidden, External MCP's HTTP transport, Folders, Bulk Actions, Apple Intelligence provider). --- .../Contents/Resources/en.lproj/index.html | 184 ++++++++++++++++-- 1 file changed, 164 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-) diff --git a/oAI/Resources/Confab.help/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/index.html b/oAI/Resources/Confab.help/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/index.html index 32f6401..2df69a3 100644 --- a/oAI/Resources/Confab.help/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/index.html +++ b/oAI/Resources/Confab.help/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/index.html @@ -35,13 +35,17 @@
  • Online Mode (Web Search)
  • MCP (File Access)
  • Managing Conversations
    • +
  • Usage Statistics & Analytics
  • Git Sync (Backup & Sync)
  • Email Handler (AI Assistant)
  • Shortcuts (Prompt Templates)
  • Agent Skills (SKILL.md)
  • Anytype Integration
  • External MCP Servers
    • +
  • CLI Access
  • Personal Data Tools
    • +
  • Mail Integration
    • +
  • Paperless-NGX Integration
  • Research Agents
  • Bash Execution
  • iCloud Backup
    • @@ -83,8 +87,13 @@
  • Anthropic - Claude models (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku) (console.anthropic.com)
  • OpenAI - GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 models (platform.openai.com)
  • Ollama - Run models locally on your Mac (ollama.ai)
    • +
  • Apple Intelligence (On-Device) Beta - Apple's on-device Foundation model, free and fully offline, no API key needed
    • +
    + Note: Apple Intelligence runs entirely on your Mac via Apple's FoundationModels framework (requires macOS 26+ and a supported Mac). It has a small 4K context window and doesn't support tools (MCP, bash, web search) — best for quick, private, offline questions rather than long or tool-driven conversations. Enable it in Settings → General → Apple Intelligence. +
    +

    Adding an API Key

    1. Press ⌘, or type /config to open Settings
      2. @@ -583,12 +592,28 @@ /delete old-chat

      Warning: This action cannot be undone.

      -

      Bulk Delete

      -

      In the conversation list:

      +

      Folders

      +

      Organize conversations into folders, including nested subfolders:

      + + +

      Bulk Actions (Multi-Select)

      +

      Select multiple conversations at once in the conversation list:

        -
      1. Click "Select" button
        2. -
      2. Click conversations to select (checkbox appears)
        3. -
      3. Click "Delete (N)" button
        4. +
      4. Click the Select button
        5. +
      5. Click conversations to select them (a checkmark appears on each)
        6. +
      6. Choose an action from the toolbar: +
          +
        • Combine (N) — merges 2 or more selected conversations into one (available once 2+ are selected)
          • +
        • Move to Folder (N) — moves all selected conversations into a folder you choose
          • +
        • Delete (N) — deletes all selected conversations
          • +
        +

      Exporting Conversations

      @@ -600,6 +625,31 @@

      Files are saved to your Downloads folder. HTML and PDF export are also available from File → Export as HTML…/PDF…, and per-conversation from the Export submenu in the conversation list's context menu.

      + +
      +

      Usage Statistics & Analytics

      +

      Track how much you're using Confab — messages, tokens, and cost — both for your current session and across your entire history.

      + +

      Quick Stats

      +
        +
      • Press ⇧⌘S or type /stats to open the Statistics window
        • +
      • Session tab — provider, model, message count, and cost for the current chat
        • +
      • All-Time tab — totals across every conversation ever recorded
        • +
      + +

      Detailed Analytics

      +

      Click the 📊 chart icon in the Statistics window to open the full Usage Analytics view:

      +
        +
      • Choose a timeframe (e.g. last 7 days, last 30 days)
        • +
      • Switch the metric between Tokens, Questions, and Cost
        • +
      • View the trend Over Time, or broken down By Model and By Provider
        • +
      + +
      + Note: Usage is tracked independently of saving a conversation — every message counts toward your statistics even if you never save the chat. +
      +
      +

      Git Sync (Backup & Sync)

      @@ -1450,14 +1500,15 @@ Whenever the user asks you to translate something, translate it to Norwegian Bok

      External MCP Servers

      -

      Connect any external MCP server that speaks the stdio JSON-RPC protocol (for example safaridriver --mcp) and give the AI access to its tools — no custom integration code needed.

      +

      Connect any external MCP server and give the AI access to its tools — no custom integration code needed. Two transports are supported: local stdio servers (for example safaridriver --mcp) and remote HTTP servers.

      -

      Adding a Server

      +

      Adding a stdio Server

      1. Press ⌘, to open Settings
      2. Go to the MCP tab → External MCP Servers section
        3. -
      3. Click Add Server…
        4. +
      4. Click Add Server… and choose the stdio transport
      5. Enter a Name (used to prefix its tools, e.g. "Safari" → safari_navigate_to_url), the Command to launch it, and any Arguments
        6. +
      6. Optionally add Environment Variables the server needs (e.g. an API key it reads at startup)
      7. Click Add — the server starts automatically and its tools are discovered
      @@ -1465,6 +1516,15 @@ Whenever the user asks you to translate something, translate it to Norwegian Bok 💡 Tip: Arguments containing spaces can be quoted, e.g. --root "/Users/you/My Documents". +

      Adding an HTTP Server

      +

      For remote MCP servers, choose the HTTP transport instead and provide:

      +
        +
      • Name — used to prefix its tools, same as stdio
        • +
      • URL — the server's HTTP endpoint
        • +
      • Custom Headers — optional key/value pairs sent with every request (e.g. an Authorization header)
        • +
      +

      Live-verified against a real Obsidian MCP server integration.

      +

      Server Status

      Each configured server shows a status dot and label:

        @@ -1480,16 +1540,40 @@ Whenever the user asks you to translate something, translate it to Norwegian Bok
      + +
      +

      CLI Access

      +

      Get a one-shot AI reply from your Terminal without opening Confab's window — useful for quick questions from a shell prompt or from scripts.

      + +

      Setup

      +
        +
      1. Press ⌘, to open Settings
        2. +
      2. Go to the MCP tab → CLI Access section
        3. +
      3. Toggle Enable CLI Access on
        4. +
      4. Choose a Provider and Model — this fixed model is used for every CLI request
        5. +
      5. Copy the shown shell function into your ~/.zshrc
        6. +
      + +
      + Note: Requires jq (brew install jq) to parse the response in the shell function. Confab must be running for the socket to be available. +
      + +

      Usage

      +

      After adding the function and reloading your shell (source ~/.zshrc):

      + ai "What's the capital of France?" +

      Returns a plain text reply printed straight to your terminal.

      +
      +

      Personal Data Tools Beta

      -

      Let the AI access your Calendar, Reminders, and Location & Maps to answer questions about your schedule and surroundings. Each service is opt-in and uses Apple's own frameworks (EventKit, CoreLocation, MapKit) with standard macOS permission prompts — nothing goes through a third-party service.

      +

      Let the AI access your Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, and Location & Maps to answer questions about your schedule, people, and surroundings. Each service is opt-in and uses Apple's own frameworks (EventKit, Contacts, CoreLocation, MapKit) with standard macOS permission prompts — nothing goes through a third-party service.

      Enabling a Service

      1. Press ⌘, to open Settings
      2. Go to the MCP tab → Personal Data section
        3. -
      3. Toggle on the services you want: Calendar, Reminders, or Location & Maps
        4. +
      4. Toggle on the services you want: Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, or Location & Maps
      5. Click Request Access next to a service — macOS shows its standard permission prompt
      @@ -1497,6 +1581,7 @@ Whenever the user asks you to translate something, translate it to Norwegian Bok
      • Calendar — list your calendars and upcoming events, create new events
      • Reminders — list reminder lists and items, create new reminders, mark reminders complete
        • +
      • Contacts — search by name, phone number, or email; read your own contact card including relationships (e.g. "my mother") to look up a related person by name
      • Location & Maps — get your current location, search for places, geocode addresses, and get directions (all read-only)
      @@ -1504,15 +1589,74 @@ Whenever the user asks you to translate something, translate it to Norwegian Bok ⚠️ Write actions require approval: Creating a calendar event or reminder, or completing a reminder, shows an approval sheet first with a plain-language summary of what will happen. Choose Deny, Allow Once, or Allow for Session. Toggle this requirement off in Settings → MCP → Personal Data → Require Approval for Changes. -
      - Note: Contacts support exists internally but is currently hidden while a macOS permission bug affecting hardened-runtime apps is worked out on Apple's side. -
      -

      Example Prompts

      • "What's on my calendar tomorrow?"
      • "Remind me to call the dentist on Friday at 2pm"
      • "How far is the nearest coffee shop from here?"
        • +
      • "Find my mother's phone number"
        • +
      +
      + + +
      +

      Mail Integration

      +

      Let the AI search your Apple Mail inbox, read specific messages, and save attachments to disk — for example, finding a receipt and handing it off to Paperless-NGX. Uses AppleScript/Apple Events to talk to Mail.app directly, so no separate email credentials are needed (Mail.app must already be set up with your accounts).

      + +

      Enabling Mail Access

      +
        +
      1. Press ⌘, to open Settings
        2. +
      2. Go to the MCP tab → Mail section
        3. +
      3. Toggle Enable Mail on
        4. +
      4. Click Request Access — macOS shows a one-time Automation consent dialog asking to let Confab control Mail.app
        5. +
      + +
      + ⚠️ Every action requires approval: Unlike Calendar/Reminders, all four Mail tools — including reads — show an approval sheet before running, since inbox content is more sensitive than calendar data. Choose Deny, Allow Once, or Allow for Session. Toggle this requirement off in Settings → MCP → Mail → Require Approval. +
      + +

      What the AI Can Do

      +
        +
      • List accounts — see which Mail.app accounts are configured
        • +
      • Search — find messages by sender, subject, date range, or whether they have attachments; optionally scoped to one account/mailbox for speed
        • +
      • Read a message — get the full content of a specific email
        • +
      • Save an attachment — save a message's attachment to disk so it can be used elsewhere (e.g. uploaded to Paperless-NGX)
        • +
      + +

      Example Prompts

      +
        +
      • "Find all emails with attachments from Elkjøp in my personal account"
        • +
      • "Save the attachment from that receipt email and upload it to Paperless"
        • +
      • "Read the latest email from my accountant"
        • +
      +
      + + +
      +

      Paperless-NGX Integration Beta

      +

      Connect Confab to a self-hosted Paperless-NGX instance so the AI can search, read, and upload documents in your archive.

      + +

      Setup

      +
        +
      1. Press ⌘, to open Settings
        2. +
      2. Go to the Paperless tab
        3. +
      3. Enable the toggle and enter your instance's URL and API Token (found in Paperless → Settings → API Tokens)
        4. +
      4. Click Test Connection to confirm it can reach your instance
        5. +
      + +

      What the AI Can Do

      +
        +
      • Search — find documents by keyword
        • +
      • Read — get a specific document's content and metadata
        • +
      • List — browse tags, correspondents, and document types
        • +
      • Upload — add a new document to your archive (e.g. an attachment saved from Mail)
        • +
      + +

      Example Prompts

      +
        +
      • "Search Paperless for invoices from last month"
        • +
      • "What tags do I have in Paperless?"
        • +
      • "Upload this receipt to Paperless"
      @@ -1620,15 +1764,15 @@ Whenever the user asks you to translate something, translate it to Norwegian Bok

      MCP Tab

      +

      The MCP tab has its own sidebar with sub-pages for each area below:

        -
      • Enable/disable MCP file access
        • -
      • Add folders via the + Add Folder… button, or drag from Finder
        • -
      • Enable/disable write, delete, move, and bash execution permissions
        • -
      • Configure gitignore respect
        • +
      • File System — enable/disable MCP file access, add folders via the + Add Folder… button or by dragging from Finder, configure write/delete/move permissions and gitignore respect
      • Bash Execution — enable AI shell access, set working directory, timeout, and approval behaviour (see Bash Execution)
      • Research Agents — let the AI spawn parallel read-only research sub-agents (see Research Agents)
        • -
      • External MCP Servers — connect any stdio MCP server for additional tools (see External MCP Servers)
        • -
      • Personal Data — Calendar, Reminders, and Location & Maps access (see Personal Data Tools)
        • +
      • External MCP Servers — connect any stdio or HTTP MCP server for additional tools (see External MCP Servers)
        • +
      • CLI Access — get AI replies from your Terminal via a local socket (see CLI Access)
        • +
      • Personal Data — Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, and Location & Maps access (see Personal Data Tools)
        • +
      • Mail — search, read, and save attachments from Apple Mail (see Mail Integration)

      Sync Tab