> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.get-hive.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Ask Hive: cited answers across your business tools
> Ask questions across your connected tools, files, the Business Brain and the web. Every answer is cited, and any action you ask for goes through approval.
**Ask Hive** is Hive's home screen and the fastest way to get an answer only your own systems can
give. It reads across your connected tools, uploaded files, the Business Brain and — when a
question needs it — the web, then answers with citations you can open and check.
Open it with **New chat** in the sidebar, or go to [app.get-hive.ai](https://app.get-hive.ai).
## Ask a question
Use the composer: "Ask anything — or pick up where an agent left off…". Questions can be up to
2,000 characters.
Type `@` to pin specific connected tools or accounts (up to 12 per question), pick a
[tool or mode](/ask/tools-and-modes), choose an agent from the agent picker, or choose a
[model](/ask/models).
Citations appear inline. Open one to see the record, document, email or web page behind the
claim.
Good questions are specific and name the business thing you care about:
* "Which clients have invoices more than 30 days overdue, and how much in total?"
* "What did we promise Acme in the last three emails?"
* "Which deals in the default pipeline haven't moved in two weeks?"
* "Summarise this contract and list the renewal terms." (with the file attached)
## Where answers come from
| Source | What Hive reads |
| - | - |
| **Connected tools** | Live reads from your connected accounts — invoices, deals, tickets, calendars, mailboxes — using the reads each connector supports. |
| **Business Brain** | Facts, relationships and history Hive has learned about your business. |
| **Files** | Files you attach to the chat, project files and your Library. |
| **Web** | Web search, when you choose the **Web search** tool or pin `@Web`, and when Hive judges a question needs public information. You can turn web search off in your account preferences. |
Hive only reads what the connected account is allowed to see, and connector data is treated as
data, never as instructions.
### Citations
Every answer can cite up to 20 sources. The model only points at evidence; Hive fills in each
citation's label and link from the real record, so a citation cannot be invented. Citation links
open over https only. Citations can point to web pages, documents, emails, live tool reads,
signals, Brain facts, memory and approvals.
### When a live source cannot be read
If a connected tool could not be reached during your question, Hive tells you at the end of the
answer:
**Live sources were not checked:** … could not be read this turn, so this answer is based on
stored Brain data that may be out of date.
Treat that answer as a starting point, and check [connection health](/integrations/health-and-disconnect)
if it keeps happening.
## Attach files
Attach files with the **+** (**Attach files**) button, or drag them into the composer.
| Limit | Value |
| - | - |
| Files per upload | 10 |
| Active files per conversation | 50 |
| Size per file | 50 MB |
| Types | PDF, TXT, Markdown, CSV, TSV, XLSX, DOCX, PNG, JPEG, WEBP |
Files you attach stay with the conversation. To reuse files across many chats, put them in a
[project](/ask/projects) or the [Library](/library/library).
## Create things, not just answers
Ask can produce editable Word documents, PowerPoint decks, Excel workbooks, charts and images, and
run web research with citations. Pick the tool from the composer — see
[Tools and modes](/ask/tools-and-modes).
## Ask Hive to do something
You can ask Hive to act: "Draft a reminder to Acme about invoice 1042", "Move the Globex deal to
Negotiation". Hive prepares the action as a proposal and shows it inline in the conversation.
* It passes the **same policy gate** as every other action in Hive: the kill switch, the autonomy
ladder, spend caps and role limits all apply. See [Autonomy and blast radius](/approvals/autonomy-and-blast-radius).
* You review the action's details on the card before anything runs, then choose **Approve** or
**Decline**. If an approved action fails and can be retried, the card offers **Retry**.
* The connected account must allow it: an account on **Read** cannot send or change anything. See
[Accounts and autonomy](/integrations/accounts-and-autonomy).
Actions you request in Ask appear in the conversation rather than on the Signals screen. Every
completed action is recorded in the [audit log](/approvals/audit-log).
## Use an agent in Ask
Choose an agent from the agent picker (**Use default Hive** is the default) to answer with that
agent's instructions, knowledge and connectors. See [Agent Studio](/agents/agent-studio).
## Conversation memory
Within a conversation Hive remembers earlier turns, as long as the workspace allows chat memory
(**Settings → Products → Chat memory**, on by default). Separately, you can let Hive use your own
saved notes about you — see [Personal memory](/brain/personal-memory).
## Feedback, sharing and history
* Mark an answer helpful or unhelpful. Feedback helps your workspace tune Hive.
* Your chats are listed in the sidebar, five at a time with **Load more**; group them into [projects](/ask/projects).
* You can share a chat with colleagues in your workspace, if your workspace allows chat sharing.
## Ask from Slack or Teams
If your workspace has installed a channel, mention **@Hive** or send it a direct message to ask
from Slack or Microsoft Teams. Answers there are read-only: signals and approvals stay in Hive.
See [Slack and Teams](/integrations/slack-and-teams).
## Related
Documents, decks, spreadsheets, charts, images and web search.
Shared instructions and files for a group of chats.
Choose which model answers, and how admins restrict the list.
What Hive knows about your business.