# Assist
URL: /assist
Type: concept
Description: AI-powered response suggestions that help agents reply faster and more consistently.
Keywords: assist, copilot, sidebar, suggestions, draft, write reply
Assist is Stylo's real-time AI assistant. It lives in the sidebar of your helpdesk and generates response suggestions for every ticket your agents work on.

<Callout type="info">
  Agents stay in control. Assist drafts a response, but a person reviews, edits,
  and sends every reply.
</Callout>

The sidebar [#the-sidebar]

When an agent opens a ticket, the Stylo sidebar provides:

* **Summary** — A concise summary of the ticket conversation so agents can quickly understand the context
* **Knowledge Base** — Relevant articles from your knowledge base, searchable and linkable
* **Write Reply** — Generates a full draft response based on the ticket context, customer data, knowledge base, and your brand settings

The sidebar has two tabs:

<Tabs items="[&#x22;Resources&#x22;, &#x22;Workflows&#x22;]">
  <Tab value="Resources">
    Summary and knowledge base articles for the current ticket.
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="Workflows">
    Response Workflows available for this ticket type.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Writing a reply [#writing-a-reply]

<Mermaid
  chart="flowchart LR
  T[Agent opens ticket] --> WR[Write Reply]
  WR --> G{{&#x22;Stylo considers:<br/>conversation, customer info,<br/>knowledge base, brand settings,<br/>connected tools&#x22;}}
  G --> D[Draft suggestion]
  D --> R{Agent reviews}
  R -->|Paste and edit| Send[Send reply]
  R -->|Adjust| D"
/>

Click "Write Reply" or use the Reply tab to generate a response. Stylo considers:

* The full ticket conversation (all customer and agent messages)
* Customer information (name, email, account details)
* Your knowledge base articles (automatically searched for relevant content)
* Your [brand settings](/brand-settings) (voice, tone, guidelines, banned phrases)
* Connected tools (Shopify orders, Stripe subscriptions, etc.)

The generated response appears as a draft. Agents can:

* **Paste into the editor** — Click "Paste Into Text Editor" to insert the response into the helpdesk's reply composer
* **Edit before sending** — Modify the response in the composer as needed
* **Provide feedback** — Rate the suggestion to help improve future responses

Adding context [#adding-context]

Sometimes the AI needs a hint. The Reply tab includes an input area where agents can add context before generating:

* Brief notes about the situation ("customer wants a refund for order #1234")
* Key details the AI should include ("mention the 30-day return policy")
* Specific instructions ("keep it short, just confirm the refund")

Stylo incorporates this context into the generated response, combining the agent's knowledge with AI fluency. You don't need to write full sentences — bullet points and shorthand work fine. Stylo handles greetings, tone, and formatting based on your brand settings.

Adjusting a reply [#adjusting-a-reply]

After generating a response, use the **Adjust** tab to refine it without starting over:

* Type specific adjustments ("make it shorter", "add a link to our FAQ", "more empathetic tone")
* The AI modifies the existing response based on your feedback
* Navigate between versions using the arrow controls to compare drafts

Adjustments are useful when the initial response is close but needs a tweak — a different tone for a frustrated customer, additional details for a complex issue, or a more concise version for a chat channel.

How Assist uses your knowledge base [#how-assist-uses-your-knowledge-base]

When generating a response, Assist automatically searches your knowledge base for articles relevant to the customer's question. These articles ground the response in your actual policies and documentation, reducing hallucination and ensuring accuracy.

You can also manually search and reference knowledge base articles from the Resources tab. Click the arrow icon next to any article to inject it as context for the next generated response.

Assist suggestions [#assist-suggestions]

When [Response Workflows](/response-workflows) are configured with background automation in cache mode, pre-generated suggestions appear in the sidebar automatically. These are more structured than free-form Assist responses — they follow your specific workflow instructions and pull data from connected tools.

Agents see suggestions ranked by confidence and can use them alongside or instead of free-form Assist responses. See [Assist suggestions](/response-workflows/assist-suggestions) for details.

Translation [#translation]

The Translate tab lets agents translate responses into different languages. Stylo detects the customer's language automatically and can generate responses in that language, or agents can manually select a target language.

Tips [#tips]

<Accordions>
  <Accordion title="Let the AI do the first draft">
    Even if you need to edit, starting from an AI-generated response is faster than writing from scratch.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use the context input for tricky tickets">
    A few words of guidance dramatically improve response quality for non-standard situations.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Adjust instead of regenerating">
    If the response is 80% right, use Adjust to fix the remaining 20% rather than generating a completely new response.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Check your brand settings">
    If responses consistently miss the mark on tone or style, the fix is usually in [Brand Settings](/brand-settings), not in per-ticket adjustments.
  </Accordion>
</Accordions>

Related [#related]

<Cards>
  <Card title="Brand Settings" href="/brand-settings" description="Control the voice, tone, and rules Assist follows." />

  <Card title="Knowledge Base" href="/knowledge-base" description="The source content Assist grounds replies in." />

  <Card title="Assist suggestions" href="/response-workflows/assist-suggestions" description="Pre-generated workflow replies surfaced in the sidebar." />
</Cards>