> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/n4ze3m/page-assist/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sidebar

> Access Page Assist from any webpage using the browser sidebar interface

The sidebar is one of Page Assist's most powerful features, allowing you to interact with your AI models directly from any webpage without opening a new tab. This makes it perfect for quick questions, webpage analysis, and maintaining context while browsing.

<Note>
  Some browsers may not support the sidebar feature. Check the [Browser Support](/configuration/browser-support) page to verify compatibility.
</Note>

## Opening the Sidebar

There are three ways to open the Page Assist sidebar:

<Steps>
  <Step title="From the browser toolbar">
    1. Click the Page Assist icon in your browser toolbar
    2. Select "Open Sidebar" from the menu

    Or right-click the icon and select "Open Sidebar" directly.
  </Step>

  <Step title="From the context menu">
    Right-click anywhere on a webpage and select "Open Page Assist Sidebar" from the context menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Using keyboard shortcut">
    Press `Ctrl+Shift+Y` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd+Shift+Y` (Mac) to instantly open the sidebar.

    <Info>
      You can customize keyboard shortcuts in your browser's extension management page. See [Keyboard Shortcuts](/configuration/keyboard-shortcuts) for details.
    </Info>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Sidebar Interface

The sidebar interface includes:

* **Chat area**: Main conversation display
* **Input box**: Send messages and prompts
* **Settings icon**: Quick access to sidebar-specific settings
* **Chat history sidebar**: Toggle with `Ctrl+B` to view previous conversations
* **Model selector**: Switch between different AI models
* **Mode toggles**: Enable chat with webpage, internet search, knowledge base, or vision

## Key Features

### Chat Modes

Toggle between different chat modes using the icons in the input area:

* **Normal Chat**: Standard conversation with your AI model
* **Chat with Webpage**: Analyze and discuss the current page content
* **Internet Search**: Get real-time web search results
* **Knowledge Base**: Query your uploaded documents
* **Vision**: Analyze images or page screenshots

<Tip>
  Press `Ctrl+E` to quickly toggle between normal chat and chat with current page mode.
</Tip>

### Keyboard Shortcuts

Enhance your productivity with these sidebar shortcuts:

| Action           | Shortcut       | Description                            |
| ---------------- | -------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Open Sidebar     | `Ctrl+Shift+Y` | Open the sidebar panel                 |
| New Chat         | `Ctrl+Shift+O` | Start a new conversation               |
| Toggle History   | `Ctrl+B`       | Show/hide chat history sidebar         |
| Focus Input      | `Shift+Esc`    | Focus the message input field          |
| Toggle Chat Mode | `Ctrl+E`       | Switch between normal and webpage chat |

## Sidebar Settings

Access sidebar-specific settings by clicking the settings icon in the sidebar.

### Chat with Website Settings

Configure how the sidebar interacts with webpage content:

<Accordion title="Vector Embeddings (RAG)">
  **Chat with website using vector embeddings**: When enabled, uses RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) to process webpage content. Requires an embedding model configured in RAG Settings.

  To disable RAG:

  1. Open sidebar settings
  2. Find "Copilot Chat With Website Settings"
  3. Disable "Chat with website using vector embeddings"
  4. Adjust "Normal mode website content size" to control how much content is sent to the AI
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Default Behavior">
  **Enable Chat with Website by default (Copilot)**: When enabled, the sidebar automatically activates chat with webpage mode when opened.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Resume Last Chat">
  **Resume the last chat when opening the SidePanel**: Automatically continue your previous conversation when reopening the sidebar.

  Configure this in Settings → General Settings → "Resume the last chat when opening the SidePanel (Copilot)"
</Accordion>

### Model Selection

Switch between different AI models directly in the sidebar:

1. Click the model selector dropdown
2. Choose from your configured models
3. The sidebar remembers your last used model

<Info>
  You can configure models in Settings → Model Settings. Add models from Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other providers.
</Info>

## Tips and Best Practices

<Tip>
  **Quick Access**: Pin the sidebar to keep it always visible while browsing.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Context Retention**: The sidebar maintains your conversation context even as you navigate between pages.
</Tip>

<Warning>
  When using Chat with Webpage on data-heavy sites, processing may take a few seconds depending on page size and your embedding model settings.
</Warning>

## Customization Options

### Default Prompts

Set a default system prompt for sidebar conversations:

1. Go to Settings → Manage Prompts
2. Create a custom system prompt
3. Enable it as default for the copilot/sidebar

### Visual Customization

Customize your sidebar appearance:

* **Wide Mode**: Enable in General Settings for larger screens
* **Dark/Light Theme**: Automatically follows your browser/system preference
* **Chat Background**: Set custom background images in settings

## Troubleshooting

<Accordion title="Sidebar won't open">
  1. Check if your browser supports sidebars (Chrome 114+, Edge, Brave)
  2. Verify the extension is enabled
  3. Try the keyboard shortcut `Ctrl+Shift+Y`
  4. Check browser extension permissions
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Chat with webpage not working">
  1. Ensure an embedding model is configured in RAG Settings
  2. Check if the webpage allows content extraction
  3. Try disabling RAG mode in sidebar settings
  4. Verify your AI model is properly connected
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Keyboard shortcuts not working">
  1. Check for conflicts with other extensions
  2. Reconfigure shortcuts in `chrome://extensions/shortcuts`
  3. Ensure the webpage has focus (click on the page first)
</Accordion>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Chat with Webpage" icon="globe" href="/features/chat-with-webpage">
    Learn how to analyze and discuss webpage content
  </Card>

  <Card title="Vision" icon="eye" href="/features/vision">
    Use vision capabilities to analyze images and screenshots
  </Card>

  <Card title="Knowledge Base" icon="database" href="/features/knowledge-base">
    Upload documents and chat with your own data
  </Card>

  <Card title="Internet Search" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/features/internet-search">
    Get real-time information from the web
  </Card>
</CardGroup>