The Ask box does not answer

The Ask box goes through whichever AI you picked on Settings, and the picker at the top of the box says which. When nothing comes back, the cause is one of five, and each has its own line on Settings.

Look at the picker first

The top of the Ask box names who answers: the key on Settings, or one of the apps on this computer (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Kimi Code, Grok Build, Qwen Code, Cursor). An app that is greyed is not installed. Pick another for this one question, or fix the one you want below.

The five causes

The app is not on this computer. Settings, Your AI, the app's card says so and links to where to get it. Install it, reopen Settings, and the card finds it.

The app is installed but not signed in. The card's Sign in button opens a terminal window running the app's own sign-in, which continues in your browser. The desk never sees the login. When the window says you are in, close it and ask again.

The key fails Test it. Under the apps, the provider's key with a Test it button that sends one small line and shows what came back. A wrong key, a model name the lab does not offer, or a lab that needs credit on the account each come back as the lab's own words. Fix the one it names.

A model on your own computer is not running. Ollama and LM Studio answer only while their app is open and the model is loaded. Open the app, load the model, Test it.

The maker's rules changed. An app on a subscription answers under that maker's terms. If a maker stops the print mode the desk uses, switch the Ask box to a key or a local model and nothing else on the desk changes. Is this allowed by the app's maker.

The answer came back, and it is wrong

The Ask box sends your question with the screen's numbers and is told to answer from them and to say so when they do not answer the question. A figure in the answer should match the screen and the source the screen names; check it there. A wrong answer with the right numbers is the model's reading, and asking it which line it used is the fastest way to see where it went. How to research a stock with AI without the numbers being made up.

Nothing sent, nothing stored

Nothing goes anywhere until you press Enter, and it goes to the one place you chose. The conversation stays in the box while the screen is open; an answer worth keeping is saved only when you press Save as note. Your AI.