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

# Get started with AI

> Ask the Custral assistant to do something, and see it act on your data.

## What you'll do

Open the assistant and ask it to do real work. Pull up records, draft a reply, or create something. By the end you'll have run your first AI action and seen how approval works.

<Note>
  New to Custral? Try this in a [sandbox](/start/sandboxes/overview) first. Nothing you ask it to do there is real.
</Note>

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the assistant">
    Press **⌘I**, or open the Assistant from the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask it something">
    Type what you want in plain language: "summarize this account", "draft a reply", "find contacts at Acme". See [what the assistant can do](/ai/tools/library) for example prompts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Point it at what you're looking at">
    Use [Inspect](/ai/inspect) to aim the assistant at a specific record, row, or chart, so it acts on exactly that.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Approve an action">
    When the assistant wants to write, send, or delete, it asks first. Approve it, or set a standing "always allow" rule so it stops asking (see [Permissions](/ai/permissions)).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Try it out

Ask the assistant to summarize a record you have open, then to draft a follow-up email. Nothing is sent until you send it.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Chat Agents" icon="comments" href="/ai/chat-agents/overview">
    Save a reusable persona for the chat.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Property Auto-Fill" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/ai/property-agents/overview">
    Let AI fill a field on your records.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rules & Skills" icon="graduation-cap" href="/ai/rules-and-skills">
    Teach the AI your guidance and `/command` procedures.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Models & Providers" icon="microchip-ai" href="/ai/models/overview">
    Pick which model powers it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [AI](/ai/overview.md)
- [Get started with Email](/comms/email/getting-started.md)
- [Get started with Blocks](/blocks/getting-started.md)
- [Automations](/automation/overview.md)
- [Integrations](/integrations/overview.md)