Choose a model
Every conversation uses a model. You can switch models at any time without starting a new conversation.
| Model | Best for | Examples | Context window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almanac Stat | Fast, focused tasks | Looking up a dose or definition, rewriting text, extracting fields from a document | 200K tokens |
| Almanac Consult | Everyday clinical work | Reviewing evidence or a chart, drafting a referral letter, preparing a summary | 1M tokens |
| Almanac Summit | Complex or consequential work | Reconciling conflicting evidence, reviewing a full chart, building a presentation from a folder | 1M tokens |
Use the model control
The control in the composer moves from Faster to Smarter. Each position pairs a model with an appropriate reasoning effort. Choose based on the difficulty of the task rather than the length of the answer.
To choose a model directly, use the control in the composer, type /, or press Control-Shift-M. Your selection applies to the next turn.
Switching models preserves the full conversation. You can begin with Consult and move to Summit when the work becomes more complex.
Use Fast mode
When using Almanac Summit, turn on Fast mode in Settings > General to receive output at a higher speed. Fast mode uses the same model and is billed at a premium rate.
Fast mode is available only with Summit. Switching to another model turns it off.
Choose a reasoning effort
Reasoning effort controls how long Almanac works through a task before responding. Choose Low, Medium, High, or Max in the composer, or press Control-Shift-E.
- Low: Lookups, formatting, and rewrites.
- Medium: Most clinical questions and routine analysis.
- High or Max: Differential diagnoses, conflicting evidence, multistep analysis, and consequential decisions.
Higher reasoning effort takes more time and uses more of your plan. Increase it when the problem is difficult, rather than when the requested answer is long.
Ask for a plan
For longer tasks, or when you want to review Almanac's approach before it begins, type / and choose Plan mode. Almanac investigates the task, prepares a plan, and waits for your approval before taking action. See Commands.
Manage conversation context
The context window is the amount of information Almanac can consider at once. It includes your messages, Almanac's responses, attached documents, and results returned by tools.
The ring beside the composer shows how much of the context window the conversation is using.
Compact a conversation
As the context window fills, Almanac suggests compacting the conversation. If you continue, it compacts automatically so the conversation can keep going.
Compaction summarizes earlier parts of the conversation and removes some of their original detail to make room for new work. To compact at any time, type /compact.
Compaction is available with Consult and Summit. Stat doesn't compact, so you may need to start a new conversation when a Stat thread becomes long.
Compaction can omit details. If you'll need an exact number, quotation, or file later, save it in a file in the conversation before compacting. See Files and documents.
Start a new conversation
A new conversation gives Almanac a clean context and can help it stay focused when your work moves to a different topic. Type /new or press Shift-Command-O.
Open a side conversation
To explore a related question without changing the main thread, type /btw. Almanac opens a side conversation in the right panel with the current context and leaves the main conversation in place.