Chat Features

Clutch provides a rich chat experience with first-class support for markdown, attachments, web fetching, local file operations, and slash commands — all backed by your own API keys.

Slash Commands

Type / as the first character in the chat input to open the command palette. Slash commands let you control Clutch without leaving the keyboard. Full slash command reference →

• Client-side commands execute instantly: /theme dracula, /model deepseek-v4-pro, /provider opencode_go
• AI-aware commands inject content into the message context: /read src/main.rs, /fetch https://example.com, /skill golang
• Option menus for /model, /provider, and /theme show available choices in a scrollable list

File Reference Middleware

Type a file path directly in chat and Clutch automatically detects it, reads the file, and injects its contents into the API context. No drag-and-drop, no file browser — just type the path. Full file reference docs →

• Path patterns: ~/Downloads/report.md, ./src/main.rs, /absolute/path/to/file.txt
• Security sandbox: Blocks ~/.ssh/, ~/.aws/, /etc/, system directories, and path traversal attempts
• Workspace-aware: Relative paths resolve against your active workspace directory

Markdown Rendering

All AI responses are rendered with full markdown support, including headings, lists, tables, blockquotes, inline code, and fenced code blocks. Markdown is sanitized via DOMPurify before insertion to prevent XSS.

Syntax Highlighting

Code blocks are automatically highlighted using highlight.js with language auto-detection. A copy button appears on hover for each code block, letting you grab snippets with a single click. The highlight theme adapts to your selected Clutch theme (light/dark).

File Attachments

Drag and drop files into the chat input to attach them. Supported file types include text, code, PDFs, and images. Click the attach button or use the file browser to select files. File previews show progress indicators during upload. Attachments are included as context with your message.

Web Fetching

Paste a URL into chat and Clutch can fetch the page content for you. HTML pages are automatically converted to markdown. Configurable timeouts and size limits protect against runaway fetches. Local and private IP addresses are blocked for security. Supports following redirects (up to 10 hops).

Context Window Bar

A subtle gauge below the chat input shows your current token usage relative to the model's context limit. Color-coded: green (<50%), yellow (50–80%), red (>80%). Expands on hover to show exact token counts. Auto-trimming preserves system prompts and recent messages when approaching the limit.

Copy Message Button

Hover over any message to reveal a copy button. Copies the full message content (including markdown source) to your clipboard. Works for both user and assistant messages.

Conversation Export

Export any conversation in multiple formats: Markdown, Plain Text, JSON, or HTML. Choose whether to include metadata (provider, model, timestamps, token counts), system prompts, and timestamps per message. Native OS save dialog lets you pick the destination.

Streaming Responses

LLM responses stream in real-time with an animated cursor. Token counts update live during streaming. If the connection drops, partial responses are preserved with a "Retry" button to resume from the last complete token.