Overview

Actions are predefined instructions designed to perform specific tasks with a single click. They take input and run functions such as summarizing, modifying, or analyzing. The Actions tab in Kerlig's settings is your control center for customizing and creating powerful AI-driven commands.

Actions List 1

This list displays all available Actions, including built-in ones and those you create.

Actions can be organized into folders for better management. Click the arrow next to a folder to expand or collapse it.

Columns 1

• Action: The name of the action. Icons may indicate its type or function.
• Shortcut: An in-app keyboard shortcut to trigger the action when the Kerlig window is visible.
• Hotkey: A system-wide hotkey to trigger the action from anywhere in macOS.
• Enabled: A checkbox to activate or deactivate an action. Disabled actions won't appear in your Kerlig menu or respond to shortcuts/hotkeys.

Managing Actions 4

• Click the + (bottom left) to create a new Action, Prompt, or Variable
• Select an item and click the - to delete it.

Action Configuration 5

When you select an Action from the list, its details and settings appear in this pane.

• Duplicate: Creates a copy of the currently selected action, allowing you to modify it without altering the original and edit some fields that are not editable in built-in actions
• Export: Allows you to save the action's configuration, useful for sharing or backup.

Action Name

Edit the name and icon of your action here. If the name of a built-in action is edited, the Restore button appears allowing to revert the name to its default.

System Prompt

This is the foundational instruction given to the AI model, setting the context, rules, and persona for the interaction. It's the initial message, which is sent only once at the beginning of a chat (or specifically, the beginning of a context), while there could be multiple user and AI model messages following it.

Create new context

• When toggled off, the action will use a Main System Prompt and continue existing context, meaning previous messages in a chat, if exist, will be sent to the AI model as context.
• When toggled on, you can define a custom System Prompt specifically for this action. This allows for highly specialized behavior. Selected text and the last assistant response are available as variables. Previous messages are not sent to the AI models as context.

Prompt Dropdown

• Custom prompt allows you to write a new prompt directly in the text area below, is specific to this action only and can't be shared with other actions.
• Existing prompt: these are reusable and can be used in multiple actions. Warning: If the selected prompt is used by multiple actions, an alert stating "Editing this prompt will affect X actions" will appear.
• No prompt means that no system prompt will be sent to the AI model.

System Prompt Text Area

• This is where you write or edit the content of the System Prompt.
• You can use Variables (e.g., {{ languageVariantGuard }}) within the prompt. Variables are enclosed in double curly brackets: {{ variableName }}.
• Restore: Reverts the System Prompt to its default if it's a built-in action.

User Prompt

This is the specific instruction related to the current task. Often it's used to send the text you want the AI to process.

Prompt Dropdown

• Similar to the System Prompt, you can select an existing Prompt or choose Custom to write User Prompt specific to this action only.

User Prompt Text Area

• Input the User Prompt text here. For example: "Explain it as I'm 12yo.", or {{ lastAssistantMsg || selectedText }}
• You can use Variables (e.g., {{ selectedText }}) and simple JavaScript syntax inside double curly brackets.
• Attachments (if any, like files, images, webpages) will be automatically added to the user prompt if the model supports them.
• Restore: Reverts the User Prompt to its default if it's an edited, built-in action.

Show action if message has

This section allows you to define conditions under which the action will be visible in the Kerlig window.

• Selected Text: The action is relevant if you have text selected.
• Clipboard Text: The action is relevant if there's text content in your clipboard.
• Images: The action is relevant if the input involves images.
• Files: The action is relevant if the input involves files.
• Webpages: The action is relevant if the input involves webpage content.

Toggle these on or off based on the action's purpose.

Preferences

• Show Text Difference: When enabled, Kerlig will highlight the additions and deletions made by the AI compared to the previous message or input text.
• Preferred Model: Choose the AI model you want this action to use by default.

Shortcuts

In-app Shortcut

• Set a keyboard shortcut (e.g., ⌘ Command + F) that triggers this action only when the Kerlig window is visible and active.
• Click the x to clear the shortcut.

Global Hotkey

• Set a keyboard combination (e.g., ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + Space) that triggers this action from anywhere in macOS. It will open Kerlig (if not already open) and run the action.
• Click the x to clear the hotkey.
• Headless mode allows actions to run in the background without the Kerlig interface appearing.
  • Run Headless:
    • When toggled on, using the Global Hotkey will trigger the action and run it in the background. Kerlig's main window will not open.
  • Insert output into the source app:
    • If enabled, the AI's output will be automatically pasted back into the application from which the action was triggered (e.g., if you selected text in a notes app and ran a "Fix spelling" action).
  • Copy output to clipboard:
    • If enabled, the AI's output will be automatically copied to your clipboard.

Prompts 2

Prompts are reusable messages that can be used as the System Prompt or User Prompt across multiple actions.

Learn more about Prompts...

Variables 3

Variables are reusable pieces of text or dynamic placeholders that you can use in your prompts.

Learn more about Variables...