---
title: Asking Lexi
description: Where the Lexi assistant lives in Lexpoint, how to open it, and how to point it at the case, profile, or document you are asking about.
product: Lexpoint — Individuals
audience: People managing their own Canadian immigration
doc_type: guide
canonical_url: https://docs.lexpoint.io/individuals/lexi/asking-lexi/
app_routes: https://my.lexpoint.io/app/settings/lexi
requires: Any page in your Lexpoint account
last_verified: 2026-09-04
keywords: ask Lexi, Lexi drawer, AI assistant Lexpoint, attach document to Lexi, Lexi keyboard shortcut
license: Documentation © Lexpoint. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL.
---
# Asking Lexi

Lexi lives in a panel that slides in from the right, and it is reachable from every page inside your
account. The sparkle button in the top navigation bar — labelled **Ask Lexi** — opens it. So does
**Ctrl+Shift+L**, unless your cursor is already in a text field. **Escape** closes it.

Lexi in this panel is private to you. Nobody else sees the conversation.

```media
id: lexi-drawer-open
type: screenshot
caption: The Lexi panel open beside the app, showing the greeting and the message box.
shot: Any /app page (use /app/dashboard) with the Lexi panel open on a fresh chat, so the "Hi <name>, how can I help you?" greeting and the composer are both visible. Demo account, light mode, 1440×900. Redact the greeting's first name and anything identifying in the page behind the panel.
src: /media/individuals/lexi-drawer-open.webp
```

## Starting a chat

Opening the panel lands you on your chat list: a **Start new chat** button, your recent chats with a
one-line preview and how long ago each was active, and **View all chats** for the full history.

If you were talking to Lexi moments ago, the panel skips the list and drops you straight back into
that conversation.

A new chat opens with a greeting and the message box reads *Ask Lexi anything…*. Type a question and
send it. Under the box, Lexi carries a standing reminder that **AI-generated content may be
inaccurate** — it is there on every turn, and it is meant literally.

While Lexi is replying, the send button becomes a **Stop** button, so you can cut a long answer
short and ask again more precisely.

The panel can be widened to fill the workspace when an answer is long or contains a table. Escape
returns it to the narrow panel before it closes.

## Telling Lexi what you are asking about

This is the single biggest difference between a vague answer and a useful one. Lexi answers from
your own account, but it needs to know which part of it you mean.

Two controls in the message box set that scope:

1. **Type `@`** to open a **Lexi scope** list of your cases. Choose one, and the rest of the chat is
   about that case. Arrow keys move through the list, Enter picks, Escape cancels.
2. **Select `+`** — *Attach file or set case scope* — for a menu with the same cases plus a
   **Profile** option, described as *No case — assessment & profile tools*. Pick **Profile** when
   your question is about your own profile or your ImmiReport rather than an open case.

If you have no cases yet, the `@` list says so and points you to `+` for profile scope.

Chats also remember where they were started. A chat begun on your ImmiReport is tagged **ImmiReport**
in the list, one begun on your profile is tagged **Profile**, and general chats show as
**Workspace** — useful when you are scanning the list for the one you want.

```media
id: lexi-composer-scope-menu
type: screenshot
caption: The plus menu in the Lexi message box, with attachment sources and case or profile scope.
shot: Lexi panel open on a new chat with the "+" attach menu expanded, showing "Add photos & files", Recent files, Cases, and Profile. Demo account, light mode, 1440×900.
src: /media/individuals/lexi-composer-scope-menu.webp
```

## Attaching a document

Lexi can look at a file you attach — for example an employment letter you want it to read alongside
a job in your work history.

Four ways to attach, all from the `+` menu or the box itself:

- **Add photos & files** — upload from your computer.
- **Recent files** — a file you have already uploaded to Lexpoint.
- **Add from library** — search everything in your documents.
- **Drag a file onto the message box**, or paste one.

| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Files per message | 1 |
| Maximum size | 10 MB |
| Accepted formats | PDF, JPEG, PNG, WebP |

Word documents are rejected before upload. If you only have a `.docx`, export it to PDF first.

While a file is uploading the box shows *Uploading attachment…*, and once it is staged the hint
reads *Send so Lexi can review your attachment*. You can send an attachment with no message text at
all.

Files you attach here land in your documents like any other upload — see
[Documents](/individuals/documents/) for how the vault works.

## When the message box locks

The box is deliberately disabled in a few states, and each one tells you what it wants:

| The box says | What is happening |
|---|---|
| *Lexi is replying…* | An answer is streaming. Wait, or use **Stop**. |
| *Choose an option above…* | Lexi has asked you to confirm something or pick from a list. Answer with the buttons in the message — the hint reads *Your turn — Confirm, Skip, or pick from the options above.* |
| *Continue this chat to send messages…* | You are looking at a closed chat. Continue it to reopen it. |
| *Message limit reached* | You have used your monthly messages. You can keep drafting; **Send** opens the upgrade window. See [Lexi settings](/individuals/lexi/settings/). |

## Getting a better answer

- **Scope first, ask second.** Set the case with `@`, or **Profile** from `+`, before the question.
- **Attach the document you are asking about** rather than describing it. Lexi reads the file.
- **Keep a topic in one chat.** Each chat carries its own history, so follow-ups land in context.
  Start a new chat when the subject genuinely changes.
- **Keep your profile current.** Lexi answers from your saved data, so an out-of-date profile
  produces an out-of-date answer. See [Your profile](/individuals/profile/).
- **Ask it to show its working.** Lexi can say which of your records an answer came from.

## Getting a Google Doc instead of a long chat

If you want the takeaway as a document — *draft a summary of my ImmiReport in a clean doc format*,
or similar — Lexi can save it to your Google Drive after you
[connect Drive](/individuals/account/integrations/).

It pauses for **Confirm** first. After that, a chip under the reply (the title, then **→**) opens the
Google Doc. Lexi does not paste the docs.google.com link into the chat. The Doc is a draft, not
something to file with IRCC.

Connect Drive before you ask, or Lexi will point you to Integrations. This write is only in your
private Lexi panel, not in a shared case thread.

:::caution[Lexi is not your representative]
Lexi can explain what your file contains and what a field means. It cannot tell you whether you
qualify for a program or what to do about a refusal — that is regulated advice. For those questions,
book a consultation, and read the immigration research at
[immigratic.com](https://www.immigratic.com).
:::

## Related

- [What Lexi can do](/individuals/lexi/what-lexi-does/) — the capabilities behind the panel
- [Confirmations and limits](/individuals/lexi/approvals-and-limits/) — what Lexi asks before changing anything
- [Integrations](/individuals/account/integrations/) — connect Drive so Lexi can save a Google Doc
- [Lexi settings](/individuals/lexi/settings/) — engine choice and your monthly message allowance
- [Your profile](/individuals/profile/) — the data most of Lexi's answers are built from

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I open Lexi?

Select the sparkle button labelled Ask Lexi in the top navigation bar. It is on every page inside your account. Ctrl+Shift+L opens and closes the same panel, and Escape closes it.

### Can I attach a file to a Lexi message?

Yes — one file per message, up to 10 MB, as PDF, JPEG, PNG, or WebP. You can upload from your computer, pick a file already in your documents, drag a file onto the composer, or paste one. Word documents are not accepted.

### Does Lexi remember earlier chats?

Each chat keeps its own history, and your recent chats are listed when you open the panel. Starting a new chat starts a fresh conversation rather than continuing the old one.