# The notch

The notch is Nock's compact home at the top of the primary display. It expands when you interact with it and shows recording, progress, responses, and controls without permanently covering a large part of the screen.

## Open and close

Hover over the resting notch and click it to open Chat. A quick tap of the agent shortcut, **Control + Option** by default on Mac, also opens it. Holding that shortcut starts voice input instead.

Use the close button or **Escape** to collapse it. Ordinary chat surfaces also close when you click outside. Settings and the widget builder stay open across outside clicks; close those explicitly. The header's stop control stops the current agent response or speech. A separate coding task has its own **Stop task** control.

## Pick a surface

| Tab      | Use it for                                                                      |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Chat     | Read answers, type a message, and continue a conversation.                      |
| Tasks    | Check background work and requests that need your attention.                    |
| Apps     | Review connections and control enabled app access.                              |
| Studio   | Open saved previews and build widgets.                                          |
| Web      | Open a page in Nock's separate browser.                                         |
| Settings | Adjust shortcuts, voice, appearance, permissions, and account-related controls. |

Tabs may be hidden while a response is presented automatically. Collapse the notch and open it manually to return to the tab row.

## Understand the state

**Listening** means input is being captured. **Thinking** or a tool progress line means Nock is processing a request. **Speaking** means a response is playing. A visible result is not proof that an external action succeeded: read the result card and any error before repeating the action.

Plain dictation uses a caption while you speak; it does not need to reopen an old agent response.

## If you cannot find it

Use the menu-bar item to open Settings. Check **General → Hide top notch**, and check the primary display rather than assuming it follows the pointer. The Chats and Agents side panels also belong to the primary display.

Continue with [Chats](/nock/chats), [Background tasks](/nock/background-tasks), or [Appearance](/nock/appearance).