# How to Chat and Ask Questions to Rudder Lookout


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Chat is the primary surface in Lookout and the entry point for almost everything else. You ask a question in plain English, and the Lookout agent inspects your data, runs a read-only query, and returns a durable chart or table.

## Ask a question

Open a new chat and describe what you want to know — for example:

> How many signups did we get last week, by source?

The agent:

1. Inspects the relevant tables and schema in your connected warehouse
2. Writes read-only SQL to answer the question
3. Runs the query against your warehouse and returns the result as a chart or table in the conversation

Because the agent reasons over your actual data journey — events, Tracking Plans, and the warehouse they land in — its answers are grounded in how your data really moves, not guessed from table names alone.

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Warehouse access is **read-only**. The agent can list tables, inspect schema, and run queries, but it can't write to or change your data. 

See [Warehouses]({{< ref "lookout/integrations/warehouses.md" >}}) for more details.
{{< /info >}}

## Results are durable

The charts and tables the agent produces are saved as durable bubbles in the transcript — they are results you can return to. From there you can:

- Ask follow-up questions to refine or re-scope the answer
- Save the answer as a [dashboard]({{< ref "lookout/working-with-lookout/dashboards.md" >}}) for repeated use
- Move from a warehouse number, to the Tracking Plan definition behind it, to the audience built on it — all in the same conversation

## Beyond questions

The same chat surface is where you drive the rest of Lookout. Depending on what your workspace has connected, you can ask the Lookout agent to:

- Build and edit [dashboards]({{< ref "lookout/working-with-lookout/dashboards.md" >}})
- Reference the generated [documentation]({{< ref "lookout/working-with-lookout/context-hub.md" >}}) of your data to ground its answers (generating that documentation happens in the Context Hub, not from chat)
- Build and refine [audiences]({{< ref "lookout/audiences/_index.md" >}}) from your warehouse data
- Read your GitHub repositories for context on how your data is produced
- Read your [RudderStack]({{< ref "lookout/integrations/rudderstack.md" >}}) resources, including sources, destinations, transformations, Tracking Plans, and Audiences

## Chat from Slack

You can talk to the same agent from Slack — by direct message or in a bound channel — without opening the web app. See [Slack]({{< ref "lookout/integrations/slack.md" >}}).

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