How to use the operator
Tell the operator what you need in plain words and it acts or answers.
You use the operator by telling it what you need, in ordinary sentences, typed or spoken. For every message it decides one thing first: is this something to do, or something to answer? A thing to do becomes a task, saved and confirmed in a line. A question gets an answer. You never type a command.
Where the operator is
There is one conversation with the operator, and it is the same thread on your Mac, in the browser and on your iPhone. In the browser and the Mac app it is the Operator page, which every new tab opens on, and a rail beside whatever task, note or list you are reading. On the iPhone it has a tab of its own, and the Action Button opens it with the microphone already live. On the Mac, a quick chat opens over any app with a keyboard shortcut (⌃⌥N by default), and hold to talk sends what you said when you let go.
Every task and note also has its own conversation, for work on that one thing. On the Mac and in the browser it is the rail beside the item. On the iPhone, a Chat about pill at the bottom of every task or note opens it. The conversation on a task or note explains what belongs where.
What to say
Say the thing. The operator reads the date and the time out of your words and keeps the title clean.
"Call the dentist tomorrow" becomes one task, Call the dentist, due tomorrow.
"Pack for the trip: passport, charger, boots" becomes one task with a checklist inside it.
"Call mom and print the docs" becomes two tasks, because they are two separate outcomes.
"Add Dune to my reading list" lands on your reading list with its values filled in.
"Create a note: the landlord prefers email" becomes a note on the Notes list, because you asked for one.
"What's overdue?" gets an answer, and nothing is created.
"Great standup today, the energy is back" gets a reply like a person would give, and nothing is saved.
Being explicit always beats a guess. Say "as a note", "on the Errands list" or "due Friday" and the operator follows it. Name no list and a task goes to your Tasks list. If you are on a list's page when you write, new things land on that list.
A long, rambling message about one goal becomes one task, with the steps as a checklist in its body and every word you said kept. Sam dictates two minutes about the Denver trip on the walk home and gets one task, Plan the Denver trip, with the flights, the hotel and the rental car as checkboxes.
Dates, times and reminders
"By Friday" sets the due date to Friday. "Remind me tonight" sets it to today, in the evening, and reminds you then. A "remind me" with no time gets no made-up date: the task is saved and the operator asks when to remind you, because inventing a time would buzz your phone at a moment you never chose. Due dates, times and reminders covers the details.
What it does on its own, and what it checks first
The operator creates and edits items, sets dates, checks things off and moves things between lists without asking, because each of those is safe and undoable. Deleting, large batch changes and anything that leaves Roma, like sending a mail or writing to another app, show an approval card first. The card says exactly what will happen, and your tap is the yes. There is no "are you sure?" in prose. Approvals explains the card.
Asking you a question is the exception. It happens for a real "which one?", when two or three things match what you said, and the operator names them so you can answer in a word.
Working with what is already there
"This" and "it" mean the task or note you have open. "Add the flight number to that note" adds to the note and keeps every word already in it. The operator rewrites a whole body only when you ask for a rewrite. Select a passage and say "fix this" and only that passage changes. "The dentist task", "the second one" and "yesterday's note" resolve the way they would for a colleague.
When the operator has done something, it says so once and names what it touched with an @mention you can tap. A new task shows under its message as the task itself, ready to tap. It replies in your language, and the things it saves stay in the language you wrote them in.
Voice
Everything above works spoken. On the iPhone, the Action Button and the microphone in the chat bar both record a take. On the Mac, hold to talk does. Talk to Roma with your voice covers both.
Questions people ask
Does the operator ask me where to save something?
No. It saves to the obvious place, the list you are on or otherwise your Tasks list, and says where it went in a word. You asked to save something, not to be interviewed.
What if I say the same thing twice?
You get two tasks. The operator does not check for duplicates, because a stray duplicate is a one-tap delete and "you already have this, add anyway?" is more annoying than the duplicate.
Can the operator make a phone call or drive somewhere for me?
No, and it never promises to. When a task needs your hands, it says so and offers the next best help, like finding the number or drafting what to say.
Will it turn my complaint into a task?
No. If you vent or push back, the operator works out what you actually wanted, or asks. It never creates a task titled after the complaint.