The Chat functionality in Emma allows you to ask questions about the documents in the data room or to get an answer to any general question you might have.
In the video below we will take you through the main features and functionality.
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Where Chat is available
Emma's AI chat is available in three places, each scoped differently:
Location | How to open | Scope |
Chat page (this article) | Chat in the main sidebar | All documents in the data room |
Matrix chat | Chat bar below the Matrix table | Documents in the currently selected document type |
Document viewer | Emma Agent button in the document sidebar | The single open document (expandable) |
All three share the same underlying AI. Use the Chat page for broad, cross-data-room questions; use Matrix chat when you are focused on a specific document type; use Emma Agent in the document viewer for clause-level questions about a single file.
See Document chat assistant and Matrix chat for dedicated guides.
Opening Chat
Chat is accessible from the main left sidebar. Click Chat to open a dedicated full-page chat interface for the current data room. Every data room has its own independent chat history.
When you open Chat for the first time, Emma shows a welcome screen with an empty input box — just type your question and press Enter (or click the send button) to start.
Asking questions
Type your question in the input box at the bottom of the screen. You can ask anything about the documents in the data room:
Specific clause questions — "Does any agreement contain a change-of-control clause?"
Summarisation — "Summarise the key obligations in the employment contracts"
Comparison — "Which contracts have a notice period longer than 3 months?"
General legal questions — Emma can also answer questions that are not document-specific
Press Enter to send, or use Shift + Enter to add a line break in your message.
While Emma is generating an answer, you will see a searching → thinking → streaming status indicator. Click the stop button (×) at any time to cancel the response.
Sources — controlling which documents Emma searches
By default Emma searches all documents in the data room. The Sources button in the bottom-left corner of the input box shows the current scope:
All files — Emma searches every document
N of M files — a custom selection is active
Searching N areas — your access is restricted to specific areas of the data room
Click the Sources button to open the Select sources dialog. Here you can pick specific files or folders to narrow the search. Searching fewer documents produces faster and more accurate answers.
Your source selection is saved per session, so follow-up questions in the same conversation use the same scope.
Reading answers and citations
Emma's answers include inline citations — numbered references that link back to the exact passage in the source document. Click a citation to open the document viewer directly at the relevant location.
Below each answer you can also see:
A sources panel listing all documents Emma referenced for that answer
Legal sources when Emma cites applicable legislation (shown alongside document sources)
Sessions and history
Each conversation is a separate session. Use the History button in the top-right corner to see all previous sessions for this data room and switch between them. Click New chat (the pencil icon) to start a fresh session at any time.
Sessions are saved automatically — you can close the browser and resume a conversation later.
Editing and rating messages
Hover over any message to reveal action buttons:
Edit (pencil icon) — available on your own messages. Edit the text and resubmit; Emma regenerates the answer from that point.
Copy — copies the message text to your clipboard.
Thumbs up / Thumbs down — rate Emma's answer to help improve future responses.
Tips for better answers
Be specific. Instead of "Tell me about contracts", ask "Which contracts have a limitation-of-liability clause, and what is the cap?"
Narrow the sources. If you are reviewing a specific area (e.g. HR), select only those documents before asking. Fewer files = faster, more accurate results.
Ask follow-up questions. Emma remembers the context of your conversation, so you can refine or drill into a previous answer without repeating yourself.
Start a new session for a new topic. Switching subjects in the middle of a session can confuse the context. Use New chat to start clean.
If you need additional help on the Chat or you encounter any other problem, don't hesitate to reach out to us through the chat bubble in the bottom right or to contact [email protected]