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Simbi

Adding context to notes

Attachments give Simbi more material to work with. Once a file is converted, its contents can help the transcript fixer recognize names and terminology, help AI Notes include relevant details, and give note chat another source to answer from.

Add a file

Section titled “Add a file”
  1. Open the note you want to add context to.
  2. Click the + button on the right side of Files.
  3. Choose one or more files from the file picker.

The plus button at the right side of the Files section in an open Simbi note.

You can also drag files directly onto the Files section. Simbi copies each file into the note, so the original file stays where it was and is not modified.

While the file is converting

Section titled “While the file is converting”

The file appears immediately. A spinner over its preview means Simbi is turning it into readable context.

A PowerPoint attachment in the Files section with a conversion spinner over its preview.

You can keep using the note while this runs. Right-click the file to open the original, reveal it in Finder, or move it to Trash.

The menu for a file that is still converting, including the optional View Codex Thread action.

View Codex Thread opens the live conversion work in a separate window. This is optional. You do not need to watch the thread for conversion to finish.

How conversion works

Simbi packages anydoc with the app and uses it as a first pass for common formats such as PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, CSV, EPUB, RTF, and OpenDocument. Codex then checks the Markdown against the original, corrects the conversion, and adds descriptions for useful figures or images when needed.

Each attachment gets its own conversion thread. Opening View Codex Thread lets you see the files Codex reads and the changes it makes to the context.

The optional Codex conversion thread checking and editing the Markdown context for a PowerPoint file.

The original attachment is kept unchanged. The conversion instructions come from INGEST.md at the Simbi home root, so advanced users can customize how future attachments are handled.

Open the finished context

Section titled “Open the finished context”

When the spinner disappears, the context is ready and the file returns to its normal preview.

The attachment after its context conversion has completed.

Right-click the file and choose Open Context.

The completed file menu with Open Context available.

Simbi opens the converted Markdown in a separate window. You can read it to check what the AI features will see, or edit it to correct wording, restore a missing detail, or add helpful context. Changes save automatically.

The editable context window showing the Markdown created from a PowerPoint presentation.

Double-clicking the file tile, or choosing Open, opens the original instead. If a conversion fails, the tile shows a warning and its menu offers Retry Conversion. Choosing Move to Trash removes both the copied attachment and its converted context, using the macOS Trash so the files remain recoverable.