Work with documents

Attach a file to a request

Use the attachment button in the project conversation to add a PDF, Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), CSV, text, Markdown or JSON file. You can attach up to five documents per message, with a maximum of 20 MiB per document. Images use a separate upload path and limit. Wait until the attachment is ready before sending your request.

Describe what the assistant should do with the file: extract decisions, compare rows, summarise a report or prepare a new document. A file attached to MaShop does not require connecting a separate document service. Reading a file stored in an external account still requires that service’s connection and permissions.

Ask for a useful output

Specify the expected format, language and content. For example: “Read this meeting report. Create a Word document with decisions, owners and next steps. Flag missing owners instead of guessing. Do not email it.” The assistant can prepare PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint outputs, or modify and convert supported existing documents.

For a spreadsheet, describe the sheets, column names and calculations you need. For a presentation, give the audience, purpose and slide content. External images and assets are not supported in document generation in this version; do not expect a photo-rich presentation from this workflow.

Follow the document status

1. Read the assistant’s response and the file status shown in the conversation. A file being prepared is not yet a finished download.
2. Wait for the background task to finish. Closing the chat does not cancel that document job; return to the same project to inspect its status.
3. When the file is ready, use its filename link to download it. Open the actual document and check its content, figures and formatting.
4. If processing fails, read the reported error. Verify the source file and correct the request before retrying; do not keep submitting the same job while it is still preparing.

Understand the reading limits

The text extracted from a file may be truncated. Ask the assistant to examine a specific section or range when the file is long, and verify important totals against the original. Scanned PDFs without embedded text can fail to produce readable content; supply a version with selectable text instead.

Documents belong to their project and use private storage and authenticated download links. Project access still matters: attach only information that the people with access to that project should see. Document creation does not send the result to email, WhatsApp or another account. Request that separate action explicitly and review the relevant permission.

Next steps

• Complete your first task
• Review permissions and approvals
• Use files in a connected service