> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.kneadapp.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sous Chef: Your AI Assistant

> Ask Sous Chef anything about your bakery and let it take simple actions for you — always with your approval.

## Overview

Sous Chef is your in-app AI assistant. Ask it how something works, where to find a setting, or to help with a task — and it can take simple actions on your behalf, always asking before it changes your data or contacts a customer.

<Info>Sous Chef is available on the **Free Trial** and the **Growth** plan. It's not included on the Free or Starter plans — upgrading to [Growth](/account-and-billing/knead-plans-and-pricing) unlocks it.</Info>

<Note>Good to know: Sous Chef is rolling out gradually and may not appear in every account yet. If you don't see it, you're not missing a setting — it's on its way.</Note>

## Opening Sous Chef

Look for the floating circular terracotta **chef's-hat button** in the bottom-right corner of your dashboard (The Counter). Click it to open the **Sous Chef** panel on the right.

The panel's subtitle sets the tone: "Ask anything about your bakery. I can take simple actions for you."

When it's empty, you'll see a prompt to get started: "Try: How do I share my order link?"

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/kneadapp/GEXsIwkkXZhBlwIA/images/sous-chef-button.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GEXsIwkkXZhBlwIA&q=85&s=50a50309f95030ff480fd28dffc9e5d5" alt="The Counter with the Sous Chef chef's-hat button in the bottom-right corner" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/sous-chef-button.png" />

## Asking a question

1. Type into the **Ask Sous Chef…** input.
2. Click **Send**.

Sous Chef streams its answer back to you in real time. Ask it anything — how to set up a product, what an order status means, or how to share your order link.

## Taking actions — with your approval

Sous Chef can do more than answer. It uses tiered confirmation so you're always in control of anything that matters:

* **Runs instantly** — low-stakes actions that don't change your data, like navigating you to a page or copying your order link.
* **Asks first with a Confirm card** — anything that changes your data. Sous Chef shows a **Confirm** card you must approve before it acts. Examples: drafting a new product, updating your weekly baking hours, creating an order from an inquiry, or emailing your order link to a customer.
* **You send messages yourself** — for customer message replies, Sous Chef shows an editable draft. You review it, tweak it if you like, and click **Send**. It never sends a message to a customer on its own.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/kneadapp/GEXsIwkkXZhBlwIA/images/sous-chef-panel.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GEXsIwkkXZhBlwIA&q=85&s=5adcb4ce6171ac511753f8d4ca872975" alt="The Sous Chef panel ready to take a question" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/sous-chef-panel.png" />

<Tip>Pro tip: Sous Chef never auto-sends messages and never changes your data without a **Confirm** step. If you change your mind, just don't approve — nothing happens.</Tip>

## Related Articles

* [Understanding The Counter](/understanding-the-counter)
* [Creating Orders Manually](/managing-orders/creating-orders-manually)
* [Building Your Starter Menu with AI](/building-your-starter-menu-with-ai)
* [Knead Plans and Pricing](/account-and-billing/knead-plans-and-pricing)

***

*Still need help? [Contact us](mailto:hello@kneadapp.co)*