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

# Your first thread

> Start a thread, choose its tools and model, and read the result.

This page walks you through starting your first thread in Sidekick, from opening the app to finding your work again later.

## Start a thread

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Sidekick">
    Sidekick greets you on a home screen with a composer at the center and your recent threads listed below it. Each thread in the list shows a status dot for where it stands and a "Needs you" flag if it is waiting on you for something, like an approval.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type what you want done">
    Type your request into the composer in plain language. Be as specific as you would be asking a capable colleague: what you want, and any constraints that matter.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick tools and a model, if you want to">
    You don't have to configure anything to send a first message. If the work needs a particular tool, file, or skill, you can add it before you send. See [Thread and composer](/docs/sidekick/use/thread-and-composer) for how to bring those in. A model is chosen for you by default, and you can pick a different one if the work calls for it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    Send the message. Sidekick starts working on it right away.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the streamed result">
    The reply streams in as it is produced, so you can start reading before it finishes. If the work needs a tool that is gated, the thread pauses and asks you for an approval. See [Approvals](/docs/sidekick/use/approvals) for what that looks like.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find it later">
    Every thread you start stays in your thread list. Open it any time to pick up where the work left off, or to check what happened and why.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  You don't need to start from a blank composer every time. A skill or a saved project can give a thread a head start. See [Skills](/docs/sidekick/use/skills) for reusable instructions you can pull in with `/`.
</Note>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Thread and composer" icon="message-square" href="/docs/sidekick/use/thread-and-composer">
    The anatomy of a thread and how the composer sends work to it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Approvals" icon="check-check" href="/docs/sidekick/use/approvals">
    What happens when a thread pauses to ask for your sign-off.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>