Talo Guide

Kick off a diagnosis

How to set up a new project, write down how you work, and start your first diagnosis conversation.

You're starting the diagnosis phase with a new client. Before you ask the assistant anything, it's worth setting up the project properly: that way every conversation, document, and automation that follows starts from the same context.

Steps

1. In Home or in the sidebar, choose "Add project". You can create a new folder

with the macOS selector or open an existing folder if you already have client documents (meeting minutes, exported emails, a file collection). The project takes the folder's name.

1. Open the project summary tab and write TALO.md: what the diagnosis is about,

what tone and format you expect from deliverables, and any client rules (for example, if documents need a specific signature). Save: the file is written to the folder's root and every assistant will follow it from the next conversation on.

1. Fill in the project card: goal, client, stakeholders, and constraints. Each field has

a character counter so you know how much space you have; if you go over, "Save" is disabled instead of cutting anything silently.

1. Go back to Home and choose that project in the composer. By default it uses the

Talo Assistant on Claude Code: no need to change anything to get started.

1. Type your first diagnosis request: for example "based on what's in TALO.md,

propose the three first questions for the kick-off interview with the client". The assistant answers by citing the goal you defined in step 2, not something generic.

1. As you move through interviews and gather findings, keep talking in the same project:

everything stays linked to its folder and you'll find it in "Continue where you left off" the next time you open Talo.

If you're going to do the diagnosis with an analyst, writer, or some other specialized assistant instead of the generic Talo Assistant, you can choose it from the composer selector or from Assistants and skills: it keeps the same project context.