# About the Textual Agent

## What is the Textual Agent?

The Textual Agent is a chat-based tool to help you to explore the content of dataset files and configure the file processing.

<figure><img src="/files/1CWMQefX5cTxkf3bZ9Xk" alt=""><figcaption><p>Dataset details page with the Textual Agent</p></figcaption></figure>

## When does the Textual Agent start?

The Textual Agent starts when you create or edit a Textual dataset.

Each combination of dataset and user has its own Textual Agent chat.

## Enabling the Textual Agent on a self-hosted instance

The Textual Agent is always enabled on Textual Cloud.

For information on how to enable the Textual Agent on a self-hosted instance, go to [Enabling the Textual Agent](/textual/textual-install-administer/configuring-textual/enable-and-configure-textual-features/enabling-the-textual-agent.md).

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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.tonic.ai/textual/textual-agent/textual-agent-about.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.