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

# Working with Design Agents

> Use the Runchat agent to explore design ideas and generate variations. Covers web search, agent prompts, and reading the canvas as a design partner.

![A kitchen renovation concept generated with the Runchat agent](https://mintcdn.com/runchat/-3EjDSjrrW4XbP3g/images/tutorials/design-agents-hero.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-3EjDSjrrW4XbP3g\&q=85\&s=659e455a059d63cb81d27e4eb4cd1850)

This guide will teach you the basics of using Runchat as a design partner for exploring ideas and solving design problems.
We'll start by exploring ideas for a kitchen renovation, refining these with prompts and then producing a new visualization of our kitchen.

> [!TIP]
>
> Before starting this guide, head to [https://runchat.com/](https://runchat.com/) and sign in with
> Google or email and password. No Runchat account? Create a free Starter
> account at [https://runchat.com/signup](https://runchat.com/signup).

### Creating a new workflow

Open [the Runchat editor](https://runchat.com/editor?new=true). In **Start from an example**, click **Blank canvas** to create a new workflow.
Runchat auto-saves any change you make. To rename the workflow, click its name in the top-left and choose **Rename**. Press Ctrl/Cmd + S to save manually at any time.

### Starting a new chat

Runchat's agent is always available from the composer at the bottom of the editor.
Click in the composer, type a message and press Enter to start a new chat. The Agent panel opens on the right edge of the editor.
To continue an earlier conversation, click the chat title at the top of the Agent panel and open **History**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Press Esc to collapse the Agent panel. A pill above the composer reopens your
> current chat. To start over, click the chat title and choose **New chat**.

### Searching for ideas

Let's use the agent to explore some ideas for a new kitchen renovation. There isn't any right or wrong way to do this, but
for this tutorial we will start by finding some examples from great designers for inspiration.
Type "who are some award winning residential architects in Melbourne?" and press Enter to start a chat. Feel free to replace Melbourne with your city.
Runchat will think about your prompt, then search the web for the answer. The agent finds and uses the tools it needs on its own.
It might search directly from the chat, or add a node to the canvas. You can always instruct it to do one or the other if you know what you want.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Searches cost credits. Each step in the Agent panel shows a credits badge so
> you can see what a search cost.

### Exploring images

The agent will run several searches to try to find the answer for your prompt, and eventually come back with some results
for you to consider. Next, we're going to search for images by these designers and load them on the Runchat canvas so we
can choose some we like. Type "great, now search for images of 2 or 3 recent projects for each designer" and press Enter.

The agent might show images in its chat response, or it might add them to the canvas as nodes.
Again, you can be specific in terms of the behaviour you want. You can also ask the agent to look at specific images
so it understands their content: the agent won't know what an image is just from the URL.
Ask the agent to add some images to the canvas if it hasn't already, then click a node (or drag around it) to select it. The selected node appears as a chip on the composer, so the agent knows which image you mean.

### Image Search

Now we're going to find more images of this specific project, and designs like it.
Type "We're doing a kitchen renovation, can you find some images of the interior of this project or projects like it?" and press Enter.
The agent will continue searching the internet and finding images matching your query.

### Editing images

Once the agent finishes this new search, select an image of a kitchen with a design you like. We're now going to use this design
as a reference for our own kitchen space to explore ideas. Copy paste or drag and drop this image onto the runchat canvas:

![](https://pantherpainter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Old-Kitchen-Stain-Conversion-13.jpeg)

This is our existing kitchen. Select both your reference design and our kitchen image we just pasted (hold Shift and click to select multiple images),
and in the composer type "Can you show me how this kitchen would look if designed in this style, with the same products and colours".
Runchat will most likely use Nano Banana or Flux to complete this task, but you can always ask for specific models or override these choices if you want to.
Once the agent finishes building the workflow, click **Run** on each node yourself, or ask the agent to run the nodes for you.
If the agent doesn't have permission to run nodes yet, it shows a **Permission needed** card. Choose **Allow editing and running nodes** to let it continue.
When it finishes, you'll see your new kitchen design. If you don't like it, write a prompt to specify what you need to change and try again.

### Next Steps

When we ask Runchat to "show me what this would look like..." what we're doing is asking the agent to use a Workflow that we (or someone else in the Runchat community) have made!
This means we have a lot of control over how the agent designs. You can learn how to build your own workflows in [Create a Workflow](https://docs.runchat.com/tutorials/create-workflow.md).


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