# Images in chat

Images in chat let you inspect plots, figures, diagrams, microscopy, and other
visual project outputs in the context of the conversation that produced or
discussed them.

Scient displays supported project images directly in a completed chat message
when the message uses ordinary Markdown image syntax:

```markdown
![Residuals by treatment group](results/residuals.svg)
```

In chat, the path is resolved relative to the current project. When previewing
a Markdown file, image paths are relative to that file's folder.

Standalone paragraph images use the same image card for PNG, SVG, JPEG, WebP,
GIF, AVIF, and ICO files. While an answer is still streaming, these figures
wait to load until the answer settles. Inline badges and images with authored
sizes or alignment keep their layout instead of being placed in a card.

The resolved file must remain inside the current workspace. An absolute path,
an outside-workspace traversal, or a path in another environment is not granted
workspace-file authority merely because it appears in Markdown. Remote web
images retain ordinary Markdown image behavior rather than these project-file
actions.

In an agent's response, select an inline or remote image to open a larger preview. Keyboard
users can focus the image and press Enter or Space. An image that is itself a
link keeps opening that link instead.

The image card lets you:

- expand and zoom the figure;
- open the source file in Scient;
- copy the displayed image as PNG;
- download the unmodified original file;
- copy its project-relative path;
- refresh it after the file is regenerated; and
- switch among automatic, light, and dark inspection backgrounds.

The same file and image actions remain available after you expand the figure.

The compact card fits around the image, with controls at its top-right corner.
Open **More image actions** to see the image title, file path, and format. The
controls remain available without hovering, including with a keyboard or touch.

Drag the dotted corner or empty toolbar space to move the controls within the
image; action buttons keep their normal behavior. Click the corner grip or
press Home while it is focused to restore the default position. Arrow keys
also move it (hold Shift for finer movement); Escape cancels an active drag.
The position belongs only to the current card and is not saved as a setting.

Use SVG for vector plots, diagrams, and publication figures when the producing
tool supports it. Use PNG for pixel data, screenshots, microscopy, heatmaps,
and broad compatibility. Alternative text should name what the figure shows;
the surrounding response should still explain its important conclusion.

Scient reads SVG through the browser's image pipeline rather than treating it
as an HTML document. The file keeps its vector quality, while scripts and
document-level interaction are not part of this static figure view. Use an
interactive chart format or the integrated browser when the content itself
needs controls or application behavior.

Missing, incomplete, or undecodable images produce a local recovery card. The
rest of the message remains readable, and you can retry after repairing or
regenerating the file.