The Ava Prompt Guide — Getting the Most From Your AI Assistant

Ava is your personal AI assistant, built into NXplace. You talk to her like a person — email-style, from the Ava console at nxplace.com/ava or the Mail tab in the mobile app — and she replies in the same conversation thread. No special syntax, no commands to memorize. But how you phrase a request changes what you get back. This guide shows you how to ask well.

The one rule that matters most

Give Ava context and a goal, not just a topic.

Weak: "AI in education"
Good: "I'm a high-school teacher considering AI tools for my classroom. Summarize where AI tutoring stands in 2026, what actually works, and what to be skeptical about."

The second version tells her who you are, what decision you're weighing, and what depth you need. Ava will ask a clarifying question when something important is ambiguous — answer it and continue the same thread; she remembers the whole conversation.

What Ava is good at

Research briefs. "Research the best practices for launching a paid newsletter in 2026 — audience, pricing, cadence. Give me a decision-ready summary."

Summarizing. Forward her anything — a long email, an article link, a thread — and say what you want out of it: "Summarize this in 5 bullets, then tell me what I'm being asked to decide."

Writing and editing. "Draft a polite follow-up to a client I met last week — we discussed a website redesign, I said I'd send options by Friday." Give her the tone, the facts, and the ask.

Photos and attachments. Email her an image — she can see it, describe it, and work with it. "What's in this photo?" "Read this receipt and tell me the total."

Keeping an eye on things. Ask her to check a topic and report back — replies arrive as new messages in your thread.

Thinking out loud. Ava is a good sounding board: "I'm deciding between two job offers. Ask me the hard questions I should be asking myself before I choose."

Prompt patterns that work

Role + task + format: "As an editor: tighten this paragraph, keep my voice, and explain what you cut and why."

Constraints up front: "Explain webhooks to me in under 200 words, no jargon, as if I run a small bakery."

Iterate in-thread: Start rough, then refine — "shorter," "more formal," "give me three subject-line options instead." Refinements in the same thread carry the full context.

Ask for structure: "Give me: a one-line answer first, then the details, then what you're least sure about." That last part is a good habit — Ava will tell you when she's guessing.

Things to know

One conversation, all devices. Threads sync between the desktop console and the mobile app instantly.
Real work takes real time. A quick question answers in seconds; research and drafts can take a minute or more — the console shows when Ava is still working.
She's honest about limits. If something needs your judgment or she can't verify a fact, she'll say so.

Start simple

If you're new, try one of these today:

"Summarize the top tech news of the day for me in 5 bullets."
"Draft a birthday message for my sister — warm, funny, not corny."
"I'll email you a photo — tell me if it looks professional enough for a profile picture."

Open the Ava console and just start typing. The best way to learn what she can do is to ask her directly: "What can you help me with?"

This guide lives in the Ava Assistant channel — subscribe for updates as Ava learns new tricks.