Point With @, Don't Describe
Type @ in the prompt field and pick the exact file — it travels to the agent with your request. Describing the file in words sends the agent searching the whole folder, which burns your plan's limits on reading things you never asked about.
Why it works
Describing a file in words sends the agent searching your whole folder for it — reading things you never asked about, on your plan's token budget. The @ mention hands it the exact file with zero search. It's the difference between pointing at something and describing where you last saw it.
How to do it
- Type @ anywhere in the prompt field.
- A file picker drops down, scoped to your project folder; start typing to filter.
- Select the file — it attaches to your message as precise context.
- Write the instruction: '@pricing.csv — add a margin column and re-sort by it.'
- For a file you're looking at in the side panel, right-click it → attach to next prompt.
- Mention several files in one message when the task genuinely spans them.
Copy this
prompt
In @index.html, change the headline to 'AI systems for real businesses' and update the three service blocks to match @services.txt. Touch nothing else.
What to watch for
- 'The file with the prices in it, I think it's called something like costs' triggers exactly the folder-wide expedition @ exists to prevent.
- Attaching ten files 'for context' is the same waste with extra steps — attach what the task needs.
Sources
Original: conon.aiDocumentation: code.claude.com