QoderWork Tutorial

Getting Started

Welcome to QoderWork! This tutorial will guide you through everything you need to know to start using QoderWork effectively. By the end, you'll be automating complex tasks with ease.

Prerequisites

• QoderWork installed on your Mac (download guide)
• A Qoder account with active subscription or credits
• Basic understanding of file management

Interface Overview

When you first launch QoderWork, you'll see a clean, minimalist interface with these key elements:

• Chat Input: Where you type your task descriptions
• Task Panel: Shows active tasks and their progress
• Settings: Access via the gear icon for permissions and preferences
• History: View past tasks and their results

Your First Task

Let's start with a simple task to see QoderWork in action. We'll organize a messy folder.

Step 1: Prepare a Test Folder

Create a folder on your Desktop called "QoderWork Test" and add some random files - documents, images, PDFs, etc.

Step 2: Grant Folder Access

When you first reference a folder, QoderWork will ask for permission. Click "Allow" to grant access to the test folder.

Step 3: Describe Your Task

In the chat input, type something like:

Organize the files in my "QoderWork Test" folder on the Desktop.
Sort them into subfolders by file type (images, documents, PDFs, etc.)
and create a summary.txt listing what was moved where.

Step 4: Review the Plan

QoderWork will show you its planned steps before executing:

1. Scan the folder for files
2. Categorize files by type
3. Create subfolders (Images, Documents, PDFs, etc.)
4. Move files to appropriate subfolders
5. Generate summary.txt

Review the plan and click "Execute" to proceed.

Step 5: Watch the Magic

QoderWork executes each step, showing real-time progress. When complete, check your folder - it should be neatly organized with a summary file!

Understanding Tasks

Task States

• Planning: QoderWork is analyzing your request and creating a step-by-step plan
• Awaiting Approval: The plan is ready for your review
• In Progress: Task is actively being executed
• Paused: Waiting for clarification or additional input
• Completed: Task finished successfully
• Failed: Task encountered an error (with explanation)

Clarification Questions

When your instructions are ambiguous, QoderWork asks for clarification instead of guessing. For example:

You: "Delete the old files"

QoderWork: "I need some clarification:
- What folder should I look in?
- How do you define 'old'? (e.g., older than 30 days,
  older than a specific date, or files with 'old' in the name?)
- Should I move them to Trash or permanently delete?"

Always be as specific as possible in your initial request to reduce back-and-forth.

Canceling Tasks

You can cancel a task at any time by clicking the "Cancel" button in the Task Panel. Already-completed steps won't be undone automatically.

Permissions & Privacy

File Access Control

QoderWork uses a permission-based system for file access. You control exactly which folders it can read from and write to.

To manage permissions:

1. Open Settings (gear icon)
2. Navigate to "File Access"
3. Add or remove allowed folders
4. Set read-only vs read-write permissions

Privacy Considerations

Best Practices

• Only grant access to folders you actually need QoderWork to use
• Use read-only access for reference folders
• Review task plans before executing, especially for delete operations
• Keep sensitive files (passwords, keys, etc.) in non-accessible folders

Custom Skills

Skills are reusable task templates that extend QoderWork's capabilities. Think of them as macros or shortcuts for common workflows.

Built-in Skills

QoderWork comes with several pre-installed Skills:

• File Organizer: Sort files by type, date, or custom rules
• Photo Manager: Organize photos by date, location, or metadata
• Document Summarizer: Extract key points from documents
• Data Analyzer: Generate statistics from CSV/Excel files

Creating Custom Skills

You can create your own Skills for workflows you repeat often:

1. Open Settings > Skills
2. Click "Create New Skill"
3. Give it a name and description
4. Define the task template with variables
5. Save and use via "@skillname" in your prompts

{
  "name": "Weekly Report",
  "description": "Generate weekly report from project folder",
  "template": "Analyze all files modified this week in {{folder}}
               and create a summary report including:
               - Files created/modified
               - Key changes
               - Action items found in documents
               Save as 'weekly-report-{{date}}.md'"
}

MCP Integration

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) allows QoderWork to connect with external tools and services.

Supported MCP Tools

QoderWork supports popular MCP servers including:

• File system operations
• Web browsing and research
• Database connections
• API integrations
• Custom MCP servers

Configuring MCP

1. Open Settings > Integrations > MCP
2. Click "Add MCP Server"
3. Enter the server configuration (URL, auth, etc.)
4. Test the connection
5. Enable for use in tasks

Once configured, QoderWork can leverage MCP tools when relevant to your tasks.

Pro Tips

Writing Effective Prompts

• Be specific: "Organize files in Desktop/Projects by client name" is better than "organize my files"
• State the output: Describe what you want as the end result
• Include constraints: "Don't delete anything, just move files"
• Reference examples: "Like the structure in the Template folder"

Keyboard Shortcuts

Credit Optimization

• Batch similar tasks together instead of running them separately
• Use Skills for repetitive workflows - they're optimized for efficiency
• Review plans before executing to avoid wasted credits on wrong tasks
• Use clear, specific prompts to reduce clarification cycles

Common Use Case Examples

Scan my Downloads folder and:
1. Delete any .dmg files older than 7 days
2. Move all PDFs to Documents/PDFs
3. Move all images to Pictures/Downloads
4. Create a log of what was moved

Analyze the sales.csv file in my Reports folder:
- Calculate total revenue by month
- Find top 5 products by units sold
- Identify any anomalies in the data
- Create a summary report as sales-analysis.md

Take all the meeting notes in Notes/Meetings from this week:
- Extract action items from each
- Compile into a single action-items.md file
- Group by assignee if names are mentioned
- Add due dates where specified