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Organize and Find

Search and Ask AI

Find documents or ask grounded questions across a vault or about one document.

Search the current vault

  1. Tap the magnifying-glass button at the top of Home.
  2. Enter words or a natural phrase in Search your vault.
  3. Tap Search on the keyboard.
  4. Tap a result to open its details.

Search combines visible text and meaning when an item has been indexed. Results and row actions apply only to the vault you are currently viewing. Tap the clear button in the search field to start over.

Cella Search showing document results for a typed query.
Search returns matching documents from the vault you are viewing.

Ask across a vault

  1. Tap Ask AI at the top of Home.
  2. Check the engine label above the conversation so you know what is answering.
  3. Type a question and tap Send.
  4. Read the answer and review any Sources shown below it.
  5. Tap a source to open the supporting document.

Vault-wide Ask AI searches indexed documents in the current vault. Free and Plus plans show the remaining questions for the selected engine; Apple Intelligence and advanced-model allowances are counted separately.

Accepted shared-space documents are included in Default-vault search and Ask AI without being reprocessed on the participant's device. If a selected engine sends data off the device, Cella asks for confirmation before shared content is transmitted. Declining keeps local reading and search available.

Cella finding a laptop receipt, asking a vault-wide question, and showing supporting sources.
Find a receipt and ask a vault-wide question Search for a laptop receipt, ask about its cost, and review the supporting sources.
Ask AI conversation showing an answer with source documents.
When sources are available, tap one to verify the answer against its document.

Ask about one document

Open document details and tap Ask AI. The Asking about chip confirms that the conversation is limited to that item.

If the document has Smart Questions, tap one to send it immediately. Per-document Ask AI is not counted against a vault-wide daily allowance.

Good to know: AI answers can be incomplete or wrong. Open the source document before relying on an important date, amount, instruction, or decision.

Cella opening an imported grocery receipt and answering a question about that document.
Ask about one receipt Open an imported receipt and use a Smart Question grounded in that document.

Copy or retry an answer

  • Tap the copy button under one message to copy only that message.
  • Tap the copy-conversation button in the header to copy the full conversation with You and AI labels.
  • If a request fails and a retry button appears, tap it to send the same question again.
  • Tap the conversation area to dismiss the keyboard while reading.

Start or manage chats

  • Tap New chat in the Ask AI header to clear the current thread and start another.
  • Tap History to see saved conversations for the current vault.
  • Tap a saved chat to resume it.
  • Swipe a saved chat to rename or delete it.
  • Tap Delete all to remove every saved chat in the current vault.

Deleting a chat does not delete its source documents.

Ask AI chat history listing saved conversations.
Chat history lets you resume and manage saved conversations in the current vault.

When Ask AI is unavailable

The Ask AI screen explains what is missing and may offer a button to open Cella Settings or the iPhone Settings app. Common causes are:

  • Apple Intelligence is off, still activating, unsupported, or requires a newer iOS version.
  • The selected advanced model is not downloaded or its storage folder needs relinking.
  • A cloud provider is missing its API key or cannot connect.
  • No AI engine is currently available for the vault.