> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cherry-ai.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cherry-ai.com/docs/en-us/cherry-studio/preview/selection-assistant.md). # Selected Text Assistant Selection Assistant (Selection Assistant) lets you**select text in any app**afterwards, use the floating toolbar to invoke AI for translation, explanation, refinement, summarization, and more, without needing to paste the content back into Cherry Studio. {% hint style="info" %} **and** [**Quick Assistant**](/docs/en-us/cherry-studio/preview/quick-assistant.md) **Differences**: * **Quick Assistant**Use a global shortcut to summon a**proactive input**window, where you type your question * **Selection Assistant**: after selecting text**for the selected content**a toolbar pops up, letting you run preset actions with one click {% endhint %} ### Platform support * ✅ **macOS**: fully supported, but on first enable you must grant **Accessibility permissions** * ✅ **Windows**: fully supported, no special permissions required * ⚠️ **Linux**: only fully supported in **X11** mode; in Wayland mode the toolbar may not follow the selected text position. You also need to add the current user to the `input` group (`sudo usermod -aG input $USER`) to obtain key listening permissions ### Enable Selection Assistant Open `Settings → Selection Assistant`:

Selection Assistant settings panel

1. Open **Enable** toggle 2. **macOS** When enabled for the first time, the user will be prompted to request **Accessibility permissions**:

Accessibility permission prompt on first enable

Click **Go to Settings** → In the system settings that open, find Cherry Studio under “Privacy & Security → Accessibility” and turn on the switch → Return to Cherry Studio and enable it again. 3. (optional) in **Toolbar → Text extraction method** choose a trigger method (available options vary by platform): * **Select text**: the toolbar pops up immediately after selecting text (default) * **Ctrl key**(Windows only): after selecting text**then press and hold the Ctrl key**to pop it up (to avoid accidental triggers) * **Shortcuts**: after selecting text, press the shortcut to pop it up; change the shortcut in `Settings → Shortcuts` change it there

Settings panel after enabling: text extraction method / compact mode / follow toolbar...

### Built-in actions Selection Assistant provides 7 built-in actions,**with 5 enabled by default**: Translate / Explain / Summarize / Search / Copy. The **Cherry icon on the left side of the toolbar is not an action button**—it is only the toolbar drag handle; press and hold it to move the entire toolbar. | Action | Enabled by default | Purpose | | ------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Translate** | ✅ | Smart translation: prioritize translation into the target language; if it is already in the target language, translate into the fallback language | | **Explain** | ✅ | Have AI explain this content | | **Summarize** | ✅ | Have AI summarize the selected content in one paragraph | | **Search** | ✅ | Use the selected text to query a search engine (Google by default; change it via ⋯ on the right of each item) | | **Copy** | ✅ | Copy selected text | | **Refine** | Pending enablement | Have AI rewrite it to sound smoother / more professional; drag it into the enabled area in settings | | **Quote** | Pending enablement | Send the selected text to the current conversation as a quote; drag it into the enabled area in settings |

In the settings panel’s “Features” section: enabled items are at the top, and drag items from the temporary area below to the top to enable them

### Custom actions In the `Settings → Selection Assistant → Features` you can: * **edit**the prompt for built-in actions * **add**custom actions (name + prompt + default model) * **drag**to adjust the order of actions in the toolbar * Drag infrequently used actions to the temporary area below to “disable” them ### Toolbar / result window appearance Toolbar: * **Compact mode**: show icons only, no text, to save screen space Result window (`feature window` section): * **Follow toolbar**: the window pops up next to the toolbar (on by default); when off, it is always centered * **Remember size**: the window size you manually adjusted this time will be kept next time * **Auto close**: click outside the window to close it * **Always on top**: always floats above other applications * **Transparency**: adjustable from 20% to 100% ### Search engines The built-in “Search” action in Selection Assistant can use preset engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.). The configuration entry is in `Settings → Selection Assistant → Features`: find **Search** this item, click the gear icon on the right end of the row to open the “Search Engine” dialog, where you can choose from presets or add a custom engine; use `{{queryString}}` to indicate the search term position. ### Application filtering (advanced) can be set in `Settings → Selection Assistant → Advanced → Application filtering` configured in **blacklist / whitelist**, so Selection Assistant only takes effect in specified apps (whitelist) or does not pop up in specified apps (blacklist). * **macOS**: enter the app’s Bundle ID (e.g. `com.google.Chrome`,`com.apple.mail`) * **Windows**: enter the app’s executable filename (e.g. `chrome.exe`,`Cherry Studio.exe`) ### Model used Selection Assistant uses by default [global default chat model](/docs/en-us/pre-basic/settings/default-models.md), and you can also specify a separate model for each action. ### Tips and tricks * If the toolbar does not appear on macOS, check whether `System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility` has Cherry Studio checked * The toolbar pops up too often because text is selected by accident? Switch to **Ctrl key** trigger mode * Toolbar icons take up too much space? Turn on **Compact mode** * Want to do chained actions like “read aloud directly after translation”? Copy the “Translate” result and then call [Quick Assistant](/docs/en-us/cherry-studio/preview/quick-assistant.md) Continue processing *** ### 💡 Get help and submit feedback If you encounter any questions, bugs, or have suggestions for feature improvements during configuration or use, please refer to [Feedback and Suggestions](/docs/en-us/question-contact/suggestions.md) the official channels provided there. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.cherry-ai.com/docs/en-us/cherry-studio/preview/selection-assistant.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.