Cue is accessible from anywhere in Fountain, either as a side panel within any product page or as a full-page workspace from the left navigation. This article covers how to open Cue, how to start your first prompt, how to control the panel, and the basics of working with Cue effectively.
Open Cue
There are two ways to open Cue:
From the left navigation
Clicking Cue in the Fountain left navigation expands three options:
New chat — Opens a new full-page Cue workspace. Use this view for longer sessions or when you want more space to work. Cue surfaces suggested prompts to help you get started quickly.
Chats — Opens your chat history panel, where you can search and browse past conversations. Click any conversation to pick up where you left off.
Setup assistant — Coming soon!
From within a product
On any product page, click the Cue icon in the top-right corner to open Cue as a side panel. Cue loads in context. It is already aware of the page you are on and surfaces suggested prompts relevant to that product, so you can start from where you are without re-explaining your situation.
You can continue navigating with your specific Fountain product while Cue stays open. Cue retains the context of your session as you move between pages.
Start a Prompt
Begin with the outcome you want, not the steps to get there. Cue is designed to work from intent, so describing what you want to accomplish, rather than which buttons to click, gets you to the right result faster.
To get started, type your prompt in the Ask anything input area at the bottom of the Cue panel and press Enter. You can also select one of the suggested prompts Cue surfaces based on the page you are on.
Prompt Examples
"Show me applicants in the Warehouse Associate opening who are in Interview Scheduled."
"Move everyone in Phone Screen who is a referral to Onsite Interview."
"Why did our conversion drop in the last two weeks for my San Diego Server opening? Give the most likely causes and what to check next."
"Set up I-9 Center. Tell me what prerequisites are missing and what needs to be completed before we are ready."
"Retrieve all unassigned shifts for this week and assign them to the right people."
▶ Watch Cue in action
Review and Approve Plans
For operational requests (anything that creates, updates, or moves records), Cue proposes a plan before executing. Read the plan, confirm it matches your intent, and approve it to proceed. You can also ask Cue to adjust the plan conversationally before approving.
When Cue needs additional information to complete a task, it will ask clarifying questions before proceeding. Answer conversationally and Cue will continue.
For analytical or guidance questions, Cue responds directly with an answer or recommendation.
Review Bulk Actions Carefully
When Cue proposes changes that affect many records at once, take a moment to review the scope before approving. You can ask Cue to show you exactly which records will be affected before it proceeds.
Follow Up in the Same Conversation
Cue maintains context throughout your session. You can follow up on a previous response without restating everything:
"Now filter those to just the ones in Texas."
"Actually, use reason 'Interview failed' instead."
"Can you also draft a message to send them?"
Each follow-up builds on what Cue already knows from the current conversation.
Access Past Chats
Cue saves your conversations automatically. To return to a previous session, click Chats in the left navigation under Cue. A history panel opens showing all past conversations, each with a title and a short preview. Use the search bar at the top to find a specific conversation by topic or keyword.
Click any conversation in the list to open it in the full-page workspace and continue from where you left off.
Search Your Chat History
If you've worked with Cue on a task before, use the search bar in the Chats panel to find that conversation quickly rather than starting over.
Control the Panel
Use the panel controls in the top-right corner of the Cue panel to adjust how Cue fits your workspace:
Pop out panel: Detaches Cue from the side panel into a floating window you can reposition and resize freely
Restart conversation: Starts a fresh conversation, clearing the current session context
Close [X]: Closes the panel
Use Pop Out for Complex Tasks
When working through a multi-step task, popping out the Cue panel gives you a larger workspace and lets you see the full Fountain interface alongside Cue at the same time.
Upload Files
You can drop files directly into the Cue chat to let Cue act on your data without manual re-entry. Supported file types include CSV, XLSX, PDF, DOCX, and images.
Examples of what Cue can do with uploaded files:
Upload a jobs or locations spreadsheet → Cue creates them in Fountain automatically
Upload a weekly shift schedule → Cue applies it, detects conflicts, and flags exceptions for review
Upload a hiring export → Cue identifies drop-off points, time-to-hire trends, and sourcing gaps
Upload an onboarding SOP → Cue proposes a workflow based on your existing process
Generate Reports and Presentations
Cue can generate reports and presentations directly from your Fountain data in multiple formats, including PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. Ask Cue for the report you need and download the file directly from the chat. You can also ask Cue to generate a shareable link to use as a formatted web report that recipients can access with a Fountain login.
After generating a file or link, Cue summarizes what's included and surfaces quick actions so you can iterate conversationally, switching formats, adding sections, or adjusting scope, without starting over.
Examples:
"Generate a candidate pipeline summary for last month, ready to share with hiring managers."
"Create a staffing overview by site with coverage, overtime, and no-show rates."
"Build an onboarding completion report by location."
What Cue Cannot Do
Cue operates within your role and permissions. It cannot take actions you are not permitted to take elsewhere in Fountain. If a request falls outside your access level, Cue will let you know.