All Docs
FeaturesSidekickUpdated March 11, 2026

Conversational Command Parser

Conversational Command Parser

Sidekick v1.0.46 introduces the Conversational Command Parser — a natural language layer that translates plain-English instructions into structured agent actions across your connected services.

Overview

Instead of navigating menus or constructing explicit API-style commands, you simply describe what you want in the chat. The parser handles intent recognition, entity resolution, adapter selection, and action construction automatically.

How It Works

1. Intent Recognition

The parser identifies the action type from your message — send an email, create a calendar event, file a GitHub issue, send a Slack message, and so on — and maps it to the appropriate action schema.

2. Entity Resolution

Named entities like contacts, projects, and files are resolved to concrete identifiers using your connected data sources:

  • People — matched against your synced contacts (Google Contacts, Outlook Contacts, etc.)
  • Ambiguous names — if multiple matches exist, Sidekick asks a clarifying question in-chat before proceeding

3. Adapter Selection

Once the intent and entities are resolved, the parser selects the right integration adapter. For example, an email action will route through your primary connected email account (Gmail, Outlook, or custom SMTP), unless you specify otherwise.

4. Action Construction

The structured action — complete with recipient, subject, body, and metadata — is assembled and either:

  • Drafted for your review before sending, or
  • Executed immediately if your automation settings allow autonomous dispatch for that action type

Ambiguity Handling

When a command is underspecified or has multiple valid interpretations, Sidekick surfaces a clarifying question directly in the conversation rather than guessing or failing silently.

Examples of when clarification is requested:

SituationClarifying question example
Multiple contacts named "Sarah""I found two Sarahs — Sarah Chen or Sarah Miller?"
No connected email adapter"You don't have an email account connected yet. Would you like to add one?"
Ambiguous subject matter"Which Q3 report — the finance deck or the marketing summary?"

Once you answer, the parser resumes and completes the action without you needing to repeat the original instruction.

Example

You: Email Sarah about the Q3 report

Sidekick: I found two contacts named Sarah:
  1. Sarah Chen — sarah.chen@acme.com
  2. Sarah Okafor — s.okafor@example.org
  Which Sarah did you mean?

You: Sarah Chen

Sidekick: Got it. Drafting an email to Sarah Chen (sarah.chen@acme.com)
  via Gmail. Here's a draft — want me to adjust anything before sending?

  Subject: Q3 Report
  Body: Hi Sarah, ...

Supported Action Types

The command parser currently supports actions that map to any connected adapter, including:

  • Email — compose, reply, forward
  • Calendar — create events, schedule meetings
  • Messaging — send Slack, Teams, or SMS messages
  • Tasks — create to-dos, assign issues
  • Any adapter-backed action — the parser is extensible as new adapters are added

Automation Settings

You can control whether parsed actions require confirmation before execution or run autonomously. Configure this per action type in Settings → Automation → Action Approval.

Notes

  • Contact resolution uses all synced contact sources. Make sure your contact integrations are connected for best results.
  • The parser does not store or log your raw message text beyond what is needed to resolve the action.
  • ClawHub skills that define structured intents are automatically compatible with the command parser.