Tools are the part of Referenta where the workspace is already shaped around one specific job. Instead of explaining the task to the Assistant from scratch, you open a Tool that's already built for it.
When To Choose A Tool Over The Assistant
A simple test: if you find yourself describing the same task more than twice, there's probably a Tool for it.
- "Clean up this transcript" → Text Processing
- "Compare these two policy documents" → Argumentation & Analysis
- "Tell me what this draft amendment actually changes" → Legal Documents
- "Turn this audio into text" → Transcription
You'll usually be faster in the Tool because:
- The interface already knows what kind of input you'll give it.
- You don't have to write a long prompt every time.
- The output comes back in a predictable shape.
What's Available
Text Processing
Clean up, rewrite, restructure, or refine longer pieces of writing.
Argumentation & Analysis
Compare positions, find weak points in an argument, or unpack what's really being claimed.
Legal Documents
Read, compare, and explain laws, amendments, and other formal texts in plain language.
Transcription
Turn meetings, interviews, or speeches into searchable text.
A Tip On Combining Tools With The Assistant
A common pattern is to use a Tool to produce something, then move it into the Assistant for the next step.
Example: transcribe a committee hearing in Transcription, then open the Assistant and ask "summarize the key positions taken in this transcript and pull out three quotes I could use." You get the strict shape of the Tool plus the flexibility of the Assistant.