Understanding BB

A guide to working effectively with BB and what to expect during your interactions.

What to Expect

BB works incrementally, making small changes and verifying results as it goes. You'll see multiple operations as BB processes your requests - this is normal and ensures accuracy.

During a typical interaction, you might see:

  • Multiple search and replace operations
  • File analysis and content verification
  • Progress updates and decision explanations
  • Occasional failed operations that BB will automatically retry

Normal Operation Patterns

Incremental Changes

BB makes changes incrementally rather than all at once. This approach:

  • Ensures accuracy and reliability
  • Allows for verification at each step
  • Makes it easier to track and understand changes
  • Reduces the risk of errors

Multiple Attempts

You may see BB make multiple attempts at certain operations. This is normal and happens when:

  • Verifying exact text matches
  • Handling complex code patterns
  • Making precise formatting changes
  • Ensuring changes maintain code integrity

File Management

BB needs to know about files before it can work with them. You can:

  • Use the "Add Files" button in the toolbar to add files
  • List files as relative paths from your project root
  • Let BB discover files using its search capabilities

File Path Example:

If your project is at:

/home/user/myproject

And your file is at:

/home/user/myproject/src/app.ts

Enter the relative path:

src/app.ts

Cost Considerations

BB's operations have associated token costs that increase with conversation length. To manage costs effectively:

  • Start new conversations for distinct tasks
  • Use the conversation summary tool for long sessions
  • Remove unnecessary files from the conversation
  • Break large tasks into smaller, focused conversations

Learn more about managing conversations in our conversation management guide.

Tips for Effective Use

Do

  • Be specific about your goals
  • Start with smaller, focused tasks
  • Let BB work through its process
  • Review changes as they're made
  • Use new conversations for new tasks

Don't

  • Interrupt ongoing operations
  • Worry about repeated attempts
  • Try to handle too many tasks at once
  • Forget to start new conversations
  • Ignore conversation length
Learn How BB Works →Conversation Management Guide →