Workspace
Canvas-based scientific workspace — chat with Lobster, build knowledge graphs, manage data, and visualize results
The Workspace is the main analysis environment in Omics-OS Cloud. It combines a chat panel, a node-based canvas, and a data drawer into a single surface where you converse with Lobster, search biological databases, visualize results, and manage datasets.
Workspace is the current reference for the workspace layout, activity bar, canvas node types, and OmniBar. This page covers session lifecycle, use cases, and the data panel in more depth; where the two disagree about layout, the other page is authoritative.
From Cockpit to Workspace
After sign-in you land on the Cockpit — a launcher that shows:
- Recent sessions with timestamps (e.g., "2h ago", "3d ago")
- Use case cards — curated analysis workflows you can open with one click
- Product dock — links to Workspace, Playground, Editor, and Docs. BioVault is coming soon for early-access users.
- Tour pill — guided onboarding walkthrough
Click Workspace in the dock (or open a use case) to enter the workspace. If you have no sessions, the workspace opens empty and creates your first session when you send a message.
Layout
The workspace has three main areas:
| Area | Position | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Chat panel | Left side | Conversation with Lobster. Natural language analysis requests. |
| Canvas | Center | Visual workspace. Nodes represent search results, plots, structures, datasets. |
| Data panel | Right drawer | Files, loaded datasets, plots, team packages, templates. |
The OmniBar overlays the canvas (Cmd+Space) for quick searches and assistant interactions.
Chat Panel
- Streamed agent responses with tool call visibility
- Agent assignments shown in real-time (which specialist handles your request)
- File upload via drag-and-drop or upload button
- Slash commands (
/help,/status,/tokens) - Deep Work Mode expands chat to a full sidebar
Canvas
A node-based visual workspace powered by React Flow. Nodes appear when you:
- Search a database via OmniBar (proteins, genes, pathways, structures)
- Generate plots (UMAP, volcano, heatmap)
- Load datasets
- Create knowledge graph connections
Nodes are interactive: rotate Mol* structures, zoom into pathways, click entities to drill down.
Data Panel
Three sections in the drawer:
| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| Active | Datasets currently loaded in the session (grouped by lineage) |
| Files | Your uploaded files — drag-and-drop, preview, download, delete |
| Team Data | Org-shared data, analysis packages, and templates |
Supported file formats for loading: .h5ad, .h5mu, .h5, .csv, .tsv, .xlsx, .loom, .mtx, .zarr.
Sessions
Each workspace session maintains:
- Full chat history with agent context
- Loaded datasets and their modality records
- Canvas layout (node positions, connections)
- Generated plots and visualizations
- File uploads
Sessions persist across browser refreshes. Previous sessions are accessible from the cockpit.
Session Lifecycle
| Event | Behavior |
|---|---|
| First message sent | Session created automatically |
| Browser reload | Session state restored |
| Open use case | New session bootstrapped with sample data + canvas |
| Open package | New session with package data pre-loaded |
| Open template | New session with canvas layout pre-configured |
Sharing Sessions
Use Fork & Continue to share a snapshot of your session. Recipients get their own editable copy — the original is untouched. Learn more about Fork & Continue.
Identity Bar
The workspace navbar shows your display name and provides access to:
- Account settings
- API key management
- Billing
- Appearance settings
- Sign out
Use Cases
Curated use cases appear on the cockpit and in the workspace. Each use case:
- Bootstraps a complete session (data, chat history, canvas)
- Shows preview stats (plot count, messages, datasets)
- Runs a 5-phase bootstrap: create workspace → copy data → restore workspace → load chat → set up canvas
Use cases are immutable snapshots — opening one always starts fresh.
Workspace Tour
First-time users see a tour pill offering a guided walkthrough. The tour highlights key workspace areas (chat, canvas, data panel, OmniBar). Retake it from the identity bar dropdown.