> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openbio.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Frequently Asked Questions

> Answers to common questions about OpenBio

## General Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is OpenBio?">
    **OpenBio** is an AI-native platform designed to accelerate biological research by making cutting-edge AI models accessible to every researcher. We provide a clean, intuitive interface for complex computational biology tasks, from protein structure prediction to molecular design.

    **Key features:**

    * Natural language queries for biological research
    * State-of-the-art AI models (Boltz-2, Chai-1, ProteinMPNN, etc.)
    * Comprehensive tool suite for bioinformatics
    * Project organization and collaboration tools
    * No coding required - just ask questions in plain English
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who is OpenBio for?">
    **OpenBio is for:**

    * **Academic researchers** - PhD students, postdocs, and faculty
    * **Industry scientists** - Drug discovery, biotech, and pharma professionals
    * **Biotech startups** - Teams needing rapid prototyping
    * **Life science educators** - Teaching computational biology
    * **Anyone working with biological data** - From wet lab to computational biology

    <Check>You don't need programming experience - just scientific curiosity and research questions.</Check>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does OpenBio work?">
    OpenBio combines AI language models with specialized biological tools:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Ask questions">
        You ask questions in natural language (e.g., "Predict the structure of this protein sequence")
      </Step>

      <Step title="AI understands">
        OpenBio understands your intent and selects appropriate tools
      </Step>

      <Step title="Tools execute">
        Tools execute the analysis using biological databases and AI models
      </Step>

      <Step title="Results appear">
        Results appear in your chat with interactive visualizations
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Check>All this happens seamlessly - you just have a conversation with your research assistant.</Check>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Getting Started

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I create an account?">
    1. Visit [app.openbio.tech](https://openbio.tech) or click "Launch App" on the top right of this page
    2. Click "Sign in with Google"
    3. Grant permissions when prompted
    4. You'll be automatically logged in and can start using OpenBio

    **No separate password needed** - we use your Google account for security and convenience.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need to install anything?">
    **No installation required!** OpenBio is a web application that runs entirely in your browser.

    * Access from any computer with internet
    * No software downloads
    * No GPU requirements (we handle the computing)
    * Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebooks, and tablets

    You do need a bigger screen to use OpenBio effectively. No phones sadly :(

    Just sign in and start researching.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I upload my data?">
    **Multiple ways to add your data:**

    **Drag and Drop:**

    * Drag files from your computer directly into any folder in the left sidebar

    **Upload Button:**

    * Click the upload icon in any folder in the left sidebar
    * Select files from your computer

    **From URLs:**

    * Ask OpenBio to download from scientific sources (e.g., "Download PDB structure 1ABC")
      NOTE: the fine needs to be a openly downloadable file, if OpenBio cannot download a file you requested it will tell you so and you can download it manually and upload it to your project.

    **Supported formats:** FASTA, PDB, CSV, Excel, PDF, images, and more. See [File Management](/user-guide/features/file-management) for details.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Using OpenBio

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I ask questions effectively?">
    OpenBio is a powerful tool and your outputs depend on how you ask questions. You will learn how to ask better questions and get better results as you use it. But here are some tips to get you started:

    **Be specific and natural:** Write like you're talking to a colleague.

    Tell OpenBio what you want to do, what inputs to use, and what outputs to expect. If you want to save results in a particular folder, tell OpenBio to save them in that folder.

    **Good examples:**

    * "Find human kinase structures in PDB with resolution better than 2Å."
    * "Predict the structure of this insulin sequence and save the results in @predictions folder"
    * "Compare these two protein structures and show differences and save the results in @comparisons folder"

    **Tips:**

    * Include organism names (human, mouse, E. coli)
    * Specify parameters (resolution, confidence scores)
    * Reference uploaded files with `@filename`
    * Use follow-up questions to refine results

    **Tell OpenBio what not to do:**

    * OpenBio is smart and can sometimes make assumptions for your preferences, but you can tell it not to do.
    * Example: "Find me the sequence of protein X. Do not refer to Uniprot only refer to PDB."

    Check our [Tools Reference](/user-guide/tools/overview) for available capabilities and examples.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What tools are available?">
    OpenBio provides access to comprehensive biological tools:

    **Structure Prediction:** Boltz-2, Chai-1, SimpleFold

    **Protein Design:** ProteinMPNN, LigandMPNN, ThermoMPNN

    **Databases:** PDB, UniProt, ChEMBL, PubMed, MyGene, MyDisease

    **Molecular Chemistry:** RDKit, SA Score calculator

    **DNA Tools:** Primer design, PCR planning, cloning strategies

    NOTE: This list is ever increasing and might not be up to date. You can always ask OpenBio to list all available tools.

    **You don't need to know tool names** - just describe what you want to do!

    If you have any tools you would like us to integrate, please let us know through our [Discord](https://discord.gg/fd8QbDv9RQ) or [write to us](mailto:info@openbio.tech).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long do predictions take?">
    This depends on the tool and the complexity of the task. Some predictions can take a few minutes, some can take a few hours. You can always ask OpenBio to estimate the runtime of a task.

    **You'll see progress indicators** in the predictions tab of the research panel.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I work offline?">
    **No, OpenBio requires internet** because:

    * AI models run on our servers
    * Biological databases are queried online
    * Results are stored in the cloud

    **However**: You can also download your data and work to your computer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I organize my research?">
    **Use projects to organize your work:**

    1. **Create projects** for different research topics
    2. **Upload files** to project-specific storage
    3. **Keep notes** and todos within each project
    4. **Ask OpenBio** to organize your work for you.

    **Best practices:**

    * Use descriptive project names
    * Organize files in folders (data/, results/, figures/)
    * Take notes as you work (OpenBio does it automatically for you but you can edit and add notes on your own as well)
    * Export important results regularly

    See our [Best Practices guide](/user-guide/advanced/best-practices) for more tips.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Support & Community

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I get help?">
    **Multiple ways to get support:**

    1. **Documentation**: Check this FAQ and user guides first
    2. **Community**: Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/fd8QbDv9RQ) for peer help
    3. **Support Ticket**: Email [info@openbio.tech](mailto:info@openbio.tech)
    4. **Message us on X ([https://x.com/OpenBioAI](https://x.com/OpenBioAI))**
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I request new features?">
    **Absolutely!** We love hearing from users:

    * **Message us on X ([https://x.com/OpenBioAI](https://x.com/OpenBioAI))**
    * **Discord**: Discuss ideas with the community
    * **Email**: Direct feedback to our team

    **Popular requests become features** - your input shapes OpenBio's development.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where can I learn more?">
    **Resources for learning:**

    * **Documentation**: We have tried to make this documentation as comprehensive as possible and it should give you a good idea of how to use OpenBio.
    * **Blog**: We publish blog posts about new features and updates. Check it out [here](https://openbio.tech/blog).
    * **YouTube**: We have a YouTube channel with video tutorials and walkthroughs. Check it out [here](https://youtube.com/@openbioai?si=6hNFkgojYl0lyc6H).
    * **Community**: Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/fd8QbDv9RQ) for peer help.

    **Getting started:** Check out our [Quick Start guide](/quickstart) and [Protein Structure Prediction tutorial](/user-guide/tutorials/protein-structure-prediction).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why is OpenBio slow?">
    **Possible causes and solutions:**

    **Network issues:**

    * Check your internet connection
    * Try a different network (WiFi vs wired)
    * Disable VPN if using one

    **Browser issues:**

    * Clear cache and cookies in the browser settings
    * Update to latest browser version
    * Try incognito/private mode

    If you are still experiencing slow performance, please contact support.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did my prediction fail?">
    **Common reasons:**

    **Input issues:**

    * Invalid sequence (check amino acid codes)
    * File corrupted during upload
    * Unsupported format

    **Parameter issues:**

    * Sequence too long (>2000 residues for some models)
    * Invalid characters or formatting
    * Missing required fields

    **Rate limiting:**

    * You have made too many requests in a short period of time.

    Usually, if there is an issue with the inputs, OpenBio can troubleshoot it for you by itself.

    If you are still experiencing issues, please contact support.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I reset my workspace?">
    **If things aren't working:**

    1. **Refresh the page** (Ctrl/Cmd + R)
    2. **Hard refresh** (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + R) to clear cache
    3. **Sign out and back in** to reset session
    4. **Try different browser** or incognito mode
    5. **Clear browser data** for the site

    If you are still experiencing issues, please contact support.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still Need Help?

**Can't find the answer you're looking for?**

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Contact Support" href="mailto:info@openbio.tech">
    Email our support team for personalized help
  </Card>

  <Card title="Join Community" href="https://discord.gg/fd8QbDv9RQ">
    Get help from fellow researchers on Discord
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

**Include these details when contacting support:**

* What you were trying to do
* What happened instead
* Error messages (if any)
* Browser and operating system
* Screenshot if relevant

This will help us troubleshoot the issue faster.