How to use this page. It is long on purpose — it replaces the need to hunt across several sites. Use the
contents below, or read the first three sections and start working. Everything factual here reflects the
product as documented by Tencent; where pricing or features change, the official WorkBuddy pages are
authoritative and we say so.
Contents
## 1. What WorkBuddy is — and what it is not {#what}
**WorkBuddy is an AI agent that lives on your desktop and finishes work in your own files.** You describe an
outcome in a sentence; it plans the steps, reads the documents you point it at, and produces a finished
result — a report, a spreadsheet, a deck, a small app. Tencent describes it as a *full-scenario AI agent
desktop workstation*.
Three things follow from "desktop agent" that matter more than any feature list:
It works in local files
It does not just chat. It reads and writes files in folders you authorise, which is why it can produce a deliverable rather than a description of one.
It plans, then executes
You give a goal, not a sequence of clicks. It breaks the goal into steps and works through them — including running scripts when the task needs one.
Results are verifiable
The output is a file you can open and check. You are never asked to take a summary on trust.
What it is not. It is not a chatbot (it produces files, not replies), not a browser-based assistant, and
not a replacement for judgement. Pricing decisions, statutory filings and anything a regulator requires a
named human to sign should stay with your team — the agent prepares, a person decides.
## 2. What you need before you start {#requirements}
| | Requirement |
|---|---|
| **Operating system** | Windows 10 or later · macOS 12 or later |
| **Account** | A WorkBuddy account. Sign-up is on the international edition |
| **Network** | Internet connection — tasks run against cloud models |
| **Disk** | Enough space for the app plus the files it produces in your workspace |
| **Language** | Interface supports Simplified Chinese and English. Tasks can be run in English, Chinese or Bahasa Malaysia, though output quality varies by language — test your specific job |
## 3. Install WorkBuddy {#install}
### Windows (10 and above)
Download the installer
Get it from the official download page. Use the Windows build, not the macOS one.
Run the installer
Accept the default location unless you have a reason not to. The install is short and does not require a restart.
Sign in
Launch WorkBuddy and sign in. New accounts receive sign-in credits that are valid for a limited window, so sign in soon after registering rather than letting them lapse.
Choose your permission mode
You will be asked how much freedom to give the agent. Leave it on Default Permissions to begin with — see Privacy and permissions.
Authorise a folder
Point it at the folder holding the files you want it to work on. Narrow is better than wide.
### macOS (12 and above)
Download the macOS build
Match your chip — Apple Silicon or Intel — if the download page offers both.
Open the app
macOS may warn about an app downloaded from the internet. Open it from System Settings → Privacy & Security if the first launch is blocked.
Grant folder access
macOS controls file access per-app. When WorkBuddy asks for access to a folder, grant only that folder. Full Disk Access is not required and should not be given.
Sign in and authorise your workspace folder
Same as Windows — sign in, then point it at one folder of real work.
## 4. Your first real task {#first-task}
Do not start with a demo. Pick one job that already lives in a folder and that you would have produced
anyway.
Open the New Task Bar
This is the main entry point. You describe what you want, choose a model if you care, and attach context.
Write the outcome, not the steps
Include three things: the deliverable (what file you want), the inputs (which files), and the constraints (format, length, audience, language). "Summarise Q3 sales from the three spreadsheets in this folder into a one-page report for the board, in English" beats "look at my sales data".
Attach the source with @
Referencing files with @ is more precise than describing them, and it keeps the agent inside the right material.
Choose your permission mode
Start on Default Permissions. High-risk operations will pause for your confirmation — that pause is the feature, not an obstacle.
Press go and watch the plan
It will lay out steps before executing. If the plan is wrong, stop it and rephrase — that is cheaper than fixing the output.
Check the result, then reuse the pattern
Verify the file. If it was good, save the phrasing as a Skill so the next run is one line.
The habit that separates people who save hours from people who re-edit: frame the outcome, attach the
files, then review. Most disappointment comes from a vague first prompt, not from a weak model.
## 5. Interface tour {#interface}
### New Task Bar
The primary entry point for creating a task. It has four parts: an **input field** for your request in plain
language, a **model selector** (including an Auto option), **context tools** for attaching files, images and
references, and a **mode selector** to switch between work modes. Everything starts here.
### Conversation view
The running record of a task — what it did, which tools it called, what it produced. When something looks
wrong, this is where you find out why, because the steps are visible rather than hidden behind an answer.
### Results
Where finished output appears. This is the part that makes WorkBuddy different from a chat tool: there is a
**file** at the end, not a paragraph describing a file.
### Sidebar
Your navigation hub and task history:
- **Task List** — all your tasks, organised by workspace and recency
- **Workspaces** — project-based grouping of tasks and files **← use this for client or department separation**
- **Archived Tasks** — completed work kept for reference
- **Pinned Tasks** — important tasks held at the top
### Task management
Tasks can be archived once done, which keeps the active list short. Archived tasks stay retrievable, so
archiving is housekeeping rather than deletion.
## 6. Feature reference {#features}
Every user-facing feature, what it does, and when it earns its place.
### New Task Bar
See above. Use `@` to reference files, and set the mode deliberately rather than leaving it to chance.
### Assistant — remote control from your phone
Assistant turns your phone's messaging app into a remote control for WorkBuddy on your computer. Send a
message from your phone; the desktop agent picks it up and does the work. Supported platforms include
**Slack, Telegram, Discord, WeChat Work, Feishu, DingTalk, QQ, YuanbaoPai** and the WeChat AssistantBot.
*When it matters in Malaysia:* if you are out at a client site and the report is due, this is the feature
that saves the day. Telegram and WhatsApp-adjacent flows are the ones local teams actually adopt.
### Expert Center
A library of **specialised AI experts**, each with domain-specific knowledge and tailored prompting. Browse
by category or search, read a profile, then summon the expert to work in that persona.
*Use it when* the task needs a particular professional lens — finance review, HR correspondence, legal-adjacent
drafting — rather than a general assistant.
### Skill Marketplace
Install **community-created and official skills** that extend what the agent can do — web search, file
processing, API integrations and more. Browse by category or search, read the description, install.
*Use it when* you find yourself giving the same instructions repeatedly. A skill makes that repeatable.
### Connectors
Connectors integrate WorkBuddy with external services so it can read and write them **during** a task.
Documented connectors include development services such as **GitHub and GitLab** — useful for code review,
pull-request and issue work.
*Use it when* the task spans your machine and a system of record.
### MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP is an open standard for connecting the agent to external tools. Add a server via **Settings → MCP →
Add MCP Server**, entering the URL and authentication details; OAuth-based servers are supported.
*Use it when* you have an internal system with an MCP server, or want a tool the marketplace does not cover.
### Automation
Repeatable tasks can be set to run on their own schedule rather than being started by hand.
*Use it when* something happens on a cadence — a weekly report, a daily digest. This is where the tool stops
saving minutes and starts saving hours.
### Model configuration
WorkBuddy ships with a range of **built-in models** spanning reasoning, multimodal and image work. **Auto
Mode** picks the most suitable model per task. Custom models can be added through a **visual interface** — no
config files to hand-edit.
*Practical note:* model choice affects both quality and credit cost, so Auto is a sensible default until you
have a reason to pin a model.
### Memory
Memory lets WorkBuddy remember your preferences so it needs less explaining over time. **Conversation memory
is on by default** — it extracts relevant context from your conversations to make later sessions more
coherent. Memory is visible only to you and follows the WorkBuddy privacy policy.
*You can manage and clear it.* If you work with personal data under PDPA, decide your policy on memory
deliberately rather than by default — see [Privacy and PDPA](#privacy).
### Data management
Found at **Avatar → Settings → Data Management**. It manages two things:
- **Shared Files** — anything you have shared appears here. From this list you can copy the share link,
download the file, or **cancel sharing**, which removes it from the list and makes the link inaccessible.
- **Archived Tasks** — tasks you have archived from the task list.
*Use it when* you have finished with a shareable output and want the link dead. This is your off-switch, and
it is worth knowing before you share anything sensitive.
### Explore
A gallery of **community-created WorkBuddy recipes**. Find one that fits, choose **Make My Version**, and the
system configures the prompt, skill and expert settings for you.
*Use it when* you do not know what the tool can do. It is the fastest way to see realistic uses.
### System settings
Found at **Avatar → Settings → System Settings**. You can set **language** (Simplified Chinese or English),
**font size**, and **display mode**. **Compact mode** simplifies the chat interface — decorative elements are
hidden and tool-call details are collapsed.
*Use compact mode* when you want output rather than narration on screen.
### Permission Modes
WorkBuddy can read and write files, organise folders, generate documents, and run scripts or external
programs. Two modes balance speed against safety: **Default Permissions** and **Full Access**. For everyday
work Tencent recommends Default Permissions — the agent works freely inside your workspace, but
**high-risk operations stop for your confirmation first**.
*Our recommendation: stay on Default until you have a specific reason not to.* See [Privacy and
PDPA](#privacy).
### Efficient tips
The habits that make the biggest difference, from Tencent's own guidance:
1. **Be specific.** State format, style and audience — specificity is the single biggest factor in output quality.
2. **Use `@` references.** Attach the exact files rather than describing them.
3. **Run tasks in parallel.** Do not wait for one to finish before starting the next.
4. **Learn the modes.** Choosing the right permission mode up front avoids interruptions.
5. **Save what works as a Skill**, so a one-off success becomes a repeatable one.
### Feedback
Send problems and suggestions from inside the app. For account or billing issues the official address is
**workbuddy_ai@tencent.com**.
## 7. Connect your tools {#integrations}
### Messaging platforms (via Assistant)
Nine platforms are documented: **Telegram · Discord · Slack · WeChat Work (WeCom) · Feishu · DingTalk · QQ ·
YuanbaoPai · WeChat AssistantBot.** Each has its own setup guide on the official docs. Setup generally means
linking the account and authorising the bot.
**Which ones matter in Malaysia:** Telegram and Discord are the practical favourites for teams here. WeChat
Work matters if you deal with China-side colleagues or clients. The China-mainland platforms (Feishu,
DingTalk, QQ, YuanbaoPai) are documented but rarely the right choice for a Malaysian-only team.
### Development and data connectors
**GitHub** and **GitLab** are documented, covering code review, pull requests, issues and CI/CD work.
### MCP
For anything else, MCP is the extension route — see the feature reference above.
## 8. Practice cases {#cases}
Realistic jobs, each of which needs no integration and can start this week.
File recognition and cleanup
Point it at a folder of mixed documents and have it extract named fields into one structured sheet. This is the classic case where rules-based tools fail — real supplier invoices do not share a layout.
Document generation
Brief → formatted document. Meeting notes into a client-ready proposal is the most immediately useful version for a Malaysian sales team.
Data analysis and charts
Give it the raw numbers and the question, and get the analysis with a chart rather than a wall of figures.
Daily briefing
Have it assemble a morning digest on a schedule, so the information comes to you.
Google Calendar and Drive
Working across tools without manually moving files between them.
Social media operations
Producing a steady stream of posts without a person writing each one from scratch.
A local app from a prompt
Small internal tools — a form, a tracker — built without a developer.
Working with CodeBuddy
WorkBuddy and CodeBuddy are siblings from the same Tencent Cloud team. WorkBuddy handles general office work; CodeBuddy is the coding specialist. Teams that build software use both.
## 9. What it costs {#cost}
**All prices below are set by Tencent in US dollars and may change. Confirm on the official pricing page
before you buy.**
| Plan | Price | Credits per month |
|---|---|---|
| **Free** | $0 | 100 |
| **Pro (monthly)** | $10.00 / month — **$7 for the first month** for new users who have never subscribed | 2,000 (1,000 base + 1,000 bonus) |
| **Pro (annual)** | $96.00 / year (about $8.00 / month, billed annually) | 2,000 per month |
**New-user credits** are issued on registration and are **valid for a limited window** — sign in promptly so they do not lapse.
### How credits actually work
Credits are the single unit of consumption. Three things drive how fast you spend them:
Which model
Premium models cost more per interaction. Auto Mode picks for you, which is usually the cheaper habit.
Task complexity
A simple question costs far less than generating code or refactoring whole files. Ambiguous tasks re-run, and re-runs cost credits.
Conversation length
Longer conversations consume more. Starting a fresh task for a genuinely new job is often cheaper than continuing a long thread.
**The rules that catch people out:**
- **Credits do not carry over.** Base and bonus credits are issued monthly and are valid for the current
month. Budget them; do not bank them.
- **Spending order is earliest-expiry first** — plan quota, then top-up packs. Where expiry dates tie, base
credits are consumed before bonus credits.
- **After you subscribe to Pro, the Free tier's 100 credits are no longer granted separately.**
### Billing, invoices and receipts for a Malaysian company
- **Payment methods:** credit card, debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), WeChat Pay and prepaid
cards in eligible regions.
- **Only one plan can be active at a time.** Manage payment methods under **Profile → Payment Methods**.
- **Invoices** for the Pro plan are issued **mid-month of the following month**, with a possible 1–3 business
day delay. Find them under **Profile → Billing & Invoice**.
- **Invoice corrections:** email **workbuddy_ai@tencent.com**.
- **Checking usage:** **Profile → Usage** shows your current subscription and consumption history. Team members
also see team-allocated quota there.
For Malaysian accounting. You are buying from an overseas supplier, so this is a foreign-currency
purchase — expect it on your card in USD with a conversion. If your finance team needs a tax invoice in
ringgit, that is a conversation to have with BigDomain before you standardise on the international edition,
because the official portal issues its own documentation, not a Malaysian tax invoice. We can advise on
invoicing in ringgit for teams — talk to us.
## 10. Privacy, permissions and PDPA {#privacy}
This is the part Malaysian businesses should read before they roll it out, not after.
### The permission modes and what they mean for your data
| Mode | What the agent may do | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| **Default Permissions** | Works freely inside your workspace; **high-risk operations stop for confirmation** | Everyday work. Our recommendation, and Tencent's |
| **Full Access** | Fewer interruptions | Only once you know the workflow and accept the risk |
### Narrow the folder, narrow the exposure
The single most effective data control is not a setting — it is the **folder you authorise**. Point the agent
at one job's files rather than your whole drive. If it cannot reach a file, it cannot leak it.
### What to decide deliberately
Decide your Memory policy
Conversation memory is on by default. If staff will run tasks containing personal data, decide whether that is acceptable or whether memory should be managed per person.
Write a one-page staff rule
What may never be pasted into an AI tool, which folders are in scope, and who signs off on an output that leaves the company. Without this, a cautious team does nothing and a careless one creates an incident.
Know your PDPA position
WorkBuddy processes data on Tencent's infrastructure outside Malaysia. Whether that is lawful for you depends on the data and your obligations under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 — read our Malaysia data and PDPA guide before pointing it at customer records.
Know how to kill a share link
Data Management → Shared Files → cancel sharing. Test this once so you know it works before you need it.
## 11. Troubleshooting {#troubleshooting}
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| **Nothing happens when I press go** | Check you are signed in and online. A task that needs the network will stall silently if the connection drops. |
| **It stopped and is asking me something** | That is Default Permissions doing its job — a high-risk step is waiting for your confirmation. Read the request, then approve or rephrase the task. |
| **The output is not what I wanted** | Almost always the prompt. Add the format, the audience and the exact deliverable. Re-running a vague task also costs credits, so fix the wording first. |
| **It cannot find my files** | The folder is not authorised, or the files are outside the workspace. Check the folder scope before blaming the search. |
| **Credits vanished faster than expected** | Check Profile → Usage. The usual causes are a premium model, a long conversation, or repeated re-runs of an ambiguous task. |
| **I need a Malaysian tax invoice** | The official portal issues its own invoices, not Malaysian tax invoices. [Contact BigDomain](/contact/) if you need ringgit invoicing. |
| **Account, billing or payment problem** | **workbuddy_ai@tencent.com** |
| **The interface language is wrong** | Avatar → Settings → System Settings → Language. English and Simplified Chinese are supported. |
## 12. Frequently asked questions {#faq}
What exactly is WorkBuddy?
An AI agent that runs on your desktop, plans and executes tasks, and operates on local files to produce finished deliverables rather than replies. Tencent calls it a full-scenario AI agent desktop workstation.
How is it different from ChatGPT or Claude?
Those are conversational assistants — you get an answer and then do the work. WorkBuddy acts on your files and produces the artefact. The practical test: can it hand you a file you can open without you copying anything? If yes, it is an agent.
Which operating systems are supported?
Windows 10 and later, and macOS 12 and later. There is also a web app.
Is there a free plan, and what does it include?
Yes — 100 credits a month at no cost, with no card required. That is enough to run real jobs and judge the output before paying.
How much is Pro?
$10.00 per month, or $96.00 per year (about $8.00 a month billed annually). New users who have never subscribed can get their first month for $7.
Do credits roll over to the next month?
No. Base and bonus credits are issued monthly and are valid for the current month. Treat them as a monthly budget.
What happens if I run out?
You are notified before you hit the limit, and you choose whether to top up or upgrade. Consumption is charged earliest-expiry first, and after subscribing to Pro the Free tier's 100 credits are no longer granted separately.
Can I control it from my phone?
Yes — Assistant lets you drive the desktop agent from Slack, Telegram, Discord, WeChat Work, Feishu, DingTalk, QQ, YuanbaoPai or the WeChat AssistantBot.
Does it work in Bahasa Malaysia?
It will process Malay-language tasks, but model quality varies by language. Test your specific job before committing a team to it. Our own guide pages are available in Bahasa Malaysia as well as English and Chinese.
Can it read all my files?
Only folders you authorise. On macOS additionally, the operating system controls folder access per app — grant one folder, not Full Disk Access.
Is my data safe under PDPA?
That depends on the data and your obligations, not on the tool alone. WorkBuddy processes data on Tencent's infrastructure outside Malaysia. Read the Malaysia data and PDPA guide and decide before you process customer records.
What is the difference between Connectors and MCP?
Connectors are ready-made integrations with named services such as GitHub and GitLab. MCP is the open standard for connecting anything else, including your own internal systems.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. MCP setup and the Skill Marketplace are there for people who want to go further, but the everyday workflow is describing a job and checking the result.
Where do I get support?
In-app feedback for product issues. workbuddy_ai@tencent.com for account, billing and payment. For Malaysian onboarding, training or ringgit invoicing, contact BigDomain.
## Next step
Read enough. The free plan costs nothing and one real job is a better test than any guide, including this one.
**[Download WorkBuddy free and run your first task →](https://wapp.my/r/workbuddy-cm)**
Related: [10-minute setup](/getting-started/) · [what it costs](/pricing/) · [free credits explained](/free-credits/) · [is it available in Malaysia?](/malaysia/) · [watch it working](/workbuddy-videos/) · [data and PDPA](/malaysia/data-compliance/)
