Ask is the feature that makes years of journals answer back. You ask in plain language; SandDune reads the relevant pages and writes an answer — citing each page it drew from, so you can always check the receipts.
Steps
- In the dashboard search bar, type a question — for example:
- "What did I write about the move to Cebu?"
- "What was I worried about in March?"
- "What advice did I give myself after quitting the job?"
- Tap the Ask button that appears.
- Watch the progress timeline — it tells you what's actually happening (planning, gathering your pages, writing), with real counts and date ranges.
- Read the streamed answer. The citations in it are links — tap one to open the exact page in the viewer.
Each question uses one Ask from your monthly allowance (see Usage limits).
Getting better answers
- Name the timeframe when you can: "in March 2026", "last December". Ask understands dates and will fetch the right window of pages.
- Ask inside a notebook to scope the answer: open the notebook first, and Ask will only read that notebook's pages.
- Ask answers only from your notes. If your pages don't contain the answer, it should tell you so rather than invent one.
After the answer settles
- Rate it — a quick 👍/👎 under the answer helps us measure quality.
- Save as Timeline — if it's a question worth re-asking over time, one tap turns it into a Timeline at no extra cost.
- Clear — returns you to your normal notes view.
One question, one answer
Ask is deliberately not a chat. Each question is a complete, self-contained exchange — there's no follow-up thread, and the answer won't ask you questions back. To dig deeper, ask a new, more specific question.
Next: organize with Notebooks.