Asking your first question: how to get a good answer
The most common reason Silex disappoints is the way the question is written. How to formulate a question that gets a usable legal answer.
Silex is not a keyword search engine. The single most common reason a user finds the answers disappointing is that the question was typed as a string of keywords rather than written as a question. Reformulating usually fixes it immediately.
What is the most frequent mistake?
Typing something like "Lease termination in Vaud" instead of asking the actual question. Silex is built to reason on a legal problem stated in natural language: give it the problem, not a search string.
What does a good question look like?
A good prompt generally carries four things: the factual context, the relevant parameters (canton, date, type of party, amounts), the precise question you want answered, and — if it matters to you — the output format you expect. For example, rather than "Time limit for wrongful dismissal claims": "An employee on a permanent contract was dismissed on 15 March. She considers the dismissal abusive under art. 336 CO. What is the time limit for her to object and then to bring an action, and what formal requirements apply to the objection?"
How much context should I give?
As much as is relevant. Silex handles long, detailed statements of fact well — a paragraph describing the situation produces a far better answer than a single line. Where a canton matters, state it in the question and also select it in the canton filter; the filter is what actually triggers cantonal sources.
What are the cards on the home screen?
Before you type anything, the home screen shows a row of suggestion cards, each a one-click shortcut into a way of using Silex. One opens the Toolkit and its AI agents. One loads an example legal question, switches the speed to Smart and turns on web search, so you can see Silex working with its most powerful settings. One switches the chat to Drafting mode and pre-fills a drafting prompt for you to complete. The pre-filled text is fully editable before you send it.
Can I edit a question I have already sent?
Yes. You can modify a question you have sent and relaunch it — useful when you realise a piece of context was missing, or when you forgot to set the canton filter.
What are the follow-up suggestions at the end of an answer?
At the end of each answer, Silex proposes complementary questions. They are a good starting point for going deeper or iterating on the answer you just obtained, and they often surface an angle you had not considered.
The answer is not what I expected. What should I do first?
Before concluding that the result is weak, check three things: were you in the right mode, was the canton filter set, and was your question written as a question rather than as keywords. In practice most disappointing results come from one of those three.