Powers
Sources
Docs: Ponder Primer, Panes, Perceptions, Policies, Personas, and Pets. Web App: Open Powers below the Ponder input, beneath the Persona control. A Power is a reusable set of instructions for a particular kind of work. Select one when you want Ponder to follow a known method—such as preparing an executive brief, reviewing a data-quality issue, or writing in a house style—without changing the Problem’s overall Persona. Parable stores each Power using the portable Agent Skill contract. The product name is Power; the lowercase handle and Markdown instructions remain portable when that contract is exported or used by an AI runtime. The portable contract also allows reference files—recipes, checklists, examples—beside a Power’s instructions. Ponder sees their paths and reads or searches them only when the work calls for it, so a large reference set never crowds the request. Existing reference files remain attached to their Power; new Workspace Powers created in the editor contain instructions only.Built-in Powers
Every Workspace includes these twenty Powers. Each built-in Power is the maintained source of truth for its area of Parable: what the area is, why it exists, how it works, the rules and permissions that matter, the common jobs to do with Ponder, and how to check the result. Anyone with Ponder access in that Workspace can discover and select them in the Powers dropdown; selecting one does not grant editing or data access.
Each built-in Power ends with the related Powers to read next. With
Automatic, Ponder searches Power titles and descriptions, then reads only
the instructions it needs. Selecting a Power explicitly applies it to your next
response. The complete catalog of instructions is not added to every response;
reference files are also read only when needed.
Parable updates an unedited built-in Power in place when its guidance changes.
When a Workspace edits a built-in Power, that Workspace keeps its edited copy,
and later platform updates do not overwrite it.
A built-in Power that is not in this list is retired. An unedited copy does not
appear in the catalog, cannot be selected, and does not apply to new responses.
A Workspace-edited copy stays available as that Workspace’s own Power, and
completed response history keeps the instructions it used.
Select Powers for a response
- Open Powers in the Ponder composer.
- Search by title, portable handle, or description.
- Select each Power that should apply to the next response.
- Write your message and send it normally.
Tools
A Power is the only way a Parable tool reaches Ponder. Every generated tool (one Parable operation) starts in one built-in Power, and Ponder can use it while at least one of the Workspace’s Powers uses it, whether or not anyone selected that Power for the message. Image and video generation are not Parable tools: a Persona’s native configuration turns them on, and Powers do not list them. Edit a Power and open Tools to see what it brings. Used lists its tools and Not Used lists the rest, each grouped by area (the built-in Power a tool starts in) with a count per area. Used areas start open and Not Used areas closed; one search filters both and opens every area with a match. Hover a row to Remove a tool or Add it. Changes save with the Power. Each row shows what Ponder does before calling the tool:
The badge shows the Workspace default, or the operation’s own default when the
Workspace has none. It cannot be changed here yet; a Power
does not set policy. Choosing
Remember… on an Ask request sets the Workspace default.
List Powers and Read a Power are Required: Ponder always has them so
it can find and read Powers, and they cannot be removed from the Personas Power.
Elsewhere they show as Always on.
A built-in Power keeps the tools the platform gives it, with your additions and
removals on top, so a tool a later release adds to a built-in Power arrives
unless you removed it. A Power you create starts with no tools.
Know when to use a Power
Use a Power when the same method should be discoverable and repeatable across a Workspace.Create a clear Power
Workspace managers can enter a search and choose Create Power, or edit an existing Power from its picker row. Built-in guidance does not replace your Workspace-authored Powers or discard your edits. Give each Power:- a short title people can recognize in search;
- a description that says what it does and when to select it;
- a stable lowercase handle using letters, numbers, and hyphens; and
- focused Markdown instructions that change the quality or consistency of the work.
Powers do not grant authority
A Power can guide what Ponder tries to do. It cannot expand the current person’s Workspace access, reveal protected context, make a restricted action available, or waive an approval. Which tools Ponder has depends on the Workspace’s Powers, not on which ones are selected, and each call is still checked against the current person’s access. If a Power asks for something unavailable, Ponder should explain the boundary or ask for an authorized alternative.Changes are safe for existing history
Editing a Power changes later responses that select it. Existing messages keep the instructions that applied when they were created, so a later edit does not silently change the meaning of prior work. Before making a large change to a widely used Power, update its description and test it in a low-risk Problem. Create a separate Power when the new method has a different purpose or audience.Related guides
- Ponder Primer for selecting Powers in the composer.
- Personas for the reusable approach assigned to a Problem.
- Ponder Primer for context, approvals, and durable history.