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Powers

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Sources

Docs: Ponder Primer, Panes, Perceptions, and Policies. 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.

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Built-in Powers for building Parables

Every Workspace includes these thirteen Powers. 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. Start with Parables for a new application, then add the piece guidance that matches the work. The shared method begins with the people and their Page/Pane interactions, makes configuration explicit, and works out contracts before SQL. It also covers workflows such as constructing context from ontology objects, categorizing that context, and editing the configuration used for categorization. The intended design represents each application control through a Pane, reusing coherent pieces instead of fragmenting every visual element. The Powers explain where this is a design discipline rather than an enforced rendering rule. They ask Ponder to inspect the current contracts and exercise actual boundaries. With Automatic, Ponder can search Power titles and descriptions, then read 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. The built-in Design Basics and Design Transitions bundles and their provisioning hooks have been removed. New Workspaces do not receive them, and unedited built-in copies no longer appear in the catalog or apply to new responses. Workspace-edited copies and completed response history remain available. See Design and Preview.

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Select Powers for a response

1. Open Powers in the Ponder composer.
2. Search by title, portable handle, or description.
3. Select each Power that should apply to the next response.
4. Write your message and send it normally.

You can select more than one Power when their instructions are compatible. Each row in the list carries a checkbox on the left that shows whether the Power is selected; choosing the row toggles it, and the Edit pencil appears when the row is hovered. The closed control reads Powers: Automatic until a Power is chosen, then keeps selected Power titles visible without category prefixes; portable handles appear in Power settings, not picker rows. Deselect a Power when it should not apply to the next response. A change to the selection affects future work only; it does not rewrite a completed message. If a selected Power is deleted before you send, Ponder declines that message with Power not found, drops the missing Power from the composer, and names it in a notice. Send again to continue without it.

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Know when to use a Power

Use a Power when the same method should be discoverable and repeatable across a Workspace.

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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.

Write the Power for someone who does not know why it was created. State the desired outcome, important boundaries, and any evidence or format that matters. Avoid credentials, customer data, private links, provider-specific secrets, or instructions that depend on an employee-only tool.

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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. Ponder checks the available context and actions independently of the selected Powers. If a Power asks for something unavailable, Ponder should explain the boundary or ask for an authorized alternative.

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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.

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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.

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Reference

The Workspace API keeps the portable Agent Skill name for Powers:

• List Agent Skills
• Create an Agent Skill
• Read an Agent Skill
• Update an Agent Skill