How do I add notes, links and research files?
Open Add evidence and existing notes while drafting. Add up to ten sources: pasted notes, interview notes, public links, supported UTF-8 text/Markdown/CSV/JSON/YAML, or selectable-text PDF. Files are read on your device, with a preview and page, line or CSV-record locations. No linked website is fetched automatically. Scanned PDFs need a text/OCR copy; DOCX is unsupported.
Each original can be up to 2 MiB, with 4 MiB of originals per collection. Choose relevant sections or edit an excerpt within 64 KiB per source; partial extractions are labeled. While a file is being read, you can keep typing or cancel it. Failed and image-only files stay unresolved until retried or removed. Other sources and brief fields are kept. Draft downloads retain originals and unfinished source states for review after restoration.
Saving a project stores the originals and reviewed text in your account. For an idea assessment, open Evidence and use Add source files and a collection (Research in a full founder pack) to add more sources, reviewing and saving one at a time. Inspect saved extraction and Download original file preserve the exact saved revision. A project retains up to 8 MiB of original files; withdrawing a source excludes it from future assessment inputs while retaining its history and original. Source additions require a separate assessment scope review and do not start research or use an allowance.
What should I do when research needs answers?
Read the actual questions and retained provisional research in the paused assessment. Draft answers, then review their effect before saving. Saved answers become founder-supplied inputs and are not independently verified. Saving closes the paused run and releases its reservation. Research does not resume automatically; review a fresh scope when you are ready.
How do I bring validation results back?
For an idea assessment, open Next steps. Start from a suggested action or define a different test. Keep up to three active tests, with the assumption at risk, method, support and contradiction criteria, estimated effort and limitations. A saved plan does not change the assessment or start research.
Choose Record an outcome to enter what happened, its date and your positive, negative or inconclusive interpretation. Link exact saved source revisions where useful. Completion does not mean the hypothesis is supported. Your own decision is optional and can be recorded on the same Next steps page; it stays separate from the assessment recommendation. Completed observations become founder-supplied inputs requiring assessment; they are not independently verified and do not rewrite the recommendation automatically. Negative results still needing verification cannot support an unqualified go.
Earlier plans, criteria and observations remain in private research history. Editing source notes does not silently replace evidence already linked to a test. Withdrawal removes a test from future inputs while retaining history. Same-tab drafts stay with the signed-in account; download before reloading or signing out. Saving or withdrawing starts no research, spending, sharing or publication.
What may be sent to public search?
For an eligible assessment, scope review asks for a public research topic and shows the buyer and market wording. You can edit those descriptions and inspect the four queries before confirming. The query plan contains those public terms; it does not add the private brief, attachments or founder notes. The analysis provider still uses your reviewed private inputs. Confirming this scope does not publish your project. The terms stay with the run record and are included in private project and account data archives.
If a start is not confirmed, check its status or use Retry same start. The submitted terms and reference stay locked until that start is reconciled. Editing a new scope requires renewed confirmation.