Research in Synaplan Desktop

Research is a run that writes a report with sources you can check. You choose how thorough it should be. You do not choose a model for it.

Research stays hidden until an administrator turns it on. See Administration. The web app has its own path: Using Synaplan. A full answer after a web search, and writing a named file without a skill, are separate and already described on Synaplan Desktop.

Start#

In a new project the empty chat offers Research a question — "A sourced report, saved in this project." In a chat that already has messages, turn on the Research chip next to Web.

The composer asks "What should be researched?" You pick a depth and the sources:

• Web
• Files in this project

Start research stays off until there is a question and at least one source. The line under the button says why ("Write the question first." or "Turn on the web or use files in this project."). If the server does not offer research, the chip is absent. There is no greyed-out button.

How thorough#

The minutes are the limits on the Research tab. An administrator can change them.

Only one Thorough research runs at a time. A second one says "A thorough research is already running."

The plan#

The plan card is titled Research plan and starts with "These are the points that will be covered."

On Standard the same card has Stop. You do not confirm it first.

On Thorough each point has Remove, and you can Add a point. The card names the sources ("the web and 12 files in this project") and the estimate. It also says what will and will not happen: nothing is emailed, saved or changed anywhere else; the models of this project read your question and the sources they find. Cancel drops the plan. Start research begins the run.

If web search for this project goes through a service hosted in another country, that line is on the card ("Web search goes through {provider}, hosted in {country}."). A project whose world matches the service shows nothing there. In strict mode the web source is off instead: "the web — not available in this project's world."

A plan that nobody confirms within a day stops: "Stopped because the plan was not confirmed within a day. Start it again when you are ready." A question you skip does not stop the run. Skip — use your best judgement continues.

While it runs#

The progress card ticks the points off and counts sources, for example "18 found · 9 read · 2 could not be opened." It names the page being read. Search wording stays under Details.

• Stop — "Stopped. No new work was started after you pressed Stop; a step that was already underway may still count. What was found so far is kept."
• Write now — stops looking and writes the report from what was already found.

You can close the window. The card says: "You can close this window. The research keeps going." The app stays in the tray. The tray tooltip names the run ("Research running: 3 of 6 points"). When the report is ready, a notification names it. Clicking the notification opens the thread.

If the next step waits for a free worker, the card says "Waiting for a free worker. You can close this window." The research is in line. It is not stuck. If your computer is offline, the card says "Waiting for the connection. The research continues on your Synaplan workspace." and attaches again by itself.

The report#

The result card has the title, a short summary, and one fact-check sentence, for example "21 of 22 statements are backed by a source. 1 was removed because no source confirmed it." Show what was removed jumps to Not confirmed.

Open report opens the report beside the chat. A number such as [2] opens that source: the title, where it came from, the sentence it supports, and the quote. Open page opens a web source. Open file opens a file that came from this computer, at the path the project remembered. Copy quote copies the quote.

The report file is saved in the project. The card names it, for example "Saved in this project: out/heat-pump-subsidies.md · Show in folder." The next day the thread is in the list with a Report marker, the file is on the Out board, and it is in the project folder.

More → Delete report — "The report file is deleted from this project and from your Synaplan workspace. The chat stays."

Under the report you can Ask about this report. A short question is answered from the same sources when they already cover it, and the answer says so when new sources were needed. Add to report is offered for that kind of question. Go deeper continues a Standard report: "This continues for about 12 more minutes and reads up to 25 more sources," with the estimated cost. Items under Not confirmed become new points, and the result is the next version of the same report. Check for newer sources reads sources that are older than the time the report covered, and says what changed. A revise, a deeper look, or a refresh replaces the report. A question does not.

You cannot ask a follow-up while the run is still going. The reply is "Wait until this research finishes. Then you can ask a follow-up."

In the report, Change this section (for example Shorter) makes the next version, with Show changes and Restore version 1. If you restore an earlier version after a Word file was made, the card says which version the Word file came from and asks whether to make it again.

Turn a report into a document#

On the result card:

These files stay on this computer. The report they were made from is also kept on your Synaplan workspace until you delete the report.

Add a folder#

Files → Add a folder sends a folder from this computer into the project so research can read it. The dialog shows the path the way your system writes it, the count ("23 files: 18 PDF, 4 Word, 1 Excel · 41 MB"), and this sentence: "These files will be sent to your Synaplan workspace so they can be read." You can include sub-folders. Videos and archives are skipped.

Each file moves Sent → Reading → Ready. A file with no text says "Could not read any text from this file." A file is not marked Ready without text.

Then, in Research, you can untick the web and ask only about those files. A source chip can open the original file on this computer.

Remove from this project — "The assistant can no longer read this file. The file on your computer stays."

This is not the skill allowlist on This computer. That list decides what a skill may read. Adding a folder for research copies the files into the project.

If the workspace cannot search its files yet, the source line says "this project's files — the workspace has no index model yet" and stays off. An administrator gets a link to fix that.

Research models#

Models → Research models shows three jobs. "These stay inside the models this project already uses."

Customize lets you pick other chat models this project may use. Reset to recommended puts the suggestion back.

If a model for one of these jobs is not available, the run stops: "The {role} model of this project is not available. Nothing was charged."

What stays where#

Closing the window does not stop research. Disconnecting the computer from the network does not stop a run that has already started on the workspace.

When it cannot finish#

A finished report says "Done: {statements} statements, {supported} backed by a source." A report with gaps says they are listed under Not confirmed.

Cost#

Thorough shows an estimated cost before you start. The result card shows how long it took. Models that run on your own hardware are priced at 0. A run that would pass your monthly AI budget stops and keeps what it found. The cost line shows what was spent. A step that had already started when you pressed Stop may still count.

Read next#

• Synaplan Desktop — pairing, and the chat behaviour that is already in the app.
• This computer — the skill allowlist, the out-box, and adding a folder.
• AI providers and models — who fills the research team.
• Using Synaplan — research in the web chat.
• Administration — turning research on, and the limits.