# Show or hide features

*Turn PromptMason's optional features on or off, so the app shows only what you use.*

Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/features

PromptMason has optional features you can show or hide, such as Tags, Variables and Chat. Hiding a feature only changes what you see. It doesn't delete anything, it doesn't change what your prompts produce, and it doesn't change what connected apps such as an AI agent can do. Turn a feature back on and everything is where you left it.

These are always on, with no switch: Blocks, Build, Prompts, Explorer, folders, Archive, each screen's search, copying to the clipboard, and Settings.

## The first-run choice

The first time you open PromptMason, it asks **How would you like to start?**

- **Start simple** turns every optional feature off except **Chat**. **Web tabs** stays off. Because Home is off too, PromptMason opens on the **Prompts** screen.
- **Show me everything** turns every feature on.

Closing the question without choosing counts as **Start simple**. Either way, you can change any feature later.

## Turn features on or off

1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**.

    ![The Features pane in Settings with a switch for each feature, such as Home dashboard, Tags and Variables, and a Simple or Everything choice at the top.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/features-settings-pane.webp)

2. Click the switch next to a feature.

The change takes effect at once.

To set every switch in one click, use the row **Simple or everything** at the top:

- **Simple** turns every feature off except **Chat**. **Web tabs** stays off.
- **Everything** turns every feature on.
- **Custom** appears, highlighted, when your switches match neither. You can't click it; it only tells you that you've picked your own mix.

    ![The Simple or everything row with Custom highlighted after one switch was turned off.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/features-custom-state-row.webp)

Clicking **Simple** or **Everything** changes every switch straight away, without asking.

## What each feature shows

| Feature | What it shows | When it's off |
|---|---|---|
| **Home dashboard** | The **Home** screen: a search across everything you've saved, and widgets you arrange. See [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home). | Home leaves the sidebar, and PromptMason opens on **Prompts**. **Go to Home** (Ctrl+8) does nothing. |
| **Favorites & ratings** | A heart to mark favorites and one to five stars on blocks, prompts and documents, the **Favorites & Rating** filter in the sidebar, and sorting by them. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). | Hearts, stars and the sidebar filter are hidden, and any favorites or rating filter is cleared. The Chrome extension hides them too. |
| **Tags** | Tags on blocks, prompts and documents, and the **Tags** list in the sidebar to filter by them. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). | Tags are hidden and any tag filter is cleared. Your tags are kept. |
| **Variables** | The **Variables** screen, and name suggestions when you type `{{` in an editor. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). | The Variables screen leaves the sidebar. Variables you already use are still filled in when you copy. |
| **Comments** | A **Comments** panel on the Blocks, Prompts and Build screens for notes about the selected item. See [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments). | The panel is hidden. Your comments are kept. |
| **Version history** | **History** buttons to see and restore earlier versions, and how many versions each item has. See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). | History buttons and version counts are hidden. |
| **Expected output** | An **Expected Output** section to keep the results an AI tool gave. See [Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output). | The section is hidden. |
| **Markdown editor** | The **Markdown** tab on Build, to write and edit Markdown documents such as Skills. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). | You can't write or edit documents. Saved documents can still be read, copied and downloaded. |
| **AI assist** | The **AI assist** button that rewrites blocks, static prompts and documents while you edit them, and **Evaluate**, which grades them or checks them for private details. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). | Both buttons are hidden, and Ctrl+Shift+A does nothing. Chat still works. |
| **Chat** | **Chat & Browse** in the sidebar: a screen where you run your prompts and read the results. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). | Chat & Browse leaves the sidebar, and web tabs are off too. |
| **Web tabs** | Websites such as Claude or ChatGPT in tabs on the Chat screen. See [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs). | No web tabs. |

When a feature is off, its keyboard shortcuts are also left out of **Settings → General → Keyboard shortcuts**.

## Options that come with a feature

Some features have an extra setting on the Features pane. It shows only while its feature is on.

- **Web tabs** sits under **Chat**. If you turn Chat off, web tabs are off too; when you turn Chat back on, Web tabs goes back to how you had it.
- **Home grid size**, under **Home dashboard**: the number of **Columns** (2 to 5) and **Rows** (2 to 12) on Home. It starts at 3 columns and 4 rows. More rows scroll the page. If the widgets you have won't fit the size you pick, PromptMason says which widgets to remove from Home first, and keeps the size you had.
- **Expand comments by default**, under **Comments**: opens the comments panel without a click. It's off to start with.
- **Set up AI assist**, under **AI assist**: a link that shows when AI assist is on but no AI is set up yet. It opens **Settings → AI & connected apps** at the local model. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup).

## Finding a setting for a hidden feature

If you search Settings for something that belongs to a feature that's off, the result says "· feature is off". Click it, and PromptMason takes you to that feature's switch, with a note such as "Turn on Comments to use this." The note goes away once the feature is on.

![The Comments switch in Features with the note Turn on Comments to use this.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/features-turn-on-comments-note.webp)

## Want a hand?

Paste this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant, together with this guide, to be walked through it step by step:

> PromptMason shows more than I need. Help me decide which features to turn off under “Features” in Settings, and tell me what each one hides.