# PromptMason documentation Every PromptMason guide in one file. The online version is at https://promptmason.ai/docs ## Contents - Get started - Your first prompt - Install, update and remove - A tour of PromptMason - Show or hide features - Blocks, prompts and documents - Create and edit blocks - Build a prompt - Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents - Library blocks and embedded blocks - Copy and use a prompt - Variables - Formatting, block headers and hidden notes - Markdown documents and Skills - Edit a prompt as code - Add a block pack - Version history - Comments - Expected output - Find and organize - The Home screen - Find anything - Explorer - Folders, moving and copying - Tags, favorites and ratings - Archive, delete and restore - AI in PromptMason - Set up AI: the local model or your own key - Free, private AI on your PC: the local model - Improve text with AI assist - Evaluate a block, prompt or document - Run prompts in Chat - Chat and context - Web tabs - Customize the AI instructions - What AI features send, and where - MCP and connected apps - PromptMason's built-in MCP server - Connect an AI agent through MCP - Control what connected apps can do - MCP tools: what an AI agent can do - The Chrome extension - Troubleshooting MCP connections - Libraries, sync and backups - Personal and team libraries - Backups - Use your library on a second PC - Team libraries - Approve a PC - Remove a person or a PC - The primary owner - Sync problems - Notifications - Privacy, security and recovery - Privacy in PromptMason - How your data is protected on this PC - Lock PromptMason with a password - Your recovery kit - Lost or stolen PC or kit - How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe - Settings, plans and data - Plans and limits - Your trial and license key - When your library is paused - Export and import - Settings reference - Keyboard shortcuts - Block types, prompt types and defaults - Troubleshooting and reference - Troubleshooting - Glossary - Get help ## Get started ### Get started *Install PromptMason, set it up, and make and copy your first prompt.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-started This section is for anyone who has just downloaded PromptMason. It covers installing the app, choosing how much of it to show, and making your first prompt from a reusable block. A few ideas come up everywhere in the guides: - **Block:** a reusable piece of prompt text, such as "Act as a careful editor". - **Prompt:** the text you paste into an AI tool. A dynamic prompt is built from blocks and changes when they change. A static prompt is fixed text. - **Library:** where your blocks and prompts are kept, on your PC. - **Features:** optional parts of the app, such as Tags or Chat, that you can show or hide. Hiding a feature doesn't delete anything. Start with [Your first prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/getting-started). It takes you from the installer to a copied prompt, with a link to more detail at each step. For what Windows may ask when you install, and how to update or remove the app, see [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation). If the window looks busy, [A tour of PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-tour) explains what each screen is for, and you can hide the parts you don't use (see [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features)). #### 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: > I'm new to PromptMason and just downloaded it. Explain what blocks, prompts and the library are, and tell me which guide to read first to install it and make my first prompt. ### Your first prompt *Install PromptMason, see how your 14 days of Pro and the license key work, make your first block, build a prompt from it and copy it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/getting-started This walkthrough takes you from installing PromptMason to your first prompt, built from a reusable block. Each step links to a guide with more detail. A **block** is a reusable piece of prompt text, like "Act as a careful editor" or "Answer in three bullet points". A **prompt** is what you paste into an AI tool. You build prompts from blocks, so a block you improve once improves every prompt that uses it. #### 1. Install On the [Download](https://promptmason.ai/download) page, click **Download** and enter your email. The next page gives you the installer. You don't need a key. Open the installer. If Windows shows a blue **Windows protected your PC** screen, click **More info**, check the publisher it names, then click **Run anyway**. The [installation guide](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation#install) gives the publisher's name to look for. #### 2. Choose how to start The first time you open PromptMason it asks **How would you like to start?** ![The "How would you like to start?" window with two choices, Start simple and Show me everything.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/getting-started-first-run-chooser.webp) - **Start simple** shows the essentials: blocks, building prompts, your prompt library and Chat. Every other optional feature is off, including the Home screen, so PromptMason opens on the **Prompts** screen. - **Show me everything** turns every feature on, and PromptMason opens on **Home**. Closing the question without choosing counts as **Start simple**. You can turn features on or off any time in **Settings → Features**. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). #### 3. Your 14 days of Pro Your 14 days of Pro start by themselves. You don't need a key. After 14 days, PromptMason moves to the Free plan. Right after you choose, PromptMason opens **Settings → Plan** once, at **License key**, with the line "Have a key? Paste it here, then select Activate." Only enter a key if you bought Pro or support gave you one. Otherwise, close Settings and carry on. ![The License key row on the Plan pane with the line Have a key? Paste it here, then select Activate, a key box and an Activate button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/license-paste-your-key-box.webp) See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). #### 4. Add the Starter pack, or not While your library is empty, a card appears in the bottom-right corner: **Start with ready-made blocks?** - Click **Add the starter pack** to add ready-made blocks, prompts and sample variables for everyday work. The card says how many. You can change or delete any of them. - Click **Not now** to start from nothing. Once you click either button, the card doesn't come back. You can add the Starter pack, or the packs for finance, legal, marketing, sales, HR and customer support, later in **Settings → Backup & data**, under **Block packs**. See [Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs). #### 5. Make a block 1. Click **Blocks** in the sidebar. 2. Click **New block**. 3. Type a name in the **New block name…** box. 4. Write the block's text in the box under it. 5. Under **Properties**, at the bottom of the pane, pick a **Type**, such as Role or Task. 6. Click **Save**: the disk icon at the top right of the pane. Ctrl+S also saves. ![A new block open for editing, with a name, the text box and toolbar, and Type, Location and Tags under Properties.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/blocks-new-block-pane.webp) The block opens in the pane, ready to use. **Save** stays grayed out until the block has a name and some text. For more about blocks, see [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks). #### 6. Build a prompt 1. Click **Build** in the sidebar. Your blocks are listed on the left, under **Blocks**. 2. Double-click a block to add it to the end of the prompt, or drag it into the middle of the screen. 3. Add more blocks the same way. To change the order, drag a block by the dotted grip at its left edge, or click the small up and down arrows next to it. 4. Type a name in the **Name this prompt…** box at the top. 5. Click **Save as Dynamic** or **Save as Static**: - **Save as Dynamic** keeps the prompt linked to its blocks. When you edit a block, every dynamic prompt that uses it changes too. - **Save as Static** saves the prompt's text as it reads now. Later changes to the blocks don't change it. ![The Build screen: the block list on the left, three blocks on the canvas in the middle, and the Preview and Properties panes on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/build-prompt-screen.webp) PromptMason saves the prompt and moves to the **Prompts** screen. To change a dynamic prompt later, click it on the **Prompts** screen and click **Open in Build** (the pencil). The save button then reads **Update Prompt**. **Apply** saves and keeps you on Build. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt) and [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). #### 7. Copy it 1. Click **Prompts** in the sidebar and click your prompt. 2. Click **Copy to Clipboard**. The button reads **Copied** for a moment. 3. Paste the prompt into your AI tool. If the prompt uses a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) that asks for its value each time, **Fill in your values** opens first. Type a value in each box and click **Copy**. For more ways to copy, including copying only some of a prompt's blocks, see [Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts). #### Next steps - [A tour of PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-tour): what each screen is for. - [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables): fill in names, dates and other details each time you copy. - [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model): download PromptMason's own AI model, free on every plan, to improve your text with AI assist or run prompts in Chat, with nothing sent off your PC. - [PromptMason's built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server): let Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code search and use your blocks and prompts directly. - [Back up your library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups). - [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview): your library is kept on your PC, and this page lists when anything leaves it. #### 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: > I just installed PromptMason. Walk me through my 14 days of Pro, making my first block, building a prompt from it and copying it into ChatGPT. ### Install, update and remove *Install PromptMason on Windows, start your 14 days of Pro, update to a new version, and remove it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation PromptMason is a desktop app for Windows. This page covers installing it, the first time you open it, updating it and removing it. #### What you need - Windows 10 or later (64-bit). Mac and Linux versions are coming soon. - An internet connection to download the installer, to activate a license key if you have one, and to check for updates. If you have a key, PromptMason also checks your license each time it starts and every 24 hours. If it can't, it keeps your plan as it was at the last check: you see a warning after 3 days, and the Free limits apply after 14 days until a check works ([how your license is checked](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#how-your-license-is-checked)). - No key. PromptMason starts with 14 days of Pro by itself. A key is only for people who buy Pro. See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). #### Install 1. On the [Download](https://promptmason.ai/download) page, click **Download** and enter your email. 2. The next page gives you the installer. 3. If your browser warns that the installer isn't commonly downloaded, choose **Keep**. In Microsoft Edge, open the menu next to **Delete** and choose **Keep**; if it asks again, choose **Show more**, then **Keep anyway**. PromptMason is digitally signed; browsers show this for new apps until enough people have downloaded them. 4. Open the installer. Its file name starts with `PromptMason-` and ends with `-setup.exe`. 5. If Windows shows a blue **Windows protected your PC** screen, click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. Windows shows this for apps it hasn't seen often yet. 6. PromptMason installs for your Windows account and opens by itself. You don't need to be an administrator. You'll find PromptMason in the Start menu and on your desktop. #### The first time you open it 1. PromptMason asks **How would you like to start?** - **Start simple** shows the essentials: blocks, building prompts, your prompt library and Chat. Every other optional feature is off, including the Home screen, so PromptMason opens on the **Prompts** screen. - **Show me everything** turns every feature on. PromptMason opens on **Home**. Closing the question without choosing (with Esc, the X or a click outside it) counts as **Start simple**. You can change this any time in **Settings → Features**. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). 2. Your 14 days of Pro start by themselves. You don't need a key. After 14 days, PromptMason moves to the Free plan (up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts). 3. PromptMason then opens **Settings → Plan** once, at **License key**, with the line "Have a key? Paste it here, then select Activate." Only enter a key if you bought Pro or support gave you one. Otherwise, close Settings. You can enter a key later in **Settings → Plan**. See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). If your library is empty, a card also appears in the bottom-right corner offering the Starter pack of ready-made blocks and prompts. See [Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs). #### Update PromptMason updates itself. About 10 seconds after it opens, and every 4 hours while it's open, it checks for a newer version. Unless you turn that off (see below), a newer version downloads in the background while you work. When the download finishes, a line appears across the top of the window saying the new version is ready to install. It has two buttons: - **Restart to update** closes PromptMason, installs the update and opens it again. You don't have to do anything else, and Windows doesn't ask anything. - **Later** hides the line until PromptMason next opens. If you click **Later** or ignore the line, the update installs the next time you close PromptMason, as long as **Install updates automatically** is on. To check for an update yourself, click **Settings**, then **General**, and look under **Updates**. It shows where things stand: "PromptMason is up to date.", "Downloading version X (N%)…", or "Version X is ready. It installs when you close PromptMason, or restart now." Click **Check for updates** to look right away. Once an update is ready, the button becomes **Restart to update**. To choose when an update downloads, go to **Settings**, then **General**, and turn off **Install updates automatically**. It's on by default. PromptMason still checks on the same schedule, but it no longer downloads or installs anything by itself. When it finds a newer version, the line across the top of the window says "PromptMason X is available." with two buttons: - **Download update** starts the download. When it finishes, you see "PromptMason X is ready to install." with **Restart to update** and **Later**, as above. - **Later** hides the line until PromptMason next opens. Under **Updates**, the message becomes "Version X is available." and the button is **Download update**. If you turn **Install updates automatically** back on while a version is waiting, the download starts. With the switch off, an update installs only when you click **Restart to update**. Closing PromptMason doesn't install it. This is true for an update you downloaded with **Download update**, and for one that had already downloaded before you turned the switch off. While one is waiting, **Updates** says "Version X is ready. Restart PromptMason to install it." Checking for updates needs an internet connection. If PromptMason can't reach the update server when you click **Check for updates**, it says "Couldn’t reach the update server. Check your internet connection; PromptMason tries again later." When a check that PromptMason makes by itself fails, it says nothing and tries again later. Updating keeps your blocks, prompts, settings, license and the downloaded [local model](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model). You can still get a fresh installer from the [Download](https://promptmason.ai/download) page, for example to reinstall. Open it and it replaces the old version. Installing an older version over a newer one isn't supported. The installer on the [Download](https://promptmason.ai/download) page is always the latest, so you shouldn't need to. If you do, and the newer version had already upgraded your library, the older one can't open it. It shows a card titled "Update PromptMason to open your library" instead of the app: "Your library was saved by a newer version of PromptMason, so this version can’t open it. Nothing in it was changed. Update PromptMason to open it." The card also shows the update status and a button: **Check for updates**, **Download update** or **Restart to update**. Update PromptMason and your library opens as it was. To see which version you have, look at the line at the bottom of the sidebar, or click **Settings**, then **General**, and look under **About PromptMason**. ![The bottom of the sidebar showing the Settings and Help buttons and the version line.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/installation-sidebar-version-line.webp) #### Remove If you're removing PromptMason from this PC for good, if you have a license key on it, take the key off first, so you can use it on another computer: 1. In PromptMason, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Plan**. 2. Click **Advanced**, then **Remove license**. Then remove the app: - **Windows 11:** open Windows **Settings**, then **Apps**, then **Installed apps**. Find **PromptMason**, click the **…** next to it, then click **Uninstall**. - **Windows 10:** open Windows **Settings**, then **Apps**, then **Apps & features**. Click **PromptMason**, then click **Uninstall**. ##### What removing deletes and keeps - **Deleted:** the downloaded [local model](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model) (about 1.3 GB). If you install PromptMason again, download the model again in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. - **Kept on the PC:** your blocks, prompts and settings, so they're back if you install PromptMason again on this PC in the same Windows account. Your library on this PC can only be read in the Windows account and on the PC where it was made. Copying PromptMason's data folder to another PC doesn't work. To move your work to another PC, use [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import), or [use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). To keep a copy of your work somewhere else before you remove PromptMason, go to **Settings → Backup & data** and click **Export** next to **Export everything**. The file holds your personal library, not team libraries, and it isn't encrypted, so keep it somewhere only you can open. See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). #### 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: > I'm installing PromptMason on my Windows PC. Walk me through the installer, the Windows warning, and my 14 days of Pro. ### A tour of PromptMason *What each part of the PromptMason window is for, and the few ideas everything else builds on.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-tour This page walks through the PromptMason window: the sidebar, the screens it opens, and the bell and banner at the top. It ends with the ideas the rest of the guides use. #### The window The window has a sidebar on the left and the current screen on the right. ![The PromptMason window: the sidebar on the left, the Home screen with its search box and bell on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/app-tour-window.webp) - The **Notifications** bell sits in the top-right corner of every screen. See [The bell](#the-bell). - A one-line banner can appear across the top of every screen when your plan needs attention. See [The plan banner](#the-plan-banner). - Short messages appear in the bottom-right corner now and then, and go away by themselves. #### The sidebar From top to bottom: ![The sidebar with Home, Blocks, Build, Prompts, Explorer, Chat & Browse, then Folders, Favorites & Rating, Tags, and Variables, Archive, Settings and Help at the bottom.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/app-tour-sidebar.webp) | Item | What it's for | Default shortcut | |---|---|---| | **Back** (arrow, top left) | Goes back to the screen you were on before. There's no Forward. It's grayed out when there's nowhere to go back to. | | | **Home** | A start page with a search across everything you've saved, and widgets you arrange. Shown only when the Home dashboard feature is on. See [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home). | Ctrl+8 | | **Blocks** | Your reusable pieces of prompt text. See [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks). | Ctrl+1 | | **Build** | Put blocks together into a prompt, or, with the Markdown editor feature on, write a Markdown document. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). | Ctrl+2 | | **Prompts** | Your saved prompts and documents: read, copy and edit them. See [Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts). | Ctrl+3 | | **Explorer** | Blocks and prompts side by side, in their folders, to move, copy, file and delete them. See [Explorer](https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer). | Ctrl+4 | | **Chat & Browse** | Run your prompts with an AI model and read the results, and, with Web tabs on, open AI websites in tabs. Shown only when the Chat feature is on. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). | Ctrl+9 | | **Folders** or **Libraries** | Your folders. Click one to show only what's in it. Once you have a team library, this becomes **Libraries**, with one row per library. See [Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders) and [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). | | | **Favorites & Rating** | Show only favorites, or only items rated at or above a number of stars. Shown only when the Favorites & ratings feature is on. | | | **Tags** | Click a tag to show only items with it. Shown only when the Tags feature is on. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). | | | **Variables** | Named values, such as your company name, that fill in when you copy. Shown only when the Variables feature is on. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). | Ctrl+5 | | **Archive** | Items you archived, and items you deleted in the last 30 days, ready to bring back. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). | Ctrl+6 | | **Settings** | Everything you can change. See [Settings reference](https://promptmason.ai/docs/settings). | Ctrl+7 | | **Help** | Every guide from promptmason.ai, inside PromptMason, as it was when your version was made. It works without an internet connection. See [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help#read-the-guides-in-promptmason). | F1 | The bottom line of the sidebar shows the version you have. You can change any of these shortcuts. In the Keyboard shortcuts settings, the shortcut for Build is called **Go to Canvas**, and the one for Chat & Browse is **Go to Chat**. See [Keyboard shortcuts](https://promptmason.ai/docs/keyboard-shortcuts). Folder, tag, favorite and rating filters you pick in the sidebar carry across the Blocks, Prompts and Explorer screens, and the block list on Build. If you have unsaved changes when you click another screen, PromptMason asks before it leaves. Right-click a block, prompt or folder to see what you can do with it. #### The bell Click the bell in the top-right corner to open **Notifications**. - **To do** lists things that need you, such as a PC asking to join a library, or a backup that didn't finish. They stay until they're dealt with. The red number on the bell counts these. - **Earlier** lists things you might want to know, such as two people editing the same item at the same time, or a team library its owner deleted. Many notifications have a button that does the next step, and a link to the guide that explains it. See [Notifications](https://promptmason.ai/docs/notifications). #### The plan banner A banner appears across the top only when one of these applies: - **Your library is paused.** You're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or more than 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro ended. Its buttons are **Enter key**, **Other options** and, when available, **Upgrade to Pro**. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). - **Your 14 days of Pro end within three days.** The banner says, for example, "Your PromptMason Pro trial ends in 2 days." Its buttons are **Enter key** and, when available, **Buy PromptMason Pro**. **Enter key** opens **Settings → Plan**, where you paste your Pro key and click **Activate**. See [Activate a Pro key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#activate-a-pro-key). - **PromptMason couldn't check your license for three days or more.** The banner starts "Couldn't verify your license" and says how many days are left before the Free limits apply. Connect to the internet, then click **Open Settings** and click **Check again**. See [How your license is checked](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#how-your-license-is-checked). #### The ideas behind it - **Block:** a reusable piece of prompt text, with a name and a type, such as Role, Task or Format. - **Prompt:** the text you paste into an AI tool. It comes in two kinds: - A **dynamic prompt** is built from blocks on Build and stays linked to them. Edit a block, and every dynamic prompt that uses it changes too. - A **static prompt** is fixed text. You write it on the Prompts screen, or save it from Build with **Save as Static**. Changes to blocks don't affect it. - **Document:** a Markdown file, such as a Skill for an AI tool, written on Build's Markdown tab. It counts as a prompt. Writing and editing documents needs the Markdown editor feature on; saved documents can always be read, copied and downloaded. - **Variable:** a named value written as `{{name}}` in a block or prompt, filled in when you copy. A variable can ask you for its value each time. - **Library:** where your blocks and prompts live. Everyone has a personal library. A team library is shared with other people through a cloud folder. Your library is kept on your PC, not on a PromptMason server ([Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview)). - **Local model:** PromptMason's own AI model, free on every plan. It runs on your PC, so AI assist, Evaluate and Chat can work with no API key and nothing sent anywhere. See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model). - **MCP server:** built into PromptMason, so AI apps such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code can search and use your library from their own chat. See [PromptMason's built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server). [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic) explains the kinds in more detail, and the [Glossary](https://promptmason.ai/docs/glossary) lists every term. #### 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: > I'm new to PromptMason. Give me a short tour of the sidebar and the main screens, and explain the ideas it builds on: blocks, static and dynamic prompts, documents, variables and libraries. ### 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. ## Blocks, prompts and documents ### Blocks, prompts and documents *Write blocks, put them together into prompts, fill in variables, and copy the result.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks-prompts-documents This section is about writing and using your content: the blocks you write, the prompts you build from them, and the documents you keep as Markdown files. Use it when you want to create something new, change what you have, or copy a finished prompt into an AI tool. The ideas to know first: - **Block:** a reusable piece of prompt text with a name and a type, such as Role or Task. You write it once on the **Blocks** screen and use it in as many prompts as you like. - **Dynamic prompt:** a prompt built from blocks on the **Build** screen. When you edit a block, every dynamic prompt that uses it changes too. - **Static prompt:** fixed text. It doesn't change when blocks do. - **Document:** a Markdown file, such as a Skill for an AI tool, kept exactly as you write it. - **Variable:** a named value, such as `{{company name}}`, that PromptMason fills in when you copy. Start with [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks), then [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). If you aren't sure which kind of prompt to save, read [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). When a prompt is ready, see [Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts) for filling in values and copying it. The other guides in this section cover variables, version history, comments, expected output and ready-made block packs. #### 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: > I'm new to building prompts in PromptMason. Explain how blocks, prompts and documents fit together and which guide I should read first for what I want to do. ### Create and edit blocks *Write reusable pieces of prompt text, change them, copy them and see which prompts use them.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks A block is a reusable piece of prompt text, such as a role ("You are a support agent for…"), a task, or a set of rules for the format of the answer. You write a block once on the **Blocks** screen, then use it in as many prompts as you like. When you change a block, every dynamic prompt that uses it changes too (see [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic)). #### The Blocks screen Click **Blocks** in the sidebar (or press Ctrl+1). The screen has two parts: - **The list** on the left. Switch between **Tile view** and **List view** with the buttons in the toolbar. In Tile view, blocks are grouped by type. Use the **Search…** box (Ctrl+F) and the sort options to find a block (see [Find anything](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search) for search and filters). - **The detail pane** on the right. Click a block to see it here. When nothing is selected, it says **Select a block to view it here.** Drag the line between the two parts to make either wider. ![The Blocks screen with blocks as cards grouped by type, and the selected block's text, stars and tags in the pane on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/blocks-screen.webp) On the Free plan, the top of the screen shows how many blocks you have, for example **12 of 25 blocks**. Archived blocks count toward the 25; blocks embedded in a single prompt don't (see [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks)). [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans) has the details. Only library blocks are listed here. Archived blocks are on the **Archive** screen, and blocks embedded in a prompt are only seen inside that prompt. #### Create a block 1. Click **Blocks** in the sidebar. 2. Click **New block** at the top right (or press Ctrl+N). A new, empty block opens in the detail pane. 3. Type a name for the block. 4. Write the block's text in the large box. Use the toolbar above it for bold, italic, lists and color ([Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting)). To put in a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables), type `{{` and pick its name (when the Variables feature is on). 5. Under **Properties**, choose a **Type**, for example **Role** or **Task** (see [Block types](#block-types)). 6. Under **Location**, choose a folder. It starts on the folder selected in the sidebar, or **My Files (no folder)** if none is selected. 7. If the Tags feature is on, type a tag under **Tags** and press Enter. Add as many as you like. ![A new block open for editing, with a name, the text box and toolbar, and Type, Location and Tags under Properties.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/blocks-new-block-pane.webp) 8. Click the disk icon (**Save**) at the top of the pane, or press Ctrl+S. **Save** stays grayed out until the block has a name and some text. Once it's saved, the block shows in the list and opens in the detail pane. If you're on the Free plan and already have 25 blocks, the **Free plan limit** window opens instead of a new block. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). To stop without saving, click the X (**Cancel**) or press Esc. If you've typed anything, PromptMason asks **Discard your new block?** Click **Keep Editing** to go back, or **Discard Draft** to throw it away. #### Edit a block 1. Click **Blocks** in the sidebar. 2. Double-click the block, or click it once and then click the pencil (**Edit**) at the top of the detail pane. 3. Change the name, the text, the **Type** or, when the Tags feature is on, the **Tags**. 4. Click the disk icon (**Save**), or press Ctrl+S. Nothing changes until you save. Once saved, every dynamic prompt that uses the block uses the new text. To undo your changes instead, click the X (**Cancel**) or press Esc. This puts the block back as it was **without asking first**. If you click another block or go to another screen with unsaved changes, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** Click **Keep Editing** to go back and save, or **Discard Changes** to lose the edits. A block's folder isn't changed here. To put it in another folder, right-click it and choose **Move** ([Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders)). You can also edit a block while you build a prompt, from the block's card on the Build screen. See [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks#edit-a-block-from-build). #### Copy a block's text 1. Click the block in the list. 2. Click **Copy to Clipboard** at the bottom of the detail pane. You can also click the block's text in the pane, or press Ctrl+Shift+C. The button shows **Copied** for a moment. What's copied is the text you see in the pane: [hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#hidden-notes) are left out and [variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) are filled in. If the block has a variable that asks for a value each time, the **Fill in your values** window opens first: type a value in each box and click **Copy** (more in [Fill in your values](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts#fill-in-your-values)). #### Duplicate a block 1. Right-click the block and choose **Copy**. 2. Under **Destination**, choose the folder for the copy. (Once you have a team library, this box is called **Folder**, and a **Library** box above it picks the library.) ![The Copy window with a Destination list and a Copy button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/blocks-copy-block-window.webp) 3. Click **Copy**. The copy is named after the original with "(copy)" at the end. It has the same type, text, tags and [expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output), and starts with no rating, not a favorite and no comments. It's a separate block: changing one doesn't change the other. On the Free plan the copy counts toward your 25 blocks. To duplicate several blocks at once, tick their checkboxes and click **Copy** in the bar that appears above the list. #### See which prompts use a block 1. Right-click the block and choose **Used by**. 2. The **Used by** window lists every dynamic prompt built from this block, with its folder. Archived prompts aren't listed. ![The Used by window listing the prompts built from a block and their folders.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/blocks-used-by-window.webp) 3. Click a prompt to open it on the Build screen. If no prompt uses the block yet, it says **Not used by any prompts yet.** Static prompts never appear here, because they don't use blocks once saved. In List view, the **Used By** column shows how many prompts use each block. Check this before you change or remove a block, so you know which prompts will change. #### Block types Every block has one type, which says what kind of instruction it is. PromptMason comes with five: **Role**, **Task**, **Context**, **Format** and **Constraints**. The type is shown on the block, groups the blocks in Tile view, and can be written as a header above the block's text in a prompt (see [Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#block-headers)). To add your own types, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**, and use **Block types**. The five built-in types can't be removed. See [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults). #### Other things you can do with a block From the detail pane, or by right-clicking a block (the right-click menu doesn't have **Evaluate** or **Expected Output**): ![The right-click menu on a block card listing Edit, Copy, Move, History, Used by, favorites, Rating and Delete.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/app-tour-block-right-click-menu.webp) - **History**: see earlier versions and restore one ([Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history)). - **Add to favorites** and **Rating**: mark and rate blocks ([Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings)). - **Move**: put it in another folder or library ([Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders)). - **Delete**: archive it or delete it ([Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete)). - **Evaluate**: have AI grade the block or check it for private details ([Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate)). - **Expected Output**: keep sample results with the block, in the detail pane ([Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output)). **Comments** for the selected block are in a panel at the bottom of the list ([Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments)). Some of these only show when their feature is turned on in **Settings**, under **Features** ([Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features)). **Evaluate** also needs AI set up ([Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup)). If your library is paused because it's over the Free plan's limits, you can still read blocks, but editing and copying open the **Your library is paused** window. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### 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: > I'm new to PromptMason and want to set up my first few blocks. Explain what a block is, help me decide what blocks to write for my work, and walk me through creating and editing one. ### Build a prompt *Put blocks together on the Build screen, check the result in the preview, and save it as a prompt.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt The Build screen is where you put blocks together into a prompt. You pick blocks from a list, put them in order, and watch the finished text build up in the preview. Most people save the result as a dynamic prompt, which keeps up with later changes to its blocks (see [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic)). #### Open the Build screen Any of these opens Build with an empty prompt: - Click **Build** in the sidebar (or press Ctrl+2). - On the Prompts screen with no prompts yet, click **Build a prompt**. - If the Home screen is turned on, click **New Dynamic Prompt** there. To change a dynamic prompt you've already saved, open it from the Prompts screen: click it, then click the pencil (**Open in Build**), or double-click it. On the Free plan, if you already have 15 prompts, **Build a prompt** and **New Dynamic Prompt** open the **Free plan limit** window instead. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### The screen at a glance - **Blocks**, on the left: your library blocks, to pick from. - **The canvas**, in the middle: the blocks in this prompt, in order. It says **Drag blocks here to build your prompt** while it's empty. - **Visual** and **Code**, above the canvas: Visual shows the blocks as cards; Code shows the same prompt as text ([Edit a prompt as code](https://promptmason.ai/docs/code-view)). **Embedded Block**, on the right of that row, adds a block for this prompt only. - **Preview** and **Properties**, on the right: the finished text, and the prompt's settings. - **The name box and the Save buttons**, along the top. ![The Build screen: the block list on the left, three blocks on the canvas in the middle, and the Preview and Properties panes on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/build-prompt-screen.webp) Drag the lines between the parts to make any of them wider. If the **Markdown editor** feature is on, a new item shows two tabs, **Canvas** and **Markdown**. This page is about the **Canvas** tab. The **Markdown** tab is for documents ([Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents)). Switching tabs drops what is on the side you leave. If it has unsaved work, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** first. #### Find a block The **Blocks** list shows your library blocks. Archived blocks, and blocks embedded in other prompts, aren't listed. ![The block list on the Build screen with its search box, type filter and sort buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/build-prompt-block-list-toolbar.webp) - **Search:** type in the **Search…** box (Ctrl+F). It looks at each block's name, text, type and tags. - **Filter by type:** click the funnel and choose a type, for example **Role**. Ctrl+click to choose several. Choose **All** to see every type again. - **Sort:** click the sort button to sort by **Name**, **Rating** (only when the Favorites & ratings feature is on), **Date created** or **Last modified**, and the arrow next to it to reverse the order. - **Read the whole block:** each card shows the first two lines. Click **more…** on the card to read all of it. - **More than one page:** the list shows 50 blocks at a time. Under it, use **Show** to choose 25, 50, 75 or 100, and the **Previous page** and **Next page** arrows to move between pages. The list also follows the folder, tag, favorites and rating filters chosen in the sidebar. If a block you expect isn't there, check the sidebar, and see [No blocks are listed](#no-blocks-are-listed). #### Add blocks - **Drag** a block from the list onto the canvas. A blue line shows where it will go. - Or **double-click** a block to add it at the end. You can add the same block more than once. To write text for this prompt only, without making a library block, click **Embedded Block** ([Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks)). #### Put blocks in order - Drag a block by its handle (the dotted grip on its left) to a new place. - Or use the up and down arrows on the block. The number on each block is its place in the prompt. #### Remove blocks - Click the X on a block (**Remove from prompt**). It's removed straight away, without asking. - Click **Clear** at the top to remove every block. This doesn't ask either. Removing a block from a prompt doesn't delete the block. It stays on the Blocks screen. To bring back library blocks you removed, click **Undo** (or press Ctrl+Z). **Redo** (Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y) puts the change back. Undo and Redo work for adding, removing and reordering blocks, for the **Include Name** and **Include Type** boxes, and for tags. While the cursor is in a text box, Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Shift+Z undo and redo your typing instead, so use the **Undo** and **Redo** buttons at the top for changes to the blocks. Don't count on Undo to bring back an [embedded block](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks) you've written but not saved: copy its text first if you want to keep it. #### Block headers: Include Name and Include Type Each block on the canvas has two boxes, **Include Name** and **Include Type**. Tick them to put a header line above that block's text in the prompt, for example: | Ticked | Header in the prompt | |---|---| | **Include Type** | `### ROLE ###` | | **Include Name** | `### Support agent ###` | | Both | `### ROLE: Support agent ###` | | Neither | No header | ![A block card with Include Name and Include Type ticked, and the preview showing the header line above its text.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/build-prompt-include-name-and-type.webp) Headers help an AI model see where one part of the prompt ends and the next begins. Each block in the prompt has its own choice, even when the same block is used twice. A block with a header starts a new section, with the blank lines from Settings above it. A block with no header continues the section above it, with no blank line in between. To keep several blocks together in one section, give the first one a header and leave the others without. New blocks start with both boxes unticked. To change that, and to change the `###` marker or the space between blocks, see [Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#block-headers). #### Check the preview **Preview**, on the right, shows the prompt's text as it builds up, with the block headers and with [hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#hidden-notes) left out. - [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) with a fixed value are filled in. A variable that asks for a value each time shows its default value, or its name in brackets, such as `[audience]`, if it has none. You type the real value when you copy the prompt. - When the Variables feature is on, a variable name that doesn't exist shows a warning, **Unresolved variable:** followed by the name. Check the spelling, or click **Create variable “name”** in the warning to make it on the Variables screen. - A block marked **Archived** still adds its text to the prompt. To change that, take it out of the prompt. Under the preview, a line counts the lines, words and characters, and estimates the tokens. A token is the unit AI models measure text in; four characters is roughly one token, so the count is an estimate. #### Set a character limit Some AI tools only take a certain number of characters. To be warned when the prompt is too long: 1. Under **Properties**, tick **Enforce a character limit**. 2. Type the limit under **Max characters**. ![The preview with a red message saying the prompt exceeds the character limit, and the limit box in Properties.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/build-prompt-character-limit-warning.webp) When the prompt is longer, a red box under the preview says by how much, for example **Exceeds 8,000-character limit by 120 characters.** It's a warning only: you can still save and copy the prompt. #### Properties Under **Properties**, on the right: - **Type**: what kind of prompt this is, for example **User Prompt** or **System Prompt** ([Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults)). - **Location**: the folder for a new prompt. To move a saved prompt, use **Move** on the Prompts screen ([Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders)). - **Description**: a note about what the prompt is for. - **Tags**: shown when the Tags feature is on. - **Enforce a character limit**: see [Set a character limit](#set-a-character-limit). [Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output) is under the preview, and, when the Comments feature is on, a saved prompt also has [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments) under the canvas. #### Save the prompt 1. Type a name in the box at the top left. 2. Click one of the buttons at the top right: | Button | When it shows | What it does | |---|---|---| | **Save as Dynamic** | New prompt | Saves a dynamic prompt and goes to the Prompts screen. | | **Save as Static** | New prompt | Saves the text as it is now, as a static prompt, and goes to the Prompts screen. | | **Update Prompt** | Saved prompt | Saves your changes and goes to the Prompts screen. | | **Apply** | Always | Saves as a dynamic prompt and keeps you on Build. | Ctrl+S does the same as **Save as Dynamic** or **Update Prompt**. After **Apply** on a new prompt, it counts as saved: the button changes to **Update Prompt**, **Location** goes away, and the **Comments** panel appears. To choose between dynamic and static, see [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). Choose dynamic unless you have a reason not to. PromptMason has no button to change a saved prompt's kind, so choose before you save. To copy the finished prompt, save it, then copy it from the Prompts screen ([Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts)). #### Leave without saving When you're changing a saved prompt, click **Cancel** at the top (or press Esc) to go back to the Prompts screen. If you have unsaved changes and you click **Cancel**, click another screen in the sidebar, or switch tabs, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** Click **Keep Editing** to go back and save, or **Discard Changes** to lose them. #### If something goes wrong ##### The Save buttons are grayed out The prompt needs at least one block. Each embedded block you've added also needs a name, a type and some text. ##### Give this prompt a name to save it. Type a name in the box at the top, then save again. ##### Failed to save. The save didn't go through. Try again. If it keeps happening, contact support@promptmason.ai. ##### Saved, but an expected output couldn't be saved The message starts **Saved.** and says how many expected outputs couldn't be saved. The prompt was saved, but a result you added under **Expected Output** wasn't, and Build stays open. Add the result again from the saved prompt ([Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output)). ##### The Free plan limit window opens On the Free plan you can have 15 prompts and 25 blocks. A new prompt counts toward the 15, and each new block you save to the Block Library counts toward the 25. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). ##### The Your library is paused window opens Your library is over the Free plan's limits, so saving is turned off. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). ##### No blocks are listed If the list says **No blocks yet. Create some on the Blocks screen.**, you haven't made any library blocks yet. See [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks). If it says **No blocks match the current filters.**, clear the search box, choose **All** in the type filter, and check the folder, tag and favorites filters in the sidebar. #### 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: > I have some blocks in PromptMason and want to put them together into a prompt on the Build screen. Walk me through adding and ordering the blocks, the block headers, and which Save button to use. ### Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents *Understand the three kinds of prompt, how each one behaves when a block changes, and how to write and edit each one.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic Everything on the Prompts screen is one of three kinds: a dynamic prompt, a static prompt or a Markdown document. The kind decides where the words come from and how you edit the item. You choose it when you first save, and the app has no button to change it later. #### The three kinds | Kind | What it is | When a block changes | Edited on | |---|---|---|---| | **Dynamic** | A list of blocks, in order. Its text is put together from the blocks each time you use it. | The prompt changes too. | The Build screen | | **Static** | Fixed text. | Nothing happens to it. | The Prompts screen | | **Markdown** | A Markdown document, such as a Skill, kept exactly as written. | Nothing (it has no blocks). | The Build screen's Markdown editor | On the Prompts screen, Tile view and the pane on the right show the kind as a badge (**Dynamic**, **Static** or **Markdown**). In List view, the **Kind** column says **Dynamic Prompt**, **Static Prompt** or **Markdown**. ![The Prompts list with a Kind column showing Dynamic Prompt, Static Prompt and Markdown.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/static-and-dynamic-kind-column.webp) #### Dynamic prompts A dynamic prompt is built from library blocks on the Build screen ([Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt)). It stores which blocks it uses, in what order, and with which [block headers](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#block-headers), not the text itself. Because of that, when you change a block, every dynamic prompt that uses it shows the new text the next time you view or copy it. Fix a typo in your "Role" block once, and all your prompts get the fix. What happens when a block is removed: - **Archived:** the block's text still goes into the prompt, and the block is marked **Archived**. To leave it out, open the prompt in Build and take the block out. - **Deleted:** the prompt shows `[Block removed: name]` in its place, with a warning, until you take it out of the prompt or the block is restored from **Recently deleted**. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). Use a dynamic prompt when you want your prompts to stay in step with your blocks. That's most of the time. #### Static prompts A static prompt is fixed text. You get one in two ways: - **Save as Static** on the Build screen. The blocks' text, with its headers, is saved as one piece of text. From then on the prompt has no link to the blocks: changing or deleting a block doesn't change it. - **Write it yourself** on the Prompts screen (see [Write a static prompt](#write-a-static-prompt)). [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) and [hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#hidden-notes) still work in a static prompt: variables are filled in when you copy it, and hidden notes are left out. Use a static prompt when you want the words to stay exactly as they are, or for a one-off prompt that isn't built from blocks. #### Markdown documents A Markdown document is a text file written in Markdown, such as a Skill for an AI tool. PromptMason keeps it exactly as you write it: no blocks, no variables, and nothing removed. You write one on the Build screen's **Markdown** tab, which shows when the **Markdown editor** feature is on. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). A document counts as one of the 15 prompts on the Free plan. #### Kind and Type Kind and Type are two different things: - **Kind** is Static, Dynamic or Markdown. PromptMason sets it from how you saved the item, and the app doesn't offer a way to change it. - **Type** is a label you choose under **Properties**, such as **User Prompt**, **System Prompt** or **Skill**. You can change it at any time and add your own types ([Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults)). Any type goes with any kind. A static prompt can have the type **Skill**, and a Markdown document can have the type **User Prompt**. A new Markdown document starts with the type **Skill**. #### Write a static prompt 1. Click **Prompts** in the sidebar. 2. Click **New static prompt** at the top right (or press Ctrl+N). If you have no prompts yet, you can click **Write a prompt** instead. 3. Type a name for the prompt. 4. Write the prompt in the large box. The toolbar has bold, italic, lists and color ([Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting)). To put in a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables), type `{{` and pick its name (when the Variables feature is on). 5. Under **Properties**, choose a **Type** and a **Location** (folder). You can also add a **Description**, **Tags** (when the Tags feature is on), and a character limit (**Enforce a character limit**). ![A new static prompt open for editing with a name, the text box and the Properties section.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/static-and-dynamic-new-static-prompt-pane.webp) 6. Click the disk icon (**Save**), or press Ctrl+S. **Save** stays grayed out until the prompt has a name and some text. Once saved, the prompt shows in the list and in the pane on the right, ready to copy. To stop without saving, click the X (**Cancel**) or press Esc. If you've typed anything, PromptMason asks **Discard your new prompt?** Click **Keep Editing** or **Discard Draft**. On the Free plan, if you already have 15 prompts, the **Free plan limit** window opens instead. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### Edit a prompt How you edit depends on the kind. Start on the Prompts screen and click the prompt to show it on the right. ##### A static prompt 1. Click the pencil (**Edit**) at the top of the pane, or double-click the prompt. 2. Change the name, the text, or the **Type**, **Description**, **Tags** or character limit under **Properties**. 3. Click the disk icon (**Save**), or press Ctrl+S. To undo your changes instead, click the X (**Cancel**) or press Esc. This puts the prompt back as it was without asking first. If you click another prompt or screen with unsaved changes, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** ##### A dynamic prompt 1. Click the pencil (**Open in Build**), or double-click the prompt. It opens on the Build screen. 2. Add, remove or reorder blocks ([Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt)). 3. Click **Update Prompt** to save and go back to the Prompts screen, or **Apply** to save and stay on Build. ##### A Markdown document 1. Click the pencil (**Edit**), or double-click the document. It opens on the Build screen, in the Markdown editor, showing **Preview**. 2. Click **Edit** above the document. 3. Change the text, then click **Update** (or **Apply** to stay on Build). The pencil only shows while the **Markdown editor** feature is on. With it off, you can still read, copy and download documents. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). #### Change a prompt's kind The app has no button to change a saved prompt's kind. To get a static copy of a dynamic prompt's current text: 1. On the Prompts screen, click the dynamic prompt and click **Copy to Clipboard**. 2. Click **New static prompt**, paste the text into the large box, give it a name and save it. The dynamic prompt stays as it was. The new prompt has the text as it was copied: variables are already filled in (if any ask for a value each time, the **Fill in your values** window opens when you copy), and hidden notes are left out. #### 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: > I'm not sure whether to save my PromptMason prompts as static or dynamic, or when to use a Markdown document. Explain the difference using my own work as the example, and help me choose. ### Library blocks and embedded blocks *Choose between a block you can reuse in any prompt and a block that belongs to one prompt only, and edit either from the Build screen.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks A dynamic prompt can use two kinds of block: - **Library blocks** live on the Blocks screen. You can use one in any number of prompts, and changing it changes every prompt that uses it. - **Embedded blocks** belong to one prompt. They're for text that only that prompt needs. They aren't on the Blocks screen, in search or in the Build screen's block list, and changing one changes only its prompt. On the Build screen, an embedded block has an **Embedded** badge. A library block has no **Embedded** badge. ![The Build canvas with two library blocks and one block carrying an Embedded badge.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/embedded-blocks-embedded-badge-on-canvas.webp) #### How they compare | | Library block | Embedded block | |---|---|---| | Where it's listed | Blocks screen, search, the Build screen's block list | Only inside its prompt | | Used by | Any number of prompts | One prompt | | Editing it changes | Every prompt that uses it | Only its prompt | | When an edit is saved | Straight away | When you save the prompt | | Version history | Its own | Part of the prompt's history | | Counts toward the Free plan's 25 blocks | Yes | No | | When its prompt is deleted | Stays in your library | Deleted with the prompt, and restored with it | #### Add an embedded block 1. Open the prompt on the Build screen ([Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt)). 2. Click **Embedded Block**, above the canvas. A new block with a **New** badge appears at the end of the prompt. ![A new embedded block card at the bottom of the canvas, with a name box, a Type menu, a text box and a Save to Block Library checkbox.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/embedded-blocks-embedded-block-card.webp) 3. Type a name for the block. 4. Choose its type in the box next to the name. 5. Write the block's text. The toolbar and the `{{` variable picker work as they do on the Blocks screen. 6. Tick **Include Name** or **Include Type** if you want a header above it ([block headers](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting#block-headers)). 7. Leave **Save to Block Library** unticked. 8. Save the prompt (**Save as Dynamic**, **Update Prompt** or **Apply**). The block becomes a real embedded block when you save the prompt. The Save buttons stay grayed out until every new block has a name, a type and some text. To get rid of a new block before you save, click its X. **Undo** may not bring back an unsaved block you removed, so copy its text first if you might want it. #### Add a new library block from Build Follow the steps in [Add an embedded block](#add-an-embedded-block), but tick **Save to Block Library** at step 7. A **Tags** box appears for the block's tags (when the Tags feature is on). When you save the prompt, the block is added to the Blocks screen like any other library block, and you can use it in other prompts. On the Free plan it counts toward your 25 blocks. If there isn't room, the **Free plan limit** window opens and nothing is saved ([Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans)). #### Edit a block from Build Click the pencil (**Edit block**) on a block's card. The **Edit block** window opens with its **Name**, **Type** and text, and what happens next depends on the kind of block. ##### An embedded block The window says **This block is embedded in this prompt only. Your changes are saved when you save the prompt.** 1. Make your changes. 2. Click **Done**. 3. Save the prompt. If you leave Build without saving the prompt, the changes are lost. When you save, the changes go into the prompt's [version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). ##### A library block The window says **This block is saved in your Block Library.**, with a warning: **Saving changes this block everywhere it's used**, followed by the saved prompts that use it (the first five, then "and N more"). ![The Edit block window for a library block, with a warning that saving changes the block everywhere it is used.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/embedded-blocks-edit-block-window.webp) 1. Make your changes. When the Tags feature is on, you can change its **Tags** here too. 2. Click **Save block**. The block is saved **straight away**, for every prompt that uses it, even if you then leave Build without saving this prompt. To change it for this prompt only, click **Cancel** and use [Convert to embedded block](#change-a-library-block-for-this-prompt-only) instead. #### Change a library block for this prompt only When you want different wording in this prompt, but don't want to change the block in your other prompts: 1. On the block's card, click the **Convert to embedded block** button (between the pencil and the X). ![A library block's card with its pencil, Convert to embedded block and remove buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/embedded-blocks-card-buttons.webp) 2. The card is replaced, in the same place, by a new embedded block with the same name, type, text, tags and header choices. 3. Change the text. 4. Save the prompt. The library block isn't changed, and your other prompts keep using it. #### Turn an embedded block into a library block You can make one of this prompt's embedded blocks into a library block from the Code view: 1. On the Build screen, click **Code** above the canvas, then **Edit**. 2. Find the block (its `"saveToBlocksLibrary"` is `false`) and change it to `true`. 3. Save the prompt. The block then shows on the Blocks screen, and counts toward the Free plan's 25 blocks. See [Edit a prompt as code](https://promptmason.ai/docs/code-view). You can't turn a library block into an embedded block this way. Use [Convert to embedded block](#change-a-library-block-for-this-prompt-only), which makes an embedded copy. #### Copying a prompt When you duplicate a prompt (right-click it on the Prompts screen and choose **Copy**): - The copy uses the **same library blocks** as the original. Changing one of them changes both prompts. - The copy gets **its own copies of the embedded blocks**. Changing an embedded block in one prompt doesn't change the other. See [Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders). #### 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: > I'm building a prompt in PromptMason and need some text that only this prompt uses. Explain library blocks and embedded blocks, and walk me through adding an embedded block and changing a library block for this prompt only. ### Copy and use a prompt *Find a saved prompt, fill in its values, copy it into your AI tool, and fix the warnings a prompt can show.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts The **Prompts** screen holds every prompt and document you've saved. This page covers finding a prompt, copying it with your values filled in, and what to do about the warnings a prompt can show. #### Find a prompt 1. Click **Prompts** in the sidebar. 2. Type part of the prompt's name or text in the **Search…** box at the top of the list (Ctrl+F puts you there). 3. Click the prompt in the list. The prompt opens in the pane on the right, showing its text with fixed variables filled in. A variable that asks each time shows its default value, or its name in square brackets, until you fill it in when you copy. To switch the list between cards and rows, use the **Tile view** and **List view** buttons next to the search box. In List view, the **Kind** column says what each item is: **Static Prompt**, **Dynamic Prompt** or **Markdown** (see [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic)). For sorting and filters, see [Find anything](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search). ![The Prompts screen with a list of prompts and the selected prompt's text, tags and Copy to Clipboard button in the pane on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/prompts-screen.webp) #### Copy a prompt 1. Click the prompt in the list on the **Prompts** screen. 2. Click **Copy to Clipboard** at the bottom of the right-hand pane. 3. If the **Fill in your values** window opens, type your values and click **Copy** (see [Fill in your values](#fill-in-your-values)). 4. Paste into your AI tool with Ctrl+V. When it works, the button shows **Copied** for a moment. You can also click anywhere on a prompt's text in the pane (a document's text isn't clickable), or press Ctrl+Shift+C while the prompt or document is open. What gets copied: - The prompt's text, with your [variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) filled in. - For a dynamic prompt, each block's text in order, with the block headers you chose (see [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt)). - Not the prompt's name, description, Type or tags, and not any hidden notes written as `{{! … }}` (see [Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting)). The text goes onto the clipboard in two forms at once. Apps that keep formatting, such as Word, Google Docs or Slack, get bold, italic, colors and lists. Plain-text boxes, such as most AI chat boxes, get plain text with list markers kept. A Markdown document copies differently: its text is copied exactly as written, as plain text, with nothing filled in. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). #### Fill in your values Some variables ask for a value each time you copy (see [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables)). When a prompt uses one, **Copy to Clipboard** opens **Fill in your values** first. ![The Fill in your values window with the last value in the box and earlier values as buttons under it, next to a Clear button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/use-prompts-fill-in-remembered-values.webp) 1. Type a value in each box. Each box is labeled with the variable's name. 2. Press Enter to move to the next box. Shift+Enter starts a new line inside a box. 3. Click **Copy** (or press Enter in the last box). What's in the boxes when the window opens: - The value you used last time for that variable, if you've used it before. - Otherwise the variable's default value, if it has one. - If the variable offers a list of choices, the box is a drop-down (when only values from the list are allowed), or a text box with a button that opens the list. See [Offer a list of choices](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables#offer-a-list-of-choices). - Other values you've used recently show as buttons under the box. Click one to use it. **Clear**, next to the variable's name, forgets the remembered values for that variable. If you leave a box empty, the line under it says what's copied instead: the variable's name in square brackets (for example `[audience]`) when it has no default, or nothing when it has one. Nothing is required: **Copy** always works. If the prompt has a character limit, the window shows how many characters the copied text will have. Going over the limit shows a warning, but you can still copy. **Cancel** (or Esc) closes the window and copies nothing. Values are remembered only after a copy, and only on this PC. To stop PromptMason remembering them, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**, and turn off **Remember values on this computer**. A variable used twice in a prompt is asked for once. #### Copy only some of a prompt's blocks For a dynamic prompt with two or more blocks, you can copy some of its blocks and leave out the rest. 1. Click the prompt in the list on the **Prompts** screen. 2. Click the small down-arrow button to the right of **Copy to Clipboard**. 3. Under **Copy selected blocks**, untick the blocks you don't want. All of them start ticked. 4. Click the **Copy** button under the list. It says how many blocks you ticked, for example **Copy 2 of 4**. ![The Copy selected blocks list with two blocks unticked and a Copy 2 of 4 button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/use-prompts-copy-selected-blocks-menu.webp) 5. If **Fill in your values** opens, fill it in and click **Copy**. The blocks are copied in the prompt's order, with their headers. Your ticks stay while the prompt stays open in the pane. #### Warnings under a prompt Under the prompt's text, the pane can show these warnings. None of them stops you copying. ![The prompt pane with warnings about an archived block, a deleted block and an unresolved variable.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/use-prompts-warnings-under-prompt.webp) | Warning | What it means | What to do | |---|---|---| | **Includes archived block: …** (or **Includes archived blocks: …** when there are several) | A block in the prompt is in the Archive. Its text is still in the prompt. | Leave it, or restore the block from **Archive**, or open the prompt in Build and remove the block. | | **A block in this prompt was deleted: …** | The block was deleted. The prompt shows `[Block removed: name]` where its text was. | Open the prompt in Build and remove the block, or restore the block from **Archive**, under **Recently deleted**, within 30 days. In a team library, a library owner restores it. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). | | **A block in this prompt is in a library this PC can’t reach right now.** | The block is in a team library whose folder isn't available on this PC. The prompt shows `[Block unavailable]`. | Check that your cloud storage app is running and the library's folder is on this PC. See [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems). | | **Unresolved variable: …** | The prompt uses `{{name}}`, but there's no variable with that name. The text keeps `{{name}}` as written. This warning shows when the Variables feature is on. | Click **Create variable “name”** in the warning, or create the variable on the **Variables** screen, or correct the name in the prompt. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables#when-a-variable-isnt-found). | | **Exceeds …-character limit by …** | The prompt is longer than the character limit you set. | Shorten the prompt, or change the limit under **Properties** when you edit it. | #### Change a prompt From the right-hand pane, click the pencil at the top: - A dynamic prompt: the pencil is **Open in Build**. The prompt opens on the Build screen. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). - A static prompt: the pencil is **Edit**. You edit the text right there in the pane. See [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). - A Markdown document: the pencil is **Edit**. The document opens on the Build screen. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). Double-clicking a prompt in the list does the same. #### Run a prompt in Chat To run a prompt with AI inside PromptMason, click **Chat & Browse** in the sidebar, pick the prompt in the panel on the right, and click **Run in chat**. Variables are filled in first, the same way as when you copy. You need the Chat feature on and an AI provider set up. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). #### Download a Markdown document Markdown documents can be saved as a `.md` file. 1. Click the document in the list on the **Prompts** screen. 2. Click **Download .md** at the bottom of the right-hand pane. 3. Choose where to save the file. You can also right-click the document in the list and click **Download .md**. #### If Copy opens "Your library is paused" While your library is paused, nothing can be copied out of PromptMason. You can still view and search your prompts. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library) for the ways out. #### 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: > I've saved some prompts in PromptMason. Walk me through finding one, filling in its values and copying it into ChatGPT or Claude, and tell me what to do if it shows a warning. ### Variables *Save a value once, such as your company name, and use it in any block or prompt, or have PromptMason ask for it each time you copy.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables A variable is a value with a name that you write once and use in many blocks and prompts. You write it in your text as the name in double curly braces, for example `{{company name}}`, and PromptMason puts the value in when you copy or run the text. There are two kinds: - **Fixed:** always the same value, filled in for you. For example, your company name. - **Ask me each time:** you type the value each time you copy something that uses it. For example, the topic of today's email. It can have a default value that's filled in for you, which you can change before copying. It can also offer a list of values to pick from (see [Offer a list of choices](#offer-a-list-of-choices)). Variables are a feature you can show or hide. If you don't see **Variables** in the sidebar, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**, and turn on **Variables**. Turning it off hides the screen, the name suggestions and the warnings, but variables you've already written are still filled in. #### Create a variable 1. Click **Variables** in the sidebar. 2. Click **New variable**. 3. Under **Name**, type the variable's name, for example `company name`. The line under the box shows how to write it, such as **Use it as {{company name}}**. 4. Under **Description**, you can say what the variable is for. This is optional. 5. Choose the kind: - For a fixed variable, leave **Ask me each time** unticked and type the value under **Value**. - For a variable that asks each time, tick **Ask me each time**. To give it a value that's filled in for you, also tick **Use a default value** and type it under **Default value**. ![The new variable form with Ask me each time and Use a default value ticked and a default value typed.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/variables-ask-each-time-with-default.webp) - For a variable that asks each time and offers a list of values, tick **Ask me each time**, then tick **Choose from a list** (see [Offer a list of choices](#offer-a-list-of-choices)). 6. Click **Save** (the disk icon at the top right of the pane). The variable shows in the list, with its name written as `{{name}}`. Variables that ask each time are marked **Asks each time**. Names can have spaces, but not `{` or `}`. Two variables in the same library can't have the same name, and capitals don't count: `Company Name` and `company name` are the same name. You can also press Ctrl+N on the **Variables** screen to start a new variable. To stop without saving, click the **X** (**Cancel**) at the top right of the pane. The new variable is thrown away without asking. #### Offer a list of choices A variable that asks each time can offer a list of values to pick from, such as the tones **Formal**, **Friendly** and **Playful**. This saves typing, and a drop-down keeps answers to the values you allow. 1. Click **Variables** in the sidebar, then click the variable, or click **New variable**. 2. Tick **Ask me each time**, then tick **Choose from a list**. The list opens under it with one row. If you had typed a default value, it's in that row. 3. Under **List values**, type a value in the row. Press Enter to start the next row. 4. To add a row, click **Add value**. To move a value, use the up and down arrows beside it. To remove one, click the **X** beside it. 5. Under **Default value**, choose which value is picked for you each time. The choices are the values in your list, and **No default**. 6. To allow only the values in your list, tick **Only allow values from the list**. Leave it unticked to let people pick a value or type their own. 7. Click **Save** (the disk icon at the top right of the pane). A list can hold up to 100 values. Blank values and repeats aren't saved, and a note under the list says so. A list needs at least one value. When you copy something that uses the variable, **Fill in your values** shows the choices: - **Only allow values from the list** ticked: the box is a drop-down. Click it, or press Space or an arrow key, and choose a value. You can't use a value that isn't in the list. - **Only allow values from the list** unticked: the box is a text box with a button that opens the list. Click a value to use it, or type your own. Typing narrows the list to matching values. Esc closes the list, not the window. Either way, the box starts on the value you used last time if the list allows it, and otherwise on the default. To go back to a plain text box, untick **Choose from a list**. The default you picked from the list becomes the typed default, and the list's values are kept in case you tick it again. AI agents connected to PromptMason see the choices too, and offer them to you when they fill in a prompt. See [MCP tools: what an AI agent can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-tools). #### Use a variable in a block or prompt Write the name in double curly braces anywhere in the text of a block or a static prompt: `{{company name}}`. Capitals, and spaces right inside the braces, don't matter, so `{{ Company Name }}` works too. To pick a variable instead of typing its name: 1. In the text editor, type `{{`. 2. A list of your variables opens. Keep typing to narrow it down. Variables that ask each time are marked **Asks each time**. ![The block text box with a list of variables open after typing two curly braces.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/variables-picker-in-editor.webp) 3. Use the up and down arrow keys to choose one, and press Enter. Esc closes the list. The list shows while the Variables feature is on. #### Where values are filled in - **Previews.** On the Blocks, Prompts and Build screens, the preview shows fixed values filled in. A variable that asks each time shows its default value, or its name in square brackets (for example `[topic]`) if it has none. - **Copying.** Fixed values are filled in. For variables that ask each time, the **Fill in your values** window opens first. See [Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts#fill-in-your-values). - **Chat and the Chrome extension.** Values are filled in the same way when you run or copy a prompt there. Values are never saved into your text: the block or prompt keeps `{{company name}}`, so changing the variable's value changes every block and prompt that uses it. Saving a prompt with **Save as Static** also keeps `{{company name}}` as written. Markdown documents are the exception. They're never processed, so `{{company name}}` in a document stays as written. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). #### Variables inside variables A fixed variable's value can use other variables. For example, a variable `signature` with the value `{{my name}}, {{company name}}` fills in both. If that value uses a variable that asks each time, you're asked for it when you copy, the same as if it were written in the block. If two variables use each other (for example, `a` uses `{{b}}` and `b` uses `{{a}}`), PromptMason can't fill them in. The text shows `[Circular reference: a]` instead. Change one of the values so they don't point at each other. #### When a variable isn't found ![The preview with a warning that the variable compnay name is unresolved.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/build-prompt-unresolved-variable-warning.webp) If your text uses a name that no variable has, for example because of a typing mistake, the text keeps `{{name}}` as written and the preview shows a warning such as **Unresolved variable: compnay name.** To fix it, do one of these: - Correct the name in the block or prompt. - Click **Create variable “name”** in the warning. This opens the **Variables** screen with a new variable that already has that name. Fill in the rest and click **Save**. The variable is made in the same library as the block or prompt. - Create a variable with that name on the **Variables** screen. A name that is a circular reference has no **Create variable** button, because the variable already exists. ##### Find everything with an unresolved variable To list the blocks and prompts that use a name no variable has: 1. Open **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer** and click **Unresolved variables** in the toolbar, next to the view, sort and column buttons. A number beside it counts the blocks and prompts that match. The screen then lists only the items with an unresolved variable, under a bar that reads **Filtered to:**. 2. Open an item and use the warning's **Create variable “name”** button, or correct the name. You can also start from the **Variables** screen. When at least one block or prompt uses a variable that doesn't exist, a line above the list says so, for example **12 blocks and prompts use variables that don't exist yet.** Click **Show them** to open **Explorer** with the filter on. An item drops off the list once all its variables are found. To see everything again, click the **X** on the **Has unresolved variables** chip, click **Unresolved variables** in the toolbar again, or click **Clear filters** in the toolbar. The filter shows while the Variables feature is on. Markdown documents never count, because their text isn't processed. #### Find where a variable is used 1. Click **Variables** in the sidebar. 2. Right-click the variable and choose **Used by**. 3. A window titled **Used by — name** lists the blocks, prompts and Markdown documents that use it, in groups. Click one to open it. A Dynamic prompt that gets the variable from one of its blocks shows **Through** and the block's name. An archived item is marked **Archived**, and clicking it opens it in the Archive. An item from another library shows that library's name. If nothing uses the variable, the window says **No blocks or prompts use this variable.** Use this before you rename or delete a variable, to see which blocks and prompts will show the **Unresolved variable** warning. #### Remembered values When you copy something with a variable that asks each time, PromptMason remembers the last five values you typed for that variable. Next time, the box starts with the last one, and the others show as buttons under it. A variable that allows only values from its list ignores remembered values that aren't in the list. A variable with an open list shows only the remembered values that aren't already in the list. Remembered values stay on this PC and are shared by every block and prompt that uses the variable. - To forget one variable's values: in the **Fill in your values** window, click **Clear** next to its name. - To stop remembering values: click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**, and turn off **Remember values on this computer**. Turning it off forgets them straight away. #### Change a variable 1. Click **Variables** in the sidebar. 2. Click the variable in the list. It opens in the pane on the right. ![The Variables screen with a list of variables and the Edit variable pane open for audience, with Ask me each time and a default value.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/variables-screen.webp) 3. Change what you need. 4. Click **Save** (the disk icon). To find a variable, type in the **Search variables…** box: it searches names, values and descriptions. Click a column heading to sort by it. If you switch a variable to **Ask me each time** without a default, its value is kept, and comes back if you switch it to fixed again. If you rename a variable, blocks and prompts that use the old name aren't changed. They show the **Unresolved variable** warning until you change `{{old name}}` to the new name in each of them. If you click another variable or leave the screen with unsaved changes, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** Click **Keep Editing** to go back and save, or **Discard Changes**. #### Delete a variable 1. Click **Variables** in the sidebar. 2. Click the trash icon at the end of the variable's row. 3. Click **Delete**. Deleting a variable can't be undone: it doesn't go to **Recently deleted**. Blocks and prompts that use it keep `{{name}}` as written and show the **Unresolved variable** warning, so you can see where it was used. #### Messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Name can't be empty or contain { or }.** | Type a name, without curly braces. | | **A variable named "…" already exists** | Choose another name, or change the variable you already have. Capitals don't count when names are compared. | | **Add at least one value to the list.** | Type a value in the first row under **List values**, or untick **Choose from a list**. | | **Blank and repeated values aren't saved.** | Nothing to fix. The empty and repeated rows are left out when you save. | | **A list can hold up to 100 values.** | Remove a value you don't need before you add another. | | **Your library is paused.** | You can't create or change variables while your library is paused. You can still delete them. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | #### 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: > I want to use variables in PromptMason so my prompts fill in my company name automatically and ask me for the topic each time. Walk me through setting them up and using them in a block. ### Formatting, block headers and hidden notes *Format the text of blocks and prompts, control the header lines between blocks, and leave notes that never reach the AI.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting This page covers the text editor you use for blocks and static prompts, the header lines PromptMason can put above each block in a prompt, and hidden notes: text you keep in a block or prompt that's left out whenever it's copied. #### The text editor You write in the same editor on the Blocks screen, in the Prompts screen's static prompts, and on the Build screen in embedded blocks and the **Edit block** window. It works like a word processor: what you see is how the text is formatted. The toolbar above it has: | Button | What it does | |---|---| | **Undo** and **Redo** | Undo or redo your typing. | | **Bold** | Makes the selected text bold. | | **Italic** | Makes the selected text italic. | | **Bullet list** | Starts or ends a bulleted list. | | **Numbered list** | Starts or ends a numbered list. | | **Text color** | Colors the selected text red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple. **Remove color** takes the color off. | ![The text editor toolbar with undo, redo, bold, italic, list and text color buttons, and the color menu open.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/text-formatting-editor-toolbar.webp) When AI assist is set up, its button is at the right end of the toolbar ([Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist)). To put in a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables), type `{{` and pick a name from the list. ##### What isn't supported The editor has no headings, quotes, code blocks, strikethrough, underline or links. For a document that needs them, such as a Skill, write a [Markdown document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents) instead. A line that starts with `#` stays exactly as you type it. It isn't turned into a heading, so you can write your own section markers, such as `### CONTEXT ###`. ##### What the formatting does when you copy When you copy a prompt, PromptMason puts two versions on the clipboard, and the app you paste into picks one: - Apps that take formatted text, such as Word, Google Docs and Slack, get the bold, italics, colors and lists. - Apps that only take plain text, including many AI chat boxes, get the words without bold, italics or colors. Lists keep their `-` and `1.` markers. Bold, italics and color don't reach an app that takes plain text, so don't rely on them to tell an AI model something. Say it in words, or use a [block header](#block-headers). #### Block headers In a dynamic prompt, each block can have a header line above its text, so an AI model can tell the parts apart. On the Build screen, each block has two boxes: - **Include Type** writes the block's type in capitals. - **Include Name** writes the block's name. | Ticked | Header | |---|---| | **Include Type** | `### ROLE ###` | | **Include Name** | `### Support agent ###` | | Both | `### ROLE: Support agent ###` | | Neither | No header | Each block in each prompt keeps its own choice. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt#block-headers-include-name-and-include-type). ##### Choose whether new blocks start with headers 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**. 2. Under **When you add a block to a prompt**, turn on **Include the block's name**, **Include the block's type**, or both. Blocks you add to a prompt from then on start with those boxes ticked. Blocks already in a prompt keep their own choice. ##### Change the header marker The marker is the `###` written on both sides of a header. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**. 2. Under **Block headers**, type a new marker in the **Block header marker** box, for example `***` or `===`. 3. Press Enter or click outside the box. The marker can be up to 10 characters. The **Example** line under the box shows what a header will look like. To go back to `###`, click **Reset**. If the marker can't be used, a message under the box says why, and the old marker stays in use: | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Enter a marker, or choose Reset to go back to ###.** | Type a marker, or click **Reset**. | | **Use characters only, with no spaces, for example \*\*\* or ===.** | Take out the spaces. | | **Leave out { and }, which prompts use for variables.** | Use other characters. | | **Couldn't save this marker. Try again.** | Click in the box and press Enter again. | ##### Change the space between blocks 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**. 2. Under **Between blocks**, set **Blank lines between blocks** to 1, 2 or 3. The default is 1. The blank lines go only before a block that has a header (**Include Type** or **Include Name** ticked). A block with no header continues the section above it, with no blank line between them. This keeps several short blocks, such as a list of rules, together under one header. The first block in a prompt has nothing above it, so no blank line goes before it. PromptMason also tidies blank lines inside a block's text when it puts a prompt together: blank lines at the start and end are dropped, and a run of two or more in the middle counts as one. The block itself isn't changed. The marker and the spacing apply to every dynamic prompt, in the preview and in the text you copy. A static prompt keeps the headers and spacing it was saved with. #### Hidden notes A hidden note is text in a block or prompt that's left out whenever the text is previewed or copied. Use it for reminders to yourself, such as why a line is there or what to change next time. Write a note between `{{!` and `}}`: ``` Summarize the report in plain language. {{! Legal asked for no jargon. }} ``` When you copy this, you get only "Summarize the report in plain language." ![A block's text in the editor with a hidden note written between {{! and }}.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/text-formatting-hidden-note-in-editor.webp) How notes work: - A note can go anywhere in the text, and can run over several lines. - If a note is alone on its line, the whole line is left out, so no blank line is left behind. - The note ends at the first `}}`. Don't put `}}` inside a note. - If you forget the closing `}}`, nothing is hidden: the `{{!` shows as typed. - A note is never read as a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). - Each block's notes are removed on their own, so a note in one block can't hide the next block. - A static prompt saved from Build keeps its notes, still hidden when you copy it. Hidden notes are saved with the text. Anyone who can open the block or prompt can read them, and AI assist sends the text with its notes, so don't use them for anything private. Hidden notes are different from [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments), which are kept in a separate panel under the list (or under the canvas on Build) and are never part of the text. Markdown documents don't hide notes: a document is kept and copied exactly as written. #### 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: > I want my PromptMason prompts to be well structured for an AI model. Explain the formatting options, block headers and hidden notes, and help me set up headers and spacing that work well. ### Markdown documents and Skills *Write, save, copy and download Markdown documents, such as Skills, on the Build screen.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents A Markdown document is text that PromptMason saves exactly as you write it, with no blocks and no variables. Markdown is a plain-text way of marking headings, lists and links with characters such as `#` and `-`. Use a document for anything you keep as a `.md` file, for example a Skill: a file of instructions an AI tool can follow. A document is listed with your prompts on the **Prompts** screen, with **Markdown** as its kind. #### Turn on the Markdown editor Documents are written with the Markdown editor, a feature you can show or hide. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**. 2. Turn on **Markdown editor**. With it off, you can still read, copy and download the documents you have, but you can't write new ones or edit them. #### Write a new document 1. Click **Build** in the sidebar. 2. Click the **Markdown** tab above the middle pane. The tabs show when you're starting something new. 3. Type a name in the name box at the top. 4. Type or paste your Markdown in the large box. A new document starts on **Edit**. 5. Click **Preview** to see how it looks, and **Edit** to go back to writing. 6. Under **Properties** on the right, check the **Type**. A new document starts on **Skill**. 7. Optional: choose a **Location** (a folder), and add a **Description** and **Tags**. 8. Click **Save**. PromptMason saves the document and opens the **Prompts** screen. To save and keep writing, click **Apply** instead. If you switch to the **Canvas** tab with unsaved text, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** first. The name, description and tags carry over, and so does the Type if you chose one; otherwise the Type changes to that tab's starting Type. The text doesn't carry over. #### Writing in the Edit view The **Edit** view is a plain text box. What you type is saved exactly, character for character. A few things to know: - The Tab key moves to the next control instead of indenting. Type spaces to indent. - Spelling isn't checked in this box. - If AI assist is set up, its button shows here, in the **Edit** view only. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). ![The Markdown tab on the Build screen with a short Skill document typed into the editor.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/markdown-documents-edit-view.webp) The right-hand pane, headed **Document**, shows the number of lines, words and characters, and an estimate of tokens (a token is about three quarters of a word). #### What Preview shows **Preview** shows the document as formatted Markdown: headings, lists, tables, quotes, code and links. Links open in your web browser, except links to PromptMason's guides, which open in **Help**. Front matter (the settings block some files start with, between two `---` lines) shows as a separate block at the top. Images aren't loaded; their description text shows in their place. ![The same document in Preview, with a front matter box, a heading and a numbered list.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/markdown-documents-preview.webp) An empty document shows **Nothing to show yet. Switch to Edit and start writing.** #### What isn't processed PromptMason never changes a document's text, whether you save it, copy it or download it: - `{{name}}` stays as written. Variables aren't filled in, and the **Fill in your values** window never opens. - `{{! … }}` stays as written. Hidden notes are only removed from blocks and prompts. - A document has no character limit of its own. A document can't be turned into a prompt, and a prompt can't be turned into a document. To use the text in a prompt, copy it and paste it into a block or a static prompt. #### Copy or download a document On the Build screen, while the document is open: - **Copy** puts the Markdown on the clipboard as plain text, exactly as written. - **Download .md** saves it as a `.md` file named after the document. Choose where to save it. On the **Prompts** screen, click the document in the list, then click **Copy to Clipboard** or **Download .md** at the bottom of the right-hand pane. You can also right-click the document in the list and click **Download .md**. ![The Prompts screen with a Markdown document selected and its Copy to Clipboard and Download .md buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/markdown-documents-prompts-screen-download.webp) #### Edit a saved document 1. Click **Prompts** in the sidebar. 2. Click the document in the list. 3. Click the pencil (**Edit**) at the top of the right-hand pane. 4. The document opens on the Build screen, on **Preview**. Click **Edit** to change the text. 5. Click **Update** to save and go back to the Prompts screen, or **Apply** to save and keep working. A saved document opens on its own, without the **Canvas** tab or the blocks list. To leave without saving, click **Cancel**. Every save that changes the name, Type, text or tags adds a version. See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). #### Type, Kind and Skills Each document has a kind and a Type: - **Kind** is what the item is: **Static Prompt**, **Dynamic Prompt** or **Markdown**. You can't change it. - **Type** is a label you choose under **Properties**, such as **User Prompt**, **System Prompt** or **Skill**. Any Type can go on any kind. A new document starts with the Type **Skill**. In Chat, your documents whose Type is **Skill** are listed under **Your skills** in the **Skill** picker, so a chat can follow them. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). To use a document as a skill in Chat, keep it under 20,000 characters. A longer one shows **This skill is too long for a chat: keep it under 20,000 characters.** Shorten it, or split it into two documents. To add your own Types, see [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults). #### Documents and the Free plan A document counts as a prompt. On the Free plan it's one of your 15 prompts. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### Messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Give this document a name to save it.** | Type a name in the name box at the top, then save again. | | **Your library is paused** | While your library is paused you can read your documents, but not edit, copy or download them. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | **Save** stays grayed out while the text box is empty. Type some Markdown first. #### 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: > I want to keep a Claude Skill in PromptMason as a Markdown document. Walk me through turning on the “Markdown editor”, writing and saving the document, and downloading it as a .md file. ### Edit a prompt as code *See a dynamic prompt's blocks written out as text, copy them, and edit them directly in the Code view.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/code-view The Code view shows a dynamic prompt's blocks written out as text instead of as cards. You can read it, copy it, or edit it to change the prompt. This is an advanced feature: most people never need it, and the [Visual view](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt) does the same things with drag and drop. The Code view is useful when you want to: - Copy a whole prompt as text, to keep it or give it to an AI assistant to work on. - Make many changes at once, such as several new blocks. - Turn one of a prompt's [embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks) into a library block. When you save a reply from Chat as a prompt, Build opens in the Code view with the reply's blocks ready to check and save ([Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics)). #### Open the Code view 1. Open the prompt on the Build screen ([Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt)). 2. Above the canvas, click **Code** (next to **Visual**). The Code view shows the prompt's blocks, including any embedded blocks you haven't saved yet. It's read-only until you click **Edit**. Click **Copy** to put all of it on the clipboard. ![The Build screen with the Code view selected, showing the prompt's blocks as code, with Copy and Edit buttons above it.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/code-view-screen.webp) **Visual** and **Code** are two views of the same prompt. Switching between them keeps your blocks. #### Edit the code 1. In the Code view, click **Edit**. 2. Change the text in the box. 3. Click **Format** to tidy the layout and check the code. If something is wrong, a red message appears under **Format** ([Error messages](#error-messages)). 4. Save the prompt with **Save as Dynamic**, **Update Prompt** or **Apply** (or Ctrl+S). For a new prompt, **Save as Static** also works: it saves the blocks as fixed text. While you're editing, the code is what gets saved, not the cards. The cards don't follow your code changes until you save. If you've changed the code and click **Visual** before saving, PromptMason asks **Discard your changes?** Click **Keep Editing** to go back, or **Discard Changes** to drop the code changes. The bar that says **Warning: this is an advanced feature. Click to learn more.** opens a short explanation. Click **Got it** to close it. #### The format The code is in a format called `blocks/v1`. It's written in JSON, a common way to write data as text: names and values in double quotes, lists in square brackets `[ ]`, and each item in curly brackets `{ }`, with commas between items. The whole thing has two parts: - `"promptmasonFormat": "blocks/v1"`, which must be there exactly as shown. - `"blocks"`, the list of blocks in the prompt, in order. Each block can have these fields: | Field | What it is | |---|---| | `id` | The block's ID, a long code that points to a block you already have. Leave it out for a new block. | | `name` | The block's name. | | `type` | The block's type, such as `"Role"`. | | `content` | The block's text. Formatting shows as Markdown marks, for example `**word**` for bold. | | `tags` | The block's tags, as a list: `["sales", "email"]`. | | `saveToBlocksLibrary` | `true` for a library block, `false` for an embedded block. | | `includeName` | `true` to put the block's name in its header. Off if left out. | | `includeType` | `true` to put the block's type in its header. Off if left out. | | `variables` | The [variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) the text uses. Shown for your information; it's ignored when you save. | `true` and `false` are written without quotes. #### Three kinds of block entry **A block you already have** has an `id`. Only `includeName` and `includeType` change anything; you can write it as short as `{ "id": "…", "includeType": true }`. Changing its name, type, text or tags here does nothing for a library block: edit it on the Blocks screen instead ([Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks)). For one of this prompt's own embedded blocks, your changes to those fields are saved. **A new embedded block** has no `id`, and needs a `name`, a `type` and `content`. It belongs to this prompt only. **A new library block** is the same, plus `"saveToBlocksLibrary": true`. When you save, it's added to the Blocks screen, and on the Free plan it counts toward your 25 blocks. You can change an embedded block's `saveToBlocksLibrary` from `false` to `true` to make it a library block. You can't change a library block's to `false`: that shows an error, because other prompts may use it. To get an embedded copy of a library block, use [Convert to embedded block](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks#change-a-library-block-for-this-prompt-only). #### An example This prompt uses one block you already have, with its type as a header, and adds one new embedded block: ```json { "promptmasonFormat": "blocks/v1", "blocks": [ { "id": "6c1e9a52-0b7d-4f3e-9a41-2d8f5c7b1e03", "includeType": true }, { "name": "Reply length", "type": "Constraints", "content": "Keep the reply under {{word limit}} words.", "includeType": true } ] } ``` The ID here is made up. Copy real IDs from the Code view rather than typing them. After you click **Format**, the first block shows its name, type and text too. PromptMason checks that an ID belongs to a block you have, but not that it's the block you meant. Check the result on the canvas or in the preview before you save over a prompt that matters. #### Error messages A problem in the code shows in red under **Format** when you click it, or next to the prompt's name when you save. Nothing is saved until it's fixed. ![The code box with a red Invalid JSON message under the Format button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/code-view-format-error-message.webp) **Format** checks how the code is written. The messages about IDs and libraries (the last four in the table) show only when you save, next to the prompt's name. Blocks are counted from 0: `blocks[0]` is the first block, `blocks[1]` the second, and so on. | Message | What it means and what to do | |---|---| | **Invalid JSON:** followed by details | The text isn't valid JSON. Look for a missing comma between items, a missing quote, or a bracket that isn't closed. | | **Expected a JSON object with "promptmasonFormat" and "blocks".** | The code must start with `{` and end with `}`. | | **Expected "promptmasonFormat": "blocks/v1".** | Put back the line `"promptmasonFormat": "blocks/v1"`, spelled exactly like that. | | **"blocks" must be an array.** | The blocks must be in square brackets: `"blocks": [ … ]`. | | **blocks[N] must be an object.** | That block must be in curly brackets `{ }`. | | **blocks[N].id must be a non-empty string.** | The `id` is empty or not in quotes. Fix it, or remove `id` to make a new block. | | **blocks[N] is missing a non-empty "name" (required when there's no "id").** | A new block needs a name. Add one, or add the `id` of a block you have. | | **blocks[N] is missing a non-empty "type" (required when there's no "id").** | A new block needs a type, such as `"Task"`. | | **blocks[N] is missing "content" (required when there's no "id").** | A new block needs its text in `content`. | | **blocks[N].name must be a string.** (or **.type**, **.content**) | That entry has an `id`, and the value after it isn't text. Put the value in double quotes, or remove the field (a block you already have keeps its own name, type and text). | | **blocks[N].tags must be an array of strings.** | Write tags as a list in square brackets, each in quotes: `["sales"]`. | | **blocks[N].saveToBlocksLibrary must be a boolean.** (or **.includeName**, **.includeType**) | Use `true` or `false`, without quotes. | | **No block found with id "…".** | No block you have has that ID; it may have been deleted. Copy the ID again from the Code view, or remove the entry. | | **Block "…" is embedded in another prompt and can't be referenced here.** | That block belongs to a different prompt. Copy its text into a new entry without an `id` instead. | | **Block "…" (name) is a shared block and can't be embedded.** | You set a library block's `saveToBlocksLibrary` to `false`. Change it back to `true`, or use **Convert to embedded block** in the Visual view. | | **A prompt in "…" can only use blocks from "…".** | A prompt in a team library can only use that library's blocks. Move the block into that library first, or take it out of the prompt ([Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries)). | If the **Free plan limit** window opens when you save, the save won't fit the Free plan: a new prompt counts toward your 15 prompts, and each new library block, or embedded block you changed to `"saveToBlocksLibrary": true`, counts toward your 25 blocks. Remove `"saveToBlocksLibrary": true` to keep new blocks embedded, or see [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). If your library is paused, **Copy** and **Edit** open the **Your library is paused** window ([When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library)). #### 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: > I want to edit a PromptMason prompt in the Code view. Explain the blocks/v1 format in plain words, help me write or fix the code for my prompt, and tell me what any error message means. ### Add a block pack *Add a ready-made set of blocks, prompts and variables to your library, from the app or from a file downloaded from the website.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs A block pack is a ready-made set of blocks, prompts and variables to start from. Every item in a pack is yours to change or delete. #### The packs PromptMason comes with seven packs: | Pack | What's in it | |---|---| | **Starter pack** | Everyday blocks for any business, and four prompts: summarize a document, reply to a message, turn meeting notes into an action list, and compare options. | | **Finance pack** | Variance commentary, summaries for leaders, budget review questions and plain-language explanations of finance terms. | | **Legal pack** | Flag clauses, summarize a contract in plain language and prepare questions for a lawyer. It isn't legal advice. | | **Marketing pack** | Email, social posts, landing page sections and content briefs in your brand's voice. | | **Sales pack** | Outreach emails, follow-ups after a call, call summaries with next steps and short proposals. | | **HR pack** | Job posts, interview questions, policy notes in plain words and announcements to the team. | | **Customer support pack** | Replies that solve the problem, escalation notes, help-centre articles and a tone that calms things down. | Settings shows how many blocks, prompts and variables each pack has. The [prompt library](https://promptmason.ai/packs) on the website has the packs to download. #### Add the Starter pack when you first open PromptMason The first time you open PromptMason, with nothing in your library yet, a card in the bottom-right corner asks **Start with ready-made blocks?** ![The "Start with ready-made blocks?" card with the buttons Add the starter pack and Not now.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/block-packs-starter-pack-offer.webp) - Click **Add the starter pack** to add it. - Click **Not now** to skip it. Either way, the card doesn't show again. You can add the Starter pack, or any other pack, from Settings at any time. #### Add a pack from Settings 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 2. Scroll to **Block packs**. ![The Block packs row listing the Starter pack (Added), the six other packs each with an Add button, and an Add a pack from a file button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/block-packs-settings-block-packs-row.webp) 3. Find the pack and click **Add**. A line under the list says what was added, for example "Starter pack: Added 20 blocks, 4 prompts and 16 variables." The button changes to **Added**. The line can also say how many items it brought back from the Archive, and how many were already there. #### Add a pack downloaded from the website The website can have a newer version of a pack than the one in your app, or a pack the app doesn't have yet. 1. Go to [promptmason.ai/packs](https://promptmason.ai/packs) and click **Download** next to the pack. The file's name ends in `.promptmason.json`. 2. In PromptMason, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 3. Scroll to **Block packs** and click **Add a pack from a file…**. 4. Pick the file you downloaded. The line under the list says what was added. If the pack's version from the file is different from the app's, the pack's row says which version was added from a file. You can also get to the website from the **Find more packs on promptmason.ai** link in **Block packs**. #### Mega packs Mega packs are bigger packs for one profession or one industry, such as FP&A or health care, with a few hundred blocks and the prompts built from them. They’re in the prompt library on the website, listed by profession and by industry, and each has its own page showing everything inside it. The Free plan holds 25 blocks and 15 prompts, so a Mega pack is made for Pro. Every download of PromptMason starts with 14 days of Pro, so you can add any Mega pack during the trial. On the Free plan you can still add a Mega pack and read it: PromptMason tells you first, and your library stays read-only until you remove what you don’t need, or move to Pro (see [On the Free plan](#on-the-free-plan)). To add one: 1. Go to [promptmason.ai/packs](https://promptmason.ai/packs), open the pack you want and click **Download**. 2. In PromptMason, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 3. Scroll to **Block packs**, click **Add a pack from a file…** and pick the file. The pack goes into a folder named after it, with one subfolder for each topic, and every block and prompt is tagged with the pack’s name. A pack marked **Coming soon** isn’t written yet; click **I want this pack** to tell us you’d like it. #### What adding a pack does - **Nothing is replaced.** The pack is added next to what you already have, in your personal library. - **One folder per pack.** Each pack's blocks and prompts go into a folder named after the pack, such as **Starter pack**. - **Dynamic prompts.** The pack's prompts are dynamic: they're built from the pack's blocks, so a change to a block shows in every prompt that uses it. See [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). - **The pack's name as a tag.** Every block and prompt from a pack is tagged with the pack's name, such as `Starter pack`. Click it under **Tags** in the sidebar to see everything from that pack at once. - **Variables.** The pack adds the variables its blocks use (see [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables)). Some hold facts about your business, with sample values such as "Example Company". Others ask for a value each time you copy, and some of those have a default value. - **Your variables are kept.** If you already have a variable with the same name (capitals don't count), the pack uses yours and doesn't change it. #### Make a pack your own After adding a pack: 1. Click **Variables** in the sidebar. 2. Click each variable with a sample value, such as `company name`, type your own value in **Value**, and click the **Save** icon (the disk) at the top right of the pane. ![The company name variable open with a sample value in the Value box.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/block-packs-company-name-variable-sample-value.webp) 3. Open the pack's blocks on the **Blocks** screen and change their text as you like (see [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks)). Every prompt from the pack picks up your values and your changes. #### Add a pack again Adding a pack again only adds what's missing. The button reads **Add missing items** when some of the pack's blocks or prompts are archived or deleted, or one of its variables is gone. It reads **Add** again if none of the pack's blocks and prompts are left. ![The Starter pack row with an Add missing items button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/block-packs-add-missing-items-button.webp) - Items still in your library are left as they are, with your changes. - Items in the **Archive** are brought back from it. - Items you deleted are added again. - If you deleted the pack's folder, it's made again. When everything is there, the button reads **Added**, and adding the same pack from a file says **Everything in the … is already in your library.** #### Remove a pack's items 1. Click **Prompts** or **Blocks** in the sidebar. 2. Click the pack's name, such as **Starter pack**, under **Tags** in the sidebar. (If you don't see **Tags**, turn on the Tags feature: see [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features).) 3. Tick the items you want to remove, or tick the box at the top of the list to select them all. 4. Click **Delete** in the bar that appears, then choose **Archive** or **Delete**. ![The Prompts list filtered to the Starter pack tag, all items ticked and a selection bar with a Delete button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/block-packs-remove-items-selection-bar.webp) 5. Repeat on the other screen (**Blocks** or **Prompts**) to remove the rest of the pack. Deleted items go to **Recently deleted** for 30 days. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). Variables the pack added stay on the **Variables** screen until you delete them there. #### On the Free plan The Free plan includes up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts. Only the items a pack would add count; items already in your library don't. Variables don't count. If the pack is bigger than that, PromptMason asks first. A window titled **Add the … anyway?** says how many blocks and prompts the pack has and how many the Free plan has room for. It also tells you what happens next: your library becomes read-only until you remove what you don't need or move to Pro. You can still read, search and export everything meanwhile. - **Cancel** adds nothing. - **Add anyway** adds the whole pack. A banner across the top then says **Your library is paused.** This is how a Free library can take in a large pack, read all of it, and decide about Pro with the content in front of you. To start editing again, remove the items you don't need (see [Remove a pack's items](#remove-a-packs-items), or delete the pack's folder to remove all of it) or move to Pro. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library), [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans) and [Pricing](https://promptmason.ai/pricing). A library that is already paused takes no pack, whatever its size. #### Messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **This file isn’t a block pack. To bring in a backup or your own export, use Import… instead.** | Pick the `.promptmason.json` file you downloaded from the prompt library. For your own exported files, see [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). | | **The … couldn’t be added …** or **That pack couldn’t be added … Your library is unchanged.** | Nothing was added. If the line also says the file isn’t a block pack, download the pack again from the prompt library. Otherwise try again, and if it keeps happening, close and reopen PromptMason. | | **The packs couldn’t be loaded. Close and reopen PromptMason, then try again.** | Close PromptMason, open it again, and go back to **Block packs**. | | **The pack couldn’t be added. Try again, or add it later in Settings.** | Shown on the first-launch card. Click **Add the starter pack** again, or add it later from **Block packs** in Settings. | | **Your library is paused** | Packs can't be added while your library is paused. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | #### 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: > I'm new to PromptMason and want to start from ready-made blocks. Walk me through adding the Starter pack, changing its sample values to my own business, and removing the samples later. ### Version history *See the earlier versions of a block, prompt or document, and restore one.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history PromptMason keeps a version of a block, prompt or document each time you save a change to it. You can look back through the versions and restore any of them. Version history is a feature you can show or hide. If you don't see **History**, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**, and turn on **Version history**. Versions are kept while it's off; turning it on shows them again. #### When a version is saved A first version is saved when you create an item. After that, a new version is saved each time you save a change to: - **A block:** its name, Type, text or tags. - **A static prompt or a document:** its name, Type, text or tags. - **A dynamic prompt:** its name, Type, tags, or its blocks: which blocks it uses, their order, and their **Include Name** and **Include Type** choices. These don't make a version: the description, the character limit, moving the item to another folder, favorites and ratings. Saving without changing anything doesn't make a version either. Moving an item to another library does. There's no limit on how many versions are kept. #### On your other PCs If your personal library syncs to your other PCs, each item's history is the same on all of them, including the versions you saved before you started syncing. A PC you add gets the whole history when it joins ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#what-your-other-pcs-get)). In a team library, history starts when the library starts. Everyone in it sees each change made in the library since then, with who made it. Versions from before you moved an item into a team library stay on your own PCs. ##### Embedded blocks An embedded block belongs to one prompt (see [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks)). It has no history of its own. When you change an embedded block and save the prompt, the prompt gets a new version, and that version keeps the embedded block's text as it was. #### Open the history Any of these opens **Version history** for an item: - On the **Blocks** or **Prompts** screen, click the item, then click the clock icon (**History**) at the top of the right-hand pane. ![The top of a block's pane with the pencil, the History clock button and the Close button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/version-history-history-button.webp) - On the **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer** screen, right-click the item and click **History**. - On the **Explorer** screen, click the item's **Version history** button. The Build screen has no History button. To see a prompt's history while you work on it, go to the **Prompts** screen. The **Versions** column on the **Prompts**, **Blocks** and **Explorer** screens shows how many versions each item has. #### What each version shows Versions are listed newest first. Each one shows: - The date and time it was saved. The newest is marked **Current**. - The name and Type, and for a prompt whether it's **Static**, **Dynamic** or **Markdown**. - The first lines of its text. For a dynamic prompt, the number of blocks and their names; a block that was later archived shows "(archived)", and one that was deleted shows **[Block removed]**. - Its tags, while the Tags feature is on. - An **AI assist** tag if that save included a suggestion from AI assist that you accepted. Point at the tag to see which AI provider and model made the suggestion. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). ![The Version history window listing three versions of a block, newest first with Current beside it, and a Restore button on the older ones.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/version-history-dialog.webp) History doesn't compare two versions for you. To see what changed, read the text shown for each version. #### Restore a version 1. Open **Version history** for the item. 2. Find the version you want. 3. Click **Restore** next to it. It shows **Restoring…** while it works. The newest version, marked **Current**, has no **Restore** button: it's what you have now. There's no confirmation step. The version you restored becomes the current one, and the list shows it at the top as a new version marked **Current**. Nothing is lost: the version you replaced stays in the list, so you can restore it in the same way if you change your mind. What's restored: - **A block:** its name, Type, text and tags. - **A static prompt or a document:** its name, Type, text and tags. - **A dynamic prompt:** its name, Type, tags and its list of blocks, in order. Embedded blocks get back their name, type, text and tags from that version. What isn't restored: the description, character limit, folder, favorite and rating. A static prompt stays static, a dynamic prompt stays dynamic, and a document stays a document. ##### Restoring a dynamic prompt and its library blocks A dynamic prompt's version records which library blocks it used, not their text. Restoring it brings back that list of blocks, and each block shows its text as it is now. To bring back a block's earlier text, restore the block itself from its own history on the **Blocks** screen. That changes the block in every prompt that uses it. If an embedded block from that version has since been turned into a library block, or now belongs to another prompt, PromptMason leaves that block as it is, restores the rest, and says how many blocks it didn't change. An embedded block that was deleted is brought back. #### Who made a version A version saved by a connected AI app, such as Claude Desktop or Chat, says **via AI app**. See [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent). In a team library, each version also says who made it and on which PC, for example "Edited by Sam Rivera on Sam's PC". See [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). #### Deleted and copied items - A deleted item keeps its versions while it's in **Recently deleted**. If you restore it within 30 days, its history is still there. After that, the item and its versions are gone for good. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). - A copy made with **Copy** in a list starts its own history, with one version. #### Messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Could not load version history.** | Close the window and open it again. If it keeps happening, close and reopen PromptMason. | | **Restore failed — try again.** | Click **Restore** again. | | **No versions captured yet.** | Nothing has been saved to this item yet. Save a change and open **History** again. | | **Restored.** followed by "… aren't part of this prompt anymore, so they weren't changed." | The restore worked. A few embedded blocks from that version were left as they are (see [Restoring a dynamic prompt and its library blocks](#restoring-a-dynamic-prompt-and-its-library-blocks)). | | **You can view this library but not change it. Ask a library owner for edit access.** | You're a reader in this team library, so you can't restore versions. Ask a library owner to make you an editor. | | **Your library is paused** | You can look through versions but not restore them while your library is paused. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | #### 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: > I changed a prompt in PromptMason and want the old wording back. Walk me through finding the earlier version in “Version history” and restoring it. ### Comments *Add, edit and delete comments about a block, prompt or document in the Comments panel.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments Comments are notes about a block, prompt or document, kept beside it in the **Comments** panel. Use them for anything you want to remember about an item, such as where you used it or what to try next. Comments are never part of the text you copy. #### Comments or hidden notes PromptMason has two ways to keep notes, and they work differently: - **Comments** are kept in the **Comments** panel, apart from the text. You add them with a button and they show with a name and a date. - **Hidden notes** are written inside the text of a block or prompt, as `{{! like this }}`. They stay in the text where you put them, and are taken out when the text is previewed or copied. See [Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting). This page is about comments. #### Where the Comments panel is The panel sits at the bottom of the middle pane, headed **Comments**, or **Comments (3)** when an item has three: - On the **Blocks** screen, under the list, while a block is selected. - On the **Prompts** screen, under the list, while a prompt or document is selected. - On the **Build** screen, under the middle pane, once the prompt or document has been saved. A new, unsaved prompt has no comments yet. ![The Blocks screen with the Comments panel open at the bottom, showing one comment with the name Alex Morgan and a date.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/comments-panel.webp) Click the heading to open or close the panel. To see more comments at once, drag the panel's top edge up. It can take up to half the pane. Comments are a feature you can show or hide. If you don't see the panel, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**, and turn on **Comments**. Turning it off hides the panel but keeps your comments. #### Open the panel by default The panel starts closed each time you select an item. To have it start open: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**. 2. Under **Comments**, turn on **Expand comments by default**. #### Add a comment 1. Select the block, prompt or document. 2. Click **+** (**Add comment**) on the right of the **Comments** heading. 3. In the first box, type your name if you want it shown. It starts with the last name you used on this PC; clear it to leave the comment unsigned. 4. Type your comment. ![The Add comment window with a name box, a text box and a Save button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/comments-add-comment-form.webp) 5. Click **Save**. It works once the comment has some text. With no comments yet, the open panel says **No comments yet — be the first to add one.** The comment shows in the panel with your name (or **Anonymous** if you left the name empty), and the date and time. Long comments show their first two lines. #### Edit a comment 1. Click the comment in the panel. 2. Change the text, or the name. 3. Click **Save**. An edited comment shows **(edited)** after its date. #### Delete a comment 1. Click the comment in the panel. 2. Click **Delete**. 3. Click **Delete** again to confirm. Deleting a comment can't be undone: it doesn't go to **Recently deleted**. #### Comments in a team library In a team library, everyone in the library sees an item's comments. There's no name box: each comment shows the name of the library member who last saved it, from the library's member list. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). #### What happens to comments - **Copying an item.** A copy made with **Copy** in a list doesn't get the original's comments. - **Moving an item** to another folder or library keeps its comments. - **Export.** **Export everything** covers your personal library, so it includes the comments on items there. A team library's comments go with that library; an owner can export it (see [Export or import a team library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import#export-or-import-a-team-library)). See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). - **Paused library.** While your library is paused you can read and delete comments, but not add or change them. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### If comments don't load If the panel shows **Could not load comments.**, select another item and then the same item again. If it keeps happening, close and reopen PromptMason. #### 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: > I want to leave notes on my prompts in PromptMason about what works and what doesn't. Show me how to add, edit and delete comments, and explain how they differ from hidden notes in the text. ### Expected output *Keep the results an AI tool gave for a block, prompt or document, with the tool and model that gave them.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output Expected output is a record of the results an AI tool gave for a block, prompt or document. Each result keeps the text (or a file), the AI tool and the model that gave it, and the date. Use it to keep an example of a good answer, or to see how different tools and models answered the same prompt. Expected output is a feature you can show or hide. If you don't see it, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**, and turn on **Expected output**. #### Where to find it The **Expected Output** section sits in the right-hand pane, under the text: - On the **Blocks** screen, when you click a block. - On the **Prompts** screen, when you click a prompt or document. - On the **Build** screen, under **Preview** (or **Document**). It starts closed. Click **Expected Output** to open it. The heading shows how many results there are, for example **Expected Output (3)**. To give it more room, drag its top edge up. With no results, the open section says **No expected output recorded yet.** ![The Blocks screen with the Expected Output section open in the right-hand pane, showing one result with the tool Claude and its text.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/expected-output-section.webp) #### Add a result 1. Click the block, prompt or document, and open the **Expected Output** section. 2. Click **Add result**. 3. Paste or type the result in the large box. 4. Under **AI Tool**, type the tool you used, for example Claude or ChatGPT. 5. Under **Model**, type the model that gave the result. 6. To keep a file with the result, such as an image or a document the AI made, click **Attach file** and choose it. Files can be up to 25 MB. ![The Expected Output form with a result text, AI Tool and Model filled in, and Attach file and Save buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/expected-output-add-result-form.webp) 7. Click **Save**. **Save** works once **AI Tool** and **Model** are filled in, and the result has text, a file, or both. The new result shows in the section, with the date and time, the tool and the model. To pick a different file before saving, click **Change file**. To take the file off, click the **x** next to its name (**Remove attachment**). #### Look through results The section shows the newest result first. When there are several, use the arrows (**Older entry** and **Newer entry**) to move between them. The line between the arrows says which one you're on, for example **Entry 2 of 3**. An attached image shows in the section. Once the item is saved, click the image to open it full size in your web browser. Other files show as a link with the file's name and size: click it to save the file. Results can't be edited. To change one, add a new result and delete the old one. #### Add results before you save You can add results to a new block or prompt before you've saved it, including on the Build screen. Each one shows **Saves with this prompt.** (or **Saves with this block.**). They're saved as soon as you save the block or prompt. If you leave without saving, PromptMason asks before it discards the item and its results. If any of them couldn't be saved, PromptMason says how many, for example **Saved. 1 expected output couldn't be saved — add it again from the saved prompt.** Your block or prompt was saved. Open the **Expected Output** section on it and add those results again. #### Delete a result 1. Open the **Expected Output** section and use the **Older entry** and **Newer entry** arrows to show the result you want to delete. 2. Click **Delete**. 3. Click **Delete** again next to **Delete this entry?** Deleting a saved result can't be undone: it doesn't go to **Recently deleted**. A result you added to an unsaved item is removed straight away, without asking. #### What happens to results - **Copying an item.** A copy made with **Copy** in a list gets the original's results, with their files. - **Export.** **Export everything** covers your personal library, so it includes the results, and their files, on items there. For a team library, an owner exports that library (see [Export or import a team library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import#export-or-import-a-team-library)). See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). - **Paused library.** While your library is paused you can look at and delete results, but not add new ones. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### Messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **… is larger than the 25MB limit** | Choose a smaller file, or paste the result as text instead. | | **Could not save.** | Click **Save** again. If it keeps happening, close and reopen PromptMason. | | **Could not load expected output.** | Click another item and then this one again. If it keeps happening, close and reopen PromptMason. | #### 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: > I want to keep a record in PromptMason of the answers ChatGPT and Claude gave for one of my prompts. Walk me through adding a result to “Expected Output”, attaching a file, and looking back through the results. ## Find and organize ### Find and organize *Search, filter, file and tidy your blocks and prompts as your library grows.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/find-and-organize This section is for when your library has grown and you want to find things faster or tidy them up. It covers searching, folders, tags, favorites and ratings, the Explorer screen, and the Archive. The ideas to know first: - **Folders:** hold your blocks and prompts, the way folders hold files on your PC. A folder can hold other folders. Each item is in one folder, or in none. - **Tags, favorites and ratings:** labels, hearts and one to five stars that help you filter. They are features you can show or hide, and hiding them keeps what you added. - **Explorer:** shows blocks and prompts side by side, in their folders, to move, copy, file and delete. - **Archive and delete:** archiving puts an item away until you bring it back. Deleting moves it to **Recently deleted**, where you can restore it for 30 days. Start by [setting up a few folders](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders), then learn to [search and filter each screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search). When you want to tidy many items at once, use [Explorer](https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer). This section also covers the **Home** screen, a start page with a search across everything you've saved: see [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home). #### 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: > My PromptMason library is getting big and messy. Explain the ways to find and organize my blocks and prompts, and which guide I should read first. ### The Home screen *Turn on Home, search everything from it, and add, arrange and set up its widgets.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/home Home is a start page. At the top is a search box that looks through everything you've saved. Below it is a grid of widgets you choose: buttons to create new items, your recent items and favorites, numbers about your library, and charts that show how your blocks and prompts connect. ![The Home screen with a search box, an Add widget button and the Quick Launch, Recent, Favorites, Stats, Block Usage and Version History widgets.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/home-overview.webp) #### Turn Home on or off Home is a feature you can show or hide. It's on if you chose **Show me everything** when you first opened PromptMason, and off if you chose **Start simple**. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**. 2. Turn **Home dashboard** on. **Home** now shows at the top of the sidebar, and PromptMason opens on Home each time you start it. You can also press Ctrl+8 to go to Home. With Home off, PromptMason opens on the **Prompts** screen instead. Turning Home off doesn't remove your widgets: they're there again when you turn it back on. The other feature switches are in **Settings → Features** too; see [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). Your first Home already has **Quick Launch** and **Recent**, plus **Favorites** if you chose **Show me everything**. If you chose **Start simple**, add **Favorites** with **Add widget** once Favorites & ratings is on. #### Search from Home Type in the **Search…** box at the top of Home (or press Ctrl+F) to search your blocks, prompts, documents, variables, tags, folders and archived items at once. Results are grouped, and pressing Enter or clicking a result opens it. For what it searches and the keys you can use, see [Search everything from Home](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search#search-everything-from-home). #### Add a widget 1. On Home, click **Add widget** in the top-right corner. 2. Click the widget you want. ![The Add widget menu open on Home, listing the widgets you can add.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/home-add-widget-menu.webp) The widget goes into the first free space that fits it, reading the grid left to right, top to bottom. You can add more than one of the same widget, for example two **Recent** widgets sorted different ways. Some widgets are listed only while their feature is on: **Favorites** (Favorites & ratings), **Version History** (Version history) and **AI assist activity** (AI assist). ##### If there's no room A widget that doesn't fit anywhere is grayed out. If other widgets still fit, it's also marked **No room**. The menu says either **Some widgets need more free space. Remove a widget, or add rows or columns in Settings.** or, when nothing fits, **Home is full. Remove a widget, or add rows or columns in Settings.** To make room, remove a widget you don't need (see [Remove a widget](#remove-a-widget)), or click **Open Settings → Features** in the menu to make the grid bigger (see [Change the grid size](#change-the-grid-size)). #### Change a widget's settings 1. Click the gear icon in the widget's title bar. 2. Change the settings. Each change applies and is saved straight away. 3. Click anywhere outside the settings to close them. ![The Recent widget with its settings open: Show kind, Kind, Sort by and Show how many.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/home-recent-widget-settings.webp) **Quick Launch** has no settings, so it has no gear. Each widget's settings are listed under [The widgets](#the-widgets). #### Move a widget 1. Point to the grip icon at the left end of the widget's title bar. 2. Drag the widget to where you want it, then let go. While you drag, an outline shows the space the widget would take. If the widget can't go there, the outline turns red and says **No room to move this here**. - Dropping a widget onto another widget of the same size swaps them. - Otherwise, widgets in the way are pushed aside toward the space you're leaving. If they can't be pushed, they move to the nearest free space. - To cancel a move, press Esc before you let go, or drop the widget outside the grid. Widgets can be moved only with the mouse (or a touch screen), by the grip icon. #### Resize a chart Two widgets can be made larger or smaller: **Blocks → Prompts** and **Graph**. The others always take one space, except **AI assist activity**, which is always two spaces wide. 1. Click the gear icon on the chart. 2. Use the − and + buttons next to **Width (columns)** and **Height (rows)**, or type a number and press Enter. Other widgets are pushed aside to make room. A chart is at least 2 columns wide and 1 row high, and never larger than the grid. If there isn't room for the new size, the size stays as it was and the settings show **Not enough room on Home for this size. Remove a widget or add rows or columns in Settings → Features.** #### Remove a widget Click the X at the right end of the widget's title bar. The widget is removed straight away, without asking first. If you add it again later, it starts with its default settings. #### Change the grid size The grid starts at 3 columns and 4 rows. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**. 2. Under **Home dashboard**, find **Home grid size**. 3. Type a number in **Columns** (2 to 5) and **Rows** (2 to 12). ![The Home grid size boxes under Home dashboard, set to 3 columns and 4 rows.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/home-grid-size-setting.webp) Columns share the width of the window. Each row has a fixed height, so more rows than fit in the window make Home scroll. Making the grid bigger never moves a widget. Making it smaller keeps the widgets that still fit where they are and moves the rest into free spaces; a chart may be made narrower or shorter to fit. If the widgets can't all fit, the size isn't changed and Settings says which widgets to remove first, for example **Home can't fit all of its widgets in 3 columns × 2 rows. To use this size, remove these widgets from Home first: 2 Recent widgets.** If the message says a widget is **hidden while [feature] is off**, turn that feature back on in **Features**, remove the widget from Home, then change the size. A widget for a feature that's turned off (Favorites, Version History or AI assist activity) is hidden but keeps its space on the grid, so it's back in place when you turn the feature on again. That space can look empty while still counting as taken. #### The widgets ##### Quick Launch Large buttons to start something new: **New Block**, **New Dynamic Prompt**, **New Static Prompt** and **New Chat** (**New Chat** only while the Chat feature is on). - **New Block** opens the **Blocks** screen with a new block ready to fill in. - **New Dynamic Prompt** opens an empty **Build** screen. - **New Static Prompt** opens the **Prompts** screen with a new prompt ready to fill in. - **New Chat** opens **Chat & Browse** with a new chat ready to type into. On the Free plan, if you're already at your limit for blocks or prompts, the Free plan limit message shows instead. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). ##### Recent Blocks and prompts you've changed lately, newest first. Click one to open it. What counts as recent is set in **Settings** → **Blocks & prompts** → **Days in Recent** (30 days to start with). Archived items aren't listed. Settings: - **Show kind**: show "Block", "Static Prompt", "Dynamic Prompt" or "Markdown" on each row. - **Show favorite/rating**: show the heart and stars under each name (only while Favorites & ratings is on). - **Kind**: switches for **Blocks**, **Dynamic Prompts**, **Static Prompts** and **Markdown Documents** (the last only while the Markdown editor is on or you have a document). - **Sort by**: **Name**, **Last updated** or **Rating**, then **Asc** (A to Z, oldest or lowest first) or **Desc**. The widget always picks the most recently changed items first; the sort only changes the order they're shown in. - **Show how many**: 1 to 100 (10 to start with). ##### Favorites Blocks and prompts you've marked with the heart, up to the number set in **Show how many** (10 to start with). Click one to open it. It has the same settings as **Recent**. To start with it's sorted by **Name**, **Desc** (Z to A); change **Sort by** to **Asc** for A to Z. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). ##### Stats Numbers about your library. Point to a label to see what it means. Choose which ones show under **Stats to show** in the widget's settings: | Stat | What it counts | Shown to start with | |---|---|---| | **Blocks** | Every block, including ones embedded in a single prompt | Yes | | **Dynamic Prompts** | Prompts saved as Dynamic | Yes | | **Static Prompts** | Prompts saved as Static (not Markdown documents) | Yes | | **Markdown Documents** (only while the Markdown editor is on or you have a document) | Markdown documents, such as Skills | Yes | | **Blocks : Dynamic Prompts** | Blocks divided by Dynamic prompts, as a size ratio | Yes | | **Blocks Reused (2+)** | Library blocks used by two or more Dynamic prompts | No | | **Avg Prompts / Used Block** | For library blocks used at least once, how many prompts use each, on average | No | | **% Library Reused** | The share of your library blocks used by two or more prompts | No | | **Favorites** | Blocks and prompts marked as favorites | No | | **Variables** | Your variables | No | A stat for a feature that's turned off isn't shown. A library block is one saved on the **Blocks** screen; an embedded block belongs to one prompt only (see [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks)). ##### Block Usage Your library blocks ranked by how many prompts use each one, with the number on the right. Blocks no prompt uses are listed too, with 0. Click a block to open it. Settings: **Sort by** (**Desc** puts the most-used first, **Asc** the least-used) and **Show how many** (5 to start with). ##### Version History Blocks and prompts ranked by how many saved versions each one has. Click one to open it. Shown only while the Version history feature is on. See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). Settings: **Show kind**, **Kind**, **Sort by** (**Asc** or **Desc**) and **Show how many** (5 to start with). ##### Blocks → Prompts A flow chart of your library blocks on the left and the Dynamic prompts that use them on the right. Static prompts, Markdown documents and embedded blocks aren't shown. ![The Blocks to Prompts chart with blocks on the left, the prompts that use them on the right and a zoom control.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/home-blocks-to-prompts-widget.webp) - **Search**: type part of a name in the box at the top of the card, then pick a block or prompt from the list (or press Enter for the first). The chart shows only the flows through it, even if it isn't one of the top blocks. Click the **X** or press Escape to see the whole chart again. - **Top blocks**: how many of your most-used blocks to show (5 to start with). Use − and + or type a number from 1 to 100. - **Zoom**: the − and + buttons zoom from 100% to 300%. You can also hold Ctrl and turn the mouse wheel. When zoomed in, the mouse wheel scrolls the chart. - **Point to** a block or prompt to fade everything not connected to it. - **Click** one to keep that view. A **Focused on** label appears; click it, or the same item again, to clear it. - **Double-click** one to open it. Settings: **Width (columns)** and **Height (rows)** (3 × 1 to start with), and **Reverse (Prompts → Blocks)**, which puts prompts on the left ranked by how many blocks they use. The widget is then titled **Prompts → Blocks** and the control reads **Top prompts**. Zoom, focus and search reset when you leave Home. ##### Graph A map of your library: a dot for each library block, prompt, Markdown document, chat, variable and tag, plus one **Favorites** dot and one dot per star rating. Lines join: - a Dynamic prompt to each library block it uses, - a block or prompt to each variable it uses, its tags, **Favorites** (if it's a favorite) and its rating, - a chat to each prompt it has run. Bigger dots have more lines. Archived items and embedded blocks aren't shown. - **Search**: type part of a name in the box at the top of the card, then pick an item from the list (or press Enter for the first). The graph shows only that item and everything joined to it. Click the **X** or press Escape to see the whole graph again. - **Point to** a dot to see its name and kind, and fade everything not connected to it. - **Click** a dot to keep that view. A **Focused on** label appears; click it, or the same dot again, to clear it. - **Double-click** a dot to open it: a block on the **Blocks** screen, a prompt or document on the **Prompts** screen, a variable on the **Variables** screen, a tag in **Explorer**, a chat on **Chat & Browse**. - **Drag** a dot to move it. The others settle around it. - **Zoom** with the buttons, or hold Ctrl and turn the mouse wheel. **Fit to card** shows the whole graph again. The graph is drawn in 3D or flat: - **3D**: drag to turn the graph, right-drag to move it. - **Flat**: drag the background to move around. Settings: - **3D**: on or off. To start with, it's on if your PC has a graphics card that can draw it, and off otherwise. - **Animate** (3D only, on to start with): the graph turns slowly on its own. It stops while you hold it, point to a dot, or leave the PC alone for a while. **Uses extra computer power while it turns. On a slower PC, or one without a graphics card, you may want to leave it off.** - **Speed** (while Animate is on): **1x** to **5x**. - **Show**: switches for **Blocks**, **Dynamic Prompts**, **Static Prompts**, **Markdown Documents**, **Chats**, **Variables**, **Tags**, **Favorites**, **Ratings** and **Unconnected items** (dots with no lines). A switch is missing while its feature is off. - **Width (columns)** and **Height (rows)** (2 × 2 to start with). Focus, zoom and where you've moved things reset when you leave Home. ##### AI assist activity How you've used AI assist, Evaluate and Chat. Shown only while the AI assist feature is on. It's two spaces wide. Settings: **Period**, which is **This month** (the default), **Last 30 days** or **All time**. - **Runs**: **Total**, **Accepted**, **Discarded**, **Failed**, **No decision** (a suggestion you neither accepted nor discarded), **Evaluated**, **Chat replies** (once there is one), and **Acceptance rate** (accepted out of accepted plus discarded, once you've done either). - **Tokens**: for each AI provider you used, how many tokens were **Sent** and **Received** (and **Reasoning**, if the provider reports it). A token is a small piece of text, about three quarters of a word. The heading says **Tokens (includes estimates)** when some numbers are PromptMason's own estimate rather than the provider's. No prices are shown. - **Recently improved**: your last five accepted suggestions. Click one to open it. If the numbers can't be read, the widget says **Couldn't load AI assist activity.** Go to another screen and back to Home to try again. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). #### 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: > I want to set up the Home screen in PromptMason. Help me choose which widgets to add, arrange them on the grid, and set each one up for how I work. ### Find anything *Search your whole library from Home, search and filter each screen, find a setting, and sort what you see.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/search PromptMason has a search box on every screen that lists things, and one on Home that looks through everything at once. On Home, Blocks, Build, Prompts, Explorer, Archive and Variables, Ctrl+F puts the cursor in that screen's search box. You can then narrow a list with the sidebar's folder, tag, favorite and rating filters, and with the filters on each column. Searching is never case-sensitive, and what you type is matched as one phrase: "sales email" finds "Sales email follow-up" but not "Email for sales". #### Search everything from Home The **Search…** box at the top of Home searches all of these at once: blocks, prompts, Markdown documents, variables, tags, folders, and archived blocks and prompts. It looks in names, descriptions, text, tags, types, kinds and folders, and also in comments and expected output. 1. Click **Home** in the sidebar. 2. Click the **Search…** box (or press Ctrl+F) and type. ![The Home search box with "plain" typed in and a list of matching blocks and prompts under it, each saying where the match was found.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/search-home-results.webp) 3. Click a result, or use the Up and Down arrow keys to pick one and press Enter. Results are grouped under **Blocks**, **Prompts**, **Variables**, **Tags**, **Folders** and **Archive**. Names that match come first in each group. Each result says where the words were found, for example "Found in content · tags". A block shows its type, and a prompt shows **Static**, **Dynamic** or **Markdown**. In the **Archive** group, each result shows **Block**, **Prompt** or **Markdown** instead. A tag shows how many items use it, and a folder shows the folder it's in. What opening a result does: | Result | Opens | |---|---| | Block | The **Blocks** screen, showing the block | | Prompt or document | The **Prompts** screen, showing it | | Variable | The **Variables** screen, with the variable open | | Tag | **Explorer**, showing everything with that tag | | Folder | **Explorer**, inside that folder | | Archived item | The **Archive** screen, searching for its name | Opening a tag or folder clears any other filters you had set, so you see everything in it. Press Esc once to close the results, and again to clear the box. Home search only looks at features that are on. For example, with the Variables feature off, variables aren't searched, and with Tags off, tags aren't. Home is a feature too; to turn it on, see [Turn Home on or off](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home#turn-home-on-or-off). ##### Messages in Home search | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Searching…** | Wait a moment for the rest of the results. | | **Nothing matches “…”.** | Try fewer or different words. | | **Only the first 200 matches of each kind are listed. Type more to narrow them down.** | Add a word or two to your search. | | **Search couldn’t finish. Try again in a moment.** | Click the search box again, or change what you typed, to search again. | #### Search one screen **Blocks**, **Prompts**, **Explorer**, **Archive** and **Variables** each have their own search box, above the list. Press Ctrl+F to jump to it, and click the X in the box to clear it. | Screen | What its search looks in | |---|---| | **Blocks** | Name, type, tags, folder, the dates it was created and changed, and the block's text | | **Prompts** | Name, type, kind, tags, folder, dates, and the text (for a Dynamic prompt, the text of its blocks) | | **Explorer** | The same as Blocks and Prompts, for both, plus folder names | | **Archive**, **Archived** tab | Name, type and kind | | **Archive**, **Recently deleted** tab | Name only | | **Variables** | Name, value and description | You can search for a date the way it's written on screen, or in other common forms, for example "Aug 29, 2026", "August", "8/29/26" or "2026-08-29". The **Build** screen's list of blocks has its own search box too, with a block-type filter. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). The search on **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer** is cleared when you leave the screen. #### Find a setting 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar. 2. Type in the search box above the list of Settings sections (on the left, or at the top when the window is narrow), for example "backup" or "dark". 3. Click a result, or press Enter to open the first one. Each result shows the setting's name and the part of Settings it's in. Settings opens there and highlights the setting for a moment. Search finds a setting by its name, its description, and other words people often use for it. If a result says **· feature is off**, the setting belongs to a feature you've hidden. Clicking it takes you to that feature's switch, with the note **Turn on [feature] to use this.** Press Esc to clear the search. If nothing matches, Settings says **Nothing matches “…”.** #### Filter from the sidebar The sidebar's filters apply to **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer** together, and stay on as you move between them. The **Build** screen's list of blocks follows the folder, tag, favorite and rating filters (not the library filter). - **Folder:** click a folder in the sidebar to show only what's directly in that folder (not in its subfolders). See [Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders#show-whats-in-a-folder). - **Library:** if you have a team library, the sidebar lists your libraries; click one to show only its items. See [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). - **Tags:** click a tag to show only items with that tag. Ctrl+click more tags to show items with any of them. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings#filter-by-tag). - **Favorites & Rating:** turn on **Favorites** to show only favorites, or click a star to show items rated that many stars or more. These two also apply to the **Archived** tab of the **Archive** screen. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings#filter-by-favorite-or-rating). The filters add up: a folder and a tag together show items that are in the folder and have the tag. **Unresolved variables** is not in the sidebar. It is a button in the toolbar of **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer**, next to the view, sort and column buttons, and it shows when the Variables feature is on. Turn it on to show only blocks and prompts that use a `{{name}}` no variable has. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables#find-everything-with-an-unresolved-variable). On **Blocks** and **Prompts**, a bar above the list shows an active folder (**Filtered to** and the folder's path); click a folder name in the bar to widen the filter to that folder. On **Explorer**, the folder's path shows above the list instead. Tags show in a **Filtered to tags:** bar on all three; click the X on a tag to take that tag off. ##### Clear every filter Click the **Clear filters** button in the toolbar (the funnel with an X). It appears whenever a filter is on, and clears the search, the column filters, the sidebar's folder, library, tag, favorite and rating filters, and the unresolved-variables filter at once. ![The toolbar with a search word typed and the Clear filters button visible next to a Filtered to tags bar.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/search-clear-filters-button.webp) #### Filter by column, type or kind In List view, each column heading on **Blocks**, **Prompts**, **Explorer** and **Variables** has a small funnel button, **Filter this column**. Use it to filter by type, kind, location, rating, date and so on. 1. Click **List view** in the toolbar, if the list shows tiles. 2. Click the funnel in a column heading, for example **Kind** or **Type**. 3. Untick the values you don't want, or untick **(Select All)** and tick only the ones you do want. ![The Kind column filter menu with a tick box for each kind.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/search-column-filter-menu.webp) When a column has more than 8 values, a search box appears at the top of the list: type, then press Enter to keep only the ticked values that match. A filtered column's funnel is highlighted. Unticking every value shows everything again. If the column filters leave nothing, click **Clear column filters** under the message. The **Kind** column tells blocks, Static prompts, Dynamic prompts and Markdown documents apart. On the **Prompts** screen, filter **Kind** to **Markdown** to see only your documents. On **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer**, column filters are cleared when you leave the screen. #### Sort a list On **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer**: 1. Click the sort list in the toolbar and choose what to sort by, for example **Name**, **Last modified** or **Rating**. 2. Click the arrow button next to it to switch between ascending and descending. In List view you can also click a column heading to sort by it; click it again to reverse the order. Each screen remembers its sort. | Screen | Sorted to start with | |---|---| | **Blocks** | **Name**, A to Z | | **Prompts** | **Date created**, newest first | | **Explorer** | **Last modified**, newest first | Ties in **Rating** and **Fav** are sorted by name. Unrated items come last when sorting by rating, highest first. When you first turn on the sidebar's star filter, the list switches to sort by rating, highest first; you can change it back. On **Variables**, click a column heading to sort. The **Archive** lists are always newest first. #### Show fewer or more columns and rows - **Columns:** click the **Columns** button in the toolbar and tick the columns to show. **Name** always shows. Your choice applies to **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer** alike. - **Column width:** drag the right edge of a column heading. - **Rows per page:** under the list, choose 25, 50, 75 or 100 next to **Show**. Use the arrows to move between pages. - **Tiles or rows:** click **Tile view** or **List view** in the toolbar. Some columns only exist while their feature is on: **Fav** and **Rating** (Favorites & ratings) and **Versions** (Version history). **Library** appears once you have a team library. #### 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: > I have a lot of blocks and prompts in PromptMason and can't find the one I need. Show me the quickest ways to search, filter and sort to find it. ### Explorer *See your blocks, prompts and folders in one place, and open, move, copy, file and delete them.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer Explorer shows your blocks and prompts (Static, Dynamic and Markdown documents) side by side, with your folders, like a file browser. Use it to find things by folder, and to move, copy, file and delete them. Archived and deleted items aren't shown here; they're on the [Archive](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete) screen. To open Explorer, click **Explorer** in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+4. #### The two tabs At the top of Explorer are two tabs: - **Recent**: every block and prompt you've changed lately, from all folders. Folders themselves aren't shown. At first, "lately" means within the last 30 days. To change the number of days, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**, and change **Days in Recent**. - **All Files**: your folders. **All Files** itself shows every block and prompt, whatever folder it's in, with your top-level folders first. Inside a folder you see its subfolders and the items directly in it. ![The Explorer screen on its All Files tab, with the Starter pack folder first and then blocks and prompts, and a Show folders box.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/explorer-all-files.webp) Explorer opens on **Recent**, unless a folder or tag filter is already on; then it opens on **All Files**. Clicking a folder in the sidebar also switches to **All Files**. #### Move around your folders On the **All Files** tab: - **Open a folder:** click it. - **Go back up:** click a name in the path above the list, for example **All Files** or a folder above the one you're in. - **Hide the folders:** untick **Show folders** in the toolbar to see only blocks and prompts. Tick it to show folders again. Folders always come before blocks and prompts, and show on every page of the list. #### Tiles and rows Click **Tile view** or **List view** in the toolbar. Explorer remembers your choice. **Each tile** shows the item's name, type, kind (**Static**, **Dynamic** or **Markdown** for prompts), its location, and, if those features are on, its stars, tags and heart. Point to a tile to see more about it, such as its full location, dates, and how many prompts use a block. The location reads **My Files** for an item that isn't in a folder, or the name of the folder it's in. Click it to open that folder. A team-library item that isn't in a folder reads **No folder**, and has a badge with the library's name. ![Three Explorer tiles, each showing an item's name, type, location, stars and tags, with its action buttons along the top.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/explorer-tile-view.webp) **In List view** the columns are **Fav**, **Name**, **Kind**, **Type**, **Location**, **Library**, **Rating**, **Date created**, **Last modified**, **Versions** and **Used By** (how many prompts use a block). Folder rows show **Folder** as their kind. - Click **Columns** in the toolbar to choose which columns show. **Name** always shows. The choice also applies to the **Blocks** and **Prompts** screens. ![The Columns menu open in Explorer with a tick box for each column.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/explorer-columns-menu.webp) - Drag the right edge of a column heading to make it wider or narrower. - Click the funnel in a column heading to filter by that column. See [Filter by column, type or kind](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search#filter-by-column-type-or-kind). **Fav** and **Rating** show only while the Favorites & ratings feature is on, **Versions** only while Version history is on, and **Library** once you have a team library. #### Search, sort and filter - **Search:** type in the **Search…** box (or press Ctrl+F). It looks in names, types, kinds, tags, folders, dates and the text of each block and prompt, and in folder names. - **Sort:** choose from the sort list in the toolbar and click the arrow next to it for ascending or descending. In List view you can also click a column heading. Explorer starts sorted by **Last modified**, newest first. - **Filter:** the sidebar's folder, library, tag, favorite and rating filters apply here too. Folders are narrowed only by the search box, not by tags, favorites or ratings. - **Clear filters:** click **Clear filters** in the toolbar to clear everything at once. For more on each of these, see [Find anything](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search). Under the list, choose how many items show on a page (25, 50, 75 or 100) next to **Show**, and use the arrows to move between pages. #### Open an item Double-click a block or prompt to open it for editing: - A block opens on the **Blocks** screen. - A Static prompt opens on the **Prompts** screen. - A Dynamic prompt or a Markdown document opens on the **Build** screen. If the Markdown editor feature is off, a Markdown document opens on the **Prompts** screen for reading instead. A single click doesn't open an item, so you can click its heart, stars or location without leaving Explorer. #### Do something with one item Right-click a block or prompt for its menu: ![The right-click menu on an Explorer item with Edit, Copy, Move, History, Rating and Delete.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/explorer-item-right-click-menu.webp) | Menu item | What it does | |---|---| | **Edit** | Opens it for editing, as double-click does. | | **Copy** | Makes a copy in the folder you pick. See [Copy an item](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders#copy-an-item). | | **Download .md** | Markdown documents only. Saves the document as a .md file. | | **Move** | Moves it to another folder or library. See [Move an item](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders#move-an-item). | | **History** | Shows its earlier versions. See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). | | **Used by** | Blocks only. Lists the Dynamic prompts that use the block; click one to open it. | | **Add to favorites** / **Remove from favorites** | Marks it with the heart, or takes the heart off. | | **Rating** | Click a star to rate it. Click the same star again to clear the rating. | | **Delete** | Asks whether to archive or delete it. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). | **History** shows only while the Version history feature is on, and the favorite and rating items only while Favorites & ratings is on. Each tile also has small icon buttons: a pencil (edit), a clock (version history), an arrow (move), two squares (copy, the same as **Copy**) and a trash can (delete). In List view they're in the last column. #### Do something with a folder Right-click a folder for **New folder** (a folder inside it), **Rename**, **Move**, **Copy** and **Delete**. Each folder tile also has buttons to rename, move, copy and delete it. [Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders) explains each one. To make a new folder, click **New folder** at the top of Explorer, press Ctrl+N, or right-click an empty part of the list on the **All Files** tab and click **New folder**. The new folder goes inside the folder you're in. On the **Recent** tab, **New folder** makes a top-level folder. #### Select several items 1. Tick the box on each tile or row you want. In List view, tick the box in the heading row to select everything in the list, on every page. 2. A bar appears above the list, showing how many you selected. ![The selection bar above an Explorer list showing how many items are selected and its Move, Copy, Delete and Clear buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/explorer-selection-bar.webp) 3. Click **Move**, **Copy** or **Delete**. Click **Clear** to unselect everything. You can select folders and items together. **Move** and **Copy** act on all of them at once. **Delete** covers blocks and prompts only: folders in the selection are skipped, and with only folders selected it's grayed out. Delete folders one at a time, from their right-click menu. The selection clears when you switch tabs or open another folder, and after an action finishes. #### Drag and drop On the **All Files** tab you can drag to file things: - Drag a block or prompt onto a folder to move it into that folder. - Drag a folder onto another folder to put it inside that folder. - Drag either onto a name in the path above the list to move it up to that folder, or onto **All Files** to move it to the top level. A folder you can drop onto is highlighted as you drag over it. You can't drop a folder into itself or into one of its own subfolders. Dragging only moves things within one library. To put an item in another library, use **Move** instead (see [Move an item](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders#move-an-item)). #### Messages | Message | What it means | |---|---| | **Nothing matches "…".** | Nothing fits your search. Try other words, or click **Clear filters**. | | **No blocks or prompts yet.** | On the **Recent** tab: nothing was changed within the last **Days in Recent** days, or the sidebar filters hide everything. Try the **All Files** tab, or click **Clear filters**. | | **This folder is empty.** | The folder has nothing in it that matches your filters. | If you're on the Free plan and a copy would take you over 25 blocks or 15 prompts, a message says so instead of copying. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### When your library is paused If your library is paused (you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), you can still browse, archive and delete in Explorer, but you can't move, copy, make or change folders, or change hearts and stars. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### 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: > I want to tidy up my PromptMason library in Explorer. Show me how to browse my folders, select several items, and move them into the right folders. ### Folders, moving and copying *Make folders, file your blocks and prompts in them, and move or copy items and whole folders.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders Folders hold your blocks and prompts, the way folders hold files on your PC. Folders can hold other folders, as deep as you like. Each block or prompt is in one folder, or in none. You manage folders from the sidebar and from [Explorer](https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer); both have the same right-click menus. Folders are always available. They aren't a feature you need to turn on. #### The folder list in the sidebar Your folders are listed in the sidebar, under the screen names, in A to Z order. ![The sidebar's Folders list with the folder Client work open to show Proposals inside it, and Starter pack.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/folders-sidebar-folder-list.webp) - With only your personal library, the list starts with **Folders**. - Once you have a team library, the list starts with **Libraries**, then a row for each library (yours, **Personal**, first), each with its own folders. See [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). Click the arrow next to a folder (or **Folders**, or a library) to open or close it. PromptMason remembers which ones you left open. #### Make a folder 1. In the sidebar, right-click **Folders** for a top-level folder, or right-click a folder to make one inside it. With team libraries, right-click a library's row for a top-level folder in that library. 2. Click **New folder**. 3. Type a name under **Name**. ![The New folder window with a Name box and a Create button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/folders-new-folder-window.webp) 4. Click **Create**. The folder appears in the sidebar. You can also click **New folder** at the top of **Explorer**, which makes the folder inside the one you're viewing. #### Rename a folder 1. Right-click the folder in the sidebar or in Explorer. 2. Click **Rename**. 3. Type the new name and click **Rename**. #### Show what's in a folder Click a folder in the sidebar. **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer** then show only what's in that folder, and so does the list of blocks on the **Build** screen. - The filter shows only what's directly in the folder, not what's in its subfolders. To see the subfolders too, open the folder in [Explorer](https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer#move-around-your-folders). - On **Blocks** and **Prompts**, a bar above the list reads **Filtered to** and the folder's path, for example **Filtered to Marketing › Social**. Click a folder name in the bar to go up to that folder. **Explorer** opens the folder on its **All Files** tab instead. ![The Blocks screen filtered to the Starter pack folder, with a Filtered to bar above the list.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/folders-filtered-to-bar.webp) - The filter stays on as you move between screens. To see everything again, click **Folders** (or **Libraries**) at the top of the sidebar's list, or click **Clear filters** in the toolbar. You can also click an item's location (on its tile, or in the **Location** column) to show the folder it's in. **My Files** means the item isn't in a folder; clicking it shows everything again. #### Put a new item in a folder When you create a block, a Static prompt or a new prompt on the **Build** screen, choose its folder under **Location**, in the **Properties** panel. It starts at the folder selected in the sidebar, or **My Files (no folder)** if none is. Once an item is saved, you change its folder with **Move**. #### Move an item 1. Right-click the block or prompt on the **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer** screen. 2. Click **Move**. 3. Under **Destination**, choose a folder, or **My Files (no folder)** for no folder (**No folder** in a team library). ![The Move window with a Destination list of folders and a Move button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/folders-move-window.webp) 4. Click **Move**. To move several at once, tick their boxes and click **Move** in the bar that appears above the list. In Explorer you can also drag an item onto a folder. Moving doesn't change what's in an item and doesn't count as a new version. Moving never counts toward the Free plan's limits. ##### Move an item to another library If you have a team library, the **Move** window also has a **Library** list, and the folder list is called **Folder**. Pick the library, then the folder (**No folder** is a team library's top level). The **Library** list appears when everything you're moving is in the same library and you haven't selected any folders. Libraries you can only view aren't listed. - Moving into a team library shows **Everyone in [library] will see it and can use it.** - If you move a Dynamic prompt that uses blocks from the library it's leaving, **Move its blocks too?** lists the blocks that go with it. Click **Move [n] items** to move them all, or **Back** to change your mind. Other prompts that use those blocks keep working. For more about moving between libraries, see [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). #### Copy an item **Copy** in a list makes a second block or prompt. It isn't the same as copying text to the clipboard; for that, see [Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts). 1. Right-click the block or prompt on the **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer** screen. 2. Click **Copy**. 3. Under **Destination**, choose the folder for the copy. 4. Click **Copy**. To copy several at once, tick their boxes and click **Copy** in the bar above the list. A copy always stays in the same library as the original. ##### What a copy carries | Comes with the copy | Doesn't come with the copy | |---|---| | The text (or, for a Dynamic prompt, its list of blocks), type and tags, plus a prompt's description and character limit | Comments | | Its kind: Static, Dynamic or Markdown | The heart and the star rating: a copy starts unrated and not a favorite | | Expected output, with any attached files | Earlier versions: a copy starts its own history with one version | The copy is named after the original with **(copy)** at the end, for example "Sales email (copy)". A copied Dynamic prompt uses the same library blocks as the original, so changing one of those blocks changes both prompts. Blocks embedded in the original prompt are copied too, so the copy's embedded blocks are its own. See [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks). #### Move a folder 1. Right-click the folder in the sidebar or in Explorer. 2. Click **Move**. 3. Under **Destination**, choose the folder to put it in, or **My Files (no folder)** (**No folder** in a team library) to make it a top-level folder. 4. Click **Move**. Or drag it: in the sidebar, drag a folder onto another folder, or onto **Folders** (or its library's row) to make it top-level. Explorer works the same way, and you can drop onto a name in the path above the list. Everything inside the folder moves with it. You can't move a folder into itself or one of its own subfolders. A folder stays in its own library: to put its contents in another library, move the items instead. #### Copy a folder 1. Right-click the folder in the sidebar or in Explorer. 2. Click **Copy**. 3. Under **Destination**, choose where the copy goes. 4. Click **Copy**. The copy holds all the folder's subfolders, blocks and prompts (archived items aren't copied). The new top folder is named with **(copy)** at the end; everything inside keeps its name. Each block and prompt is copied as described in [What a copy carries](#what-a-copy-carries). #### Delete a folder 1. Right-click the folder in the sidebar or in Explorer. 2. Click **Delete**. 3. Windows asks you to confirm. For a folder with things in it, the message says how many subfolders, blocks and prompts it holds: **Delete folder "[name]" and everything inside it? This deletes [n] subfolder(s), [n] block(s), and [n] prompt(s). The blocks and prompts go to Recently deleted for 30 days; the folders are gone for good.** 4. Click **OK**. The blocks and prompts go to **Recently deleted** on the Archive screen, where you can restore them for 30 days (see [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete)). Archived blocks and prompts in the folder go there too, with the rest, although the message doesn't count them. **The folders themselves can't be restored.** A restored item comes back with no folder. If you only want to empty a folder, move its items out first. If the sidebar was filtered to the folder you deleted, it switches to the folder above it. If the folder can't be deleted, a message box says why, or says **Failed to delete folder**. Try again. In a team library you need to be an editor or owner to delete folders. #### Copying on the Free plan On the Free plan, PromptMason checks a copy before it starts. If the copy would take you over 25 blocks or 15 prompts, the **Free plan limit** message opens instead and nothing is copied. For several items or a folder, it says how many the copy would add and how many more you have room for, for example **This would add 6 blocks and 2 prompts. You have room for 4 more blocks and 3 more prompts on the Free plan.** Copy fewer items, or see [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### When your library is paused If your library is paused (you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), you can't make, rename, move or copy folders, or move or copy items, until you're back within the limits. You can still delete folders. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### 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: > I want to organize my PromptMason blocks and prompts into folders. Help me plan a simple folder layout and walk me through creating the folders and moving my items into them. ### Tags, favorites and ratings *Label items with tags, mark favorites with a heart, rate them with stars, and filter by all three.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings Tags, favorites and ratings are three ways to mark your blocks, prompts and documents so you can find them again: - **Tags** are labels you make up, such as "sales" or "draft". An item can have as many as you like. - **Favorites** are items you've marked with a heart. - **Ratings** are one to five stars. Tags are part of the **Tags** feature, and favorites and ratings are part of the **Favorites & ratings** feature. If you don't see them, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**, and turn them on. Turning a feature off hides it but keeps your tags, hearts and stars. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). #### Add tags You add tags while you create or edit an item, in the **Tags** box in its **Properties** panel: - **A block:** on the **Blocks** screen, while creating or editing it. - **A Static prompt:** on the **Prompts** screen, while creating or editing it. - **A Dynamic prompt or a document:** on the **Build** screen. 1. Click in the **Tags** box. 2. Type a tag. 3. Press Enter or type a comma. The tag becomes a chip. 4. Add more tags the same way. 5. Save the item: the disk icon on **Blocks** and **Prompts**; on **Build**, **Save as Dynamic**, **Save as Static**, **Update Prompt** or **Apply** (for a document, **Save**, **Update** or **Apply**). Ctrl+S works on all three screens. As you type, up to six tags you already use appear under the box. Click one, or use the Up and Down arrow keys and Enter, to add it. Using the suggestions keeps your tags consistent: tags are case-sensitive, so "Sales" and "sales" are two different tags. ![The Tags box with a tag chip and a suggested tag appearing below as you type.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/tags-favorites-ratings-tags-box-with-suggestions.webp) To take a tag off, click the X on its chip, or press Backspace in the empty box to remove the last one. Then save the item. Tags are saved with the item, so changes to them are kept only when you save. #### Where tags show - A colored dot and the tag's name on tiles. Each tag always has the same color. - Badges under the item's name when you open it. - The **Tags** line when you point to a row in List view. - The **Tags** list in the sidebar, which lists every tag in use, A to Z. Searching for a tag's name finds the items that have it. See [Find anything](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search). #### Filter by tag Use the **Tags** list in the sidebar. It filters **Blocks**, **Prompts** and **Explorer**, and the list of blocks on the **Build** screen. - **Click a tag** to show only items with that tag (this replaces any other tags you selected). Click it again to clear it. - **Ctrl+click** more tags to add them. Items with any of the selected tags show. - Ctrl+click a selected tag to take it out of the filter. A bar above the list reads **Filtered to tags:** with a chip for each tag. Click the X on a chip to take that tag off, or click **Clear filters** in the toolbar to clear every filter. ![The Blocks screen filtered by the Starter pack tag, with the tag highlighted in the sidebar and a Filtered to tags bar above the list.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/tags-favorites-ratings-filtered-to-tags-bar.webp) A tag filter works together with a folder filter: you see items in the folder that have the tag. Click the arrow next to **Tags** to fold the list away. #### Delete a tag everywhere Deleting a tag takes it off every block and prompt that has it, archived ones included. **This can't be undone.** 1. In the sidebar's **Tags** list, point to the tag. 2. Click the trash icon that appears. 3. Read how many items have the tag, for example **This will remove the tag from 5 items (3 blocks, 2 prompts). This can't be undone.** 4. Click **Delete Permanently**. There's no separate list of tags to manage: a tag exists while at least one item has it. The sidebar lists only tags on items that aren't archived. #### Mark a favorite Click the heart on any block, prompt or document. The heart fills in. Click it again to take it off. You'll find the heart: - on its tile, - in the **Fav** column in List view, - under its name when you open it, - on the **Archive** screen's **Archived** tab. You can also right-click an item and click **Add to favorites** or **Remove from favorites**. Your favorites show in the **Favorites** widget on [Home](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home#favorites). #### Rate an item Click a star: the first star for one star, the fifth for five. Click the same star again to clear the rating. The stars are in the same places as the heart, except that in List view they have their own **Rating** column. They're also in the right-click menu under **Rating**. Hearts and stars are saved as soon as you click. They don't change an item's **Last modified** date and don't add a version. If your personal library syncs to your other PCs, your hearts and stars are the same on all of them ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#what-your-other-pcs-get)). When you open a Dynamic prompt on the **Prompts** screen, **Blocks avg** next to its stars shows the average of your ratings for the blocks it uses, and how many of them are rated, for example "(3 of 5 rated)". Unrated blocks aren't counted. #### Filter by favorite or rating Use **Favorites & Rating** in the sidebar. It filters **Blocks**, **Prompts**, **Explorer**, the **Archived** tab of the Archive screen, and the list of blocks on the **Build** screen. - Click **Favorites** to show only favorites. Click it again to show everything. - Click a star to show items rated that many stars or more. **& up** appears next to the stars. Click the same star again to clear it. The first time you filter by stars, the list switches to sort by rating, highest first. You can change the sort back. You can also sort by **Fav** or **Rating**, and filter the **Rating** column to values such as **Unrated** or **4 stars**. See [Find anything](https://promptmason.ai/docs/search#sort-a-list). #### In a team library - Your stars are your own. Next to them, **Team:** shows the average rating from everyone in the library and how many people rated it, for example **Team: 4.0 (3)**, or **Team: not rated yet**. Point to it to see who rated it. - Your favorites are your own. They follow you to each of your PCs in the library, and nobody else sees them. - Members who can only view a team library can still rate its items and mark them as favorites. - Tags are part of the item, so everyone in the library sees them. Only members who can edit can change them. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). #### When your library is paused If your library is paused (you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), you can't change hearts, stars or tags until you're back within the limits. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### 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: > I want to use tags, favorites and star ratings in PromptMason to keep track of my best prompts. Suggest a simple tagging scheme for my work and show me how to filter by tags and ratings. ### Archive, delete and restore *Put blocks and prompts away with Archive, delete them, bring them back, or delete them for good.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete When you no longer need a block, prompt or document, you can archive it or delete it. Neither is final straight away: - **Archive** puts an item away until you bring it back. It stays in the archive for as long as you like. - **Delete** moves an item to **Recently deleted**, where you can restore it for 30 days. After that it's gone for good. Both are on the **Archive** screen: click **Archive** in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+6. It has two tabs, **Archived** and **Recently deleted**. #### Archive or delete? | | Archive | Delete | |---|---|---| | Where it goes | The **Archived** tab | The **Recently deleted** tab | | How long it's kept | Until you restore or delete it | 30 days | | Shows on Blocks, Prompts, Explorer, Build and in search | No (Home search lists it under **Archive**) | No | | Dynamic prompts that use the block | Still include its text, and mark it **Archived** | Show **[Block removed: name]** with a warning, until you restore the block or take it out of the prompt | | Counts toward the Free plan's limits | Yes | No | Archive a block that prompts still use but you don't want in your lists. Delete what you don't need any more. On the Free plan, deleting is how you make room: archived items still count toward the 25 blocks and 15 prompts. #### Archive or delete an item 1. On the **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer** screen, right-click the item. 2. Click **Delete**. 3. In the window that asks **Remove …?**, click **Archive** or **Delete** (**Delete for everyone** in a team library). ![The Remove window with Archive and Delete choices and a note that dynamic prompts use the block.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/archive-and-delete-remove-window.webp) You can also open the item on the **Blocks** or **Prompts** screen and press the Delete key. To remove several items, tick their boxes and click **Delete** in the bar above the list; one window then covers them all. If any Dynamic prompts use the block, the window warns you and lists them, for example **Used by 2 dynamic prompts.** It says what each choice does to them. See [Archive or delete?](#archive-or-delete). Deleting a folder deletes what's in it too: its blocks and prompts go to **Recently deleted**, but the folders themselves can't be restored. See [Delete a folder](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders#delete-a-folder). #### Bring back an archived item 1. Click **Archive** in the sidebar. 2. On the **Archived** tab, find the item. Type in **Search archived…** to search by name, type or kind. ![The Archive screen on its Archived tab, listing an archived block and an archived prompt with a Restore button for each.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/archive-and-delete-archive-tab.webp) 3. Click **Restore** on its row. The item goes back into its lists, in the folder it was in. To restore several, tick their boxes and click **Restore** in the bar above the list. A line above the list confirms it, for example **Restored 3 items.** The **Archived** tab lists the newest archived first, with each item's kind, type, **Original location** and the date it was **Archived**. You can still change an archived item's heart and stars here. The sidebar's **Favorites & Rating** filter applies to this tab. #### Delete from the archive - **One item:** click **Delete** on its row, then **Delete** to confirm. - **Several:** tick their boxes, click **Delete** in the bar above the list, then **Delete**. - **Everything:** click **Empty archive**, then **Empty archive** to confirm. This includes items your search or filters are hiding; the window says how many. These all move items to **Recently deleted**, where you can restore them for 30 days. To select items across pages, tick the box in the heading row to select the page, then click **Select all [n]** to select every match. #### Restore a deleted item 1. Click **Archive** in the sidebar, then the **Recently deleted** tab. 2. Find the item. Type in **Search recently deleted…** to search by name. ![The Archive screen on its Recently deleted tab, listing two deleted items with the date deleted, the date they can be restored until, and a Restore button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/archive-and-delete-recently-deleted-tab.webp) 3. Click **Restore** on its row. The item comes back for you (and, in a team library, for everyone). It returns to the folder it was in, or to no folder if that folder was deleted. A prompt's embedded blocks come back with it. To restore several, tick their boxes and click **Restore** in the bar above the list. The **Restorable until** column shows the last day you can restore each item. Items past that date are removed the next time you start PromptMason. On the Free plan, restoring counts like creating a new item. If it would take you over 25 blocks or 15 prompts, the **Free plan limit** message opens and the item stays in **Recently deleted**. Delete something else for good first, or see [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### Delete for good Deleting for good removes an item with its versions, comments, expected output and attached files. **This can't be undone.** If you might need the item later, [export your library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import) first. To delete some items for good: 1. Click **Archive** in the sidebar, then the **Recently deleted** tab. 2. Tick the box on each item. 3. Click **Delete forever** in the bar above the list. 4. Click **Delete forever** to confirm. To delete everything in Recently deleted for good, click **Empty Recently deleted**, then **Empty Recently deleted** to confirm. This includes items your search is hiding. Afterwards a line above the list says how many were deleted, for example **Deleted 4 items forever.** Only the PromptMason app on your PC can delete for good. Connected AI apps and the Chrome extension can't. #### In a team library Archive and delete work differently in a [team library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries), because everyone shares the same items: - **Archive** puts the item away for everyone in the library. Anyone who can edit the library can bring it back. - **Delete** is labeled **Delete for everyone**. It removes the item for everyone. Only a library owner can restore it from **Recently deleted**, for 30 days. - On the **Recently deleted** tab, an item you can't restore shows **Only an owner can restore**, and its box can't be ticked. - **Delete forever** removes a team item from your PC only. Your teammates keep their own copies in **Recently deleted** until the 30 days are up. | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **You can view this library but not change it. Ask a library owner for edit access.** | You can only view this library, so you can't archive or delete its items. Ask the library's primary owner. | | **Only a library owner can restore deleted items.** | Ask an owner of the library to restore it. | | **2 items that only a library owner can delete will stay.** (or another number) | Shown before you empty Recently deleted. Those items stay; an owner of their library can delete them. | | **Only a library owner can delete 2 of these forever.** (or another number) | Shown after **Delete forever**, along with how many were deleted. Those items stay; an owner of their library can delete them. | | **1 item is still being shared with your team, so it wasn’t removed. Try again in a moment.** | Wait a moment and click **Delete forever** again. The item stays selected. | #### If something doesn't work If an item can't be restored or deleted, a line above the list says how many failed and why, for example **Couldn’t restore 1 of 3 items. It’s still selected.** followed by the reason. The others are done. Items that failed stay selected, so you can try again. #### What isn't kept in Recently deleted These are deleted straight away and can't be restored: - Folders (their blocks and prompts do go to Recently deleted). - Variables. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). - Comments and expected output entries you delete on their own. See [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments) and [Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output). - Tags you delete from the sidebar. See [Delete a tag everywhere](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings#delete-a-tag-everywhere). #### When your library is paused If your library is paused (you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), you can still archive, restore archived items, delete, and delete for good. Deleting is how you get back within the limits: items in **Recently deleted** don't count, but archived items do. You can't restore from **Recently deleted** while the library is paused. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### 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: > I want to clean out old blocks and prompts in PromptMason without losing anything I might need. Explain when to archive and when to delete, and walk me through restoring something I removed by mistake. ## AI in PromptMason ### AI in PromptMason *Use AI to improve your text, grade it, and run your prompts, with the local model or your own AI provider.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-in-promptmason This section covers the parts of PromptMason that use an AI model. PromptMason includes its own AI model, the local model, which runs on your PC and is free on every plan: no API key, no account, and none of your text leaves your computer. You can also connect a cloud AI provider with your own key. You don't need any of it to write and copy prompts. The ideas to know first: - **AI assist:** a button in the editor that rewrites or drafts the text you're editing. It only suggests: your text changes when you click **Accept**. - **Evaluate:** gives a saved block, prompt or document a score out of 10 with suggestions, or checks it for private details. - **Chat:** the **Chat & Browse** screen, where you run your saved prompts and read the replies. - **The local model:** free, private AI that runs on your PC and works offline once downloaded. See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model). - **Your own key:** use your own account with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or xAI (Grok) through an API key, a code from the provider. The provider bills you for what you use. With the local model, none of your text leaves your PC. With a cloud provider, that provider receives what the feature sends, under its own terms. [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy) lists what each feature sends, and [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview) covers everything else that can leave your PC. Your AI apps can also use your library directly through PromptMason's [built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server). To begin, download the [local model](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model) or [add your own API key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). Then try [AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist) on a block, or [run a prompt in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). #### 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: > I want to use the AI features in PromptMason. Explain AI assist, Evaluate and Chat, help me choose between the local model and my own API key, and tell me which guide to read first. ### Set up AI: the local model or your own key *Choose what AI assist, Evaluate and Chat use, add an API key or your own server, and pick the default.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup AI assist, Evaluate and Chat need an AI model to work with. You can use the local model, PromptMason's own AI model that runs on your computer and is free on every plan, or connect an AI provider with your own API key. You can set up more than one and choose between them each time. PromptMason works without any of this; set it up only if you want the AI features. #### Choose an option | Option | What you need | Where your text goes | Cost | |---|---|---|---| | **Local model** | A one-time download of about 1.3 GB, and a PC with at least 4 processor cores and 8 GB of memory | Nowhere. Your text stays on this computer. | Free on every plan | | **OpenAI**, **Anthropic**, **Google Gemini** or **xAI (Grok)** | An API key from that provider | To that provider, each time you run an AI feature | The provider bills you for what you use | | **Your own AI server** (under **Advanced**) | The address of a server that accepts the same kind of requests as OpenAI's (an "OpenAI-compatible server"), such as one running on this computer | To that server | Set by whoever runs the server | An API key is a code that lets an app such as PromptMason use your account with an AI provider. - Choose the **local model** to start with no account, no API key and no cost, or whenever you want your text to stay on your computer. It's a small model: a cloud provider's larger models can handle longer text. - Choose a **provider** if you already have an account with one, or your PC is below the local model's minimum. For help deciding which to use with private text, see [Choosing what to share with AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview#choosing-what-to-share-with-ai). #### Set up the local model 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. The first card is **Local model (private)**. Click **Download**. 3. Read the license note and click **Accept and download**. 4. When the card shows **Ready**, click **Use as default**. [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model) covers the download, what the card shows, and what to do about each message. #### Get an API key You create an API key in your account on the provider's website. Sign in there, find the page for API keys, create a key and copy it. Many providers show the whole key only once, so paste it into PromptMason (see the next section) before you close the page. The provider bills you for what you use, separately from PromptMason. #### Add an API key 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Scroll to the **AI assist** card and find **AI providers**. Each provider has its own box: **OpenAI**, **Anthropic**, **Google Gemini** and **xAI (Grok)**. The top right of each box says **Set up** or **Not set up**. ![The OpenAI box under AI providers, with an API key field, a model name, and the buttons Save and Test connection.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-setup-openai-provider-box.webp) 3. In the box for your provider, click in **API key** and paste your key. 4. Under **Models**, check the model name. The first row already has a model filled in. To use a different model your provider offers, type its name exactly as the provider writes it. 5. Click **Save**. You see **Saved.** and the box changes to **Set up**. The key field then reads **Saved key ending in** followed by the key's last four characters. PromptMason never shows the whole key again. If your default AI provider wasn't set up yet, the provider you save becomes the default. #### Add more models Each provider can have several models, for example a fast one for short rewrites and a stronger one for chat. 1. In the provider's box, click **Add model**. 2. Type the model's name in the new row. 3. Click **Save**. The first model is used unless you choose another. The **Model** list in AI assist, Evaluate and Chat shows each provider with its models. To remove a model, click the X beside its row (**Remove this model**), then **Save**. #### Test the connection 1. In the provider's box, click **Test connection**. It's available once the box says **Set up**. If you have several models, first click in the row of the one you want to test. That row is highlighted, and the test uses its model. 2. The button reads **Testing…** while it runs. When it works, you see **Connected.** followed by the model's name and its short reply. The test sends one short request with none of your text. ![A provider box showing Connected and the model's short reply after Test connection.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-setup-test-connection-connected.webp) If it fails, you see "Testing [model] failed." followed by the provider's own message. That message usually says what's wrong. Check that you pasted the whole key, that the model name is spelled the way the provider writes it, and that your account with the provider can use that model. Then save and test again. #### Choose the default AI provider The default is the provider and model AI assist, Evaluate and new chats start with. You can choose another each time you run one. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. In the **AI assist** card, click the picker beside **Default AI provider**. It shows the current provider and model. 3. Point to a provider and click one of its models. ![The Default AI provider picker open, listing the local model and each provider, with a provider's models in a list beside it.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-setup-default-provider-menu.webp) A provider without a key is marked **(not set up)**. The local model is listed once it's downloaded. If it's your default but not downloaded (for example, after you remove it), it shows **(not downloaded)**: download it again, or choose another provider. Choosing a model here also makes it that provider's first model. #### Use your own AI server If you run an AI model on a server that accepts the same requests as OpenAI's, you can use it the same way as a provider. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Below the **AI assist** card, click **Advanced**. 3. Under **Your own AI server**, in **Server address**, type the server's full address, starting with http:// or https://, for example http://localhost:11434/v1. 4. If your server needs a key, paste it in **API key**. If not, leave it blank. 5. Under **Models**, type the name of a model on your server. There's no model filled in here. 6. Click **Save**, then **Test connection**. In model lists it's called **OpenAI-compatible server**. If the address box is empty, you see **Enter the server address, for example http://localhost:11434/v1.** If the address isn't accepted, you see **The server address must be a full web address starting with http:// or https://.** Correct it and click **Save** again. #### Change or remove a key - **Replace a key:** paste the new key in **API key** and click **Save**. Leaving the field empty keeps the saved key. - **Remove a key:** click **Remove** in the provider's box. The key is deleted from this computer straight away, without asking first, and you see **Removed.** If it was the default and another provider with a key or server address is set up, the default moves to it. Otherwise the removed provider stays the default, marked **(not set up)**: choose another under **Default AI provider**, for example the local model. Removing a key from PromptMason doesn't cancel it with the provider. To stop the key working anywhere, delete it in your account on the provider's website. #### Where your keys are kept - Keys are stored encrypted on this computer, for your Windows account only. - They're never shown again after you save them, and never included when you export your library. Replacing your library from a file doesn't touch them. - On another PC, add your key in that PC's Settings. #### Turn the AI features on The **AI assist** and **Evaluate** buttons appear only when both of these are true: - The **AI assist** switch is on in **Settings → Features**. - At least one provider is set up, or the local model is downloaded. If the switch is on but nothing is set up yet, **Settings → Features** shows a **Set up AI assist** link that opens this pane. **Use as default** on the local model's card turns the switch on for you. ![The AI assist switch with a Set up AI assist link under it, and the Chat and Web tabs switches below.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/features-set-up-ai-assist-link.webp) Chat has its own switch, **Chat**, in **Settings → Features**. It adds **Chat & Browse** to the sidebar. With no provider set up, the Chat screen shows **Set up AI to start chatting** and a **Download the free local model** button, which opens this pane at the local model. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). #### Next steps - [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist) - [Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate) - [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics) - [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy) #### 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: > I want to use the AI features in PromptMason. Help me decide between the local model and my own API key, then walk me through setting up the one I choose and testing it. ### Free, private AI on your PC: the local model *PromptMason includes an AI model that runs on your own PC, free on every plan, with no API key or account. Download it, make it your default, and fix download or start-up problems.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model PromptMason includes its own AI model, the **local model**, that runs entirely on your computer. Once you've downloaded it: - **It's free.** It's included on every plan, including Free. There's no API key to get, no account to create and nothing to pay per use. - **It's private.** Your text is processed on your PC. None of it is sent anywhere. - **It works offline.** After the one-time download, it needs no internet connection. #### What you can use it for - **AI assist:** rewrite or draft a block, a static prompt or a document while you edit it. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). ![The AI assist box with the Model list open, showing Local model with a lock icon next to another provider.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/local-model-ai-assist-model-list.webp) - **Evaluate:** grade a block, prompt or document, or check it for personal, financial or confidential details before you share it anywhere. See [Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate). - **Chat:** run your prompts and read the replies on the **Chat & Browse** screen, and let the chat find and use things in your library. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). The local model is a small model, so it suits short, focused tasks best. For long text or harder tasks, a cloud AI provider's larger models can do more. You can use both: pick the model for each run, and keep the local model for anything private. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup) and [Choosing what to share with AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview#choosing-what-to-share-with-ai). #### What it is - The model is **Qwen3.5 2B**, shared under the [Apache License 2.0](https://huggingface.co/Qwen/Qwen3.5-2B/blob/main/LICENSE), and runs with llama.cpp (MIT License). Once it's downloaded, **Settings → General → About PromptMason** lists both. - The download is about 1.3 GB. The card shows the size before you download, and the space it uses once it's here. - It's a small model. If text is too long for it, a message says so, and a cloud provider's larger models can handle it instead (see [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup)). - In model lists it's called **Local model** and has a lock icon. Pointing to it shows **Runs on this computer. Nothing is sent anywhere.** #### What your PC needs - **At least 4 processor cores and 8 GB of memory.** On a smaller PC, the card says, for example, **This computer has 2 processor cores and 4 GB of memory. The local model needs at least 4 cores and 8 GB.** and there's no **Download** button. Use an AI provider instead. If the local model is already your default, the card also says **Choose another provider under Default AI provider below.** ![The Local model card on a small PC saying the computer needs at least 4 cores and 8 GB, with no Download button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/local-model-card-too-small-pc.webp) - **A PC with less than 16 GB of memory, or fewer than 4 physical processor cores,** shows **Rewrites may take a little longer on this computer.** on the card before you download. The model still works there. - **Free disk space** for the download. If there isn't enough, the download stops with a message that says how much space it needs. #### Download it 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. (On the Chat screen, the **Download the free local model** button opens this pane at the card.) 2. The first card is **Local model (private)**. It shows **Not downloaded**. Click **Download**. 3. The **Download the local model** window says which license the model is shared under. Click **Read the Apache License 2.0** to read it, then click **Accept and download**. This window only appears the first time. ![The "Download the local model" window with the license name and the buttons Cancel and Accept and download.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/local-model-download-licence-window.webp) 4. The card shows **Downloading**, a progress bar, the amount downloaded so far, the speed and the time left. 5. At the end it shows **Checking** and **Checking the download…** while PromptMason makes sure the file is complete and undamaged. When it's done, the card shows **Ready** and **It uses about 1.3 GB on this computer.** You can leave Settings and keep working while it downloads. If the connection drops or the PC sleeps, it retries a few times on its own and carries on from where it stopped. If you quit PromptMason, or it stops trying, the part already downloaded is kept: open the card and click **Resume** (or **Try again**) to carry on. #### Make it the default On the card, click **Use as default**. AI assist, Evaluate and new chats then start with the local model. This also turns on the **AI assist** switch in **Settings → Features** if it was off. - The card then says **AI assist uses the local model.** ![The Local model card after Use as default, saying AI assist uses the local model.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/local-model-card-ready-default.webp) - If it says **AI assist is turned off.**, click **Turn on AI assist**. You don't have to make it the default to use it. You can choose **Local model** from the **Model** list each time you run AI assist, Evaluate or a chat. When you choose **Privacy** in Evaluate, the local model is picked for you if it's downloaded. #### Pause or cancel the download 1. While it downloads, click **Cancel**. 2. The card shows **Paused** and how much is downloaded, for example **Downloaded 412 MB of 1.3 GB.** The part already downloaded is kept. 3. Click **Resume** to carry on, or **Remove** to delete the part downloaded. **Remove** here doesn't ask first. #### What the card shows ![The Local model (private) card showing Not downloaded, a note that the download is about 1.3 GB, and a Download button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/local-model-card.webp) | Status | What it means | What to do | |---|---|---| | **Not downloaded** | The model isn't on this PC. | Click **Download**. | | **Downloading** | The download is running. | Wait, or click **Cancel** to pause it. | | **Checking** | The download is being checked. | Wait. | | **Paused** | Part of the model is downloaded. | Click **Resume**, or **Remove**. | | **Download stopped** | The download failed. The card says why, or says **The download didn't finish.** | Follow the message, then click **Try again**. See [Messages and what to do](#messages-and-what-to-do). | | **Ready** | The model is downloaded and not running right now. | Nothing. It starts when you use it. | | **Ready · Running** | The model is running. | Nothing. | The model starts the first time you use it (or when PromptMason opens, if it's your default). It stops after a while with nothing to do, and when you quit PromptMason, so it only takes up memory while you use it. The first answer after it starts takes a little longer. After you use AI assist with it, the card shows how long the last rewrite took (a line starting **Last rewrite:**). Evaluate and Chat don't update it, and the line goes away when you close PromptMason. #### Remove it 1. On the card, click **Remove**. 2. The **Remove the local model?** window says: **This deletes the downloaded model from this computer. You can download it again later.** If the local model is your default, it also says which provider AI assist will use instead, or that AI assist won't work until you download the model again or add an API key. 3. Click **Remove**. Updating PromptMason keeps the local model. Uninstalling PromptMason deletes it, so after a reinstall you download it again. See [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation). #### Messages and what to do ##### Download and remove messages These show on the card when the download can't start or stops, or the model can't be removed. | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Can't reach the download server. Check your internet connection and try again.** | Check that you're online, then click **Try again**. | | **The download server couldn't be reached from this network. If this computer is on a work or school network, check with whoever manages it.** | Ask your IT team to allow downloads from models.promptmason.ai, or download on another network. | | **The download information isn't valid. Try again later.** | Try again later. If it keeps happening, email support@promptmason.ai. | | **The download keeps getting interrupted. Check your internet connection, then try again to carry on from where it stopped.** | Check your connection, then click **Try again**. It carries on from where it stopped. | | **The download was damaged. Try again.** | Click **Try again**. | | **There isn't enough free space on this computer.** (followed by how much is needed and how much is free) | Free up disk space, then click **Try again**. | | **The download stopped because this computer ran out of free disk space. Free up some space, then try again to carry on.** | Free up disk space, then click **Try again**. | | **The download couldn't be saved on this computer. Check that the disk isn't full or protected, then try again.** | Free up disk space, or check that security software isn't stopping PromptMason from saving files. Then click **Try again**. | | **The download couldn't start. Try again.** | Click **Download** again. | | **The download couldn't be stopped. Try again.** | Click **Cancel** again. | | **The local model is in use right now. Try again in a moment.** | The model's files were busy when you clicked **Remove**. Wait a moment, then click **Remove** again. | | **The local model couldn't be removed. Try again.** | Click **Remove** again. | ##### Start-up and use messages These show on the card, or where you used the model (in the AI assist error message, or in a chat reply). | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **The local model isn't downloaded yet. Download it in Settings → AI & connected apps first.** | Download it (see [Download it](#download-it)). | | **This computer doesn't have enough processor cores or memory for the local model. It needs at least 4 cores and 8 GB.** | Use an AI provider instead. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). | | **The local model couldn't start because this computer doesn't have enough free memory. Close some programs and try again.** | Close programs you aren't using, then try again. | | **The local model couldn't start because security software on this computer blocked it. Allow PromptMason in your security software, then try again.** | Allow PromptMason in your antivirus or security software, or ask your IT team to. | | **The local model couldn't start. Security software may have blocked it, or this computer may not have enough free memory. Close some programs and try again.** | Close some programs and try again. If it keeps happening, check your security software. | | **The local model took too long to start. Try again in a moment.** | Wait a moment and try again. | | **The local model stopped unexpectedly. Try again.** | Try again. If it keeps happening, close some programs first. | | **The local model's download is damaged. Remove it and download it again in Settings → AI & connected apps.** | Click **Remove** on the card, then **Download**. | | **Some of the local model's files are missing. Reinstall PromptMason to restore the local model's files.** | Download PromptMason from the [download page](https://promptmason.ai/download) and run the installer again. | | **This is too long for the local model. Shorten it, or choose a cloud provider in Settings → AI.** | Shorten the text, or choose another provider from the **Model** list. | | **Close some programs to free memory if the local model is slow to start.** | A hint, not an error. Close programs you aren't using. | When a start-up problem shows on the card, **Details** may appear under it. Click **Details**, then **Copy details**, and paste the details into an email to support@promptmason.ai if you need help. #### 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: > I want to use PromptMason's local model so my text stays on my PC. Check that my computer can run it, walk me through the download, and help me with any message the card shows. ### Improve text with AI assist *Ask AI to rewrite or draft a block, static prompt or Markdown document while you edit it, and review the suggestion before you keep it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist AI assist rewrites the text you're editing, or drafts it from a few words. It only suggests: your text changes when you click **Accept**, and nothing is saved until you save the item. #### Before you start AI assist needs two things: - The **AI assist** switch on in **Settings → Features**. - The local model downloaded, or an AI provider set up with your own key. Until both are true, the **AI assist** button doesn't appear. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). #### Where the button appears The **AI assist** button (with a sparkle icon) sits at the right end of the editor's toolbar while you edit: ![The block editor toolbar with the AI assist button at its right end.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-assist-button-in-editor-toolbar.webp) - **Blocks:** when you create a block or edit one. - **Build:** on the **+ Embedded Block** card, and in the window that opens when you edit a block on the Canvas. - **Prompts:** when you write or edit a static prompt. - **Build → Markdown** tab: with **Edit** chosen, beside **Copy** and **Download .md**. A dynamic prompt is made of blocks, so it has no AI assist button of its own: use it on each block. When you're viewing an item rather than editing it, **Evaluate** shows instead (see [Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate)). #### Improve text 1. Open the block, static prompt or Markdown document for editing. 2. Click **AI assist**. 3. Choose what to ask for: - Click one of the **Suggestions**: **Tighten this**, **Make this clearer** or **Strengthen this**. It runs straight away. You can also press 1, 2 or 3, unless you're typing in the box below. - Or type in **What should change? (optional)**, for example "shorter, more formal". Leave it empty for a general improvement. The box takes up to 300 characters. To change the three suggestions, see [Customize the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions#suggestions). 4. If you have more than one model set up, check **Model** and choose another if you want. 5. Click **Run**, or press Enter. ![The AI assist box with three suggestion buttons, a What should change? box and a Run button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-assist-box-with-suggestions.webp) 6. A suggestion panel opens below your text. It shows "[Provider] is writing…" while the text arrives, then "Suggestion from [Provider]". 7. To see what changed, click **Show changes**. Added lines and removed lines are marked against your current text. Click **Hide changes** to go back. ![The suggestion panel with added and removed lines marked against the original text.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-assist-show-changes.webp) 8. Click **Accept** to put the suggestion in the editor, or **Discard** to leave your text as it was. 9. Save the item as usual. To close the AI assist box without running anything, press Esc. Your edit stays open. #### Draft from a few words If the text is short (under 200 characters) and you don't type an instruction, AI assist treats the text as a brief and writes from it. For example, type "role: a friendly travel agent for families" in a new block and click **Run**. If the text is empty, AI assist writes from the item's name. With no name either, it writes from what that kind of block or prompt is for. To change the 200-character length, set **Short-text length** in [the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions). #### Run it from the keyboard In an editor that has AI assist, press Ctrl+Shift+A. It runs with no instruction, using your default provider and its first model. To change the key, see [Keyboard shortcuts](https://promptmason.ai/docs/keyboard-shortcuts). #### Stop a suggestion While a suggestion is being written, the **AI assist** button turns into **Stop**, and the panel has a **Stop** button too. Stopping keeps what arrived so far, and the panel says **You stopped this early, so it is only part of a suggestion. Accept replaces all of your text with what is shown.** Click **Discard** unless you want that part. #### Warnings in the suggestion panel | Message | What it means and what to do | |---|---| | **This suggestion leaves out** followed by one or more items in double braces, such as {{client name}}, then **Check it before you accept.** | The rewrite dropped a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) or a hidden note that was in your text. Discard and run again, or accept and add it back by hand. | | **You changed the text after asking for this suggestion. Accept replaces all of it, including those changes.** | You kept typing while it ran. Accept only if you're happy to lose those edits. | | **No changes from your current text.** | Shown under **Show changes** when the suggestion is the same as your text. | | **Only the spacing between lines is different.** | Shown under **Show changes** when only blank lines changed. | In a Markdown document, double braces are ordinary text, so this check doesn't apply there. #### Before text is sent to a provider Before AI assist or Evaluate sends text to a cloud provider, the **Before you use AI assist** window says what will be sent and where, for example: "AI assist sends this block's text and your instruction to Anthropic. It only sends when you click Run." - Click **Send** to go ahead, or **Cancel** to send nothing. ![The Before you use AI assist window naming where the text is sent, with Send and Cancel buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-assist-before-you-use-window.webp) - The window shows each time until you tick **Don't show this again** and click **Send**. The local model never shows this window, because none of your text leaves your computer. #### What is sent With a cloud provider, AI assist sends the text in the editor exactly as typed (including changes you haven't saved, and any hidden notes written as `{{! like this }}`), the item's name, your instruction, and PromptMason's AI assist instructions. For a block, while **Use my own blocks as examples** is on (it's off at first), it also sends a few of your other blocks of the same type from the same library (three at first), so the result matches how you write. Blocks tagged with a block pack's name, such as `Starter pack`, aren't used as examples. To turn this on or off, see [Send less with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy#send-less-with-ai-assist); to change how many blocks are sent, see [Use your own blocks as examples](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions#use-your-own-blocks-as-examples). Variables are sent as written, such as {{client name}}, never with values filled in. With the local model, none of your text leaves your computer. For what every AI feature sends, see [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy). To change what AI assist tells the model, see [Customize the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions). #### In version history When you save an item after accepting a suggestion, that version gets an **AI assist** tag in its history. Pointing to the tag shows which provider and model the suggestion came from. See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). #### Limits AI assist works on up to 20,000 characters in a block or prompt, and up to 100,000 in a Markdown document. Longer text shows **AI assist works on text up to** followed by the limit and **characters. Shorten the text and try again.** The local model can handle less than a cloud provider: see [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model#messages-and-what-to-do). #### When your library is paused If your library is paused (you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), you can't edit, so AI assist can't run. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### If something goes wrong Problems show in a message in the corner of the window, with an **Open Settings → AI & connected apps** button. It closes by itself after 15 seconds, or click the X. Your text isn't changed. | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Set up AI assist first: download the local model, or add an API key, in Settings → AI & connected apps.** | Set up a provider. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). | | **Add an API key for** [provider] **in Settings → AI & connected apps first.** | Add the key for the provider you chose, or choose another under **Model**. | | **Add the server address for** [provider] **in Settings → AI & connected apps first.** | Add your server's address under **Advanced → Your own AI server**. | | **Enter a model name for** [provider] **in Settings → AI & connected apps.** | Type a model name under **Models** for that provider and click **Save**. | | [Provider] **didn't respond within** [N] **seconds. Try again in a moment.** | Wait and try again. | | **Couldn't connect to** [address] ([reason]). **Check your internet connection, proxy settings, and the server address.** | Check that you're online. For your own server, check the address and that the server is running. | | The provider's own error message (for example, about an invalid key or an unknown model), or [Provider] **returned an error (HTTP** [number]**)** | Read the provider's message. It usually points to the key, the model name or your account with the provider. Click **Test connection** in Settings to check. | | [Provider] **returned an empty response. Try again.** | Try again. | | [Provider] **ran out of room before it finished the document, so nothing was changed. Try again with a shorter document.** | Shorten the document and try again. | | **AI assist couldn't finish. Check your connection and try again.** | Check that you're online and try again. | | A message about the local model | See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model#messages-and-what-to-do). | #### 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: > I want to use AI assist in PromptMason to improve a block I'm writing, or to draft one from a few words. Walk me through running it, reading the suggestion and keeping only the changes I want. ### Evaluate a block, prompt or document *Get a score and suggestions for a saved block, prompt or Markdown document, or check it for private details before you share it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate Evaluate reads a saved block, prompt or Markdown document and gives you notes on it. There are two kinds: - **Grade**: a score out of 10, what works, and what to improve. - **Privacy**: a check for personal, financial or confidential details before you paste the text into a public AI. Evaluate never changes the item and doesn't save anything. It's on every plan. #### Before you start Evaluate needs the same two things as AI assist: the **AI assist** switch on in **Settings → Features**, and the local model downloaded or an AI provider set up. Until then, the **Evaluate** button doesn't appear. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). #### Where to find Evaluate The **Evaluate** button shows when you're viewing an item, not editing it: - **Blocks:** select a block. - **Prompts:** select a static prompt, a dynamic prompt or a Markdown document. ![A block's pane with an Evaluate button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/evaluate-button-on-block-pane.webp) While you edit, the editor shows **AI assist** instead (see [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist)). #### Grade an item 1. Select the block, prompt or document on the **Blocks** or **Prompts** screen. 2. Click **Evaluate**. 3. Under **Evaluation**, **Grade** is already chosen. 4. Under **Model**, check the provider and model. Choose another if you want. 5. Click **Run**, or press Enter. ![The Evaluate box with Grade chosen, a Model list and a Run button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/evaluate-grade-popover.webp) A panel opens at the top of the item. It shows "[Provider] is grading…" while the notes arrive, then "Grade from [Provider]". ##### Reading a grade The model is asked to answer in this order: - The first line is the score, for example **Score: 7/10**. - The next line starts **What works:** and says what's good about it. - Then come two to four suggestions, one per line, saying what to change. - For a prompt made of blocks, each suggestion starts with the type of the block it's about, for example "Constraints: no output length is stated". Change that block to act on it. ![The Grade panel showing a score out of 10, what works and suggestions.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/evaluate-grade-result-panel.webp) To act on a suggestion, edit the item yourself, or open it for editing and paste the suggestion into **What should change? (optional)** in AI assist. #### Check for private details 1. Select the block, prompt or document. 2. Click **Evaluate**. 3. Under **Evaluation**, click **Privacy**. 4. Check **Model**. If the local model is downloaded, it's chosen for you, so the text stays on this computer. If you choose a cloud provider, a line under it says **Sends the text to** followed by the provider's name. 5. Click **Run**. The panel shows "[Provider] is checking…", then "Privacy check from [Provider]". ##### Reading a privacy check The model is asked to answer in this order: - The first line is a score, for example **Score: 8/10**. **10/10** means nothing sensitive was found; a lower score means more, or more serious, findings. - The next line starts **What works:** and says what's already safe. - Then there's one line for each finding, up to five: what kind of detail it is, the value with most of it hidden (for example "Sam R***"), and how to fix it. - If nothing was found, the last line says **Nothing sensitive found.** ![The Privacy check panel with a score and findings with most of each value hidden.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/evaluate-privacy-result-panel.webp) In a block or prompt, the usual fix is to replace the detail with a [variable](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables), such as {{client name}}. PromptMason fills in a variable only when you copy or run the prompt, so the value isn't kept in the text. In a Markdown document, remove the detail or describe it in general words. An AI model can miss things. Read the text yourself before you share it. #### Stop, copy or close the notes - **Stop** ends the notes early. The panel then says **You stopped this early, so it is only part of a grade.** (or **a privacy check.**) - **Copy notes** copies the notes to the clipboard. The button shows **Copied**. - **Close** closes the panel. #### What gets evaluated - The **saved** item. Save your changes before you evaluate. - Variables stay as written, such as {{client name}}. Values are never filled in. - Hidden notes are left out. - A dynamic prompt is read as a whole, block by block, in order. - A Markdown document is read exactly as stored. With a cloud provider, the item's text and Evaluate's instructions go to that provider when you click **Run**: for **Grade**, also its name and, for a prompt made of blocks, each block's type and name. The **Before you use AI assist** window asks first, until you tick its **Don't show this again** box (see [Before text is sent to a provider](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist#before-text-is-sent-to-a-provider)). With the local model, none of your text leaves your computer. See [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy). To change what Evaluate asks the model, edit the **Grade** and **Privacy check** entries in [the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions). #### If something goes wrong | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **This block has no text to evaluate yet.** (or prompt, or document) | Add text, save, then evaluate. | | **This prompt is too long to evaluate: AI assist works on text up to** [N] **characters.** | Shorten the item. For a prompt made of blocks, you can evaluate its library blocks one at a time on the **Blocks** screen. | | A message about a provider or the local model | Evaluate shows the same messages as AI assist. See [If something goes wrong](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist#if-something-goes-wrong) and [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model#messages-and-what-to-do). | If your library is paused, Evaluate is paused too: the paused message shows and nothing is sent. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### 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: > I want to use Evaluate in PromptMason to check one of my prompts. Explain the difference between “Grade” and “Privacy”, help me run one, and help me act on the notes it gives me. ### Run prompts in Chat *Chat with the local model or your own AI provider, run your saved prompts in the conversation, and keep, rename or delete your chats.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics The Chat screen runs your prompts with an AI model and shows the replies, with your prompts in a panel beside the conversation. It works with the local model on your computer, or with an AI provider you set up with your own API key or your own server. This page shows how to use it; [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat) explains what each message sends, how long chats are handled, and where chats are kept. Chats are on every plan and don't count toward the Free limits. #### Before you start - **Chat must be switched on.** If **Chat & Browse** isn't in the sidebar, click **Settings**, then **Features**, and turn on **Chat**. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). - **You need an AI provider.** Download the [local model](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model), or add an API key ([Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup)). Until one is set up, the Chat tab shows **Set up AI to start chatting**. Click **Download the free local model** to open **Settings → AI & connected apps** at the local model, where you download it. You can add an API key in the same place. #### The Chat screen Click **Chat & Browse** in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+9. The screen has three areas: - **Chats** on the left: your saved chats, newest first. - **The conversation** in the middle, on the **Chat** tab. With [web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs) on, websites open in more tabs beside it. - **Prompts** on the right: your prompts and blocks, to run in the chat. ![The Chat screen with a message and a reply, the chats list on the left and prompts on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/chat-basics-chat-with-reply.webp) The **Chats** and **Prompts** buttons at the top right show or hide the side areas. Drag the line between two areas to resize them. In a narrow window, if both side areas don't fit, the one you opened last stays open. The screen stays loaded while you use other screens, so a reply keeps arriving while you're away. #### Start a chat 1. Click **Chat & Browse** in the sidebar. 2. Click **New chat** at the top of the chats list, or press Ctrl+N when you're not typing in the message box. 3. Optional: under **Model**, choose the provider and model for this chat (see [Choose the model](#choose-the-model)). 4. Type your message in the box at the bottom. Enter sends it; Shift+Enter starts a new line. 5. Click **Send**. The reply appears under your message as it's written, with "Writing…" until the first words arrive. The provider and model are shown under the reply. A new chat is saved when you send its first message. Its name is taken from that message until you [rename it](#rename-or-delete-a-chat). While a reply is being written, **Send** becomes **Stop**. Click **Stop** to end the reply early; what arrived so far is kept, marked "Stopped." You can type your next message while a reply is being written, and send it once the reply is done. #### The lines under the chat's header Under the **Model** picker, a grey notice starts with a short line that says where this chat's messages go: | Line | Means | |---|---| | "Private: this chat stays on this computer." | The local model. None of the chat leaves the computer. | | "Messages in this chat are sent to [Provider] and charged to your [Provider] account." | A cloud provider you use with an API key. | | "Messages in this chat are sent to your OpenAI-compatible server, and any charges go to your account there." | Your own server, set up under **Your own AI server** in Settings ([Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup)). | ![A chat header with the Model picker and a Download the free local model button, and the notice opened to show where messages go, the library line with Change, a token count and How chat memory works.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/chat-basics-chat-header-cloud-line.webp) The notice shows only that first line at first, with a small arrow at its right. Click the line to open the rest of the notice, and click it again to close it. PromptMason remembers whether you left it open. In the open notice, with a cloud provider, the last line shows how many tokens the chat has sent so far, beside **How chat memory works**, for example "Sent in this chat: 18,000 tokens to OpenAI". A token is about three quarters of a word. The count covers everything each message sends, including the earlier part of the chat that goes with it ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat#with-a-cloud-provider)). If the chat can use your library, a line in the open notice says so (see [Let the chat work in your library](#let-the-chat-work-in-your-library)). **How chat memory works** opens a short explanation of what each message sends, with a link to [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat). #### Choose the model A new chat starts with your default provider and its first model, set under **Default AI provider** in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. To use a different model for this chat, click the **Model** picker and choose a provider, then a model. The picker lists only the providers you've set up, with the local model first. The choice applies to this chat only. You can't change it while a reply is being written. If the chat already has messages and you choose a different cloud provider, PromptMason asks first, because your next message sends the recent conversation to that provider. This happens when you move from the local model to a cloud provider, and from one cloud provider to another. In the **Switch this chat to [Provider]?** dialog: - **Switch** moves this chat to the new provider. Nothing is sent until your next message. - **New chat** starts a new, empty chat on the new provider. This chat is kept as it was. - **Cancel** keeps the current provider. Moving a chat to the local model never asks, because none of the chat leaves the computer. Choosing another model of the same provider doesn't ask either. While the local model isn't downloaded, the **Model** row also has a **Download the free local model** button. It opens **Settings → AI & connected apps** at the local model, where you download it. Once it's downloaded, the button isn't shown. If you remove a provider in Settings, a chat that used it shows "[Provider] (not set up)". Choose another provider to carry on. #### Run a prompt from the Prompts panel 1. In the **Prompts** area on the right, find a prompt, block or document. Type in **Search prompts and blocks** to narrow the list. 2. Click it. A preview shows the text that will be sent. ![The Prompts panel on the Chat screen with a prompt preview and the Run in chat and Copy buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/chat-basics-prompts-panel-run-buttons.webp) 3. Click one of these: - **Run in chat** sends it to the chat now. If no chat is open, a new one starts. - **Copy** copies it to the clipboard. To put a prompt in the message box so you can change it first, copy it and paste it there. For a Markdown document, **Download .md** saves it as a file. 4. If the prompt has [variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) that need a value, **Fill in your values** opens first. Type a value in each box, then click the form's **Run in chat** button. A line above your message reads "Ran" followed by the prompt's name. With no AI provider set up, the panel offers only **Copy**. When a web tab is showing instead of the Chat tab, the panel offers **Run in this tab**. See [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs#put-a-prompt-in-a-sites-message-box). #### Work with replies - Replies are formatted: headings, lists, tables and code. Links open in your web browser, except links to PromptMason's guides, which open in **Help**. - **Copy** under any message copies its text. - **Try again** appears under the last reply when it failed or was stopped. It asks for the reply again. - The view follows a reply as it grows. Scroll up to read something earlier and it stops following. #### Use a skill A skill gives the chat instructions to follow from its next message on, such as how to build a prompt with you. The skill is sent with every message in the chat. 1. In the chat's header, click the **Skill** picker (it shows **No skill** at first). 2. Choose one: - **Ask about PromptMason**, built in: "Ask how to do something in PromptMason. The answers come from its user guides." See [Ask how to use PromptMason](#ask-how-to-use-promptmason). - **Build a prompt**, built in: "Write a prompt with the AI, block by block, and save it to your library." - Any of **Your skills**: your Markdown documents whose Type is **Skill**. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). - **No skill** to stop using one. When a skill saves something to your library, Chat asks first, like any other change ([Approve or refuse a change](#approve-or-refuse-a-change)). In a new, empty chat, the **Start with a skill** buttons do the same. Choosing a skill sends nothing by itself. A skill must be under 20,000 characters. If a skill's document is deleted, or its Type is no longer Skill, the picker shows **Skill not found**. Choose another skill, or **No skill**. To read or change the built-in skills' wording, edit the **Skill: Ask about PromptMason** and **Skill: Build a prompt** entries in [the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions). #### Ask how to use PromptMason Chat can answer questions about PromptMason itself, such as "How do I turn on backups?" or "Where do I change the theme?", from these guides. They're the same guides as in **Help**, as they were when your version of PromptMason was made. - **In any chat:** ask your question. With a cloud provider, the chat can look in the guides for any message. With the local model, it looks in the guides only when your message asks how, where, what or why about something in PromptMason. - **In a chat just for questions:** click **Ask about PromptMason** at the top of the **Help** screen, or choose **Ask about PromptMason** under **Start with a skill** in a new chat. A new chat starts with that skill, and every message in it can look in the guides. While the chat looks something up, a line in the reply says "Searched the guides for" followed by your question. The reply gives the guide's steps, with the names of buttons and settings in bold as the guide writes them, and ends with a link to the guide. Click the link to open that part of the guide in **Help**. If the guides don't cover your question, the reply says so. What goes where: - **With the local model**, your question and the parts of the guides it looks up stay on your computer. - **With a cloud provider**, your question and the parts of the guides the chat finds are sent to that provider, with the rest of the chat. Nothing from your library goes with them. Looking things up in the guides reads nothing in your library, so it works whatever **What connected apps can do** is set to, **Off** included. #### Let the chat work in your library A chat can find, create and change blocks, prompts and folders in your library when you ask it to, for example "Make a Constraints block that says to keep answers under 200 words." Chat asks you before it changes anything (see [Approve or refuse a change](#approve-or-refuse-a-change)). It uses the same setting as AI agents and the Chrome extension: **What connected apps can do** in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. With a cloud provider, whatever the chat reads from your library is sent to that provider, and with **Full access** (the default) a cloud chat can also change your library, after you approve each change. See [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). | Setting | What the chat can do | |---|---| | **Full access** | Find blocks, prompts and folders, and change them after you approve. The line under the header says "This chat can find and change blocks, prompts and folders in your library. It asks you before each change." | | **Read-only** | Read your library but not change it. The line says "This chat can read your library but not change it." | | **Off** | Nothing in your library. No line shows. | Click **Change** on that line to open the setting. (The line is in the header's notice, which you open by clicking its first line.) Changing it also changes what AI agents and the Chrome extension can do. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). While the chat works, a line in the reply shows "Working…", then what it did, with **Open** to go to a block or prompt it made or changed. If something couldn't be done, the line starts with "Couldn't" and says why; the reply carries on. Anything a chat deletes goes to Recently deleted, where you can restore it ([Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete)). ##### Approve or refuse a change Reading and searching your library never ask. Before Chat changes anything, it stops and shows a card in the reply that asks **Allow this change to your library?** The card says what it wants to do, for example **Create prompt "Cold email"** or **Delete block "Tone"**, with a short look at what will be saved. Nothing changes until you answer. | Button | What it does | |---|---| | **Allow** | Makes this change. The next change asks again. | | **Allow for this chat** | Makes this change, and lets this conversation make other changes without asking. | | **Don't allow** | Doesn't make the change. Chat is told you said no, and the reply carries on without it. The reply shows **Not allowed:** and the action. | To answer from the keyboard, press Shift+Tab in the message box to reach the card, then press Enter on a button. While the card waits, the line under the message box says the reply is waiting for your answer. There is no time limit on your answer. Things to know: - **Allow for this chat** lasts only for that conversation, and only until you close PromptMason. A new chat asks again. - Clicking **Stop** while a card waits counts as **Don't allow**. So does switching to another chat, or deleting the chat. - This applies to Chat only. AI agents such as Claude Desktop, and the Chrome extension, don't show these cards: what they can do is set by **What connected apps can do** alone. ##### With the local model The local model is smaller, so it gets only the kinds of tools switched on for it, and only when your message asks it to do something in your library. A question gets an answer, not a search of your library; a question about using PromptMason gets the guides ([Ask how to use PromptMason](#ask-how-to-use-promptmason)). To choose the kinds of tools: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Chat**. 2. Under **Local model tools**, turn each kind on or off: **PromptMason guides**, **Find**, **Blocks**, **Build prompts**, **Organize**, **Tags**, **Archive**, **Delete**, **More prompt tools**, **Browse everything**, **Variables**, **Notes and expected outputs** and **Libraries**. ![The Local model tools row in Settings with a switch for each kind of task, starting with PromptMason guides.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/chat-basics-local-model-tools.webp) The kinds marked "Not recommended for this model" are off at first, because the local model doesn't handle them reliably. These switches apply once the local model is downloaded. With **PromptMason guides** off, the local model doesn't look in the guides, except in a chat started with **Ask about PromptMason**. Cloud providers can use everything **What connected apps can do** allows. Either way, Chat asks you before it changes anything in your library. #### Save a reply as a prompt When a reply contains a prompt written as prompt code (for example from the **Build a prompt** skill), **Save as prompt** appears under it. 1. Click **Save as prompt**. Build opens with a new, unsaved prompt on its Code tab. 2. Check the blocks, name the prompt and save it as you would any prompt. See [Edit a prompt as code](https://promptmason.ai/docs/code-view). #### Rename or delete a chat The rename and delete buttons appear when you point to a chat in the **Chats** list. **Rename:** 1. Point to the chat and click the pencil (**Rename**). 2. Type the new name (up to 120 characters) and press Enter. Esc cancels. **Delete:** 1. Point to the chat and click the trash can (**Delete**). 2. In **Delete this chat?**, click **Delete chat**. Deleting a chat removes it and its messages from this computer. It can't be undone, and it can't delete what a cloud provider already received. To delete every chat at once, click **Settings**, then **Chat**, then **Delete all chats**, and confirm with **Delete all chats**. This can't be undone either. Your blocks, prompts and settings aren't affected. #### If something goes wrong | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Set up an AI provider first: download the local model, or add an API key, in Settings → AI & connected apps." | Set up a provider ([Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup)), then send again. | | "Download the local model in Settings → AI & connected apps first." | The chat uses the local model, which isn't downloaded. Download it ([Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model)), or choose another provider under **Model**. | | "Set up [Provider] in Settings → AI & connected apps first." | Add that provider's key again, or choose another provider under **Model**. | | "This message is too long for the local model. Shorten it, or choose a cloud provider for this chat." | Shorten the message, or switch the chat to a cloud provider. | | "This message is too long to send. Shorten it and try again." | Shorten the message. A message can be up to 100,000 characters, and must also fit the limit in [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat#change-the-limits). | | "The message couldn't be sent. Check your connection and try again." | Check your internet connection, then click **Send** again. Your message is back in the box. | | "The reply couldn't finish. Check your connection and try again." | Check your connection, then click **Try again** under the reply. | | A message from the provider under a reply | Your provider refused or failed the request. Read its message (for example, a key that has expired or an account with no credit), fix it with the provider, then click **Try again**. | | "Wait for the reply to finish, or stop it." | A reply is still being written. Wait, or click **Stop**. | | "This skill is too long for a chat: keep it under 20,000 characters." | Shorten the skill's document, or choose another skill. | | "Only a Markdown document whose Type is Skill can be a chat skill, and this one is not in your library." | Choose another skill, or set the document's Type back to **Skill**. | | "Your chats couldn't be loaded. Try again.", "This chat couldn't be opened. Try again.", "The chat couldn't be renamed. Try again.", "The chat couldn't be deleted. Try again.", or "The provider couldn't be changed. Try again." (also the model or the skill) | Try the same action again. If it keeps happening, restart PromptMason. | | "Couldn't copy to the clipboard." | Try **Copy** again. | | Sending or **Try again** opens the paused-library message | Your library is paused. You can still read, rename and delete chats. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | #### 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: > I want to use PromptMason's Chat screen. Walk me through starting a chat, choosing a model, running a saved prompt from the “Prompts” panel, asking it how to do something in PromptMason, and saving a good reply as a prompt. ### Chat and context *What each chat message sends, how long chats are handled with the local model and with a cloud provider, and where your chats are kept.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat Chat (**Chat & Browse** in the sidebar) runs your prompts and shows the results. You can chat with the local model that runs on your computer, or with a cloud provider: an AI provider you use with your own API key, or your own OpenAI-compatible server. This page explains what each message sends, what happens when a chat gets long, and where your chats are kept. To learn how to use Chat, see [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). The notice under each chat's header shows one line until you click it. Once it's open, **How chat memory works** opens a short version of this page; its **Learn more about chat and context** link brings you here. #### What each message sends AI models don't remember a conversation between messages. So that the model can follow along, each message you send includes, in this order: 1. **The chat instructions** that start every chat (the **Chat** entry in [the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions)). 2. **The library tools**, when the chat may use your library: an instruction on how to use them (**Chat: library tools**) and a description of each tool. See [Let the chat work in your library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics#let-the-chat-work-in-your-library). 3. **The guides tool**, which looks things up in PromptMason's guides: an instruction on how to answer from them (**Chat: PromptMason guides**) and a description of the tool. A cloud provider gets it with every message; the local model gets it when your message asks about using PromptMason. See [Ask how to use PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics#ask-how-to-use-promptmason). 4. **The chat's skill**, if you chose one. 5. **The summary of earlier messages**, with the local model, once the chat has one (see [With the local model](#with-the-local-model)). 6. **The conversation so far:** your earlier messages and the model's replies, then your new message. A reply that failed is never sent back. A model can only read so much at once. This limit is called its context, and it's measured in tokens (a token is about three quarters of a word). The context holds everything above plus room for the reply. When a chat grows past it, PromptMason shortens what it sends so the chat fits, in one way for the local model and another for a cloud provider. Your newest message is always sent in full; if it doesn't fit on its own, it isn't sent and you're asked to shorten it. The library tools take up room too, so fewer earlier messages fit when they're sent. If you don't need the chat to work in your library, setting **What connected apps can do** to **Off** leaves them out. That setting also applies to AI agents and the Chrome extension ([Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access)). #### With the local model The local model has a smaller context than most cloud models. When a chat grows past it, PromptMason first asks the local model to summarize the earliest messages. From then on, the summary is sent with each new message in place of those messages, and the most recent messages are still sent in full. As the chat keeps growing, the summary is rewritten to cover more of it. While this happens, the reply shows **Summarizing earlier messages…** before it starts. A summary is shorter than the messages it replaces, so it can lose detail. If the model seems to have forgotten something from early in the chat, repeat it in your next message, or start a new chat. To read the summary, find the note **Earlier messages summarized** in the chat, after the last message it covers, and click **Show summary**. The note shows only while the chat uses the local model, because only the local model is sent the summary; a cloud provider is sent the conversation itself. The summary is kept with the chat and deleted with it. If a summary can't be written, your message is still sent: the earliest messages are left out instead, and a note at the top of the reply says how many, for example "3 earlier messages weren't sent with this one, so the chat fits what the model can read at once." #### With a cloud provider With a cloud provider, PromptMason sends the most recent part of the chat with each message, up to a limit you can change. When a chat grows past the limit, the earliest messages are left out, and a note at the top of the reply says how many were left out. That note shows until you close PromptMason. It isn't saved with the chat. Your provider charges for everything that is sent each time, so a long chat costs more with every message. The line under the chat's header shows how many tokens the chat has sent so far, for example **Sent in this chat: 18,000 tokens to OpenAI**. It says "about" when the provider didn't report its own count and PromptMason estimated it. It counts tokens only, not money; your provider's pricing decides the cost. **Clear activity** in **Settings → AI & connected apps** also clears these counts. ##### Caching Many providers offer prompt caching: when the start of a request is the same as one sent a few minutes earlier, they can reuse their work and charge less for the repeated part. In a chat, most of each request is the same conversation as last time, so caching can save a good share of the cost. - Some providers, such as OpenAI, cache long requests on their own. - For Anthropic, PromptMason turns caching on in every chat request. - Whether caching is available, how long a cached request lasts and how much it saves are set by each provider, and can change. Your provider's pricing page has the details. To keep costs down, start a new chat when you move on to a new topic, and keep the limit no higher than you need. #### Change the limits 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Scroll to **AI assist instructions**. 3. For a cloud provider, with **Instructions for** set to **Every provider**, change: - **Most a chat sends to a cloud provider at once, in tokens**: the chat instructions, the conversation and the reply's room together. - **Longest chat reply from a cloud provider, in tokens**. 4. For the local model, choose **Local model only** under **Instructions for**, then change: - **Longest chat reply from the local model, in tokens**: what the reply gets. The rest of the model's context holds the conversation. - **Longest chat summary from the local model, in tokens**. 5. Click **Save** beside the number you changed. | Limit | Built in | You can set | |---|---|---| | **Most a chat sends to a cloud provider at once, in tokens** | 32,000 | 20,000 to 2,000,000 | | **Longest chat reply from a cloud provider, in tokens** | 4,000 | 256 to 16,000 | | **Longest chat reply from the local model, in tokens** | 1,024 | 64 to 4,000 | | **Longest chat summary from the local model, in tokens** | 512 | 64 to 2,000 | A higher cloud limit lets a chat remember more, but each message sends more and costs more. Check that your provider's model can read as much as you set. The same list has the chat entries themselves: - **Chat**: the instructions every chat starts with. - **Chat: library tools**: how the chat should use your library. - **Chat: PromptMason guides**: how the chat should answer from the guides. - **Skill: Build a prompt** and **Skill: Ask about PromptMason**: the built-in skills. - **Request: a chat skill**: the line put before a skill. - For the local model only: **Chat summary** (what the model is asked when it summarizes) and **Request: a chat summary** (the line put before the summary when it's sent). You can edit them, put them back with **Reset**, and click **Preview what's sent** to see exactly what goes to the model. **Settings → Chat → Edit chat instructions** opens the same place. See [Customize the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions). #### Where your chats are kept PromptMason saves your chat history on this computer only, encrypted. Chats aren't synced to your other PCs, aren't included when you export your library, and AI agents and the Chrome extension can't read them. - **With the local model**, none of the chat leaves the computer: your messages, the replies, any summary, anything the chat finds in your library, and the guide sections it looks up stay on it. - **With a cloud provider**, each message and the part of the chat sent with it also go to that provider, along with anything the chat's library tools find for that reply and the guide sections the guides tool finds. The provider's own terms decide how long they keep it and what they do with it. To keep sensitive text on this computer, chat with the local model. [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview) lists everything that can leave your PC. If you switch a chat that already has messages to a different cloud provider, PromptMason asks first, because your next message would send the recent part of the chat to that provider. This applies when you move from the local model to a cloud provider, and from one cloud provider to another. Click **Switch** to go ahead, **New chat** to start an empty chat on that provider instead, or **Cancel**. #### Delete chats - **One chat:** in the chats list on the Chat screen, point to the chat, click the trash can that appears, then click **Delete chat**. - **Every chat:** click **Settings**, then **Chat**, then **Delete all chats**. Deleting a chat deletes it from this computer, including its summary. It can't be undone. It can't delete what a cloud provider already received; the provider's own terms cover that. #### Web tabs are separate [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs) on the Chat screen open AI websites, such as Claude or ChatGPT, with your own account there. What you type on a website goes to that website, and the website keeps its own history under its own terms. PromptMason doesn't save those conversations, and nothing above applies to them. It keeps only a list of the pages you opened, which you control under **Settings → Chat → Browsing history**. **Settings → Chat → Clear browsing data** signs you out of every site in web tabs. #### 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: > I use the Chat screen in PromptMason. Explain in plain words what gets sent with each message, why long chats get summarized or shortened, and how to keep the cost of a cloud provider down. ### Web tabs *Open AI websites such as Claude or ChatGPT in tabs on the Chat screen, put a prompt in the site's message box, and manage bookmarks, history and sign-ins.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs Web tabs open websites, such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot, in tabs on the Chat screen, beside the **Chat** tab. You sign in to each site with your own account, and put a saved prompt in the site's message box from the **Prompts** panel beside it. No API key is needed: the site works as it does in your web browser, under your account there. #### Turn on web tabs Web tabs need Chat to be on. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Features**. 2. Turn on **Chat**, if it's off. 3. Turn on **Web tabs**. It's shown under **Chat** while Chat is on. Turning **Web tabs** off hides the web tabs and leaves only the **Chat** tab. The tabs you had open come back when you turn it on again. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). #### Open a site 1. Click **Chat & Browse** in the sidebar. 2. Click **+** (**New tab**) to the right of the tabs. 3. On the new tab, click a site under **Bookmarks**, or click the address box at the top, type an address, and press Enter. 4. If the site asks you to sign in, sign in with your own account. Some sites open their sign-in page in a small separate window. The bookmarks start with **Claude**, **ChatGPT**, **Gemini** and **Microsoft Copilot**. You can [change them](#bookmarks). ![A new web tab with an address box and bookmarks for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/web-tabs-new-tab-page.webp) An address can be a full web address starting with http:// or https://, or a site name such as example.com, which opens as https://example.com. The address box doesn't search the web. The tabs you have open, and the one you were on, come back the next time you open PromptMason. #### Use a tab Each tab has a toolbar: | Control | What it does | |---|---| | **Back** / **Forward** | Go to the previous or next page. | | **Reload** | Load the page again. While a page is loading, it shows **Stop**. | | Address box | Shows the page's address. Type another and press Enter to go there; Esc puts the current address back. | | Star (**Bookmark this page** / **Remove bookmark**) | Adds the page to your bookmarks, or removes it. | | **Open in browser** | Opens the page in your usual web browser. | - **Right-click** in a page for the usual text items (such as **Cut**, **Copy** and **Paste**), **Copy link** and **Open link in browser** on a link, and **Back**, **Forward** and **Reload**. - **Close a tab** with the X on the tab, or click the tab with the middle mouse button. - A link that would open a new window opens in a new web tab instead. - Downloads ask where to save the file. #### Put a prompt in a site's message box 1. Open the site in a web tab, and click in its message box, where you'd type a message. 2. In the **Prompts** area on the right, click the prompt, block or document you want. If the area is hidden, click **Prompts** at the top right of the screen. 3. Click **Run in this tab**. 4. If the prompt has [variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) that need a value, **Fill in your values** opens. Type a value in each box, then click **Run in this tab** in the form. 5. Check the text in the site's message box, then press Enter on the page (or click the site's own send button) to send it. PromptMason puts the text in the site's message box and copies it to the clipboard. It never sends the message for you. Under the panel you see either: - "Added to the message box. Press Enter on the page to send it." The text is in the site's box. ![A web tab with a prompt placed in the site's message box and a line saying to press Enter on the page to send it.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/web-tabs-run-in-this-tab-result.webp) - "Copied. Click the site's message box and paste." The page had no text box selected, so the text was only copied. Click the site's message box, press Ctrl+V, then send. #### Bookmarks The new-tab page lists your bookmarks. **Settings → Chat → Bookmarks** has the same list. - **Add one:** click **Add bookmark**, type the **Web address** (for example example.com) and, if you like, a **Name** (without one, the site's address is used), then click **Add bookmark**. Or open the page and click the star in the toolbar. - **Rename one:** click **Rename** beside it, type the new name, and click **Save**. - **Remove one:** click **Remove** beside it. It's removed at once, without asking first. You can keep up to 200 bookmarks. #### History Below the bookmarks, the new-tab page lists the pages you've opened in web tabs, grouped by **Today**, **Yesterday** and earlier dates. - Click a page to open it in this tab. - Type in **Search history** to find pages by their title or address. - Click the X beside a page (**Remove from history**) to remove it. - Click **Show more** to see older pages. - Click **Clear history**, then **Clear history** in the dialog, to remove every page from the list. This can't be undone. You stay signed in to your sites, and your bookmarks aren't affected. ##### Choose how long history is kept 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Chat**. 2. Under **Browsing history**, leave the switch on and type a number in **Keep pages for** (1 to 365 days; 30 at first). It applies when you leave the box or press Enter. Choosing a shorter time deletes the pages older than that. To keep no history, turn the **Browsing history** switch off. This deletes the list. If you turn it on again, it starts empty. #### Sign out of every site **Clear browsing data** signs you out of every site you opened in web tabs and deletes what those sites stored on this computer: cookies, saved site data, the cache, and your browsing history. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Chat**. 2. Click **Clear browsing data**. 3. In **Clear browsing data?**, click **Clear browsing data**. You see "Browsing data cleared." Open web tabs reload, signed out. This can't be undone: you sign in to each site again. Your chats, bookmarks, blocks, prompts and settings aren't affected, and neither is the list of open tabs, so the tabs reload to the same pages. Close the tabs to remove that list. #### Privacy - **What you type on a site goes to that site**, under its own terms, as it would in your web browser. PromptMason doesn't save those conversations. To see or delete them, use the site itself. - **Sites are kept apart from PromptMason.** Web tabs run separately from the rest of the app, so a site isn't given access to your library, your chats or your settings. - **Sites get few permissions.** A site can copy to the clipboard and go full screen. Camera, microphone and other device access are refused. Links that would open another app don't work, except email links, which open your email app. - **Your history stays on this computer.** The address and title of each page are stored encrypted. History isn't synced to your other PCs, isn't included when you export, and AI agents and the Chrome extension can't read it. - **The list of open tabs isn't encrypted.** PromptMason keeps the addresses and titles of the tabs you have open so they come back the next time you open it, and **Clear browsing data** doesn't remove them. To remove them, close the tabs. Your bookmarks (names and addresses) aren't encrypted either. - **Run in this tab copies the text to the clipboard** as well as putting it in the site's box, and it stays there until you copy something else. Windows clipboard history, if you've turned it on, may keep it too. For more on what leaves your PC, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). For how web tabs differ from the Chat tab, see [Web tabs are separate](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat#web-tabs-are-separate). #### If something goes wrong | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Type a web address, like example.com." | Type a site's address, not search words. | | "Only web addresses that start with http:// or https:// open here." | Use a web address. Other kinds of links can't open in a web tab. | | "That address is too long." | Check the address and try a shorter one. | | "This page couldn't open." | Check your internet connection and the address, then click **Reload**. | | "This page stopped working." | Click **Reload** to carry on. | | "Copied. Click the site's message box and paste." | Click the site's message box, press Ctrl+V, then send. Next time, click in the message box before **Run in this tab**. | | "Your bookmarks couldn't be saved. Try again." | Make the change again. | | "Your history couldn't be loaded. Try again." / "That page couldn't be removed. Try again." / "Your history couldn't be cleared. Try again." | Open a new tab, or try again. | | "Browsing data couldn't be cleared. Try again." | Click **Clear browsing data** again. | | "History is off, so pages you open aren't kept. You can turn it on in Settings, under Chat." | Turn on **Browsing history** in **Settings → Chat** if you want a history. | | A site doesn't work as expected in a tab | Click **Open in browser** to use it in your web browser. | #### 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: > I want to use ChatGPT in a web tab inside PromptMason and send it my saved prompts. Walk me through turning on web tabs, opening the site, and putting a prompt in its message box. ### Customize the AI instructions *Read and change what PromptMason tells the AI for AI assist, Evaluate and Chat, preview exactly what's sent, and export or import your instructions.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions Every time you use AI assist, Evaluate or Chat, PromptMason sends the AI a set of instructions along with your text: how to treat your variables, what kind of block it's working on, what to send back. You can read every one of these instructions, change them, put them back, and see exactly what goes to the AI before anything is sent. You don't need to change anything here to use AI in PromptMason. The built-in instructions work as they are. #### Open the instructions 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Scroll to **AI assist instructions**. From **Settings → Chat**, **Edit chat instructions** opens the same place, on the **Chat** entry. At the top of the row are three buttons: **Preview what's sent**, **Import…** and **Export…**. Below them are **Instructions for**, the number settings, the list of entries with an editor beside it, **Use my own blocks as examples**, and **Suggestions**. ![The top of the AI assist instructions row with the buttons Preview what's sent, Import and Export.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-instructions-settings-row.webp) #### The entries Each entry in the list is one piece of what's sent. Under its name, the list shows its group and whose copy it is, for example "Block · Every provider". **Modified** marks an entry you've changed, and **New default** marks one with newer built-in text (see [When a newer default is available](#when-a-newer-default-is-available)). | Group | Entries | |---|---| | **Every block and prompt** | **Shared rules**: sent first on every AI assist request for a block or a prompt. | | **Block** | **Role block**, **Task block**, **Context block**, **Format block**, **Constraints block**, **Block of a type you added**, **Your own blocks as examples** | | **Static prompt** | **Static prompt** | | **Markdown document** | **Markdown document** | | **Evaluate** | **Grade**, **Privacy check** | | **Chat** | **Chat**, **Chat: library tools**, **Chat: PromptMason guides**, **Skill: Build a prompt**, **Skill: Ask about PromptMason**, and for the local model only **Chat summary** | | **Request wording** | The entries starting **Request:**, such as **Request: revise the text** and **Request: grade a block**: the wording of the request itself, around your text and your instruction. | Click an entry to see it. Above its text, a line says when it's sent. ![The list of AI instruction entries on the left and the selected entry's text in an editor on the right.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-instructions-entries-and-editor.webp) #### Choose whose instructions you're editing **Instructions for** chooses which copy of the instructions the list shows: - **Every provider**: the instructions every AI provider uses, unless it has its own copy. - **Local model only**: the local model's own copy. It comes with the app, written for the smaller model that runs on this computer, with a worked example for each kind of text. The local model always uses this copy. - **[Provider] only**, for example **Anthropic only**: a provider's own copy, once you've made one (see [Give a provider its own instructions](#give-a-provider-its-own-instructions)). Some settings show only for one choice: the short-text length, the cloud chat limits and **Suggestions** under **Every provider**, and the local model's numbers under **Local model only**. #### Edit an entry 1. Choose the copy under **Instructions for**. 2. Click the entry in the list. 3. Change its text in the box. 4. Click **Save**. **Cancel** throws away the changes you haven't saved. You see "Saved." The line under the box says "Modified. Reset puts the built-in text back." The new text is used from the next request on. An entry can be up to 20,000 characters. Some entries contain a word in square brackets, such as [type name] or [word limit]. PromptMason replaces it with the real value when it sends the entry, so keep it where you want that value to go. The line above the entry's text says what replaces it. Before you rely on a change, click **Preview what's sent** to see the result (see [Preview what's sent](#preview-whats-sent)). #### Put the built-in text back - **One entry:** click it, then click **Reset**. The built-in text comes back at once, without asking first, and you see "Reset to the built-in text." - **Everything in the copy you're viewing:** click **Reset all**, then **Reset all** in the **Reset every instruction?** dialog. You see "Instructions reset to the built-in text." **Reset all** can't be undone. If you might want your changes back, click **Export…** first. What it resets depends on **Instructions for**: | Instructions for | Reset all puts back | |---|---| | **Every provider** | Every entry for every provider, the short-text length, the three suggestions, the settings for using your own blocks as examples, and the chat limits for cloud providers. | | **Local model only** | Every entry in the local model's copy, and its longest answer, how much the wording varies, its longest chat reply and its longest chat summary. | | **[Provider] only** | Every entry in that provider's copy. | #### When a newer default is available An app update can improve a built-in entry. If you've changed that entry, your text is kept and the entry shows **New default**, with "A newer default is available. Your text is kept until you choose." - **Show differences** lists the lines that differ: lines marked − are only in your text; lines marked + are only in the new default. **Hide differences** closes the list. - **Use the new default** replaces your text with the new built-in text. - **Keep mine** keeps your text and stops showing the notice. #### Give a provider its own instructions You can give one provider a copy of its own, for example wording that suits Anthropic's models better. Each provider can have one copy. 1. Set **Instructions for** to **Every provider**. 2. Click **Customize for a provider**. 3. Click **Customize for [Provider]** for the provider you want. Only providers you've set up are listed; if there are none, you see "Set up a provider above first. Each provider can have one copy." The provider gets its own copy of every entry, starting from the instructions for every provider, and uses only its copy from then on. **Instructions for** switches to that provider's copy, so you can edit it. Changes you make later to the instructions for every provider don't reach this copy. To go back to the instructions for every provider, choose the provider's copy under **Instructions for**, click **Remove [Provider]'s own instructions**, then **Remove**. The copy and any changes to it are deleted. This can't be undone. The local model's copy can't be removed. Use **Reset** or **Reset all** to put it back. #### Number settings Each number has its own **Save** button. If a number is out of range, the line under it says so, for example "Enter a whole number from 0 to 5,000.", and **Save** stays grayed out. A token is about three quarters of a word. ![The number settings for AI instructions, one with a message that the number is out of range.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-instructions-number-settings.webp) **Instructions for: Every provider** | Setting | Built in | Range | What it does | |---|---|---|---| | **Short-text length** | 200 | 0 to 5,000 | Text shorter than this many characters, with no instruction typed, is treated as a brief to write from. Longer text is revised. | | **Longest chat reply from a cloud provider, in tokens** | 4,000 | 256 to 16,000 | The room each chat reply gets from a provider you use with an API key or a server address. | | **Most a chat sends to a cloud provider at once, in tokens** | 32,000 | 20,000 to 2,000,000 | The chat instructions, the conversation and the reply's room together. Past this, the oldest messages are left out. | **Instructions for: Local model only** | Setting | Built in | Range | What it does | |---|---|---|---| | **Longest answer from the local model, in tokens** | 400 | 64 to 4,000 | A block or an evaluation gets this much room. A static prompt or a Markdown document gets the length of its own text plus this much. | | **How much the local model varies its wording (0 = least)** | 0.2 | 0 to 1 | Lower keeps answers closer to your text and keeps variables and comments more reliably; higher gives more varied wording. | | **Longest chat reply from the local model, in tokens** | 1,024 | 64 to 4,000 | The room each chat reply gets. The rest of the model's room holds the conversation. | | **Longest chat summary from the local model, in tokens** | 512 | 64 to 2,000 | The longest summary of earlier messages when a chat grows past what the model can read. | [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat) explains the chat limits in more detail. #### Use your own blocks as examples When **Use my own blocks as examples** is on, AI assist on a block also sends a few of your other blocks of the same type, from the same library, so the result matches how you write. It's off at first, and the setting applies to every provider. - The most recently changed blocks are used first. - Blocks tagged with a block pack's name, such as `Starter pack`, archived blocks and the block you're working on are left out. - **How many of your blocks**: at most this many are sent (1 to 5; 3 at first). - **Longest example, in characters**: a longer block is cut to this length (100 to 4,000; 500 at first). With a cloud provider, the text of these blocks is sent along with the block's own. With the local model, none of this leaves your computer. When you turn the switch on, you see "Your blocks will be used as examples." Turn it off to stop sending them, and you see "Your blocks will not be used as examples." The entry **Your own blocks as examples** holds the wording put around them. #### Suggestions The AI assist window offers three one-click instructions at the top. Clicking one sends its instruction at once; pressing 1, 2 or 3 does the same. They're the same for every provider, so they show only with **Instructions for** set to **Every provider**. The built-in ones are **Tighten this**, **Make this clearer** and **Strengthen this**. To change one: 1. Under **Suggestions**, find **Suggestion 1**, **2** or **3**. 2. Change **Name on the button** (up to 40 characters) and **Instruction sent** (one line, up to 300 characters). 3. Click **Save**. **Cancel** throws away unsaved changes, and **Reset** puts the built-in suggestion back. To hide a suggestion, leave its name empty and click **Save**. For how the suggestions work in the editor, see [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). #### Preview what's sent **Preview what's sent** shows exactly what would go to the AI with your saved instructions. Nothing is sent while you preview. 1. Click **Preview what's sent**. 2. Under **Working on**, choose **A block**, **A block inside a prompt**, **A static prompt**, **A Markdown document**, **Evaluate: Grade**, **Evaluate: Privacy**, **A chat message** or **A chat summary (local model)**. 3. For a block, choose a **Block type** (or **No type**). 4. Under **Provider**, choose the provider to preview. Any provider can be chosen, set up or not. 5. Choose one of your own items from the list, or a new one (for example **A new block**) and fill in **Name**, **Instruction** and **Text**. The instruction is what you'd type into AI assist's box; it can be empty. Leave the name and text empty to see a request to write from nothing. ![The Preview what's sent window with Working on and Provider lists, and the Request it will send.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-instructions-preview-whats-sent-window.webp) The preview shows two parts: **Instructions** (the AI's standing instructions) and **Request** (your text with the request wording around it). A line above them says whether it uses the instructions for every provider or the provider's own. When **Use my own blocks as examples** is on, the same line names each of your blocks sent as an example, such as: Includes one of your own blocks as an example, from your library: “Regression tester”. Those examples are your own blocks, not text that comes with PromptMason. - **A chat message** shows an example conversation. Type in **Your message** to see your own message added, or leave it empty to see the example's last message. - **A chat summary (local model)** shows what the local model is sent when it summarizes a long chat. - **Evaluate** reads one of your saved blocks, prompts or documents, under **Item**. If you don't have any yet, make one first. Click **Close** when you're done. The preview uses saved instructions only, so save an edited entry before previewing it. If your library is paused, the preview still works and says AI assist sends nothing until the library is unpaused. #### Export or import your instructions Export your instructions to keep a copy before you experiment, move them to another PC, or share them with a colleague. API keys are never in the file. **Export:** 1. Click **Export…**. 2. Choose where to save **PromptMason AI assist instructions.json**, and click **Save**. You see "Instructions exported." **Import:** 1. Click **Import…**. 2. Choose a file exported from PromptMason. 3. Confirm that you want to replace your instructions. You see "Instructions imported." The file replaces all of your instructions: every entry, every provider's own copy, the number settings, the suggestions and the settings for using your own blocks as examples. This can't be undone, so export yours first if you might want them back. If the file isn't an export of AI assist instructions, you see "This file isn't a set of AI assist instructions exported from PromptMason. Nothing was changed." Choose the right file. #### 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: > I want to change the instructions PromptMason sends to the AI for AI assist, Evaluate or Chat. Walk me through finding the right entry, editing it, checking it with “Preview what's sent”, and putting the built-in text back if I don't like the result. ### What AI features send, and where *See exactly what each AI feature sends, who receives it and when, and what PromptMason keeps on your computer.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy PromptMason sends your text to an AI only when you run an AI feature, and only to the provider you chose for that run. With the local model, none of your text leaves your computer. This page covers the AI features. For the other times something leaves your PC, such as the license check, web tabs and sync, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview#when-something-leaves-your-pc). #### What each feature sends | Feature | What is sent | To whom | When | |---|---|---|---| | **AI assist**, with a cloud provider | The text in the editor as you typed it (including changes you haven't saved and any hidden notes), the item's name, your instruction and PromptMason's AI assist instructions. For a block, also a few of your other blocks of the same type as examples, only if you turned on **Use my own blocks as examples** (see [below](#send-less-with-ai-assist)). | The provider you chose: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, xAI (Grok), or your own server | Only when you click **Run**, click or press a suggestion (1, 2 or 3), or press Ctrl+Shift+A | | **Evaluate**, with a cloud provider | The saved item's text, with hidden notes removed (for **Grade**, also its name and, for a prompt made of blocks, each block's type and name) and Evaluate's instructions | The provider you chose | Only when you click **Run** | | **Chat**, with a cloud provider | The chat instructions, the recent part of the conversation (your messages and the replies), your new message, and the skill if you chose one. When chat can use your library, also a description of the library tools and whatever they read from your library for that reply. A description of the tool that looks things up in PromptMason's guides, and when the chat uses it, your question and the guide sections it finds ([Ask how to use PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics#ask-how-to-use-promptmason)). | The provider chosen for that chat | Each time you click **Send**, **Run in chat** or **Try again** | | **AI assist, Evaluate and Chat**, with the local model | None of your text. A question you ask Chat about PromptMason, and the guide sections it looks up, stay on your computer too. | No one | — | | **Test connection** in Settings | One short test request, with none of your text | That provider | When you click **Test connection** | | **Local model download** | A request for the model file, with none of your text | PromptMason's download server (models.promptmason.ai) | When you click **Download**, **Resume** or **Try again**. While the model isn't downloaded, opening **Settings → AI & connected apps** also reads the download's size. | | **Web tabs** on the Chat screen | Whatever you type or paste into a website, or insert with **Run in this tab** (which also copies the text to the Windows clipboard) | That website, under its own terms | While you use the site | | **AI agents you connect**, such as Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code | Whatever the agent reads from your library | The agent's app, which sends it on to its own AI service under that app's terms | When you ask the agent to use your library | Variables are never filled in for AI assist or Evaluate: they're sent as written, such as {{client name}}. AI assist sends the editor's text exactly as typed, so a hidden note written as `{{! like this }}` goes with it; Evaluate removes hidden notes first. In Chat, **Run in chat** fills in your values first, so the values you type are sent with the prompt. PromptMason doesn't send a record of your AI use anywhere. The one exception is in a team library: when a version was made with AI assist, its provider and model sync to your teammates and show as the **AI assist** tag in History. #### Where you're told before anything is sent - **AI assist and Evaluate:** before text goes to a cloud provider, the **Before you use AI assist** window names the provider and asks you to click **Send**, until you tick **Don't show this again**. Evaluate's **Privacy** check also shows **Sends the text to** [provider] under **Model** when a cloud provider is chosen. **Grade** doesn't show that line, but the same window appears. - **Chat:** a line under the chat's header always says where messages go: **Private: this chat stays on this computer.** for the local model, or that messages are sent to the provider and charged to your account there. If you switch a chat that has messages to a different cloud provider, PromptMason asks first. See [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat). ![A chat header with the local model chosen and a line saying the chat stays on this computer.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-privacy-chat-private-line.webp) - **Model lists:** the local model shows a lock icon. #### Send less with AI assist With **Use my own blocks as examples** on, AI assist on a block also sends a few of your other blocks of the same type from the same library, so the result matches how you write. Blocks tagged with a block pack's name, such as `Starter pack`, archived blocks and the block you're working on are left out. The setting is off at first, so unless you turn it on, AI assist sends only the block you're working on. With the local model, these stay on your computer too. To check that only the block you're working on is sent: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Scroll to **AI assist instructions**. 3. Look at **Use my own blocks as examples**. If it's on, turn it off. To see exactly what any feature sends, click **Preview what's sent** in the same place. When your own blocks are included, the preview names each one above the request. See [Customize the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions). #### Keep private details on your computer - **Use the local model** for anything private. See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model). - **Run a privacy check** before you send or share text: **Evaluate → Privacy**. See [Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate#check-for-private-details). - **Use variables** for names, account numbers and other details, so the text itself doesn't hold them. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). - **Control what chat and AI agents can reach** in your library with **What connected apps can do** (**Full access**, **Read-only** or **Off**). With a cloud provider and **Full access**, which is the default, Chat can also change your library. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). #### What PromptMason keeps on your computer - **AI assist activity:** a record of each AI assist run, evaluation and chat reply: when, which provider and model, and the tokens used (a token is about three quarters of a word). Your text isn't kept. The **AI assist activity** card on Home shows it. It's included when you export your library (the exported file isn't encrypted) and in backups (which are). - **Chats:** saved on this computer only, encrypted. They aren't synced to your other PCs or included when you export, and AI agents and the Chrome extension can't read them. See [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat#where-your-chats-are-kept). - **Web tab history:** the pages you opened, on this computer only, encrypted. See [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs). - **API keys:** encrypted on this computer and never exported. See [Where your keys are kept](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup#where-your-keys-are-kept). #### Clear the activity record 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Under **AI assist activity**, click **Clear activity**. ![The AI assist activity row with a Clear activity button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/ai-privacy-ai-assist-activity.webp) 3. The **Clear AI assist activity?** window opens. Click **Clear activity**. You see **Activity cleared.** This can't be undone. It deletes the whole record, chat replies included, so the token count under each chat's header is cleared too. Your blocks, prompts, chats and API keys aren't affected. #### What a provider does with your text Once a cloud provider receives your text, its own terms decide how long it keeps it and what it does with it. PromptMason can't delete what a provider has already received. To stop sending to a provider, remove its key in **Settings → AI & connected apps** (see [Change or remove a key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup#change-or-remove-a-key)). #### 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: > I handle client information and want to understand what PromptMason's AI features send outside my PC. Go through each feature with me and help me choose settings that keep private details on my computer. ## MCP and connected apps ### MCP and connected apps *Use your blocks and prompts from your AI apps through PromptMason's built-in MCP server, or from any website with the Chrome extension, and control what they can do.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/connected-apps This section is about using your library from other apps on your PC. The ideas to know first: - **The built-in MCP server:** PromptMason includes an MCP server, so AI apps that support MCP (Model Context Protocol), such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code, can search your library, fill in your prompts and, if you allow it, save new blocks and prompts, right from your conversation. There's nothing extra to install: you add it from **Settings → AI & connected apps → Connect an AI agent**. - **The Chrome extension:** finds and copies your prompts on any website in Chrome. - **What connected apps can do:** one setting for both. **Full access** lets AI apps read and change your library, **Read-only** lets them search and read, and **Off** gives them no access. **Full access** is the default. Each team library also has its own setting for AI apps. - **PromptMason must be open** while an AI app or the extension uses your library. The MCP server and the extension talk only to PromptMason on your PC. When an AI app reads something from your library, that text goes to the AI service behind the app, under its terms. [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview) lists when anything leaves your PC. Start with [PromptMason's built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server), then [connect your AI agent](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent). If you use Chrome, set up [the Chrome extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension). #### 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: > I want my AI assistant to use my PromptMason library. Explain what PromptMason's MCP server does, how to connect Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code, the difference between Full access and Read-only, and which guide to read first. ### PromptMason's built-in MCP server *What the MCP server inside PromptMason does, which AI apps can use it, what they can do in your library, and how you stay in control.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server PromptMason comes with an MCP server built in. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI apps, such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code, use tools that other programs provide. With PromptMason's MCP server, your AI app can search your library, read your blocks and prompts, fill in a prompt's variables, and, if you allow it, save new blocks and prompts for you, all from inside the conversation you're already having. There's nothing extra to download or run. The server is part of PromptMason, and you add it to your AI app from **Settings → AI & connected apps → Connect an AI agent**. ![The Connect an AI agent section with an Add button for Claude Desktop.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/connect-ai-agent-row-ready-to-add.webp) #### What you can do with it Ask your AI app in plain words. For example: - "Find my PromptMason prompts about meeting notes." - "Fill in my Reply to a message prompt for this email and use it." - "Save this as a new block called Polite decline, type Task." - "Build a prompt from my Research analyst and Summary then key points blocks." - "Show me the earlier versions of my Summarize a document prompt." The AI app picks the right tool, PromptMason does the work, and the result comes back into your conversation. When a prompt has a variable that asks for its value each time, PromptMason tells the AI app which values it needs. The app can then ask you for them, or you can include them in your request. The server provides 45 tools, 15 of which work in Read-only. For what each one does, see [MCP tools: what an AI agent can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-tools). #### Which AI apps can connect | App | How you add PromptMason | |---|---| | **Claude Desktop** | Click **Add**. PromptMason installs as a Claude Desktop extension. | | **Cursor** | Click **Add**. Cursor asks you to confirm. | | **Claude Code** | Click **Copy command** and paste it into a terminal once. PromptMason is then available in every project. | | **Other apps that support MCP** | Set it up in that app's own settings. See [Other AI agents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent#other-ai-agents) for what to enter. | For the steps for each app, see [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent). #### How it works - **Your AI app starts the server** when it needs it, on your PC. The server talks only to PromptMason on the same PC. It never connects to the internet and isn't reachable from other computers. - **PromptMason must be open** while the AI app uses it. If it isn't, the AI app gets a message asking you to open PromptMason. - **Access is checked on every request.** The AI app proves it's allowed in with a private token that PromptMason creates on your PC. Apps you add from **Connect an AI agent** pick it up by themselves. - **Changes are marked.** A change an AI app makes shows **via AI app** in the item's version history. ![The Version history window for a block, with the newest version marked via AI app.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/mcp-server-version-history-via-ai-app.webp) #### You decide what it can do - **What connected apps can do** in **Settings → AI & connected apps** sets the level for every AI app: **Full access** (search, read, create, edit and delete), **Read-only** (search and read only), or **Off**. Full access is the setting at first. After you change it, restart the AI app so its list of tools updates. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). - **Each team library has its own setting**, chosen by its primary owner: read only (the setting at first), read and change, or nothing, plus a limit on how many changes an AI app can make per hour. When both settings apply, the stricter one wins. - **Some things are never available to an AI app**, including removing items from **Recently deleted** for good, restoring from it, changing your settings, managing libraries and their members, and anything to do with recovery kits, backups or keys. A block or prompt an AI app deletes goes to **Recently deleted**, where you can restore it for 30 days. Folders, variables, comments and expected output entries it deletes are removed straight away. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). - **Free plan limits apply** to what an AI app creates, the same as when you create items yourself. If your library is paused (over the Free limits, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), AI apps can't read or change anything until you're back within them or on Pro. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans) and [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### Privacy The MCP server keeps everything on your PC: it hands your library only to the AI app on the same computer, and only at the level you allow. What the AI app does next is up to that app. When it reads a block or prompt, that text becomes part of your conversation, so it goes to the AI service behind the app, under that service's terms, like anything else you share in the conversation. If some content is sensitive, set **What connected apps can do** to **Read-only** or **Off**, or set that team library to **Nothing: AI apps can’t see it**. For everything else that can leave your PC, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). #### Next steps - [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent): add PromptMason to Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code or another app. - [MCP tools: what an AI agent can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-tools): every tool, in plain words. - [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access): access levels, tokens and team library settings. - [Troubleshooting MCP connections](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-troubleshooting): if the AI app can't reach PromptMason. #### 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: > I want my AI assistant to use my PromptMason library directly. Explain what PromptMason's MCP server is, which apps can connect to it, what the assistant will be able to do, and how to set it up safely. ### Connect an AI agent through MCP *Add PromptMason to Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code, and understand the security notice Claude Desktop shows.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent An AI agent is an AI app that can use tools from other apps, such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code. Once you connect PromptMason, your agent can search your library and fill in a prompt for you. With **Full access** it can also save new blocks and prompts. The connection uses PromptMason's built-in MCP server. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI apps use another app's tools. The server is part of PromptMason, so there's nothing extra to install. [PromptMason's built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server) explains what it does and how you stay in control. #### Before you start - Install PromptMason and open it. Keep it open while you use your AI agent: the agent can only reach your library while PromptMason is running. - Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. Under **What connected apps can do**, choose **Full access** (your agent can read and change your library) or **Read-only** (it can only search and read). **Full access** is the default. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). - Below that, find **Connect an AI agent**. It has a row for Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code. If **What connected apps can do** is set to **Off**, the buttons in these rows are turned off. Pointing at one shows "Connected apps are Off. Choose Full access or Read-only above first." ##### What each row can show | The row shows | What it means | |---|---| | An **Add** button | The app is on this PC and ready. Follow the steps for that app below. | | "Not installed on this computer" (no button) | PromptMason didn't find the app on this PC. Install it, then switch back to the PromptMason window. | | "Open Cursor once, then come back" (no button) | Cursor is installed but has never been opened. Open Cursor once, then switch back to PromptMason. The **Add** button appears. | | **Copy command** (Claude Code) | Always shown. PromptMason can't tell whether Claude Code is installed, so install Claude Code before you use it. | ![The Connect an AI agent row where Claude Desktop has an Add button, Cursor says to open it once, and Claude Code has a Copy command button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/connect-ai-agent-row-ready-to-add.webp) PromptMason checks for these apps again each time you switch back to its window, so the rows update on their own after you install or open an app. PromptMason doesn't show a "Connected" state, because it can't tell whether you finished the install in the other app. Check in the agent instead (see [Check that it worked](#check-that-it-worked)). #### Claude Desktop 1. In PromptMason, click **Add** next to Claude Desktop. The button shows **Adding…** for a moment. 2. PromptMason saves a file called **PromptMason.mcpb** (a Claude Desktop extension) to your Downloads folder, replacing any earlier copy. What happens next depends on your PC: - If Claude Desktop opens its install screen for PromptMason, the row says "Finish in Claude Desktop: click Install". Click **Install** in Claude Desktop. - If Claude Desktop doesn't open, File Explorer opens with **PromptMason.mcpb** selected, and the row says "PromptMason.mcpb is in your Downloads folder". This is the usual case with the Microsoft Store version of Claude Desktop. Continue with [Install the file in Claude Desktop](#install-the-file-in-claude-desktop). ![The Claude Desktop row saying the PromptMason.mcpb file is in the Downloads folder.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/connect-ai-agent-row-mcpb-in-downloads.webp) ##### Install the file in Claude Desktop 1. Open Claude Desktop and go to **Settings → Extensions**. 2. Drag **PromptMason.mcpb** from the File Explorer window (or your Downloads folder) onto that page. 3. Claude Desktop shows PromptMason's install screen. Click **Install**. ##### About the security notice ![Claude Desktop's install screen for PromptMason, with a red security notice under the name](https://promptmason.ai/images/mcp/claude-desktop-install-notice.png) Claude Desktop shows a red notice when you install an extension from a file. It says the extension gets access to your computer and that the developer details haven't been verified by Anthropic. This is expected for PromptMason. PromptMason's own row says the same: "Claude shows a security notice for any extension installed from a file. That's expected." What PromptMason's extension actually does: - It talks only to the PromptMason app on the same computer. - It doesn't connect to the internet. - It doesn't read your other files. The only file it reads is PromptMason's own access key, so it can prove to the app that it's allowed in. The agent itself is a separate app. What it reads from your library goes to its own AI service, under that service's terms, and PromptMason can't take it back. If your library holds sensitive material, set **What connected apps can do** to **Off** when you don't want an agent to see it; **Read-only** stops changes but still lets the agent read. See [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). You stay in control from PromptMason: in **Settings → AI & connected apps**, you can switch to **Read-only** or **Off** at any time. If Claude Desktop is open when you change this, restart Claude Desktop so it picks up the change. ##### Check that it worked In Claude Desktop, go to **Settings → Extensions**. PromptMason is listed and switched on. Then start a chat and ask, for example: "Search PromptMason for onboarding." If Claude asks for permission to use PromptMason, allow it. ##### If you can't drag the file In Claude Desktop, go to **Settings → Extensions → Advanced settings**, click **Install Extension**, and choose **PromptMason.mcpb** from your Downloads folder. Claude lists this button under a developer heading with a warning, but it installs the same file the same way. ##### Remove PromptMason from Claude Desktop Go to **Settings → Extensions**, open the menu next to PromptMason, and remove it. ##### Add PromptMason to Claude Desktop's settings file instead You can add PromptMason to Claude Desktop's settings file yourself instead of installing the extension. This takes a few more steps and suits people comfortable editing a settings file. It works the same way once it's set up. 1. If you installed the PromptMason extension earlier, remove it first (see above), so Claude doesn't load PromptMason twice. 2. In Claude Desktop, go to **Settings → Developer** and click **Edit Config**. Claude opens its settings file, and creates it if it doesn't exist yet. 3. Add the `promptmason` entry below inside `mcpServers`. Replace `YOURNAME` with your Windows user name (the folder name under `C:\Users`). Keep the double backslashes. ```json { "mcpServers": { "promptmason": { "command": "C:\\Users\\YOURNAME\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\promptmason\\PromptMason.exe", "args": [ "C:\\Users\\YOURNAME\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\promptmason\\resources\\app.asar.unpacked\\out\\mcp\\index.js" ], "env": { "ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE": "1" } } } } ``` If the file already lists other entries under `mcpServers`, add `promptmason` next to them rather than replacing the file. These paths are where PromptMason installs by default, and they stay the same when PromptMason updates. 4. Save the file, then quit Claude Desktop completely (right-click the Claude icon near the clock and choose **Quit**) and open it again. 5. Go to **Settings → Connectors**. PromptMason is listed, marked **Local dev**. This route shows no install screen or security notice, because Claude reads the settings file directly. The same PromptMason settings apply: **What connected apps can do** still controls what Claude may do. #### Cursor 1. Open Cursor at least once on this PC. If the Cursor row in PromptMason says "Open Cursor once, then come back", open Cursor, then switch back to the PromptMason window. The **Add** button appears. 2. In PromptMason, click **Add** next to Cursor. The row says "Finish in Cursor: click Install". 3. Cursor opens and asks to install PromptMason. Click **Install**. #### Claude Code Install Claude Code first. PromptMason can't tell whether Claude Code is on your PC, so its **Copy command** button always shows. 1. In PromptMason, click **Copy command** next to Claude Code. The button shows **Copied** for a moment. 2. Open a terminal, such as PowerShell or Command Prompt. 3. Paste the command and press Enter. PromptMason is then available in every project. You only need to do this once on each PC. The command includes where PromptMason is installed on this PC, so on another PC, copy it from PromptMason on that PC. #### After you change what connected apps can do An AI agent learns what it may do with PromptMason when it starts. If an agent is open when you change **What connected apps can do**, close it completely and open it again. PromptMason shows the same reminder under the setting: "If an AI agent is open when you change this, restart it to update what it can do." #### Other AI agents Only Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code have a button. To add PromptMason to another AI agent by hand, give it the same program, file path and setting shown in [Add PromptMason to Claude Desktop's settings file instead](#add-promptmason-to-claude-desktops-settings-file-instead), in the format that agent's own setup instructions use. If that agent asks for a token, see [The API token for an agent you set up yourself](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access#the-api-token-for-an-agent-you-set-up-yourself). #### Next steps - [MCP tools: what an AI agent can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-tools), with example requests. - [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access): Full access, Read-only, Off, and team libraries. #### If something doesn't work See [Troubleshooting MCP connections](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-troubleshooting), or email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). Claude Desktop and Cursor change their screens from time to time. If a step here doesn't match what you see, let us know and we'll update this page. #### 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: > I want my AI agent to use my PromptMason library. Walk me through connecting PromptMason to Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code, one step at a time, and tell me how to check that it worked. ### Control what connected apps can do *Choose Full access, Read-only or Off for AI agents and the Chrome extension, set what AI apps can do in a team library, and manage the tokens they use.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access Connected apps are other apps on this PC that use your PromptMason library: AI agents such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code, and the PromptMason Chrome extension. You decide what they may do in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. PromptMason's own window always has full access. #### Choose what connected apps can do 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. In the **Connected apps** card, find **What connected apps can do**. ![The What connected apps can do row with three choices: Full access (selected), Read-only and Off.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/agent-access-what-connected-apps-can-do.webp) 3. Choose one of the options: | Option | What PromptMason says | |---|---| | **Full access** | "Search, read, create, edit, and delete your blocks and prompts." This is the default. | | **Read-only** | "Search and read only. They can't change anything or export your whole library." | | **Off** | "Connected apps can't reach your library." | PromptMason saves your choice straight away. If it can't, it shows a message under the options, for example "Could not save the setting." Choose the option again. The library tools in Chat follow this setting too: with **Off**, Chat can't use your library, and with **Read-only** it can read but not change it. With **Full access**, Chat asks you before each change (see [Approve or refuse a change](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics#approve-or-refuse-a-change)). This doesn't change how AI agents work. ##### Restart any open AI agent An AI agent learns which PromptMason tools it has when it starts. If an agent is open when you change this setting, close it completely and open it again. PromptMason shows the same reminder: "If an AI agent is open when you change this, restart it to update what it can do." ##### How each option affects AI agents - **Full access:** the agent can search and read everything; create, change and delete blocks, prompts, folders, variables and comments; archive blocks and prompts and take them out of the archive; add and delete expected output; and add or remove tags. See [MCP tools: what an AI agent can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-tools). - **Read-only:** an agent started while this is set can only search and read. If an agent that was started under **Full access** tries a change, PromptMason refuses it with "PromptMason is read-only for connected apps. To allow changes, choose Full access in PromptMason under Settings → AI & connected apps." - **Off:** an agent started while this is set has no PromptMason tools at all. One that was already running gets "PromptMason is turned off for connected apps. Turn it on in PromptMason under Settings → AI & connected apps." The **Add** and **Copy command** buttons under **Connect an AI agent** are turned off. ##### How each option affects the Chrome extension - **Full access:** you can browse, preview and copy, and also add favorites and ratings from the popup. - **Read-only:** you can browse, preview and copy. Changing a favorite or a rating shows "The desktop app is in read-only mode, so this can't be changed from the browser. To allow changes, choose Full access in the desktop app under Settings → AI & connected apps." Values you type into **Fill in your values** are still remembered. - **Off:** the popup shows "PromptMason is turned off for connected apps. Turn it on in the desktop app under Settings → AI & connected apps to see your blocks and prompts here." The extension doesn't need restarting: it checks each time you open the popup. See [The Chrome extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension). #### Set what AI apps can do in a team library Each team library has its own setting for AI apps (AI agents and Chat). Only the library's primary owner can change it, and it applies on every member's PC. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the team library. 3. Under **Name and AI apps**, open **What AI apps can do in [library name]** and choose: - **Read only (recommended)**: AI agents can search and read it. This is the default for a team library. - **Read and change**: AI agents can also add and change items in it. - **Nothing: AI apps can’t see it**: AI agents don't see the library at all. 4. To limit how much an AI agent can change, type a number in **Most changes an AI app can make per hour** and click **Save**. The default is 1,000. ![The Name and AI apps part of a team library's Manage window, with three choices for what AI apps can do and an hourly limit.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/agent-access-team-library-ai-apps-setting.webp) The note under these controls says: "This applies on every member’s PC. Each person’s Connected apps setting still applies too; the stricter one wins." For example, if the library allows **Read and change** but your own setting is **Read-only**, your AI agent can only read it. Other members see the current setting as a line such as "AI apps: read only, up to 1,000 changes an hour. Only the primary owner changes this." This team library setting applies to AI agents and Chat, not to the Chrome extension. It also doesn't limit a member's own AI assist or Evaluate: each member chooses their own provider, and those send text to it as described in [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy). Your personal library has no such setting: there, **What connected apps can do** decides, with no hourly limit. In a team library, a change an AI agent made is marked **via AI app** next to the person's name. #### The API token for an agent you set up yourself Every AI agent uses one API token, a long secret code that proves to PromptMason it's allowed in. Agents you add with **Connect an AI agent** read it on their own, so you don't need to do anything with it. You find it under **Set up another AI agent by hand**, in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. PromptMason says: "AI agents added with Connect above use this token automatically. Give it only to an agent you set up yourself, and keep it private." ![The Set up another AI agent by hand row with the API token hidden behind dots and a Regenerate API token button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/agent-access-api-token-row.webp) - The box under **API token** shows only the last characters. Click the eye button (**Show token**) to see all of it. - Click the copy button, to the right of the eye button, to copy the whole token. PromptMason shows "Full token copied to clipboard." All your AI agents share one API token, so you can't use it to cut off a single agent. To stop one agent, remove PromptMason from that agent, or set **What connected apps can do** to **Off** to stop them all. ##### Regenerate the API token Do this if you think someone else has your API token. It can't be undone. 1. Under **Set up another AI agent by hand**, click **Regenerate API token**. 2. Read the dialog: "AI agents added with Connect pick up the new token on their own. One you set up by hand stops working until you give it the new token. The Chrome extension isn't affected. This can't be undone." 3. Click **Regenerate**. PromptMason shows "New token generated." If an agent you set up by hand used the old token, give it the new one. If regenerating fails, PromptMason shows "Could not regenerate the token." Try again. #### The extension token The Chrome extension uses its own token, separate from the API token. You find it under **Chrome extension**, in **Settings → AI & connected apps**, labeled **Extension token**. It has the same eye and copy buttons. For where to paste it, see [Connect the extension to PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension#connect-the-extension-to-promptmason). ##### Regenerate the extension token Regenerating can't be undone, and the extension stops working until you paste the new token into it. 1. Under **Chrome extension**, click **Regenerate extension token**. 2. Read the dialog: "The Chrome extension stops working until you paste the new token into it. AI agents aren't affected. This can't be undone." 3. Click **Regenerate**. PromptMason shows "New token generated. Paste it into the Chrome extension." Then [replace the token in the extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension#replace-the-token). #### Related guides - [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent) - [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries) - [Troubleshooting MCP connections](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-troubleshooting) #### 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: > I've connected an AI agent to PromptMason. Help me choose between “Full access”, “Read-only” and “Off”, and walk me through changing the setting and restarting the agent. ### MCP tools: what an AI agent can do *Everything a connected AI agent can find, use and change in PromptMason, what works in Read-only, and requests you can try.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-tools These are the tools PromptMason's [built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server) gives an AI agent. Once PromptMason is connected to your AI agent (see [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent)), you ask the agent in plain words and it uses PromptMason's tools to do the work. What it may do depends on **What connected apps can do** in **Settings → AI & connected apps** ([Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access)). PromptMason must be open while the agent works. #### Find and read (Read-only and Full access) An agent can do all of this with either **Read-only** or **Full access**: - **Search** your blocks, prompts and variables. A search looks at names, descriptions, text, tags, comments and expected output. Archived items are left out unless you ask for them. A search can also ask for only the blocks and prompts that use a variable nothing defines, and it names those variables. - **List** your libraries, blocks, prompts, folders and variables. - **Read** a block or a prompt, including its tags, folder and which prompts use a block. A variable shows which blocks, prompts and Markdown documents use it. For a Markdown document it gets the text exactly as stored. - **Read the history** of a block or prompt, with the full text of each saved version. - **Read comments and expected output** on a block or prompt. - **Read your block types, prompt types and settings.** It can't change your settings. #### Use a prompt (Read-only and Full access) An agent can get the finished text of a prompt, the same text you'd copy from the Prompts screen, with your variables filled in. - If the prompt has values that are asked each time, PromptMason fills in neither the value nor its default until the agent sends one. It tells the agent to ask you for the values, or to confirm the defaults with you. - If a variable offers a list of choices, the agent sees them and offers them to you. If the variable allows only values from its list, PromptMason refuses any other value and tells the agent which values are allowed. - It can run the same prompt several times with different values, for example once for each item in a list. - A block that was deleted shows as `[Block removed: name]`, and a block it can't reach shows as `[Block unavailable]`. The rest of the prompt still comes through. - A Markdown document comes back exactly as written. Nothing in it is filled in. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) for how values work. #### Create and change (Full access only) With **Full access**, an agent can also change your library: - **Blocks:** create, change, copy, archive, take out of the archive, and delete. A copy includes the block's expected output and attachments but not its comments, starts with no rating, and isn't a favorite. - **Prompts:** create a static prompt, a dynamic prompt or a Markdown document; change a prompt's name, description, text, blocks, tags, Type, folder, rating or favorite; copy, archive, take out of the archive, and delete. A copy includes expected output but not comments, and starts with no rating and isn't a favorite. It can't turn a Markdown document into an ordinary prompt or the other way round. It can also create or replace a prompt from code (see [Edit a prompt as code](https://promptmason.ai/docs/code-view)). - **Folders:** create (inside another folder too), rename, move and delete. An agent can also move blocks and prompts into a folder, or back to **My Files**. - **Libraries:** move a block or prompt to another library, with its history, comments and expected output. Its favorite is cleared. - **Variables:** create (a fixed value, or one asked each time with an optional default or a list of choices), change and delete. If a variable is deleted, prompts that use it keep `{{name}}` but it's no longer filled in. - **Comments:** add, edit and delete. - **Expected output:** add an entry (it needs the AI tool and model used) and delete one. - **Tags:** add or remove tags without touching the others. ##### Deleting When an agent deletes a block or prompt, it goes to **Recently deleted** in the Archive screen for 30 days, so you can restore it there. An agent can't restore from **Recently deleted** and can't delete anything for good. In a team library, a deleted item is deleted for everyone. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). A folder that still has something in it isn't deleted unless the agent is asked to delete its contents too. Otherwise the agent reports "Folder is not empty — move or delete its contents first". When a folder is deleted with its contents, the blocks and prompts in it go to **Recently deleted**. #### What an agent can't do Some things are only done in PromptMason itself: - Create, join or share a library, or add, approve or remove people and PCs - Your recovery kit and backups - Change settings or tokens - AI assist and Chat - Import, export your whole library, or add a block pack - Restore from **Recently deleted**, or delete for good #### Example requests You can ask in your own words. For example: - "Search PromptMason for my onboarding prompts." - "Get the finished text of my Weekly report prompt. Ask me for any values it needs." - "Run my Product description prompt once for each of these three products." - "Show me the last three versions of my Cold email block and what changed." (The agent compares the versions itself.) - "Save this paragraph as a new block called Brand voice in my Marketing folder." (Full access) - "Make a dynamic prompt from my Role, Audience and Output format blocks." (Full access) - "Add the tag draft to my Q3 launch prompt." (Full access) If your AI app asks for permission before it uses a PromptMason tool, allow it. #### Team libraries An agent sees your personal library and the team libraries on this PC that aren't hidden from AI apps. New blocks and prompts go to your personal library unless you ask for a specific library. What an agent may do in a team library is set by its primary owner, and is **Read only (recommended)** unless they change it. Your own **What connected apps can do** setting still applies, and the stricter one wins. See [Set what AI apps can do in a team library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access#set-what-ai-apps-can-do-in-a-team-library). Messages an agent may pass on: | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "This library is read-only for AI apps. An owner can change this in Settings → Libraries & sharing." | The library allows AI agents to read only. Only the library's primary owner can change this, in **Settings → Libraries & sharing → Manage → Name and AI apps**. Ask them to change it. | | "You can view this library but not change it. Ask a library owner for edit access." | You can only view this library. Ask a library owner for edit access. | | "Too many changes from an AI app. Try again later." | The agent reached the library's limit of changes per hour. Try again later, or ask the primary owner to raise **Most changes an AI app can make per hour**. | In a team library, a change an agent made is marked **via AI app**. #### Free plan limits and a paused library On the Free plan you can have up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts, counted across all your libraries. Markdown documents count as prompts. If an agent tries to create or copy past a limit, PromptMason refuses and the agent passes on a message that starts "The Free plan includes up to…". Upgrade to Pro, or permanently delete items you no longer need (archived items count). See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). If your library is paused (on the Free plan and over a limit after your 14 days of Pro or Pro end), an agent can't search, read, use or change anything, even in **Read-only**. It passes on a message that starts "Your library is paused." See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### Tool names Some AI apps show the name of each tool when they ask for permission. This is what each one does. The last column shows whether it works when **What connected apps can do** is set to **Read-only**. ##### Find and read | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `search` | Finds blocks, prompts and variables by words, tags, folder, type or favorite, and says where each match was found. | Yes | | `list_libraries` | Lists your personal library and the team libraries an AI app can see, with each one's name, your role in it and what AI apps may do there. | Yes | | `list_blocks` | Lists all your blocks, in every library the agent can see. | Yes | | `get_block` | Reads one block in full, including which prompts use it. | Yes | | `list_prompts` | Lists all your prompts and Markdown documents, or only one of the two. | Yes | | `get_prompt` | Reads one prompt or Markdown document in full. | Yes | | `get_markdown` | Returns the text of a Markdown document exactly as saved, ready to save as a file. It refuses an ordinary prompt. | Yes | | `list_folders` | Lists all your folders, in every library the agent can see. | Yes | | `list_variables` | Lists all your variables and shows where each one is used. | Yes | | `list_versions` | Lists the saved versions of a block or prompt, newest first, each with its full text. | Yes | | `list_notes` | Lists the comments on a block or prompt, oldest first. | Yes | | `list_expected_outputs` | Lists the expected output entries saved on a block or prompt, newest first. | Yes | | `get_config` | Lists your block types and prompt types. | Yes | | `get_settings` | Reads your PromptMason settings. It can't change them. | Yes | ##### Use a prompt | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `resolve_prompt` | Returns the finished text of a prompt with its variables filled in, and says which ask-each-time values it still needs before it can. | Yes | ##### Blocks | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `create_block` | Saves a new block, in your personal library unless you name another. | No | | `update_block` | Changes an existing block. | No | | `copy_block` | Makes a copy of a block with its expected output and attachments, but not its comments. | No | | `archive_block` | Archives a block, so it leaves the main list but keeps its history. | No | | `restore_block` | Takes a block out of the archive. It doesn't restore from **Recently deleted**. | No | | `delete_block` | Moves a block to **Recently deleted**, where it can be restored for 30 days. | No | ##### Prompts | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `create_prompt` | Saves a new static prompt, dynamic prompt or Markdown document. | No | | `update_prompt` | Changes a prompt's name, description, text, blocks, tags, Type, folder, rating or favorite. It can't change whether it's a Markdown document. | No | | `create_prompt_from_code` | Saves a new prompt from code, and can create new blocks in the same step. | No | | `update_prompt_from_code` | Replaces a prompt's blocks with the ones in the code. It isn't used for Markdown documents. | No | | `copy_prompt` | Makes a copy of a prompt with its expected output, but not its comments. | No | | `archive_prompt` | Archives a prompt, so it leaves the main list but keeps its history. | No | | `restore_prompt` | Takes a prompt out of the archive. It doesn't restore from **Recently deleted**. | No | | `delete_prompt` | Moves a prompt to **Recently deleted**, where it can be restored for 30 days. | No | ##### Folders and libraries | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `create_folder` | Creates a folder, at the top level or inside another folder. | No | | `rename_folder` | Renames a folder, or moves it inside another folder. | No | | `delete_folder` | Deletes a folder. If it has anything in it, it refuses unless asked to delete the contents too, and then the blocks and prompts go to **Recently deleted**. | No | | `move_block_to_folder` | Moves a block into a folder, or back to **My Files**. | No | | `move_prompt_to_folder` | Moves a prompt into a folder, or back to **My Files**. | No | | `move_to_library` | Moves a block or prompt to another library with its history, comments and expected output. It refuses a move that would leave a prompt without its blocks, and names them. | No | ##### Variables | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `create_variable` | Creates a variable with a fixed value, or one asked each time with an optional default or list of choices. | No | | `update_variable` | Renames a variable or changes its value, description, default or choices. | No | | `delete_variable` | Deletes a variable. Prompts that use it keep `{{name}}` but it's no longer filled in. | No | ##### Comments, expected output and tags | Tool | What it does | Works in Read-only | |---|---|---| | `create_note` | Adds a comment to a block or prompt. | No | | `update_note` | Edits a comment. | No | | `delete_note` | Deletes a comment. | No | | `create_expected_output` | Adds an expected output entry to a block or prompt. It needs the AI tool and model used. | No | | `delete_expected_output` | Deletes an expected output entry. | No | | `add_tags` | Adds tags to a block or prompt and keeps the ones it already has. | No | | `remove_tags` | Removes the named tags from a block or prompt and keeps the rest. | No | `restore_block` and `restore_prompt` take an item out of the archive. They don't restore from **Recently deleted**. #### 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: > I've connected PromptMason to my AI agent. Show me what I can ask it to do with my blocks and prompts, and suggest a few requests I can try for my kind of work. ### The Chrome extension *Install the PromptMason extension for Chrome, connect it with the extension token, and search and copy your prompts on any website.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension The PromptMason Chrome extension is a small add-on for the Chrome browser. It puts your library one click away in Chrome's toolbar: on any website, open it to search your prompts and blocks, preview the finished prompt, fill in its values and copy it, ready to paste into a chat box or any other text box. It doesn't edit your blocks and prompts; to edit one, open it in PromptMason. You can set favorites and ratings from it, though (see [Favorites and ratings](#favorites-and-ratings)). PromptMason must be open on the same PC while you use the extension. The extension talks only to PromptMason on this PC, and doesn't send your library online. Text leaves your PC only when you paste a prompt into a website or app. #### Install the extension 1. In PromptMason, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **AI & connected apps**. 2. Under **Chrome extension**, click **Install from Chrome Web Store**. The extension's Chrome Web Store page opens in your default browser. If that isn't Chrome, open the same page in Chrome. 3. Follow Chrome's prompts to add the extension. #### Connect the extension to PromptMason The extension needs the extension token, a secret code that proves to PromptMason that the extension is yours. You paste it into the extension once. 1. In PromptMason, go to **Settings → AI & connected apps**. Under **Chrome extension**, PromptMason says "After you install it, paste this extension token into the extension." ![The Chrome extension card with an Install from Chrome Web Store button and the extension token hidden behind dots, with show and copy buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/chrome-extension-settings-card.webp) 2. Next to **Extension token**, click the copy button (to the right of the eye button). PromptMason shows "Full token copied to clipboard." 3. In Chrome, open the PromptMason extension from Chrome's toolbar or Extensions menu. The popup shows an **Extension token** box, with "Desktop app → Settings → AI & connected apps → Extension token." under it. 4. Paste the token into the box. 5. Click **Save**. The popup loads your blocks and prompts. If it shows a message instead, see [Popup messages](#popup-messages). Use the extension token, not the API token under **Set up another AI agent by hand**. They're different. #### Find a prompt or block - **Search:** type in **Search prompts and blocks**. Search looks in every folder, whichever folder is chosen. - **Folder:** click the folder button (it shows **All Files** at first) and choose a folder. - **Filter:** click the filter icon (**Filter list**) and choose from **(Select All)**, **Favorites**, **Blocks**, **Static Prompts**, **Dynamic Prompts** and **Markdown**. **Favorites** shows only when favorites and ratings are switched on in PromptMason (see [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features)). - **Sort:** click the arrow icon next to search to reverse the order. To choose what to sort by, click the gear (**Settings**) and pick from **Sort list by**: **Date created**, **Favorites**, **Last modified**, **Name** or **Rating**. In the same place, **Show favorites & ratings under each list row** adds them to the list. **Favorites**, **Rating** and the checkbox show only when favorites and ratings are switched on in PromptMason. If you use more than one library, the list is grouped under each library's name. A team library you can only view is marked **Read-only**. If nothing matches, the list shows "No matches." #### Copy a prompt 1. Click a prompt or block in the list. Its preview appears next to the list. (Before you choose one, the popup says "Select a prompt or block on the left to preview and copy.") 2. Click the preview. It shows **Copy** when you point at it, and **Copied** once it's on the clipboard. 3. Go to the website's text box and press Ctrl+V. While the finished prompt is being built, the preview shows "Resolving…". ##### Fill in your values If the prompt has values that are asked each time, clicking **Copy** opens **Fill in your values**. 1. Type a value in each box. Press Enter to move to the next box. 2. Click **Copy**. If a variable offers a list of choices, its box is a drop-down, or a text box with a button that opens the list. See [Offer a list of choices](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables#offer-a-list-of-choices). The line under each box says what happens if you leave it empty: "Left empty, this copies as [name]." or "Left empty, this copies as nothing." Values you used before are listed under the box, and **Clear** removes them. To stop without copying, click **Cancel**. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). If the prompt has a character limit, the form shows how many characters it will copy, for example "1,250 of 2,000 characters", and warns you when it's over. You can still copy it. ##### Copy only some blocks For a prompt made of more than one block: 1. Click the arrow at the right edge of the preview (**Choose which blocks to copy**). 2. Under **Copy selected blocks**, tick the blocks you want. An archived block is marked **Archived**. 3. Click **Copy [n] of [total]**. ##### Markdown documents A Markdown document has two buttons: **Copy** copies its text exactly as written, and **Download .md** saves it as a file. An empty document says "This document is empty." #### Favorites and ratings When favorites and ratings are switched on in PromptMason, the preview has a heart (**Add to favorites**) and stars (**Rating**). Changes are saved to your library. This needs **Full access** (see [Access levels and the extension](#access-levels-and-the-extension)). #### Open an item in PromptMason Click the **Open in PromptMason** icon next to the item's name in the preview, or double-click the item in the list. Chrome passes it to PromptMason, which opens it. If Chrome asks whether to open PromptMason, allow it. #### Replace the token Do this after you regenerate the extension token in PromptMason, or if the popup says your token wasn't accepted. 1. In PromptMason, go to **Settings → AI & connected apps** and click the copy button next to **Extension token**. 2. In the extension popup, click the gear (**Settings**). 3. Click **Extension token** to open it. It shows the start and end of the token you saved. 4. Click **Replace token**. 5. Paste the token and click **Save**. The popup reloads with your library. If the token can't be saved, the popup shows a message, for example "Couldn't save the token." Try again. To make a new extension token, see [Regenerate the extension token](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access#regenerate-the-extension-token). The old one stops working straight away. The bottom of the gear menu shows **Extension v…** and **Desktop app v…**, the two version numbers. Include them if you contact support. #### Access levels and the extension **What connected apps can do** in **Settings → AI & connected apps** applies to the extension: - **Full access:** browse, preview, copy, and change favorites and ratings. - **Read-only:** browse, preview and copy. Values you type into **Fill in your values** are still remembered, but favorites and ratings can't be changed. - **Off:** the popup can't show your library. A team library's own setting for AI apps applies to AI agents, not to the extension. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). #### Popup messages The popup checks PromptMason each time you open it. It has no reload button: to check again, close the popup and open it again. | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Can't reach the PromptMason desktop app. Make sure it's running, then hit the reload button above." | PromptMason isn't open, or is still starting. Open PromptMason, then close the popup and open it again. (The popup has no reload button.) | | An **Extension token** box with "Desktop app → Settings → AI & connected apps → Extension token." | No token is saved yet. Follow [Connect the extension to PromptMason](#connect-the-extension-to-promptmason). | | "Loading…" | The popup is fetching your library. Wait a moment. | | "Your extension token wasn't accepted. Paste a fresh one below." | The token was regenerated, or what was pasted isn't the extension token. Copy the **Extension token** from PromptMason again, paste it into the box under the message, and click **Save**. | | "PromptMason is turned off for connected apps. Turn it on in the desktop app under Settings → AI & connected apps to see your blocks and prompts here." | In PromptMason, set **What connected apps can do** to **Full access** or **Read-only**. Then close the popup and open it again. | | A message that starts "Your library is paused." | Your library is on the Free plan and over a limit, so the extension can't show it. The **Upgrade to Pro** button, when shown, opens the page to buy Pro. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | | "Couldn't load your blocks and prompts." (sometimes with more detail) | Close the popup and open it again. If it keeps happening, close PromptMason, open it again, and retry. If that doesn't help, email support. | | "The desktop app is in read-only mode, so this can't be changed from the browser. To allow changes, choose Full access in the desktop app under Settings → AI & connected apps." | You tried to change a favorite or rating while connected apps are set to **Read-only**. Choose **Full access** if you want to allow it. | | "You can view this library but not change it. Ask a library owner for edit access." | The item is in a team library you can only view. Ask a library owner for edit access. | | "Couldn't build the preview (…)." | Click the item again, or close the popup and open it again. | | "Couldn't copy to the clipboard (…)." | Click the preview again. If it keeps happening, close the popup and open it again. | | "Couldn't download the file (…)." | Click **Download .md** again. | | "Couldn't save that change (…)." | Your favorite or rating wasn't saved. Try again. | If a problem continues, email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai) with the exact message and the two version numbers from the gear menu. #### 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: > I want to use my PromptMason prompts from Chrome. Walk me through installing the PromptMason Chrome extension and connecting it with the extension token, then show me how to copy a prompt into a website's chat box. ### Troubleshooting MCP connections *What to do when adding PromptMason to your AI agent doesn't finish, or your AI agent reports a problem with PromptMason.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-troubleshooting This page covers problems connecting an AI agent (Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code) to PromptMason, and the messages an agent can pass on from PromptMason. AI agents connect through MCP (Model Context Protocol), a standard way for AI apps to use another app's tools. If you haven't connected an agent yet, follow the steps in [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent). For the Chrome extension, see [Popup messages](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension#popup-messages). The rows under **Connect an AI agent** are in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. #### Setting up ##### Claude Desktop didn't open after I clicked Add That's normal on many PCs, including ones with the Microsoft Store version of Claude Desktop. PromptMason saved **PromptMason.mcpb** to your Downloads folder and opened File Explorer with the file selected. The row says "PromptMason.mcpb is in your Downloads folder". In Claude Desktop, go to **Settings → Extensions**, drag the file onto that page, then click **Install**. For the full steps, see [Install the file in Claude Desktop](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent#install-the-file-in-claude-desktop). ##### Claude Desktop shows a red security notice That's expected. Claude Desktop shows it for any extension installed from a file. PromptMason's extension talks only to the PromptMason app on the same computer, doesn't connect to the internet, and reads no file except PromptMason's own access key ([more about the notice](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent#about-the-security-notice)). ##### The Cursor row says "Open Cursor once, then come back" Cursor is installed but has never been opened on this PC, so there's no **Add** button yet. Open Cursor once, then switch back to the PromptMason window. The row checks again and shows **Add**. ##### Cursor didn't ask to install PromptMason Make sure Cursor has been opened at least once on this PC, then click **Add** next to Cursor again. Cursor opens and asks to install PromptMason; click **Install**. ##### It says "Not installed on this computer" PromptMason didn't find that app on this PC, so there's nothing to add PromptMason to yet. Install Claude Desktop or Cursor, then switch back to the PromptMason window: the rows check again each time you return to it. - Claude Desktop then shows an **Add** button. - Cursor shows "Open Cursor once, then come back" until you've opened Cursor once. Then it shows **Add**. ##### The Add and Copy command buttons are grayed out **What connected apps can do** is set to **Off**. Pointing at a button shows "Connected apps are Off. Choose Full access or Read-only above first." Choose **Full access** or **Read-only** in the same card, then click **Add** or **Copy command**. ![The What connected apps can do choices with Off selected, and the Claude Desktop Add and Claude Code Copy command buttons grayed out.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/connect-ai-agent-buttons-off.webp) ##### The row shows a message in red | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "The Claude Desktop extension is missing from this installation." | Download PromptMason from the [download page](https://promptmason.ai/download) and install it over your current copy. Your library is kept. See [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation). Then click **Add** again. | | "Connected apps are Off. Choose Full access or Read-only above, then add." | Choose **Full access** or **Read-only** under **What connected apps can do**, then click **Add** again. | | "Could not add PromptMason to Claude Desktop." or "Could not add PromptMason to Cursor." | Click **Add** again. If it keeps happening, email support with the message. | ##### The Claude Code command didn't work Claude Code must be installed before you paste the command; PromptMason can't check this for you. Click **Copy command** again in PromptMason on the same PC, paste the whole command into a terminal such as PowerShell or Command Prompt, and press Enter. The command includes where PromptMason is installed on that PC, so a command copied on another PC may point to the wrong place. Copy it from PromptMason on the PC where you'll use it. #### Using the agent ##### The agent says it couldn't reach PromptMason If PromptMason isn't running when your AI agent tries to use it, the agent reports: > Could not reach PromptMason. Make sure the PromptMason app is open on this computer, then try again. Open PromptMason and try again. You don't need to restart the agent. ##### The agent says PromptMason rejected the API token The agent reports: > PromptMason rejected the API token. The token is read automatically from the PromptMason app on this computer, so make sure the app is running under the same user account as this AI agent. If you entered a token by hand when setting up this agent, remove it or update it to the token shown in PromptMason under Settings → AI & connected apps. There are two causes: - **PromptMason and the agent run under different Windows user accounts.** Sign in to Windows as the account that runs PromptMason, then use the agent from there. - **You typed a token into the agent's setup yourself**, and it no longer matches, for example after **Regenerate API token**. Remove that token from the agent's setup, or replace it with the one under **Set up another AI agent by hand** in **Settings → AI & connected apps** (see [The API token](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access#the-api-token-for-an-agent-you-set-up-yourself)). Agents added with **Add** or **Copy command** pick up a new token on their own. ##### The agent doesn't list any PromptMason tools If **What connected apps can do** was set to **Off** when the agent started, the agent has no PromptMason tools at all. Choose **Full access** or **Read-only**, then close the agent completely and open it again. ##### The agent says PromptMason is turned off > PromptMason is turned off for connected apps. Turn it on in PromptMason under Settings → AI & connected apps. The setting was changed to **Off** while the agent was running. Choose **Full access** or **Read-only**, then restart the agent. ##### The agent can read but won't save anything An agent started while **What connected apps can do** is **Read-only** has only the search and read tools, so it tells you it can't make the change. An agent that was started under **Full access** gets this message instead when it tries: > PromptMason is read-only for connected apps. To allow changes, choose Full access in PromptMason under Settings → AI & connected apps. Choose **Full access** if you want your agent to create and change blocks and prompts, then restart the agent. ##### I changed the setting and nothing changed An agent learns which PromptMason tools it has when it starts. Close the agent completely and open it again after you change **What connected apps can do**. An agent that started while PromptMason was closed offers all of PromptMason's tools, whatever the setting. PromptMason still refuses anything the setting doesn't allow, with the messages above. Restart the agent while PromptMason is open to get the right list. ##### The agent says your library is paused The message starts: > Your library is paused. The Free plan includes up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts… While your library is paused, AI agents can't search, read, use or change anything in it, even in **Read-only**. Upgrade to Pro, or permanently delete items until you're within the Free plan. Deleting down to the limits ends the pause straight away. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). ##### The agent says the Free plan limit is reached The message starts "The Free plan includes up to…" and names blocks or prompts. The agent tried to create or copy past the Free limit of 25 blocks or 15 prompts. Upgrade to Pro, or permanently delete items you no longer need (archived items count toward the limit). See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). ##### Team library messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "This library is read-only for AI apps. An owner can change this in Settings → Libraries & sharing." | The team library lets AI agents read only. Only its primary owner can change this, in **Settings → Libraries & sharing → Manage → Name and AI apps**. See [Set what AI apps can do in a team library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access#set-what-ai-apps-can-do-in-a-team-library). | | "You can view this library but not change it. Ask a library owner for edit access." | You can only view this library. Ask a library owner for edit access. | | "Too many changes from an AI app. Try again later." | The agent reached the library's limit of changes per hour. Try again later, or ask the primary owner to raise **Most changes an AI app can make per hour**. | | "Library not found" | The agent asked for a library it can't see. A team library set to **Nothing: AI apps can’t see it** is hidden from AI agents. Ask the agent to list your libraries and use one from that list. | ##### The agent says a folder is not empty > Folder is not empty — move or delete its contents first The folder still has something in it. Move what's in it, or ask the agent to delete the folder together with its contents. Deleted blocks and prompts go to **Recently deleted**. #### PromptMason won't start: "port … is already in use" AI agents and the Chrome extension reach PromptMason through a connection on this PC that PromptMason opens when it starts. If something else is already using it, PromptMason shows a message titled **PromptMason failed to start**: "PromptMason could not start: port … is already in use (is another copy of PromptMason running?)." (The message shows a number where this page shows "…".) 1. Check for another copy of PromptMason: open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), and end any **PromptMason** task. 2. Open PromptMason again. 3. If the message still appears, restart your PC and open PromptMason again. If it keeps happening, email support with the full message. #### If you're still stuck Email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai) with which AI agent you use, what you were trying to do, the exact message, and the PromptMason version shown in the sidebar. #### 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: > My AI agent isn't working with PromptMason. Here is the exact message it shows: [paste the message]. Help me work out what's wrong and fix it, one step at a time. ## Libraries, sync and backups ### Libraries, sync and backups *Use your library on more than one PC, share it with a team, and keep backups.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries-sync-backups This section is for when your work needs to leave a single PC: you want your library on a second PC, a shared set of prompts for a team, or a copy saved in case something goes wrong. If you use one PC and don't need backups, you can skip it. The ideas to know first: - **Personal library:** yours alone. It can sync to your other PCs. - **Team library:** shared with other people, for small teams of up to about 25. One person, the primary owner, approves every PC that joins. - **Sync:** libraries sync through a folder in cloud storage you already use, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox or a network drive. There is no PromptMason account and no PromptMason server that holds your library. - **Backups:** copies of your libraries saved on a schedule to a folder you choose. - **Recovery kit:** a spare copy of your keys, needed only if you lose every PC. Synced files and backups are encrypted, so your cloud storage company can't read what's inside them. For more on what stays private, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). Start with [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). To add a PC, read [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). To protect your work, read [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups). #### 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: > I want to use PromptMason on a second PC, or share prompts with my team. Explain personal and team libraries, sync and backups in plain words, and tell me which guide to read first. ### Personal and team libraries *Switch between your libraries, move items from one library to another, and read who made each change and how each library is syncing.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries A library is a set of blocks, prompts, folders and variables. Everyone has a **personal library**, named **Personal**, which is yours alone. A **team library** is shared with other people. Each library can sync to your other PCs or to your team through a folder in cloud storage you already use. Your personal library is the same on every PC you sync it to, down to your favorites and each item's version history ([what your other PCs get](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#what-your-other-pcs-get)). In a team library, everyone sees the same items; your favorites and your own stars stay yours. If you only use your personal library on one PC, you don't need anything on this page. To start sharing, see [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries) or [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). #### Your libraries in Settings Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. Under **Libraries**, each library has a row: ![The Libraries row with the Personal library marked Only on this PC, and the buttons Use on my other PCs, Join from another PC, Create a team library and Join a team library.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/libraries-settings-libraries-row.webp) | Row | What it means | |---|---| | **Personal**, "Only on this PC" | Your personal library is on this PC only. **Use on my other PCs** starts syncing it; **Join from another PC** adds this PC to a personal library you already sync. | | **Personal**, "Syncs to your other PCs · …" | Your personal library syncs to your other PCs, followed by its status, for example **Up to date**. Click **Manage** to see its folder and your PCs. | | **Personal**, "Syncs to your other PCs · Waiting for approval" | This PC asked to join your personal library and your other PC hasn't confirmed it yet. See [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#on-the-new-pc). | | A team library, "Waiting for approval · this PC is …, approval code …" | You asked to join and the [primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner) (the one owner who approves PCs) hasn't approved this PC yet. The code stays here until they do. | | A team library, with its status and primary owner | For example "Up to date · primary owner: Alex Morgan", or "Up to date · you’re the primary owner" for a library you run. Click **Manage** for its folder, members and settings. | Below the list are **Create a team library** and **Join a team library**. ![The Libraries row listing Personal and a team library with its sync status and a Manage button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/libraries-settings-team-library-row.webp) #### Switch between libraries in the sidebar Once this PC is in at least one team library, the top of the sidebar's folder list is called **Libraries**, with a row for each library: **Personal** first (a one-person icon), then each team library (a two-person icon). With only your personal library, it's called **Folders** instead. ![The sidebar's Libraries list with Personal and a team library, each with its own folders.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/libraries-sidebar-libraries-list.webp) - **See one library.** Click its row. Blocks, Prompts and Explorer show only what's in that library. - **See everything.** Click **Libraries**. - **Make something new in a library.** Select the library first. New blocks, prompts and folders you make while it's selected go into it. - **Make a folder in a library.** Right-click the library's row and click **New folder**. - **Fold a library away.** Click the arrow next to its name. Folders can be dragged onto other folders in the same library, but never into another library. To put items in another library, move them (below). #### Move items to another library You can move blocks and prompts from one library to another, for example a prompt you wrote for yourself that your team should have. You need to be able to make changes in both libraries: a reader can't move items out of a team library. 1. On the **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer** screen, right-click the item and click **Move**. (To move several, select them, then click **Move**.) 2. Under **Library**, pick where it should go. In a team library, the window says "Everyone in [library] will see it and can use it." ![The Move window with a Library list, a Folder list and a note that everyone in the library will see the item.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/libraries-move-window-library-chooser.webp) 3. Under **Folder**, pick a folder in that library, or **No folder** (**My Files (no folder)** in your personal library). 4. Click **Move**. The **Library** choice only appears when there is somewhere else to move to. When you move several items at once, they must all be in the same library for the **Library** choice to show. Team libraries where you're a reader, and libraries this PC is still waiting to join, aren't offered. What moves with the item: its version history, comments, expected outputs and their attached files, and any blocks embedded in a prompt. Team ratings move too. Your favorite (the heart) doesn't move: a move clears favorites, as a copy does. The move is saved as a new version. ##### Move its blocks too? A prompt in a team library can only use blocks from that same library. If you move a prompt into a team library and it uses blocks from somewhere else, PromptMason asks first: - The window **Move its blocks too?** lists the blocks that would go with it. - Click **Move [n] items** to move the prompt and those blocks together. The blocks go into the library with no folder. Other prompts of yours that use them keep working. - Click **Back** to choose something else. If one of those blocks is also used by a prompt in a team library that isn't moving, PromptMason refuses and names that prompt: "… Take it out of that prompt first." Prompts in your personal library can use blocks from any library, so moving into **Personal** never asks this. If you move a single block that a prompt in a team library uses, and the prompt stays behind, PromptMason refuses and names the prompt: "… Take it out of that prompt first, or move that prompt too." A block embedded in a prompt can't move on its own: "This block is part of a prompt. Move the prompt and the block goes with it." ##### Copy instead **Copy** makes a duplicate in the same library, in the folder you choose. A copy can't go to another library; copy it, then move the copy. On the Free plan, a copy counts toward your limits ([Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans)). #### Your name and This PC’s name At the top of **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, the **Profile** card has two boxes. Each saves when you click away from it. ![The Profile card with the boxes Your name (Alex Morgan) and This PC's name (Alex's laptop).](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/libraries-profile-card.webp) - **Your name.** "Your teammates see this on your edits in team libraries." Set it before you create a team library: it's the name your team sees for you there. When you join someone else's team library, the primary owner checks or types your name as they approve you. - **This PC’s name.** "Shown next to this PC’s approval code, to you and your teammates." Name each PC so you can tell them apart, for example "Office desktop" or "Travel laptop". While a box is empty, the line under it says what's shown meanwhile. PCs are shown as the first four characters of their approval code and the PC's name, for example "38C5 - Alex's laptop". #### Who made what in a team library In a team library, an item's details show who made it and who changed it last, for example "Created by Alex Morgan ✓ · Last edited by Sam Rivera ✓ via AI app". ![A block's details showing who created it and who last edited it, each with a check mark.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/libraries-created-by-last-edited-by-line.webp) - The name comes from the library's own member list, never from the change itself. - **✓** means the change came from a PC proven to be that person's. - **via AI app** means a connected AI app made the change through PromptMason. **History** shows the same for each version, with the PC it was made on. If the primary owner put someone back after they lost every PC, their later versions say "Identity reset on [date]". See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). #### Team ratings In a team library, an item's details show the team's average next to your own stars, for example "Team: 4.0 (3)", or "Team: not rated yet". Point at it to see who rated it ("Rated by Sam Rivera and you"). Everyone's own stars stay private; only the average and the names show. Readers can rate too. Someone who has left the library shows as "A former member". #### Archive and delete in a team library Archiving and deleting in a team library affect everyone in it: - **Archive** keeps the item out of the way for everyone. Anyone who can make changes in the library can bring it back from **Archive**. - **Delete** removes it for everyone. A library owner can restore it from **Recently deleted** in **Archive** for 30 days. - Only an owner can remove a team item for good with **Delete forever** or **Empty Recently deleted**. That clears it from their own PC; other members' PCs keep their copy in Recently deleted until its 30 days are up. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). #### Attachments in a team library Files attached to an expected output in a team library can be up to 25 MB. A bigger file is refused with "Attachments in team libraries can be up to 25 MB." The same limit applies when you move an item into a team library, or import a bundle into one. #### Sync status Each team library in the sidebar has a small icon after its name. Point at it to read its status. **Settings → Libraries & sharing** and the library's **Manage** window show the same words. | Icon | Status | What it means | |---|---|---| | Check mark in a circle | **Up to date** | Everything has synced. | | Spinning | **Syncing** | Changes are going out or coming in. | | Spinning | **Waiting for approval** | You asked to join and the primary owner hasn't approved this PC yet. | | Hard drive | **Only on this PC** | The library isn't shared through a folder yet. | | Cloud with a line through it | **Can’t reach the library folder** | PromptMason can't get to the library's folder. See [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#cant-reach-the-library-folder). | | Red exclamation mark in a circle | **Needs your attention** | Something is waiting for you in [Notifications](https://promptmason.ai/docs/notifications). | #### When sync runs PromptMason syncs while it's open: - right after you save, - when the library's folder changes, - when you come back to the PromptMason window, - and as a check every 30 seconds while you're using PromptMason, or every 5 minutes while it's in the background. Closing the PromptMason window quits the app, so nothing syncs while it's closed. Your changes stay on this PC and go out the next time you open it. To sync straight away, open the library's **Manage** window and click **Sync now**. How fast changes reach other people also depends on their cloud storage app, which has to bring the files down to their PC. #### 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: > I'm in a team library in PromptMason as well as my personal library. Explain how to switch between them in the sidebar, how to move a prompt and its blocks into the team library, and what the sync icons mean. ### Backups *Turn on automatic backups, choose where they go, and restore a library from a backup.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups PromptMason can save a copy of your libraries to a folder you choose, on a schedule. Each backup is locked so only you can open it: it opens with the keys on your PCs, or with your [recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit) where a PC doesn't hold them. What's inside a backup is encrypted. The file's name isn't: it includes this PC's name and the time, for example "PromptMason backup - [PC name] - [time].pmbackup". The PC's name is based on your Windows account name unless you've set **Your name** or **This PC’s name** in **Settings → Libraries & sharing**. Keep that in mind if other people can see the folder. A backup holds your personal library and every team library you're an owner of. Team libraries where you're an editor or a reader aren't in your backups. Every member's PC holds a full copy anyway. Items in **Recently deleted** aren't in a backup. #### Turn on backups 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 2. In the **Automatic backups** row at the top, click **Choose folder…**. ![The Automatic backups card with a Choose folder button and a Restore from backup button, before any folder is chosen.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/backups-automatic-backups-card.webp) 3. The **Turn on automatic backups** window opens. Read the note: your personal library can't be recovered if you lose every PC and your recovery kit. ![The "Turn on automatic backups" window with a warning, a Choose where button and a Turn on backups button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/backups-turn-on-automatic-backups-window.webp) 4. Click **Choose where…** and pick where your backups should go (see [Choosing where](#choosing-where)). PromptMason keeps backups in a folder there called **PromptMason backups**, and makes it if it isn't there yet. If you back up more than one PC, pick the same place on each: they share the folder, and each backup is named for its PC. 5. Click **Turn on backups**. 6. If this is the first time PromptMason needs your keys, the **Save your recovery kit** step appears. Follow it to the end and click **I’ve saved my kit**. [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#save-your-kit) explains each step. 7. You see **Backups are on. Your first backup is saved.** Click **Close**. If the window says "Backups are on, but the first one didn’t work." followed by the reason, backups are on but the first one wasn't saved. Click **Close** and see [If a backup fails](#if-a-backup-fails). From then on PromptMason backs up once a day. You don't need to keep Settings open. ![The Automatic backups card after backups are on, with the folder, how often, how many to keep, a Back up now button and the last backup time.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/backups-card-turned-on.webp) #### Backups run while PromptMason is open PromptMason makes backups only while it's open. Closing its window quits the app. If a backup was due while it was closed, PromptMason makes it soon after you open it again. If you rarely open PromptMason, click **Back up now** after you've made changes you want to keep. #### Choosing where PromptMason keeps backups in a folder of its own, **PromptMason backups**, in the place you pick (your other PCs can use the same one). Any place you can write to works: - **A folder on this PC.** Quick, but it's lost along with the PC. - **Another drive**, such as a USB or external drive. Safe from a broken PC, as long as the drive is plugged in when a backup is due. - **A folder in your cloud storage**, such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or **My Drive** in Google Drive (not the top of the Google Drive drive, which doesn't allow new folders). Your backups leave the PC, so this is the best protection against losing the PC. The cloud company can't read what's inside them. To move backups later, click **Choose another place…** under **Back up to:** and pick where. PromptMason uses the **PromptMason backups** folder there, making it if needed, and makes a backup in it straight away. Backups already made stay where they were. #### How often, and how many Under **Automatically:**, choose: - **After changes (at most once an hour)** - **Daily** (the default) - **Off** Under **Keep the last … backups**, type how many to keep, from 1 to 365 (30 to start with). When there are more, each PC deletes its own oldest backups. It never deletes a backup another PC made, or any file that isn't a PromptMason backup. To make one now, click **Back up now**. **Last backup:** shows when the newest one was made, or **No backup yet.** #### If a backup fails Notifications (the bell in the top-right corner) shows **Your last backup didn’t finish**, and Settings shows one of these under the backup buttons: - **Couldn't write to the backup folder**: PromptMason couldn't reach or save to the folder. - **The last backup didn’t finish. PromptMason will try again.**: something else stopped it. To fix it: 1. Check the folder is there: the drive is plugged in, or your cloud storage app is running and signed in. 2. Click **Open backup settings** in Notifications. 3. Click **Back up now**. ![The Automatic backups card showing a message that PromptMason couldn't write to the backup folder.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/backups-card-backup-failed.webp) If you leave it, PromptMason tries again on its own a few minutes later, while it's open. If it keeps failing, click **Choose another place…** and pick a folder you can save to. #### Restore a backup 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 2. In the **Automatic backups** row, click **Restore from backup…**. 3. The **Restore from backup** window lists the backups in your backup folder. If yours aren't there, click **Choose another folder…** under **Backup folder** (or **Choose folder…** if backups aren't set up on this PC) and pick the folder they're in (**PromptMason backups**, unless you moved them). 4. Backups are grouped by date, then by the PC that made them. Times are in your time zone. Click the one you want. ![The Restore from backup window listing backups grouped by date and PC.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/backups-restore-window.webp) 5. If it says **Needs your recovery kit**, this PC doesn't hold the keys that backup was made with. That happens on a brand-new PC, or with a backup made before you replaced a stolen kit (use the kit that was current then). Under **Your recovery kit file**, choose your kit file, and under **Its code**, type the code. 6. Click **Open backup**. 7. Pick what to restore: - **Your personal library:** click **Restore personal library…**, read the warning, then click **Replace my personal library**. This replaces everything in your personal library with the backup. Anything you added since is lost, and it can't be undone. Your settings go back to the ones in the backup, and your chats and web-tab browsing history on this PC are deleted (backups don't hold them). If your personal library syncs to your other PCs, they get the same change. - **A team library:** click **Restore as a new library**. It comes back as a new team library called "[name] (restored)", owned by you. The library you have now isn't changed. 8. Click **Close**. On the Free plan, a restore has to fit within your limits (25 blocks and 15 prompts, across all your libraries). If it doesn't, PromptMason shows the plan limit window instead of restoring. While your library is paused, restoring isn't available at all (see [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library)). For the limits on each plan, see [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). #### Backup messages | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "There are no backups in that folder." | Choose the folder your backups are in, usually **PromptMason backups**. | | "This backup doesn’t hold any libraries." | Pick another backup. | | "Couldn't open that folder." | Check the drive or cloud storage is available, or choose another folder. | | "Choose a folder for your backups first." | Click **Choose folder…** in the **Automatic backups** row. | | "Backups aren’t set up on this PC yet." | Turn on backups first ([above](#turn-on-backups)). | | "A restore is running. Try again when it’s finished." | Wait for the restore to end. | | "A backup is being written. Try again in a moment." | Wait a moment and try again. | | "That backup isn’t in the folder any more." | It was deleted or moved. Pick another backup. | | "That file isn’t a PromptMason backup." | Pick a file from the **PromptMason backups** folder. | | "This PC doesn’t hold the keys for this backup. Use your recovery kit and its code to open it." | Choose your recovery kit file and type its code. | | "That recovery kit doesn’t open this backup. It was made with different keys." | Use the kit that was current when the backup was made. | | "This backup is damaged or has been changed, so it can’t be opened." | Pick another backup. | | "That library isn’t in this backup." | Pick another backup. | | "Keep between 1 and 365 backups." | Type a number from 1 to 365. | #### If your kit was ever stolen A backup opens with the kit that was current when it was made. If you replaced a stolen kit, treat backups made before that day as readable by whoever has the old kit, and let new backups replace them. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#your-recovery-kit-was-stolen). #### 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: > Help me turn on automatic backups in PromptMason. I want to choose a good folder for them and understand how to restore one if I need it. ### Use your library on a second PC *Sync your personal library to your other PCs, or add another of your PCs to a team library.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc Your libraries sync through a folder in the cloud storage you already use (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or a network drive). Nothing in the folder can be read without your PCs, and every edit is signed and checked. You add a PC from a PC you already have: the new PC asks, both PCs show the same approval code, and you confirm on the PC you already use. You don't need your recovery kit for this. Your new PC gets your keys once it's approved. PCs are shown as their approval code's first four characters and the PC's name, for example "38C5 - Alex's laptop". To name a PC, go to **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, and type a name under **This PC’s name** ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#your-name-and-this-pcs-name)). #### Your personal library ##### On the PC you already use 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, find **Personal** and click **Use on my other PCs**. 3. Read the note: your personal library can't be recovered if you lose every PC and your recovery kit. 4. Click **Choose where…** and pick where in your cloud storage the library should go, for example the top of your OneDrive or Dropbox. In Google Drive, open the Google Drive drive (usually G:) and pick **My Drive**: Google Drive doesn't allow new folders at the top of the drive itself. PromptMason makes a folder there called **PromptMason - Personal**, only for your personal library. ![The window for syncing your personal library to your other PCs, with a Choose where button and a Start syncing button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/second-pc-use-on-my-other-pcs-window.webp) 5. Make sure your cloud storage keeps the whole folder on this PC. See [Keep the whole folder on every PC](#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc). 6. Click **Start syncing**. 7. If this is the first time PromptMason needs your keys, save your recovery kit and click **I’ve saved my kit** ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#save-your-kit)). 8. Click **Close**. ##### On the new PC 1. Install PromptMason and open it. 2. Wait for your cloud storage to bring the folder down to this PC, and set it to keep the whole folder on this PC. 3. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 4. Under **Libraries**, find **Personal** and click **Join from another PC**. 5. Click **Choose folder…** and pick the **PromptMason - Personal** folder, as it appears on this PC. 6. Click **Ask to add this PC**. 7. **Your approval code** appears, with this PC's name under it. Leave this window open until you've compared the code on your other PC: the personal library doesn't show it again. ![The Your approval code window with the code and this PC's name.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/second-pc-your-approval-code-window.webp) ##### Back on the PC you already use 1. Click the bell in the top-right corner to open Notifications. 2. Under **To do**, find **Is this your PC?** and click **Review**. 3. Check the code matches the one on the new PC, character for character. ![The Is this your PC window with the approval code and the This is my PC and Decline buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/second-pc-is-this-your-pc-window.webp) 4. Click **This is my PC**. On your approving PC, this confirms the new PC is yours and adds it in one click. Your approving PC is the one that approves changes to your PCs. If you only have one PC, it's that one. The new PC starts syncing on its own. You can click **Close** on it. If the code doesn't match, or you don't recognize the PC, click **Decline** on your approving PC instead. On your other PCs the button is **Not mine**, which only closes the window: the item stays in Notifications until your approving PC declines the PC. If you have more than one PC already, it's quickest on your **approving PC** ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#your-approving-pc)). If you click **This is my PC** on one of your other PCs instead, your approving PC then shows **A member’s new PC asked to join**: click **Review**, then **Approve**. #### What your other PCs get Your personal library is the same on every PC you sync it to: - your blocks, prompts and documents, with their folders, tags, comments and archive state, and what's in **Recently deleted**, - notes, expected outputs and their attached files, and your variables, - your favorites and star ratings, - the version history of every item, including the versions you saved before you started syncing. A new PC gets all of this when it joins. A library with a long history can take a few minutes to come down, and you can keep working meanwhile. Two things stay on the PC where they were made: the values PromptMason remembers for variables that ask each time ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc#remember-values-on-this-computer)), and the **AI assist activity** list. If your PCs were syncing before your favorites and version history followed you, update PromptMason on every PC. Each PC then sends its favorites and history once. You keep the hearts from every PC, and each version shows once. #### Your settings on every PC Your settings follow your personal library to every PC you sync it to. Change a setting on one PC and your other PCs pick it up when they next sync. If you change the same setting on two PCs, the last change wins. A new PC takes the settings your library already has, in place of its own. If two of your PCs were syncing before your settings followed you, both end up with your approving PC's settings. To keep another PC's settings instead, make that PC the approving PC before you update ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#make-another-of-your-pcs-the-approving-pc)). These follow you: - **Features**: every switch, and the Home grid size. - Your Home screen's widgets and where they sit. - **Blocks & prompts**: every row, including your block and prompt types. - **Theme**, **Spellcheck** and your keyboard shortcuts. - **Expand comments by default**, and which columns your lists show. - **Chat instructions**, **AI assist instructions**, and your **Default AI provider** with the models you added. - Your web tab **Bookmarks**, and how many days **Browsing history** keeps pages. - The block packs you've added, so adding a pack again on another PC doesn't add it twice. These stay on each PC: your API keys and your own AI server, the local model and its tool switches, **What connected apps can do**, **This PC’s name**, **App Lock**, **Remember values on this computer**, **Install updates automatically**, automatic backups, your chats and browsing history, and your license key. If your default AI isn't set up on a PC yet (no API key there, or the local model not downloaded), that PC uses the AI it has until you set it up. A PC with an older version of PromptMason shows **Update PromptMason to read a change from** and your name until you update it ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#update-promptmason)). Team libraries never carry settings, so nobody else can change yours. #### A team library You need the library's invite, and the shared folder must be on the new PC in your cloud storage. The invite is the line starting with `promptmason-library:` that you were sent when you joined. If you don't have it, ask the library's [primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner). ##### On the new PC 1. Install PromptMason and open it. 2. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 3. Under **Libraries**, click **Join a team library**. 4. Paste the invite under **Invite** and click **Next**. 5. Click **Choose folder…**, pick the library's folder (**PromptMason - [library name]**) as it appears on this PC, and click **Next**. 6. Choose **Yes, this is another of my PCs**. 7. Click **Ask to join**. 8. **Your approval code** appears. Leave it on screen. ##### If the new PC already has your keys If the new PC is already in another of your libraries (your personal library, say), it already holds your keys. Nothing else is needed on your other PCs. The primary owner sees **A member’s new PC asked to join**, "proven by" your own identity, and approves it with one click. Once approved, it syncs everything. ##### Otherwise, on a PC you already use in that library 1. Click the bell in the top-right corner. 2. Find **Is this your PC?** and click **Review**. 3. Check the code matches the one on the new PC. 4. Click **This is my PC**. The library's primary owner then sees **A member’s new PC asked to join** and approves it with one click; no call is needed. Once approved, the new PC syncs everything and gets your keys. Your favorites in a team library follow you to each of your PCs in it. They're yours: nobody else in the library sees them or gets them. If you're the library's primary owner yourself, use your approving PC: it shows **A PC is waiting to be confirmed** instead. Click **Review**, check the code, and click **This is my PC**. That confirms it's yours and approves it in one click. If you don't recognize a PC asking to join as you, click **Not mine** and tell the primary owner, who declines it. The item stays in Notifications until they do. #### If PromptMason can't add the PC If PromptMason says it can't join, see [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#library-folders-and-invites) for each message and what to do. Two examples are "That folder is still coming down from your cloud storage. Set it to keep a copy on this PC, then try again in a minute." and "That folder doesn’t match the invite. Check you picked the folder you were sent." #### See or remove your PCs Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**, and click **Manage** next to **Personal**. **Your PCs** lists each PC; **Approving PC** marks the one that adds and removes PCs. To remove one, see [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#remove-one-pc). #### If the folder was moved or is gone If you moved or renamed the **PromptMason - Personal** folder, each PC says **Can’t reach the library folder**. On each PC, click **Choose the folder again** in Notifications, then **Choose the folder again…**, and pick the folder where it is now. If the folder is gone for good, put your personal library in a new folder from your approving PC: 1. Open **Settings → Libraries & sharing** and click **Manage** next to **Personal**. 2. Under **Sync**, click **Put Personal in a new folder…**. (This button shows only while PromptMason can't reach the folder or found it empty.) 3. Pick where the new folder should go, then click **OK** to confirm. PromptMason makes a new folder there and copies your library into it from this PC. 4. On each of your other PCs, click **Choose the folder again** in Notifications, then **Choose the folder again…**, and pick the new folder. For other causes and fixes, see [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#cant-reach-the-library-folder). #### Lost your other PCs? This guide is for adding a PC while you still have another one. If you have no working PC left, see [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-still-have-your-kit). #### Keep the whole folder on every PC Your cloud storage must keep a copy of every file in the library's folder on each PC, not only online. Otherwise PromptMason waits for the cloud each time. Do this on every PC: - **OneDrive or SharePoint:** in File Explorer, right-click the folder and choose **Always keep on this device**. - **Google Drive:** in File Explorer, right-click the folder, choose **Offline access**, then **Available offline**. (If Google Drive is set to mirror your files, they're already on the PC.) - **Dropbox:** right-click the folder and choose **Make available offline**. - **A network drive:** nothing to do, as long as the PC can reach it. #### 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: > I use PromptMason on one PC and want my library on my second PC too. Walk me through it step by step, and tell me what to check on each PC. ### Team libraries *Create a team library, choose its shared folder, invite people, and understand the roles.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries A team library is a set of blocks and prompts your team shares. It syncs through a folder in the cloud storage your team already uses: OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, or a network drive. No PromptMason server holds your libraries, and there's no PromptMason account. Only your library's members can read it, every edit is signed and checked, and you approve every PC that joins. Team libraries are made for small teams, up to about 25 people. On the Free plan, every library counts toward your limits, team libraries included. If a team library takes you over 25 blocks or 15 prompts, your library is paused: you can still see, search and export everything, but you can't add, edit or copy, or ask to join another library, until you're back within the limits or on Pro. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). Looking for a notification? **You no longer have access to this library** and **A change wasn’t applied** are under [Notices about a team library](#notices-about-a-team-library). **[name] deleted [library]** is under [Delete a library for everyone](#delete-a-library-for-everyone). #### Create a team library 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Create a team library**. 3. Type a **Name** and click **Create**. 4. If this is the first time PromptMason needs your keys, save your recovery kit and click **I’ve saved my kit** ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#save-your-kit)). 5. Click **Choose where…** and pick where in your cloud storage the library should go, for example the top of your OneDrive or Dropbox. In Google Drive, open the Google Drive drive (usually G:) and pick **My Drive**: Google Drive doesn't allow new folders at the top of the drive itself. PromptMason makes a folder there called **PromptMason - [library name]**, for example **PromptMason - Acme Corp**. This is the folder you'll share with your team. ![The step asking where to put the team library, with Choose where, Share through this folder and Not now buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/team-libraries-choose-where-window.webp) 6. Make sure your cloud storage keeps the whole folder on this PC. See [Keep the whole folder on every PC](#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc). 7. Click **Share through this folder**. If you click **Not now** instead, the library stays only on this PC. To share it later, open its **Manage** window and use **Share through this folder**. #### Invite people The **Invite people to …** window opens after you share. For each person: 1. Share the library's folder (**PromptMason - [library name]**) with them in your cloud storage, and let them make changes (edit access). 2. Click **Copy** next to the invite and send it to them, by email or chat. The invite holds no secret; it lets their PC check it's joining the right library. 3. When they ask to join, you'll see it in Notifications. Call them, compare the approval code, and approve them. See [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device) for the steps. ![The Invite people window with the invite line, a Copy button and a Done button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/team-libraries-invite-people-window.webp) Click **Done** when you're finished. To invite someone later, open **Settings → Libraries & sharing** and click **Manage** next to the library. The **Invite people** section has the invite and its **Copy** button. Only the [primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner) sees it, and only once the library syncs through its folder. #### Join a team library If someone invited you: 1. Accept the folder your teammate shared with you in your cloud storage, so it shows in File Explorer on this PC, and keep it on this PC (see [below](#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc)). 2. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 3. Under **Libraries**, click **Join a team library**. 4. Paste the invite under **Invite** and click **Next**. 5. Click **Choose folder…**, pick the library's folder (**PromptMason - [library name]**) as it appears on your PC, and click **Next**. 6. Choose **No, I’m new here** and click **Ask to join**. ![The Join a team library window with the choices No I'm new here and Yes this is another of my PCs.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/team-libraries-join-window-choices.webp) 7. If this is the first time PromptMason needs your keys, save your recovery kit and click **I’ve saved my kit**. 8. **Your approval code** appears. The primary owner calls you to check it matches the code on their screen. ![The Your approval code window with a code to read out to the primary owner.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/team-libraries-your-approval-code-window.webp) 9. Click **Close**. You don't need to write the code down: it stays in **Settings → Libraries & sharing** until you're approved. Then the library appears in the sidebar and starts syncing. If PromptMason says it can't join or share, see [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#library-folders-and-invites). Already in the library on another PC? Choose **Yes, this is another of my PCs** instead and see [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#a-team-library). #### Roles | Role | What they can do | |---|---| | **Reader** | Uses what's in it. Can rate and favorite. | | **Editor** | Uses and changes what's in it. | | **Owner** | Also exports the library, imports bundles into it, backs it up and restores deleted items. | | **Primary owner** | One owner, who also approves PCs, removes people and PCs, changes roles, and changes the library's name and settings. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner). | New members are editors unless the primary owner picks another role when approving them. To change someone's role, the primary owner opens **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, clicks **Manage** next to the library, and picks the role next to the person's name under **Members**, on their approving PC. ![The Members section of a team library's Manage window with each person's role and their PCs.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/team-libraries-manage-members-roles.webp) #### Working together - **Edits arrive on everyone's PCs** as their cloud storage syncs. Each item shows who created it and who edited it last, and each version in History shows who made it. A ✓ next to the name means the edit came from a PC proven to be theirs; "via AI app" means an AI app made it. See [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#who-made-what-in-a-team-library). - **Ratings** show the team's average next to your own stars ([more](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#team-ratings)). - **If two people edit the same item at once**, the later save shows, and both versions are kept in History. Notifications says **Edited at the same time**; click **Open** to see the item. - **Archiving and deleting are for everyone.** An archived item is out of the way for everyone, and anyone who can make changes can bring it back. A deleted item goes to **Recently deleted** in **Archive** for 30 days, and only an owner can restore it. See [Archive and delete in a team library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#archive-and-delete-in-a-team-library). - **Attachments** on expected outputs can be up to 25 MB. - **AI apps** (connected apps) can only read a team library unless the primary owner changes it. On their approving PC, under **Name and AI apps** in **Manage**, they pick **What AI apps can do in …**: **Read only (recommended)**, **Read and change**, or **Nothing: AI apps can’t see it**. It applies as soon as they pick it. To change the **Most changes an AI app can make per hour** (1000 to start with), they type a number and click **Save**. Both settings apply on every member's PC. Each person's own Connected apps setting applies too, and the stricter of the two wins ([Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access)). Everyone else sees the library's setting under **Name and AI apps**. To put an item from your personal library into a team library, move it: see [Move items to another library](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#move-items-to-another-library). #### Rename a library The primary owner renames a team library from their approving PC: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Name and AI apps**, type the new **Name** and click **Rename**. The new name reaches everyone's PCs as they sync. #### Export or import a library Owners can export a team library to a file, or import a bundle into it. A bundle holds blocks and prompts, never members or keys. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Import and export**: - To export, click **Export [library]**. PromptMason saves a file with the library's blocks and prompts. - To import, click **Import a bundle into [library]** and pick the file. Then click **Add to what’s there** to add it to the library, or **Replace everything** and **OK** to replace the library's contents with the bundle. Click **Cancel** to stop. Everyone in the library gets what you import, and **Replace everything** changes the library for everyone. Export first if you might want the old contents back. More about bundles: [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). #### Notices about a team library **A change wasn’t applied.** One of these: - "A change from [name] wasn’t applied because their role doesn’t allow it." Someone made a change their role doesn't allow, for example a reader's PC trying to edit. Nothing to do. If they should be able to make changes, the primary owner gives them a role that allows it. - "A change from [name] was about an item this PC keeps in another library, so it wasn’t applied." The item stays where this PC has it. If you didn't move it between two libraries yourself a moment ago, tell the primary owner. **You no longer have access to this library.** The message says "You have been removed from [library]" (or "This PC was removed from [library]"). Your copy stays on this PC, read-only. Click **Take it off this PC** when you no longer need it, or ask the primary owner if it's a mistake. #### Leave a library Only the primary owner removes people, so ask them to remove you. To take a library off one PC only: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Take it off this PC**, click **Take off this PC**. 4. PromptMason asks "Take [library] off this PC?" Click **OK**. The library and everything in it is removed from this PC. Everyone else keeps it. #### Delete a library for everyone The primary owner can delete a team library for every member, once it syncs through its folder. Do it from your approving PC: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Delete for everyone**, click **Delete for everyone**. 4. Read the warning and click **OK**. What happens: - The library comes off your PC straight away, and PromptMason clears the library folder. It keeps two small things: a `library.json` file and a `record` folder. They tell PCs that come back later that the library was deleted. Any other files you keep in that folder stay. Your Notifications shows **You deleted [library]**: "Every member’s PC takes it off the next time it syncs. Copies made outside PromptMason can’t be recalled." - Every member's PC takes it off the next time it syncs, including PCs that come back after weeks away. Each member sees **[your name] deleted [library]** under **Earlier** in Notifications: "It was taken off this PC." - Once every member's PC has synced, you can delete the folder yourself. - It can't be undone. Copies people made outside PromptMason, such as exported bundles or copied text, can't be recalled. - If you only want it gone from one PC, use **Take off this PC** instead. #### If the library folder is found empty If someone empties the library folder (deletes or moves the files inside it), PromptMason doesn't treat that as a deletion. Your library stays on your PC, PromptMason puts its files back into the folder, and Notifications says **The library folder was empty**. If you moved the folder on purpose, choose it again (below). Only the primary owner's **Delete for everyone** deletes a library. #### If the library folder was moved or is gone If the folder was moved, renamed or reconnected, Notifications says **Can’t reach the library folder**. Anyone in the library can fix it on their PC: 1. In Notifications, click **Choose the folder again**. (Or open **Settings → Libraries & sharing** and click **Manage** next to the library.) 2. Click **Choose the folder again…** and pick the library's folder where it is now. PromptMason checks it's the same library and carries on. If you pick a different library's folder, it says "This folder isn’t the library you joined". If the folder is gone for good, the primary owner puts the library in a new folder, from their approving PC: 1. Open **Settings → Libraries & sharing** and click **Manage** next to the library. 2. Under **Sync**, click **Put [library] in a new folder…**. (This button shows only while PromptMason can't reach the folder or found it empty.) 3. Pick where the new folder should go. 4. Click **OK**. PromptMason makes a new **PromptMason - [library name]** folder there and copies the library into it from your PC. 5. Share the new folder with everyone in the library, as when you [invited them](#invite-people). No one needs to be approved again. 6. Each person, on each of their PCs, clicks **Choose the folder again** in Notifications, then **Choose the folder again…**, and picks the new folder. As each PC does, it puts back what it wrote, so everyone catches up. #### Keep the whole folder on every PC Your cloud storage must keep a copy of every file in the library's folder on each PC, not only online. Otherwise PromptMason waits for the cloud each time. Everyone in the team does this on every PC: - **OneDrive or SharePoint:** in File Explorer, right-click the folder and choose **Always keep on this device**. - **Google Drive:** in File Explorer, right-click the folder, choose **Offline access**, then **Available offline**. (If Google Drive is set to mirror your files, they're already on the PC.) - **Dropbox:** right-click the folder and choose **Make available offline**. - **A network drive:** nothing to do, as long as every PC can reach it. #### 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: > Help me set up a team library for my team of 5 in PromptMason. We use OneDrive. Walk me through creating it, sharing the folder, inviting each person and approving them. ### Approve a PC *Approve someone joining a team library, or a member's new PC, by comparing the approval code.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device Every PC that joins a team library is approved by the library's primary owner, on their approving PC (see [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner)). For someone new, you compare an **approval code** with them first: a code made from their PC's keys, shown on their screen and on yours. If the codes match, the PC you're approving is the one in front of them. PCs are shown as their code's first four characters and the PC's name, for example "38C5 - Alex's laptop". The full code is shown wherever two codes are compared. #### Someone new 1. Click the bell in the top-right corner to open Notifications. 2. Under **To do**, find **Someone asked to join** and click **Review**. 3. The **Someone asked to join [library]** window asks: "Is this an existing member’s new PC? Ask them to approve it from their other PC, or use Reset identity if they’ve lost everything." - If it's a member's new PC, click **Decline**, and ask them to ask again and choose **Yes, this is another of my PCs**. They then confirm it from their other PC ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#a-team-library)). That way they keep their name, role and History instead of being listed twice. - If it's a member who lost every PC, click **Reset identity** and follow [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-your-kit). - Otherwise, click **No, it’s someone new**. The window becomes **Add a new member**. ![The Someone asked to join window asking whether it is an existing member's new PC, with Decline, Reset identity and No it's someone new buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/approve-device-someone-asked-to-join-window.webp) 4. Call the person, on a number or chat you already know is theirs, not one that came with the request. 5. Ask them to read out the code on their screen. Check it matches the code in the window, every character. 6. Under **Their name**, check or type their name as your team knows them. This is the name everyone in the library sees on their edits. 7. Under **Role**, pick one: **Editor: uses and changes what’s in it** (the default), **Reader: uses what’s in it**, or **Owner: also exports, backs up and restores deleted items**. [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#roles) explains each. 8. Click **Add as a new member**. ![The Add a new member window with the approval code, a name box, a Role list and an Add as a new member button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/approve-device-add-a-new-member-window.webp) Their PC picks up the approval and starts syncing everything in the library, including past versions. If the codes don't match, or you can't reach the person, click **Back**, then **Decline**. The request is removed and their PC is told. #### A member's new PC When a member adds another of their PCs, one of their existing PCs confirms it first with **This is my PC** (unless the new PC already holds their keys). Then you see **A member’s new PC asked to join**: 1. Click **Review**. The **Approve a member’s new PC** window opens. 2. The window says whose PC it is, for example "Alex Morgan’s new PC, 21A6 - Alex's desktop, vouched for by 38C5 - Alex's laptop, wants to join." If the PC already holds Alex Morgan's keys, it says "proven by Alex Morgan’s own identity" instead. "Vouched for" means that PC confirmed the new one with **This is my PC**. ![The Approve a member's new PC window naming whose PC it is, with Approve and Decline buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/approve-device-approve-members-new-pc-window.webp) 3. Click **Approve**. No call is needed: it keeps that member's name and role. If the member doesn't expect a new PC, click **Decline** and check with them. **A PC is waiting to be confirmed** means a PC says it belongs to someone already in the library, and none of their PCs has confirmed it yet. - If it's your own new PC, click **Review**, check the code matches the one on its screen, and click **This is my PC**. That confirms it's yours and approves it in one click. No call is needed. - If it's someone else's, wait for them to click **This is my PC** on their other PC. It then shows as **A member’s new PC asked to join**. #### A member made a new recovery kit When a member replaces their keys (after a stolen kit, or after one of their PCs was removed), you see **A member made a new recovery kit**. Click **Review**, then **Approve**. It's one click because the request came from one of their own approved PCs. If the window adds "One of their PCs was removed while it still held their keys", approving also locks that removed PC out for good. If you didn't expect the request, click **Decline** and check with the member. [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit) explains kits. #### If you're not on your approving PC The window says "Approve this from 38C5 - Alex's laptop, the PC that approves changes to who is in Acme Corp." Go to that PC and approve it there. If that PC is lost or broken, see [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#if-your-approving-pc-is-lost-or-broken). #### Other things you may see **A request to join didn’t check out** shows one of two messages. Either way, click **Ignore it**, which removes the request from the folder: - "A request with a certificate that didn’t check out was ignored." The request file isn't one a real PromptMason PC made for this library. - "Two people vouched for the same PC. Remove one of the vouchers to continue." Two members each said the PC is theirs. After you click **Ignore it**, ask the right person to ask again. Only their own PC confirms it. #### If you're the one joining Your screen shows **Your approval code**. You can close it: the code stays in **Settings → Libraries & sharing** until you're approved. Read it out to the primary owner when they call. If you see **Your request was declined**, the primary owner declined it or it left the folder. Click **OK** and ask them about it. #### 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: > Someone asked to join my team library in PromptMason. Walk me through checking it's really them and approving their PC. ### Remove a person or a PC *Remove someone from a team library, or one of their PCs, then remove them from the folder's sharing.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone Only the library's primary owner removes people and PCs, on their approving PC (see [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner)). If you're not the primary owner, ask them. Removing switches the library to a new key straight away. People and PCs you remove can't read edits made after every PC has picked up the change. They keep what they already had: removal never takes back what someone could already read or copy. #### Remove a person 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Members**, find the person and click **Remove [name]**. ![The Members section of Manage with a Remove button for each person and each PC.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/remove-someone-members-remove-buttons.webp) 4. Click **OK** to confirm. All of their PCs stop getting new changes. Then do the two follow-ups below. #### Remove them from the shared folder too PromptMason can't change your cloud storage's sharing. Until you do, the removed person can still see the folder's files. The files are locked, so they can't read new edits. Notifications shows **Remove them from the shared folder too** until you click **Done**. - **OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive or Dropbox:** in your cloud storage, stop sharing the folder with the person, or remove their access to it. Your provider’s help explains how. - **A network drive:** ask whoever looks after it to remove the person's access. Then click **Done** on the item in Notifications. #### Waiting for PCs to pick up the change Notifications may also show **Waiting for PCs to pick up the change**: "These PCs haven’t picked up the new key yet: …". Those PCs haven't synced since the library switched to its new key. Anything they save before they do may still be readable by the person you removed. The item clears by itself as each PC syncs. To speed it up, ask the people listed to open PromptMason with their cloud storage running. #### Remove one PC To remove a single PC, for example a laptop someone lost: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Members**, find the PC under its person, shown as its code and name (for example "38C5 - Alex's laptop"), and click **Remove this PC**. 4. Read the **Remove [PC] from [library]?** window. That PC still holds its person's keys, so removing it also replaces them. That's the only way to lock a lost or stolen PC out for good. ![The Remove PC window explaining that the PC's keys are replaced, with a Remove and replace keys button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/remove-someone-remove-pc-window.webp) 5. If the PC confirmed other PCs as its person's, the window says so ("1 other PC it approved goes too"). They're removed with it. 6. Click **Remove and replace keys**. What happens next to the person's keys: - **They have another PC in the library.** That PC asks them to **Replace my keys** and save a new recovery kit. You then see **A member made a new recovery kit**: click **Review**, then **Approve**. Until then, their old kit opens nothing new. - **They have no other PC.** When they set up a new PC, they join with **Yes, but I’ve lost every PC I used it on**, and you reset their identity after a quick call. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-your-kit). - **It's one of your own PCs.** PromptMason goes straight on to make you new keys and a new recovery kit. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#one-pc-was-lost-or-stolen). If the window is titled **Two copies of … are writing**, the PC's disk was copied. See [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#two-copies-of-a-pc-are-writing). #### What the removed person sees Their PC shows **You no longer have access to this library**: "You have been removed from [library]. Your copy stays on this PC, read-only." (or "This PC was removed from [library]" for a single PC). When they no longer need the copy, they click **Take it off this PC**, then **OK**. This removes it from their PC only. ![The notification telling a removed person they no longer have access, with a Take it off this PC button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/remove-someone-no-longer-have-access-notification.webp) Changes they made that hadn’t been sent yet when the removal reached their PC aren’t shared. Their PC says **Some changes weren’t shared**, "… made after this PC was removed weren’t shared. Export them if you need them." To keep that work, they open each item and copy the text they need into their personal library before they take the library off their PC. #### 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: > I need to remove someone from my team library in PromptMason. We share the folder through OneDrive. Walk me through removing them in PromptMason and from the shared folder, and what to check afterwards. ### The primary owner *What only the primary owner can do, their approving PC, and handing the role to another owner before time away.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner Every team library has exactly one **primary owner**. You're also the primary owner of your own personal library. #### What only the primary owner can do - Approve and decline PCs (see [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device)) - Remove people and PCs (see [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone)) - Change people's roles - Rename the library and change what AI apps can do in it ([Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#rename-a-library)) - Invite people (the **Invite people** section in **Manage**) - Put the library in a new folder if its folder is gone - Delete the library for everyone - Hand the primary owner role to another owner Every other owner can export the library, import bundles into it, back it up and restore deleted items. Editors and readers can't change any of this. Anyone can keep editing whether the primary owner is around or not. #### Your approving PC If you use PromptMason on more than one PC, only one of your PCs is the **approving PC** in each library you lead. It's the PC that approves changes to who is in the library. Only that PC approves, removes and changes roles and settings. In **Manage**, it's marked **Approving PC**. On your other PCs, the same buttons tell you where to go, for example: "Do this from 38C5 - Alex's laptop, the PC that approves changes to who is in Acme Corp." If you click **Review** on a request from another PC, the window says "Approve this from 38C5 - Alex's laptop, the PC that approves changes to who is in Acme Corp." and has only a **Close** button. ![The Members list showing two of the owner's PCs, one marked as the approving PC.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/primary-owner-manage-approving-pc-marker.webp) PCs are shown as their approval code's first four characters and the PC's name. To name a PC, go to **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, and type a name under **This PC’s name**. ##### Make another of your PCs the approving PC Only the current approving PC can hand the role on. So if you'll be away from it, for example traveling with your laptop while your desktop stays at the office, do this before you leave: 1. On your current approving PC, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Members** (or **Your PCs** in your personal library), find the PC you'll have with you and click **Make [PC] the approving PC**. 4. Click **OK** to confirm. Do it for each library you're the primary owner of. ##### If your approving PC is lost or broken Your recovery kit makes another of your PCs the approving one. This is one of the few times PromptMason asks for your kit. 1. On another of your PCs that's already in the library, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Members** (or **Your PCs**), click **Make this PC the approving PC with your recovery kit**. 4. Under **Your recovery kit file**, choose your kit file, and under **Its code**, type its code. 5. Click **Make this the approving PC**. If the old PC turns up later, it can't change who is in the library any more. If it was lost or stolen, now remove it: see [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#one-pc-was-lost-or-stolen). #### Hand the role to another owner Before planned time away, hand the role to another owner. It happens straight away. 1. On your approving PC, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Under **Members**, if the person isn't an owner yet, click the role next to their name and choose **Owner**. **Make primary owner** only shows next to owners. (If you're the only owner, **Manage** says: "To hand the primary owner role to someone, make them an owner first.") 4. Click **Make primary owner** next to their name. ![A member's row with the role set to Owner and a Make primary owner button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/primary-owner-make-primary-owner-button.webp) 5. Click **OK** to confirm. From then on they approve PCs and manage members and settings. Their first PC in the library becomes the approving PC. They can hand that role to another of their PCs as above. When you're back, they hand the role back to you the same way. #### If the primary owner is unexpectedly away Only the primary owner can approve PCs, remove people or change roles and settings, and nobody else can take the role. If they're away without handing it over, those things wait until they're back. Editing carries on as normal. This is a known gap. So hand the role over before planned time away, and keep your recovery kit somewhere you can reach. If the primary owner is gone for good, an owner can start the library again. Export it with **Export [library]** under **Import and export** in **Manage**, create a new team library, import the export into it with **Import a bundle into [library]**, and invite everyone again. For the steps, see [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#export-or-import-a-library). #### Leaving the role The primary owner can't remove themselves from the library or stop being an owner: their own row in **Members** has no **Remove** button and no role menu. Hand the role to another owner first ([above](#hand-the-role-to-another-owner)). The new primary owner can then change your role or remove you. #### 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: > I'm the primary owner of a team library in PromptMason and I'm going on vacation next week. Walk me through what I should hand over before I go, and how to take it back when I return. ### Sync problems *What each sync message in PromptMason means, and what to do about it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems Find the message you see. In the messages below, [library] is the library's name, [PC] is a PC shown as its approval code and name (for example "38C5 - Alex's laptop"), and [name] is a person. The member list is the library's record of who is in it and which PCs belong to each person. If you came here from a title in Notifications, jump to it: [Can’t reach the library folder](#cant-reach-the-library-folder), [The library folder was empty](#the-library-folder-was-empty), [The library folder is read-only](#the-library-folder-is-read-only), [This isn’t the library’s folder](#this-isnt-the-librarys-folder), [This PC needs to re-sync a library](#this-pc-needs-to-re-sync-a-library), [Changes from a PC haven’t arrived](#changes-from-a-pc-havent-arrived), [Two copies of a PC are writing](#two-copies-of-a-pc-are-writing), [Another copy of this PC is writing](#another-copy-of-this-pc-is-writing), [The member list needs the primary owner](#the-member-list-needs-the-primary-owner), [Update PromptMason](#update-promptmason), [A PC’s clock looks wrong](#a-pcs-clock-looks-wrong), [Some changes weren’t shared](#some-changes-werent-shared), [Paused until tomorrow](#paused-until-tomorrow), [Unexpected files in the library folder](#unexpected-files-in-the-library-folder), [Something in the library folder was ignored](#something-in-the-library-folder-was-ignored). Other titles are in [Other Notifications items](#other-notifications-items). #### Where sync messages show - **Status.** Each team library in the sidebar has a small status icon; point at it to read it. **Settings → Libraries & sharing** shows the same words: **Up to date**, **Syncing**, **Can’t reach the library folder**, **Needs your attention**, **Waiting for approval**, or **Only on this PC**. [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#sync-status) explains each icon. - **Notifications.** The bell in the top-right corner. **To do** lists things you need to act on; they stay until they're done. **Earlier** lists things that were only for your information. See [Notifications](https://promptmason.ai/docs/notifications). - **Manage.** In **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, click **Manage** next to a library. **Sync** shows what it's waiting for and has a **Sync now** button. **Needs attention** lists open problems. Each one is explained below. ![The Sync section of a library's Manage window with its status and a Sync now button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/sync-problems-manage-sync-section.webp) Most problems come from the cloud storage app, not PromptMason. First check that your cloud storage app is running and signed in, and that it keeps the whole library folder on this PC ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc)). Then click **Sync now**. PromptMason only syncs while it's open: closing its window quits the app. A PC's changes reach the others once PromptMason has been open on it with its cloud storage app running. #### Waiting messages These show under **Sync** in **Manage**. They usually clear by themselves. - **"Waiting for the cloud to bring down a file."** Your cloud storage has a file online only. Set it to keep the whole folder on this PC ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc)). PromptMason tries again on its own. - **"Waiting for changes from [PC] to arrive."** That PC saved changes that haven't reached the folder yet, usually because it's offline or its cloud storage app isn't running. They arrive when it syncs. After a day, the library's primary owner sees [Changes from a PC haven’t arrived](#changes-from-a-pc-havent-arrived). - **"Waiting for a member-list change to arrive in the library folder."** A change to who is in the library is still on its way through your cloud storage. Wait a few minutes. #### Can’t reach the library folder "Can’t reach the library folder. It may have been moved, renamed or unshared. If you moved it, choose the folder again." The same item can also say "The library folder isn’t a folder." That means something other than a folder is now where the library's folder was. The steps are the same. 1. Check your cloud storage app is running and signed in, then click **Try again** in Notifications. ![A notification saying PromptMason can't reach the library folder, with Try again and Choose the folder again buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/sync-problems-cant-reach-folder-notification.webp) 2. If the folder was moved, renamed or reconnected, click **Choose the folder again** in Notifications. The library's **Manage** window opens. Under **Sync** it says "PromptMason can’t reach “[folder]”. If it was moved, renamed or reconnected, choose it where it is now." Click **Choose the folder again…** and pick the library's folder where it is now. PromptMason checks it's the same library. ![The Sync section of Manage saying the folder can't be reached, with a Choose the folder again button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/sync-problems-choose-the-folder-again.webp) 3. If it was unshared, ask the person who shared it. Changes you make meanwhile stay on this PC and go out when the folder is back. **If the folder is gone for good,** the primary owner puts the library in a new folder from their approving PC. In the same window, they click **Put [library] in a new folder…**, pick where, and click **OK**. That button shows only while this problem is open. PromptMason makes a new **PromptMason - [library name]** folder there and copies the library into it from that PC. The primary owner shares the new folder with everyone, and each person chooses it on each of their PCs with **Choose the folder again**. No one is approved again, and each PC puts back what it wrote. #### The library folder was empty "The folder for [library] was empty. [library] stays on this PC, and PromptMason put its files back. If you moved the folder, choose the folder again." Someone, or a cloud storage app, emptied the folder or swapped it for another. Nothing was deleted from your PC. PromptMason put the library back from this PC's copy. If you moved the library's folder on purpose, click **Choose the folder again** in Notifications and pick it where it is now. Otherwise click **OK**. #### The library folder is read-only "The library folder is read-only on this PC." Your PC can read the folder but not write to it. Ask whoever shared the folder to let you make changes (edit access), then click **Try again**. #### This isn’t the library’s folder "This folder isn’t the library you joined." The folder now holds a different library, or was replaced. Click **Open library settings** to see which folder it is. Check with the library's primary owner which folder is the right one. Don't copy files into the library folder by hand. #### This PC needs to re-sync a library "This PC kept a member-list change for [library] that the other PCs dropped, so some changes can’t reach it. Re-sync the library to catch up; what you made on this PC is kept and shared again." This can happen when two changes to who is in the library were made at the same moment, for example one with the primary owner's recovery kit and one on their approving PC. Every PC follows the same one, but this PC had already acted on the other. Click **Re-sync**. The PC reads the library again from the start. What you made on this PC is kept and shared again. #### Changes from a PC haven’t arrived "Changes from [PC] since [date and time] UTC haven’t arrived." (UTC is the world time standard, not your local time.) Some of that PC's changes are missing from the folder: it hasn't synced for a day, or a file was deleted. Only the library's primary owner sees this. - **If the PC still exists,** open PromptMason on it with its cloud storage app running. It puts back anything missing on its own. - **If the PC is gone for good** (a broken laptop, say), the primary owner can click **Remove that PC and skip them**, then **OK**, on their approving PC. That removes the PC and lets the rest of its changes through. The PC would have to be approved again to come back. #### Two copies of a PC are writing "Two copies of [PC] are writing to this library. Their changes are paused until the primary owner removes that PC." This happens when a PC's disk was copied, or restored from an old backup or snapshot, and both copies are running. Every PC in the library shows it. If you're not the primary owner, tell them; you don't need to do anything else. The primary owner sorts it out: 1. Click **Open library settings**. 2. Under **Members**, find the PC and click **Remove this PC**. 3. The window says **Two copies of [PC] are writing**. Ask the PC's owner whether they recognize both copies, then choose: - **Keep one copy** if they made the copy themselves (a new PC set up from the old disk, say). The old PC is removed, and the copy they keep joins again with one click. Their keys stay as they are. - **I don’t recognize this copy** if nobody knows where the other copy came from: someone may have copied the disk. The PC is removed like a stolen one, and the person's keys are replaced, as in [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#one-pc-was-lost-or-stolen). ![The window titled Two copies are writing with the choices Keep one copy and I don't recognize this copy.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/sync-problems-two-copies-window.webp) #### Another copy of this PC is writing "Another copy of this PC is writing to [library]. This PC has stopped writing to it; ask the primary owner which copy to keep." This PC found that a copy of it is also writing to the library, so it stopped writing. Your edits stay on this PC. Ask the primary owner to remove the old PC (above). Then, on the copy you keep, click **Re-join with this PC**. It re-joins every library this PC syncs, with new keys, and sends again everything either copy changed. - If this PC was your **approving PC**, the **Keep this copy** window asks for your recovery kit, because no other PC can approve it again. Choose your kit file, type its code, and click **Keep this copy**. - If your keys were replaced ("I don’t recognize this copy") and you have another PC in the library, that PC confirms this one after you click **Re-join with this PC**. - If your keys were replaced and you have no other PC in the library, the **Replace your keys** window opens first. Click **Replace my keys** and save your new kit. Then click **Re-join with this PC** again; the primary owner resets your identity after a call. #### The member list needs the primary owner - "One PC wrote two different member-list changes. This PC is waiting for the primary owner to sort it out." Tell the primary owner. They click **Open library settings** and remove the PC that wrote both, as in [Two copies of a PC are writing](#two-copies-of-a-pc-are-writing). - "This PC’s membership was approved on a member-list change other PCs rejected. Ask the primary owner to approve it again." Ask the primary owner to approve this PC again. #### Update PromptMason "Update PromptMason to read a change from [name]." Usually someone is using a newer version of PromptMason. Click **Check for updates** in the notification, or open **Settings → General → Updates** and click **Check for updates** there. When the update is ready, click **Restart to update**. If PromptMason says it is up to date, or the message comes back, email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai) with the exact message. #### A PC’s clock looks wrong "The clock on [PC] looks wrong; its saves will win conflicts until it’s fixed." On that PC (ask the person who uses it), open Windows **Settings**, then **Time & language**, then **Date & time**, and turn on **Set time automatically**. #### Some changes weren’t shared One of these: - "[n] changes you made in [library] haven’t been shared: your role there is now [role], which can’t make them. They stay on this PC, and are shared if your role allows them again." Your role was changed while you had unsent edits. Ask the primary owner if you need your old role back. - "[n] changes you made in [library] are too large to share. Make them smaller to share them; they stay on this PC meanwhile." An item is too big, usually because of a large attachment. Make it smaller and save it again. - "[n] changes made after this PC was removed weren’t shared. Export them if you need them." This PC was removed from the library, so edits made after that stay only on this PC, where the library is now read-only. Open each item and copy the text you need into your personal library, before you take the library off this PC. #### Paused until tomorrow "This PC has written as much as it can to this library today. It will continue tomorrow (UTC)." This only happens after a very large amount of changes in one day, such as many big attachments. It carries on by itself the next day. The day is counted in UTC, the world time standard, so it may start at a different hour than your own midnight. #### Unexpected files in the library folder "[n] unexpected files in the library folder." Something other than PromptMason put files in the library folder. Usually it's your cloud storage making a conflict copy (a file with a PC's name or "conflicted copy" added). PromptMason ignores them and nothing is lost. Keep other files out of the library folder. #### Something in the library folder was ignored These are for your information. PromptMason didn't trust a file in the folder, so it ignored it, or put the real one back. Every edit is signed and checked, so a file that wasn't written by a PC in the library, or was changed afterwards, is never used. The library keeps working. - "A change in the library folder didn’t check out and was ignored." - "Files from a device that isn’t a member were ignored." Often a PC that's waiting to be approved. - "A member-list file in the library folder didn’t check out and was ignored." - "A member-list change from an unauthorised key was ignored." - "A member-list file was missing from the library folder; it was put back." - "A file in the library folder was posing as a member-list file; it was replaced with the real one." - "A file in the library folder was posing as the library’s id file; it was replaced with the real one." - "A file in the library folder was too large to be one PromptMason wrote, and was ignored: [file]." - "The library folder holds more requests than PromptMason reads at once, so some weren’t read." PromptMason reads the rest over the next few syncs. - "Two member-list changes were made at the same moment. Every PC follows the same one; a PC that kept the other one is asked to re-sync." - "Another of your PCs changed the member list at the same moment. This PC’s change was made again on top of it." - "Another of your PCs changed the member list at the same moment, and this PC’s change no longer fits on top of it. Check the member list." Open **Manage** and make the change again on your approving PC if it's still needed. If these keep appearing, check who the folder is shared with in your cloud storage, and remove anyone who shouldn't be there. See [How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe](https://promptmason.ai/docs/security-overview). #### A library was deleted These show under **Earlier** in Notifications: - **[name] deleted [library]**, "It was taken off this PC." The library's primary owner deleted the team library for everyone, and PromptMason took it off this PC. Nothing to do. If you think it was a mistake, ask the primary owner; they may have an export or a backup. - **You deleted [library]**, "Every member’s PC takes it off the next time it syncs. Copies made outside PromptMason can’t be recalled." You deleted the library for everyone. Nothing more to do. If you try to use a library that was deleted, PromptMason says "This library was deleted." See [Delete a library for everyone](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#delete-a-library-for-everyone). #### Other Notifications items These have their own guides. [Notifications](https://promptmason.ai/docs/notifications) explains the panel and its buttons. | You see | Message | Guide | |---|---|---| | **Someone asked to join** | "A new person wants to join from [PC]. Compare approval code [code] with them before approving." | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#someone-new) | | **A member’s new PC asked to join** | "[name]’s new PC, [PC], vouched for by [PC], wants to join." or "…proven by [name]’s own identity, wants to join." | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#a-members-new-pc) | | **A PC is waiting to be confirmed** | On the primary owner's approving PC: "[PC] says it belongs to someone already in this library. If it’s your PC, compare the approval code with the code on that PC and click This is my PC to add it. If it’s someone else’s, one of their PCs confirms it first." On the primary owner's other PCs: "[PC] says it belongs to someone already in this library. Waiting for one of their PCs to vouch for it." | [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#a-team-library) | | **Is this your PC?** | On your approving PC, in your personal library: "[PC] wants to join your personal library. If it’s your PC, compare the approval code with the code on that PC and click This is my PC to add it." On your other PCs, in any library: "[PC] wants to join as someone already in this library. If it’s yours, compare the approval code with the code on that PC and click This is my PC." | [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc) | | **Identity reset request** | "Identity reset for [name] onto [PC]: call [name] first and compare the approval code." or "Someone who lost every PC they used in this library asks to be restored onto [PC]. Call them first and compare the approval code." | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-your-kit) | | **A member made a new recovery kit** | "[name] made a new recovery kit on [PC] and needs one click to use it here." | [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#a-member-made-a-new-recovery-kit) | | **A request to join didn’t check out** | "A request with a certificate that didn’t check out was ignored." or "Two people vouched for the same PC. Remove one of the vouchers to continue." | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#other-things-you-may-see) | | **Your request was declined** | "Your request in [library] was declined or removed from the library folder. Ask the library’s primary owner about it." | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#if-youre-the-one-joining) | | **Remove them from the shared folder too** | "Also remove [name] from the folder’s sharing in your cloud storage." | [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#remove-them-from-the-shared-folder-too) | | **Waiting for PCs to pick up the change** | "These PCs haven’t picked up the new key yet: [PCs]." | [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#waiting-for-pcs-to-pick-up-the-change) | | **You no longer have access to this library** | "You have been removed from [library]. Your copy stays on this PC, read-only." or "This PC was removed from [library]. Your copy stays on this PC, read-only." | [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#notices-about-a-team-library) | | **A change wasn’t applied** | "A change from [name] wasn’t applied because their role doesn’t allow it." or "A change from [name] was about an item this PC keeps in another library, so it wasn’t applied." | [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#notices-about-a-team-library) | | **Replace your keys** | "[PC] was removed from [library], and it still holds your keys. Replace them now and save your new recovery kit; your old kit stops working. If that PC was in other libraries, ask their primary owners to remove it there too." | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#notices-you-may-see) | | **A new recovery kit was made** | "A new recovery kit was made on [PC] on [date]; the old kit no longer works. If that wasn’t you, remove that PC from your libraries now." | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#notices-you-may-see) | | **Identity reset** | "[owner] reset [name]’s identity onto a new PC, [PC], on [date]." | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#notices-you-may-see) | | **Confirm you saved your recovery kit** | "Keep your recovery kit file and its code somewhere safe, away from this PC. You’ll only need them if you ever lose every PC you use PromptMason on." | [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#if-you-havent-confirmed-yet) | | **Edited at the same time** | "[name] edited [item] at the same time as you. Both versions are in History." Click **Open** to see the item. | [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#working-together) | | **[name] deleted [library]** or **You deleted [library]** | "It was taken off this PC." or "Every member’s PC takes it off the next time it syncs. Copies made outside PromptMason can’t be recalled." | [A library was deleted](#a-library-was-deleted) | | **Your last backup didn’t finish** | "Couldn't write to the backup folder. Check that the folder is available, then choose “Back up now” in Settings." It can also start with "The last backup didn’t finish. PromptMason will try again." | [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups#if-a-backup-fails) | #### When PromptMason says it can't do something These messages appear in the window you're using, in place of the change you asked for. Nothing was changed. Find the message in the group that fits what you were doing. ##### Library folders and invites | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Connect to the library folder first." | Changes to who is in a library need the folder. Get your cloud storage connected (see [Can’t reach the library folder](#cant-reach-the-library-folder)) and try again. | | "This library doesn’t sync to a folder." | It's only on this PC. To share it, use **Share through this folder** in **Manage**. | | "This library already syncs to a folder." | Nothing to do. | | "That folder already holds a library. Join it instead." | Use **Join a team library**, or choose an empty folder. | | "The new folder must be empty. Choose where PromptMason should make it." | Pick another place for the new folder. | | "PromptMason couldn’t make a folder there. Choose another place." | Windows didn't let PromptMason create a folder in the place you picked. In Google Drive, pick **My Drive**, not the top of the Google Drive drive (usually G:). Otherwise pick a folder you can add files to. | | "A folder of that name was just made there. Choose where again." | Click the button again and pick where; PromptMason picks a free name. | | "PromptMason couldn’t make a folder there. Choose another place." | Pick a place you can save files to, such as a folder in your cloud storage. | | "That folder doesn’t hold a PromptMason library." | Choose the folder the library was shared through, as it appears on this PC. | | "That folder is still coming down from your cloud storage. Set it to keep a copy on this PC, then try again in a minute." | Set the folder to stay on this PC ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc)), wait a minute, and try again. | | "This folder isn’t the library you joined." | See [This isn’t the library’s folder](#this-isnt-the-librarys-folder). | | "That folder doesn’t match the invite. Check you picked the folder you were sent." | Choose the folder for the library named in the invite. | | "That doesn’t look like a PromptMason invite line." | Paste the whole invite, starting with `promptmason-library:`. | | "This library was deleted." | The primary owner deleted it for everyone. See [A library was deleted](#a-library-was-deleted). | | "Library not found" | The library isn't on this PC any more, or connected AI apps aren't allowed to see it. Check **Settings → Libraries & sharing**. | ##### Approving, removing and changing members | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Only the primary owner can change who is in this library." | Ask the library's primary owner. | | "Do this from [PC], the PC that approves changes to who is in this library." | Go to that PC. Other windows say the same thing in their own words: **Review** says "Approve this from [PC], the PC that approves changes to who is in [library]." and has only **Close**; **Manage** says "Approve PCs, remove them and change roles from [PC], the PC that approves changes to who is in [library]." (for your personal library: "Add and remove your PCs from [PC], your approving PC."). See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#your-approving-pc). | | "Waiting for a member-list change to arrive in the library folder." | A change to who is in the library is still on its way. Wait a few minutes and try again. | | "A request with a certificate that didn’t check out was ignored. (…)" | The request can't be approved. Close the window and click **Ignore it** on the item in Notifications. If the person still needs to join, ask them to ask again; if it keeps happening, email support with the exact message. | | "This PC was the one that approves changes to who is in this library. Open your recovery kit to keep this copy." | See [Another copy of this PC is writing](#another-copy-of-this-pc-is-writing). | | "This PC isn’t a member of this library yet." | Wait for the primary owner to approve this PC. | | "This PC has stopped writing to this library." | See [Another copy of this PC is writing](#another-copy-of-this-pc-is-writing). | | "That request isn’t in the library folder any more." | The PC withdrew it, or it was declined. Close the window. | | "This PC says it belongs to someone already in the library. Waiting for one of their PCs to vouch for it." | The person confirms it from their other PC with **This is my PC**. | | "Only a PC that is already approved can vouch for another PC of yours." | Confirm the new PC from a PC that's already in the library. | | "That PC doesn’t need a voucher." | The request isn't from another PC of someone already in the library. The primary owner handles it from **Someone asked to join**. | | "Type the person’s name before approving." | Type **Their name**. | | "Choose who this is before resetting their identity." | Pick the member under **Who is this?**. | | "That person isn’t an active member of this library." | Pick someone who's still in the library, or add them as a new member. | | "The primary owner can’t be reset from another PC. They restore their own identity with their recovery kit." | The primary owner uses **Restore with recovery kit**. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-still-have-your-kit). | | "That PC asked to be restored as someone else." | Check with the person; pick the member the request names. | | "That PC belongs to someone else." | The PC asking to be restored is already in the library as another person. Decline the request and check with both people. | | "That person isn’t in this library." or "That PC isn’t in this library." | The member list changed while the window was open. Close **Manage**, open it again and check. | | "That person was removed from this library." | They were removed while this window was open. Close **Manage** and open it again. To add a removed person back, email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). | | "That PC is already in this library." | Nothing to do. | | "Make someone else the primary owner before removing yourself." | Hand the role to another owner first ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#hand-the-role-to-another-owner)). | | "Make someone else the primary owner first." | You tried to change your own role. Hand the primary owner role to another owner first. | | "Only another owner can become the primary owner." | Change the person's role to **Owner**, then click **Make primary owner**. | | "They need an approved PC in this library first." | Wait until one of their PCs is approved, then try again. | | "Only another of the primary owner’s PCs can be the approving PC." | Pick one of your own PCs that's in the library. | | "Make another of your PCs the approving PC first." | You're removing your approving PC. First make another of your PCs the approving PC ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#make-another-of-your-pcs-the-approving-pc)), then remove it from there. | | "Deleting a library is a change of its own." | Wait for any other change to the library to finish, then try **Delete for everyone** again. | | "Only a team library can be deleted for everyone." | Your personal library can't be deleted. | | "That change isn’t allowed (…)" | The member list moved on while you were making the change. Close **Manage**, open it again, check the change is still needed, and try again. If it keeps happening, email support with the exact message. | ##### Your recovery kit and keys | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Open your recovery kit to continue: choose the kit file and type its code." | Choose your kit file and type its code. | | "Choose your kit file and type its code." | Fill in both, then try again. | | "That file isn’t a PromptMason recovery kit." | Choose the kit file you saved, not another file. | | "That recovery code doesn’t look right. Check it and try again." | Check the code you typed. It has no zeros, so an O is always the letter. | | "That recovery code doesn’t open this kit." | The code and the file don't belong together. Check you have the code that came with this file. | | "This recovery kit is damaged." | Use another copy of the kit, or make a new kit from a PC you still use ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#make-another-copy)). | | "That kit isn’t for the keys on this PC. Choose the file you saved from this PC, or make a new kit." | Choose the kit you saved from this PC, or click **Lost it? Make a new kit**. | | "That recovery kit belongs to someone else." | Use your own kit. | | "That recovery kit stopped working when one of your PCs was removed. Make a new kit on a PC you still use, or ask the primary owner to reset your identity." | See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device). | | "There is no recovery kit to confirm yet." | Nothing to check: you haven't made a kit on this PC. | | "Enter your App Lock password to make a new recovery kit." | Type your **App Lock password** and try again. | | "Turn on a team library, personal sync, backups or App Lock first." | This PC has no keys yet, so there's no kit to make. You save a kit when you first turn one of these on. | | "This PC is still waiting to be approved in [library]. Make your new kit once it’s approved, so [library] gets your new keys too." | Wait for the primary owner of that library to approve this PC, then make the new kit. | | "This PC’s keys were replaced when its other copy was removed. Replace your keys on this PC first, then join again." | Click **Replace my keys**, save the new kit, then join again. | | "Your personal library comes back with your recovery kit: choose “Restore with recovery kit” instead." | See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-still-have-your-kit). | ##### Your personal library | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Your personal library can only sync to your own PCs." | To add a PC, use **Join from another PC** next to **Personal**. To share with other people, create a team library and [move items into it](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries#move-items-to-another-library). | | "This PC’s personal library already syncs to a folder." | Nothing to do. | | "Your personal library can’t be shared." | Create a team library and move the items you want to share into it. | | "Your personal library can’t be removed.", "…can’t be renamed." or "…can’t be deleted." | These only apply to team libraries. Your personal library is always called **Personal**. | ##### Roles, owners and AI apps | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "You can view this library but not change it. Ask a library owner for edit access." | You're a reader in this library. Only the primary owner changes roles, so ask them. | | "Only a library owner can restore deleted items." | Ask an owner of the library to restore it from **Recently deleted**. | | "Only a library owner can export this library." or "Only a library owner can import into this library." | Ask an owner of the library. | | "Only a library owner can change library settings." | Ask the library's primary owner. | | "This library is read-only for AI apps. An owner can change this in Settings → Libraries & sharing." | An AI app tried to change the library. Only the primary owner changes this, under **Name and AI apps** in **Manage**. | | "Too many changes from an AI app. Try again later." | The AI app reached the library's limit for the hour. Wait, or ask the primary owner to raise **Most changes an AI app can make per hour**. | | "Attachments in team libraries can be up to 25 MB." | Attach a smaller file. | #### Still stuck? Email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai) with the library's name and the exact message. #### 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 a sync message I don't understand. I'll paste the exact text. Explain what it means and walk me through fixing it. ### Notifications *Read and act on PromptMason's notifications about backups, your recovery kit, and the libraries you sync or share.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/notifications Notifications tell you when something about your backups, your recovery kit or your synced libraries needs you, or happened while you were busy. If you only use PromptMason on one PC with no backups, you'll rarely see any. #### Open Notifications Click the bell in the top-right corner of any screen. A panel slides in from the right. A red number on the bell counts the items you need to act on. ![The bell in the top-right corner with a red number counting items to act on.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/notifications-bell-with-count.webp) The panel has two parts: - **To do**: things you need to act on. Each one stays until it's dealt with, so you can come back to it later. - **Earlier**: things that were only for your information. When there's nothing at all, it says "You’re all caught up." Each item shows a title, when it happened ("just now", "5 minutes ago", "yesterday", or a date), the library it's about, a message, and its buttons. Most items also have a help link, such as **How do I approve a PC?**, which opens the matching guide in **Help**. ![The Notifications panel with two To do items, each with a title, message, buttons and a help link.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/notifications-panel-with-to-do-items.webp) #### Corner messages Information items also pop up once as a small message in the bottom-right corner. Up to three show at a time, and each one goes away after a few seconds, or when you click its **X**. You can read them again under **Earlier** in Notifications. A message you've already seen doesn't pop up again on this PC. #### Buttons Some buttons act straight away, for example **Try again**, **OK**, **Done**, **Ignore it**, **It was me** and **Re-sync**. Others open the window or Settings pane where you deal with the item, and close the panel. For example, **Review** opens the request to approve, **Open library settings** opens the library's **Manage** window in **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, and **Open backup settings** opens **Settings → Backup & data**. Two buttons ask before they act: - **Take it off this PC** asks "Take [library] off this PC? Its blocks and prompts are removed from this PC only." Click **OK** to go ahead. - **Remove that PC and skip them** asks "Remove that PC from the library and skip the changes that never arrived? The PC will need to be approved again to rejoin." Click **OK** to go ahead. If a button doesn't work, the item shows what went wrong, or "That didn’t work. Try again." Check your cloud storage app is running, then try again. [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#when-promptmason-says-it-cant-do-something) lists those messages and what to do about each. #### Every notification The primary owner is the one owner of a team library who approves PCs and removes people. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner). The **Guide** column links to the section for each item. The help link on the item in the app opens the same guide from the top. In the titles below, [library] is a library's name, [PC] is a PC shown by its code and name (for example "38C5 - Alex's laptop"), and [name] is a person. ##### Backups and your recovery kit | Title | What to do | Guide | |---|---|---| | **Your last backup didn’t finish** | Check the backup folder is there (drive plugged in, cloud storage app running), click **Open backup settings**, then **Back up now**. | [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups#if-a-backup-fails) | | **Confirm you saved your recovery kit** | Click **Check my kit**, choose the kit file you saved and type its code. | [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#if-you-havent-confirmed-yet) | | **A new recovery kit was made** | If you made it, click **It was me**. If not, click **Remove that PC**, which opens the library’s settings, and remove the PC named in the message. | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#notices-you-may-see) | | **Replace your keys** | One of your PCs was removed while it still held your keys. Click **Replace my keys** and save your new kit. | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#notices-you-may-see) | ##### Joining and approving PCs | Title | What to do | Guide | |---|---|---| | **Someone asked to join** | Click **Review**, call the person and compare the approval code before approving. | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#someone-new) | | **A member’s new PC asked to join** | Click **Review**, then **Approve**. No call is needed. | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#a-members-new-pc) | | **Is this your PC?** | A PC asked to join as someone already in the library. Click **Review**. If the code matches the one on your new PC, click **This is my PC**. If it isn't yours, click **Not mine** (or **Decline** on your approving PC); the item stays until the primary owner deals with that PC. Teammates' PCs can show this for your new PC too. | [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc) | | **A PC is waiting to be confirmed** | A PC says it belongs to someone already in the library. If it's your own new PC, click **Review**, check the code and click **This is my PC**. If it's someone else's, wait for them to confirm it. | [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#a-team-library) | | **Identity reset request** | Someone who lost every PC asks to be put back. Click **Review**, call them and compare the code, then **Reset identity**. | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-your-kit) | | **A member made a new recovery kit** | Click **Review**, then **Approve**. | [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#a-member-made-a-new-recovery-kit) | | **A request to join didn’t check out** | Click **Ignore it**. | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#other-things-you-may-see) | | **Your request was declined** | Click **OK** and ask the library's primary owner about it. | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#if-youre-the-one-joining) | ##### Removing people and PCs | Title | What to do | Guide | |---|---|---| | **Remove them from the shared folder too** | Remove the person from the folder's sharing in your cloud storage, then click **Done**. | [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#remove-them-from-the-shared-folder-too) | | **Waiting for PCs to pick up the change** | Nothing. It clears as each PC syncs. To speed it up, ask the people listed to open PromptMason. | [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#waiting-for-pcs-to-pick-up-the-change) | | **You no longer have access to this library** | Your copy is read-only. Click **Take it off this PC** when you no longer need it, or ask the primary owner if it's a mistake. | [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#notices-about-a-team-library) | ##### The library folder and syncing | Title | What to do | Guide | |---|---|---| | **Can’t reach the library folder** | Check your cloud storage app, then click **Try again**. If the folder moved, click **Choose the folder again**, then **Choose the folder again…** in the window that opens, and pick the folder where it is now. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#cant-reach-the-library-folder) | | **The library folder is read-only** | Ask whoever shared the folder for edit access, then click **Try again**. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#the-library-folder-is-read-only) | | **The library folder was empty** | If you moved the folder, click **Choose the folder again**. Otherwise click **OK**. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#the-library-folder-was-empty) | | **This isn’t the library’s folder** | Click **Open library settings** and check with the primary owner which folder is right. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#this-isnt-the-librarys-folder) | | **This PC needs to re-sync a library** | Click **Re-sync**. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#this-pc-needs-to-re-sync-a-library) | | **Changes from a PC haven’t arrived** | Open PromptMason on that PC. If the PC is gone for good, the primary owner clicks **Remove that PC and skip them**. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#changes-from-a-pc-havent-arrived) | | **Two copies of a PC are writing** | The primary owner clicks **Open library settings** and removes that PC. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#two-copies-of-a-pc-are-writing) | | **Another copy of this PC is writing** | Ask the primary owner which copy to keep, then click **Re-join with this PC** on that copy. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#another-copy-of-this-pc-is-writing) | | **The member list needs the primary owner** | Tell the primary owner; they click **Open library settings**. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#the-member-list-needs-the-primary-owner) | | **Update PromptMason** | Click **Check for updates**, then **Restart to update** when it is ready. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#update-promptmason) | ##### For your information (under Earlier) | Title | What it means | Guide | |---|---|---| | **Edited at the same time** | Someone edited an item while you did. Both versions are in History. Click **Open** to see the item. | — | | **[name] deleted [library]** or **You deleted [library]** | The primary owner deleted a team library for everyone. It has been, or will be, taken off each member's PC. | [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#delete-a-library-for-everyone) | | **Identity reset** | The primary owner put a member back after they lost every PC. | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#notices-you-may-see) | | **A change wasn’t applied** | A change from someone wasn't used, because their role doesn't allow it or the item is in another library on this PC. | [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#notices-about-a-team-library) | | **Some changes weren’t shared** | Some of your changes stayed on this PC. The message says why. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#some-changes-werent-shared) or, after this PC was removed, [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#what-the-removed-person-sees) | | **A PC’s clock looks wrong** | That PC's clock is wrong, so its saves win when two people edit the same item. On that PC, set Windows to set the time automatically. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#a-pcs-clock-looks-wrong) | | **Paused until tomorrow** | This PC wrote a very large amount today. It carries on by itself tomorrow. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#paused-until-tomorrow) | | **Unexpected files in the library folder** | Keep other files out of the library folder. Nothing is lost. | [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#unexpected-files-in-the-library-folder) | | **Something in the library folder was ignored** | PromptMason didn't trust a file in the folder and ignored it. The library keeps working. | [How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe](https://promptmason.ai/docs/security-overview#something-in-the-library-folder-was-ignored) | The exact message for each item is in [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems). #### 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: > I have a notification in PromptMason I'm not sure about. I'll paste its title and message. Tell me what it means and walk me through what to click. ## Privacy, security and recovery ### Privacy, security and recovery *Where your data is kept, how it is protected, when anything leaves your PC, and what to do if you lose a PC.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-security-recovery This section explains where your library is kept, how it is protected, when anything leaves your PC, and what to do if a PC or your recovery kit is lost. The ideas to know first: - **Your library stays on your PC.** It isn't stored on a PromptMason server, and you don't need an account to use it. Text leaves your PC only when you take an action that sends it somewhere, such as running AI with a cloud provider. - **Its text is encrypted on disk.** The key is unlocked by your Windows account, so there is no password to type. Names, tags and folder names stay readable so search works. - **App Lock** puts a password on PromptMason's window. It's off to start with, and it locks the window only. - **The recovery kit** is a spare copy of your keys: one file and a code. You need it only if you lose every PC you use. Start with [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview), which lists everything that can leave your PC and the settings that control it. [How your data is protected on this PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc) explains what is and isn't encrypted. If a PC goes missing, go straight to [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device). #### 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: > I want to understand how PromptMason protects my data. Explain in plain words what stays on my PC, what can leave it, how App Lock and the recovery kit work, and which guide to read first. ### Privacy in PromptMason *Where your library is kept, when anything leaves your PC, and the settings that keep private work private.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview PromptMason keeps your library on your PC. Your blocks, prompts, documents, variables and chats aren't stored on a PromptMason server, and you don't need an account to use them. Your text leaves your PC only when you take an action that sends it somewhere: running an AI feature with a cloud provider, connecting an AI agent, typing into a website, or choosing a folder to sync or back up to. This page explains each of those, so you can decide what to share, with whom, and when. #### What stays on your PC - **Your library.** Blocks, prompts, documents, variables, comments, expected output and attachments are saved on this PC. Their text is encrypted on disk and unlocked by your Windows account. See [How your data is protected on this PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc) for what is and isn't encrypted. - **Your chats.** Chats are saved on this PC only, encrypted. They aren't synced to your other PCs, and they aren't in exports or backups. - **Your AI keys.** Keys you add for an AI provider are stored encrypted on this PC and are never exported. - **A record of your AI use.** PromptMason keeps a log of each AI run (when, which provider and model, and how many tokens), without your text, on this PC. See [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy). PromptMason has no analytics, usage tracking or crash reporting. It checks updates.promptmason.ai for new versions, which receives none of your text. #### When something leaves your PC Nothing in this list happens unless you set it up or start it. | What you do | What leaves your PC | Where it goes | |---|---|---| | Run AI assist, Evaluate or Chat with a **cloud provider** | The text you're working on, your instruction, and PromptMason's instructions for the task. For Chat, the conversation, anything the chat reads from your library, and the parts of PromptMason's guides it looks up to answer a question about using PromptMason. | That provider (for example OpenAI or Anthropic), under its own terms. | | Use the **local model** | None of your text. The model runs on this PC. Downloading it fetches the model file from PromptMason's download server, which receives no text from you. | Stays on this PC. | | Connect an **AI agent** (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code) through PromptMason's [MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server) | What the agent reads from your library, at the level you allow. | The agent's own service, under its terms. | | Use the **Chrome extension** | Nothing goes online. The extension talks only to PromptMason on this PC. | Stays on this PC, until you paste a prompt somewhere. | | Type into a **web tab**, or use **Run in this tab** | What you type or insert into the site. | That website. | | **Sync** a library to your other PCs or a team | Encrypted, signed files. | The folder you choose, in cloud storage you already use. The storage company can't read what's inside them. | | Turn on **backups** | Encrypted backup files. | The folder you choose. | | **Export** your library | A file with your library in plain, readable form. | Wherever you save it. | | Enter a **license key** | When you activate it: the key, a random ID for this PC, and this PC's name. When PromptMason starts and every 24 hours after that: the key, the random ID and the reference the service gave this PC when you activated, to check the key is still valid. | The license service run by our payment provider, Polar. Your library is never part of it. A PC with no key makes no checks. See [How your license is checked](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#how-your-license-is-checked). | #### Choosing what to share with AI You can use cloud AI providers as much as you like. When a block or prompt holds something private, such as client names, figures or contract terms, these habits keep you in control: 1. **Use the local model for private text.** It works offline once it's downloaded, and none of your text leaves your PC. Pick it in the **Model** list for that run, or make it your **Default AI provider**. See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model). 2. **Check before you send.** **Evaluate → Privacy** looks for personal, financial or confidential details. Run it with the local model so the check itself stays on your PC. See [Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate). 3. **Keep private values in variables.** Write `{{client name}}` in the block and fill the value in when you copy. AI assist then sees the variable's name, not its value. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). 4. **Decide whether your other blocks go along.** **Use my own blocks as examples** is off at first. If you turn it on, AI assist with a cloud provider sends a few of your other blocks of the same type as examples. Leave it off, or turn it off again, with **Use my own blocks as examples** in **Settings → AI & connected apps → AI assist instructions**. See [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy#send-less-with-ai-assist). 5. **Read the line under a chat's header.** It says whether that chat stays on this computer or which provider its messages go to. See [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat). 6. **Set what AI agents can do.** **Settings → AI & connected apps → What connected apps can do** offers **Full access** (the setting at first), **Read-only** or **Off**, and Chat with a cloud provider follows the same setting. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). What a provider or website does with your text after it arrives is decided by that provider's terms, not by PromptMason. Check them for the services you use. #### Privacy settings at a glance | Setting | Where | What it does | |---|---|---| | **Local model (private)** | Settings → AI & connected apps | AI assist, Evaluate and Chat with none of your text sent from your PC. | | **Default AI provider** | Settings → AI & connected apps | Which provider a new run or chat starts with. | | **Use my own blocks as examples** | Settings → AI & connected apps → AI assist instructions | Whether AI assist sends some of your other blocks with a cloud request. | | **Preview what's sent** | Settings → AI & connected apps → AI assist instructions | Shows exactly what goes to the model for a task. | | **What connected apps can do** | Settings → AI & connected apps | **Full access**, **Read-only** or **Off** for AI agents, the Chrome extension and Chat's library tools. | | **What AI apps can do in** a team library | Settings → Libraries & sharing → Manage → **Name and AI apps** (primary owner) | Limits what AI agents and Chat can see and change in that library. It doesn't limit a member's own AI assist or Evaluate. | | **Regenerate API token** / **Regenerate extension token** | Settings → AI & connected apps | Cuts off an agent or extension you no longer trust. | | **App Lock** | Settings → Privacy & security | Locks PromptMason's window with a password. | | **Remember values on this computer** | Settings → Privacy & security | Whether PromptMason remembers the values you type for variables that ask each time. | | **Delete all chats**, **Browsing history**, **Clear browsing data** | Settings → Chat | Remove chats and what web tabs keep. | | **Clear activity** | Settings → AI & connected apps | Deletes the record of AI runs. | | **Delete forever** | Archive → Recently deleted | Removes an item from this PC now instead of after 30 days. | #### What this approach means for you Because your library lives on your PC: - **You decide where copies of your library exist.** Apart from text you send to a provider, agent or website, your library is on this PC, in folders you choose for sync or backups, and in files you export. - **You choose the AI for each task.** The same prompt can go to the local model one time and a cloud provider the next. A provider receives only what that feature sends, as listed above. - **Much of your work doesn't need the internet.** Writing blocks, building and copying prompts, and the local model all work offline. - **Your library isn't tied to an account.** **Export everything** saves your personal library to a file you can keep or import on another PC. See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). #### Where PromptMason's protection ends - **Text you send to a provider, agent or website** is handled under that service's terms. - **Exported files aren't encrypted.** Keep them somewhere only you can open, or delete them when you're done. - **Names aren't encrypted.** Names, types, tags, folder names and dates are stored as plain text on this PC, so search works. - **App Lock locks the window, not the library.** While PromptMason is locked, connected AI agents and the Chrome extension can still reach your library at the level you allow. To stop them, set **What connected apps can do** to **Off**. See [Lock PromptMason with a password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock). - **Anyone with access to your Windows account** can open PromptMason as you, unless App Lock is on. #### More detail - [How your data is protected on this PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc) - [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy) - [How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe](https://promptmason.ai/docs/security-overview), for sync, team libraries and backups - [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access) #### 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: > I work with confidential material and want to use PromptMason without exposing it. Explain what PromptMason keeps on my PC, when my text leaves it, and which settings I should use for sensitive work. ### How your data is protected on this PC *What PromptMason encrypts on your PC, what it leaves readable so search works, and why the data folder can't be copied to another PC.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc PromptMason encrypts your library on your PC's disk. Encrypted means scrambled so that it can only be read with a key. This happens on its own: there's no setting to turn on and no password to type. This page is about your library on this PC. For when anything leaves the PC, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). For libraries that sync or back up, see [How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe](https://promptmason.ai/docs/security-overview). #### What's encrypted - The text of your blocks, prompts and Markdown documents, and every earlier version in their history - The values of your variables - Comments - Expected output and the files attached to it - Your chats and your web tabs' browsing history - Your AI provider keys and your license key - The values PromptMason remembers for variables that ask each time (see [Remember values on this computer](#remember-values-on-this-computer)) #### What isn't encrypted, and why Some details are left readable so that search, filters and sorting stay fast: - names of blocks, prompts, documents and variables - types - tags - folders and how they're arranged - dates (when something was made or changed) - descriptions of prompts and variables - the names of attached files - which blocks a prompt uses - the address of **Your own AI server**, if you set one up (your AI provider keys are encrypted) - your web-tab bookmarks (names and addresses) - the list of web tabs you have open (their addresses and titles). The pages in your browsing history are encrypted; the tabs open right now aren't. The record of when you used AI assist isn't encrypted either. It never holds the text that was sent or returned. It's part of export files (which aren't encrypted) and of backups (which are). So someone who could open PromptMason's files on your PC could see that you have a prompt named "Quarterly report summary" in a folder called "Finance", but not the prompt's text. #### Unlocked by your Windows account The key that unlocks your library is protected by Windows. It opens only when you're signed in to this PC with the same Windows account you used when PromptMason first set it up. That's why you never type a password for it. This protects your library from someone who copies PromptMason's files, takes the drive out of the PC, or signs in to the PC with a different Windows account. It doesn't protect against someone using your PC while you're signed in to Windows. To guard against that, lock your PC when you step away, and turn on App Lock if other people can use it ([Lock PromptMason with a password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock)). #### Copying the data folder doesn't work Because the key belongs to your Windows account on this PC, PromptMason's data folder can't be copied to another PC, or to another Windows account on the same PC. PromptMason can't read it there and shows **Could not load workspace data** instead of your library. Your data isn't lost: it's still readable on the original PC and account. To move your library, use one of these instead: - **Export and import:** export everything on the old PC, then import the file on the new one ([Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import#move-to-a-new-pc)). This moves your personal library. You join team libraries from the new PC ([Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#a-team-library)). - **Sync:** keep your personal library on both PCs ([Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc)). - **A backup:** restore your personal library from one of your backups on the new PC, using your recovery kit to open it ([Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups#restore-a-backup)). If you already copied the folder and see **Could not load workspace data**, see [Troubleshooting](https://promptmason.ai/docs/troubleshooting). #### When your library leaves this PC - **An exported file isn't encrypted.** Anyone who opens it can read everything in it. Keep it somewhere only you can open ([Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import#keep-the-file-somewhere-safe)). - **Backups and synced libraries are locked.** Only the PCs approved for a library, or your recovery kit, can open them ([How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe](https://promptmason.ai/docs/security-overview)). - **AI features send what you ask them to.** When you use AI assist, Evaluate or Chat with a cloud provider, the text goes to that provider. With the local model, none of your text leaves your PC. See [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy). #### Remember values on this computer When a variable asks for its value each time you copy or run a prompt, PromptMason can remember the last five values you typed for it, so you can pick one again. These values stay on this PC, encrypted. They are never exported, backed up or synced. This is on to start with. To turn it off: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Turn off the switch next to **Remember values on this computer**. ![The Remember values on this computer row with its switch turned on.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/data-on-this-pc-remember-values-switch.webp) Turning it off forgets every remembered value straight away. There's no confirmation, and they can't be brought back. Turn it on again to start remembering new values. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) for variables that ask each time. #### What’s protected The app has a short summary of this page: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Next to **What’s protected**, click **Show**. ![The What's protected row opened to show Content encryption, Network and Connected apps.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/data-on-this-pc-whats-protected-expanded.webp) It lists three items: **Content encryption**, **Network** and **Connected apps**. In short: - **Content encryption:** your prompts, blocks, variables, notes (comments) and attachments are encrypted on disk, with a key that only your Windows account can unlock. The list [above](#whats-encrypted) is fuller: it also covers chats, browsing history, keys and more. - **Network:** PromptMason keeps your library on this computer. Text leaves it when you send it to an AI provider, to an AI agent you connect, or as encrypted files to a folder you choose for sync or backups. [When something leaves your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview#when-something-leaves-your-pc) lists every case. - **Connected apps:** AI agents and the Chrome extension each need their own token, a kind of password made for them, before they can read or change anything ([Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access)). Click **Hide** to close it. ##### What can leave your PC PromptMason doesn't upload your library to a PromptMason server. Text leaves your PC when you take an action that sends it. Running AI assist, Evaluate or Chat with a cloud provider sends it to that provider. Connecting an AI agent sends it to the agent's service. Typing into a web tab sends it to that website. Choosing a folder for sync or backups puts encrypted files in that folder. If you've entered a license key, the license service run by our payment provider, Polar, also receives the key and a random ID for this PC, and this PC's name when you activate the key. It never receives your library. [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview#when-something-leaves-your-pc) lists each case. #### 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: > Explain in plain words how PromptMason protects my prompts on my PC, what someone with access to my computer could still see, and how I should move my library to a new PC. ### Lock PromptMason with a password *Turn on App Lock, choose when PromptMason locks itself, lock it now, and change or remove the password.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock App Lock puts a password on PromptMason's window. When it's locked, the window shows only the lock screen, with none of your library in view, until someone types the password. It's off to start with. App Lock is a screen lock. Your library is encrypted on disk whether App Lock is on or off ([How your data is protected on this PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc)). App Lock stops someone who sits down at your unlocked PC from opening PromptMason. App Lock locks the window only. While PromptMason is locked, connected AI agents, the Chrome extension and Chat's library tools can still reach your library, at the level set in **What connected apps can do** ([Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access)). To stop them, set it to **Off**. #### Turn on App Lock 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Next to **App Lock**, click **Enable App Lock**. 3. Under **Set a password**, type a password of at least 4 characters in the first box. ![The App Lock row with two password boxes and Enable and Cancel buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/app-lock-set-a-password-form.webp) 4. Type it again in the second box. 5. Click **Enable**. 6. The first time, **Save your recovery kit** appears. Save the kit file, write down the code, type its last 4 characters, then click **I’ve saved my kit**. The kit is how you get back in if you forget your password. See [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit). If you already saved a kit on this PC, for backups or a library, you don't see this step. To stop without changing anything, click **Cancel**. When it worked, PromptMason locks straight away and shows the lock screen. If you had already unlocked PromptMason earlier in the same session, it locks the next time it starts instead. Type your new password and click **Unlock**. See [Unlock PromptMason](#unlock-promptmason). Back in **Privacy & security**, **App Lock** shows **Password set** and "A password is set. The app will lock on next launch and after the inactivity timer below." Choose a password you'll remember. If you forget it, you need your recovery kit to get back in (see [If you forget your password](#if-you-forget-your-password)). | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Passwords do not match." | Type the same password in both boxes, then click **Enable** again. | | "Password must be at least 4 characters." | Choose a longer password. | #### Choose when it locks With App Lock on, PromptMason always locks when it starts. It can also lock itself when you haven't used it for a while. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Under **App Lock**, open the **Auto-lock after** list. 3. Choose **Never**, **5 minutes**, **15 minutes**, **30 minutes** or **1 hour**. ![The App Lock row after a password is set, with Auto-lock after, Lock now, Change password and Disable buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/app-lock-enabled-row.webp) The time counts from the last time you clicked, typed, scrolled or touched the screen in PromptMason's window. Moving the mouse alone doesn't count. With **Never** (the starting choice), PromptMason locks only when it starts, or when you lock it yourself. #### Lock it now 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Under **App Lock**, click **Lock now**. PromptMason locks straight away. #### Unlock PromptMason The lock screen says **PromptMason is locked** and "Enter your password to unlock this session." ![The lock screen reading PromptMason is locked, with a password box, an Unlock button and a Forgot password? link.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/app-lock-lock-screen.webp) 1. Type your password in the box. 2. Click **Unlock**, or press Enter. If you see "Incorrect password.", the box clears. Type the password again, checking that Caps Lock is off. If you see "Could not verify password.", try again. If it keeps happening, close PromptMason and open it again. #### Change your password 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Under **App Lock**, click **Change password**. 3. Type the new password in the first box, and again in the second. 4. Click **Save**. You see "Password changed." If you see "New passwords do not match.", type the same password in both boxes and click **Save** again. If you see "Password must be at least 4 characters.", choose a longer password. To stop without changing anything, click **Cancel**. Changing the password doesn't ask for the current one. Anyone using PromptMason while it's unlocked could change it. Lock PromptMason, or your PC, when you step away. #### Turn off App Lock Turning it off asks for your current password. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Privacy & security**. 2. Under **App Lock**, click **Disable**. 3. Under **Disable App Lock**, type your current password. 4. Click **Disable**. To stop without changing anything, click **Cancel** instead. You see "App Lock disabled." From then on, anyone who can use your PC can open PromptMason. If you see "Password is incorrect", type your current password again. If you've forgotten it, see [If you forget your password](#if-you-forget-your-password). #### If you forget your password Your recovery kit gets you back in. You need both the kit file and its code. 1. On the lock screen, click **Forgot password?** 2. Under **Your recovery kit file**, choose your kit file. 3. Under **Its code**, type the code. Capital or small letters both work, and spaces don't matter. 4. Type a new password under **New password**, and again under **Type it again**. 5. Click **Unlock**. PromptMason unlocks, and the new password is the one that works from now on. To go back to the password box instead, click **Back**. | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "That recovery code doesn’t open this kit." | Check the code against the one you wrote down. The code has no zeros, so an O is always the letter. | | "That kit isn’t for the keys on this PC…" | Choose the kit file you saved from this PC. If you made a new kit since, use the newest one. | | "That file isn’t a PromptMason recovery kit." | Choose the kit file, named like `PromptMason-recovery-kit-….json`. | | "Passwords do not match." | Type the same new password in both boxes. | If you've lost your kit too, there's no way back into PromptMason on this PC. Forgetting the password doesn't damage or delete anything, but nobody can unlock it for you, PromptMason included. #### Other things to know - **Recovery kit:** while App Lock is on, making a new recovery kit asks for your App Lock password ([Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit)). - **Export and import:** your App Lock password is never in an exported file. Importing a file never turns App Lock on or off or changes its password. When App Lock is on here, **Replace everything from a file** does take the **Auto-lock after** time from the file, so check it afterwards. See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). - **Each PC has its own lock.** App Lock doesn't sync. Turn it on separately on each PC where you want it. #### 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: > I share my PC and want to lock PromptMason with a password. Walk me through turning on “App Lock” and choosing when it locks itself. ### Your recovery kit *What your recovery kit is, when PromptMason asks you to save one, where to keep it, and what to do if you lose it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit Your recovery kit is a spare copy of your keys: one file and a 32-character code. Your PCs already hold your keys, so you'll only need the kit if you ever lose every PC you use PromptMason on, or forget your App Lock password ([If you forget your password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock#if-you-forget-your-password)). It's insurance. You save it once and, with luck, never use it. You need both the file and the code. Either one on its own opens nothing. #### When PromptMason asks you to save one Only once, the first time you turn on one of these: - automatic backups ([Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups)) - your personal library on your other PCs ([Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc)) - creating or joining your first team library ([Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries)) - App Lock ([Lock PromptMason with a password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock)) After that, PromptMason never asks for your kit in normal work. You don't need it to create, share or join a library, to add a PC that one of your other PCs can confirm, to accept a teammate, or to make another copy of the kit. If you only use PromptMason on one PC and don't turn on any of these, you never see a kit at all. #### Save your kit When the **Save your recovery kit** step appears: ![The Save your recovery kit window with the kit file saved, the code shown, its last four characters typed and the I've saved my kit button ready.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/recovery-kit-saved-and-checked.webp) 1. Click **Save kit file…** and choose where to save the file, for example a USB stick. You see **Saved** when it's done. 2. Write down the code shown under **2. Write down the code**, or click **Copy** and paste it into your password manager. It's shown only now, and PromptMason doesn't keep a copy. The code has no zeros, so an O is always the letter. 3. Under **3. To check you wrote it down**, type the last 4 characters of the code. Capital or small letters both work. 4. Click **I’ve saved my kit**. If you see "Save the kit file first (step 1).", do step 1 before clicking **I’ve saved my kit**. If you see "That doesn’t match the last 4 characters of the code. Check step 3 and try again.", check what you wrote down against the code on screen. If you see "The kit file couldn’t be saved there. Try another place.", click **Save kit file…** again and pick another place. #### Where to keep it Keep the file and the code somewhere safe, away from this PC. A good choice is the file on a USB stick in a drawer and the code in your password manager. Keep them in different places: someone who has both can act as you, the same as someone who has your unlocked PC. Don't keep the only copy on the PC itself. If you lose the PC, you lose the kit with it. #### If you haven't confirmed yet If you closed the **Save your recovery kit** step before clicking **I’ve saved my kit**, Notifications (the bell in the top-right corner) shows **Confirm you saved your recovery kit**. This checks the kit you already saved; it doesn't make a new one. 1. Click the bell, then **Check my kit**. The **Confirm you saved your recovery kit** window opens over **Settings → Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Your recovery kit file**, choose the recovery kit file you saved. 3. Under **Its code**, type its code. 4. Click **Check my kit**. PromptMason opens the kit to make sure it's the right one. Nothing is saved or changed, and the reminder goes away. ![The Confirm you saved your recovery kit window with a file box, a code box and a Check my kit button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/recovery-kit-confirm-window.webp) The **Recovery kit** row in **Settings → Libraries & sharing** then says "Saved. You’ll only need it if you lose every PC you use PromptMason on." (with App Lock on: "…if you forget your App Lock password or lose every PC you use PromptMason on.") Until then it says "You haven’t confirmed you saved it yet." If the check fails: | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "Choose your kit file and type its code." | Fill in both, then click **Check my kit**. | | "That file isn’t a PromptMason recovery kit." | Choose the kit file you saved, not another file. | | "That recovery code doesn’t look right. Check it and try again." | Check the code you typed. It has no zeros. | | "That recovery code doesn’t open this kit." | The code doesn't belong to this file. Check you have the code you wrote down with it. | | "This recovery kit is damaged." | Use another copy of the kit, or make a new one (below). | | "That kit isn’t for the keys on this PC. Choose the file you saved from this PC, or make a new kit." | You picked a kit from somewhere else. Choose the one you saved from this PC, or make a new one (below). | If you've lost the file or the code: 1. In the same window, click **Lost it? Make a new kit**. The window becomes **Make another recovery kit**. 2. If App Lock is on, type your **App Lock password**. 3. Click **Make a copy**. 4. Follow the steps under [Save your kit](#save-your-kit). Any kit you saved before keeps working too. #### Make another copy If you've misplaced the file but still have a working PC: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. In the **Recovery kit** row, click **Make another kit**. ![The Recovery kit row saying the kit is saved, with a Make another kit button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/recovery-kit-settings-row-saved.webp) 3. If App Lock is on, type your **App Lock password**. **Make a copy** stays grayed out until you type it. (If the password is wrong, PromptMason says "Enter your App Lock password to make a new recovery kit.") 4. Click **Make a copy**. 5. Follow the steps under [Save your kit](#save-your-kit). The copy has its own code. Your other kits keep working, and nothing else changes. If the kit may be in someone else's hands, don't make a copy. Click **Advanced** at the bottom of **Libraries & sharing**, then **My kit was stolen**. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#your-recovery-kit-was-stolen) for the steps. #### A member made a new recovery kit If you're the primary owner of a team library, Notifications may show **A member made a new recovery kit**: "[name] made a new recovery kit on [PC] and needs one click to use it here." A member replaced their keys, for example after their kit was stolen or one of their PCs was removed, and the library needs to take their new keys. 1. Click **Review**. 2. Check the name and PC are ones you expect. If the window adds "One of their PCs was removed while it still held their keys", approving also locks that PC out for good. 3. Click **Approve**. If you didn't expect it, click **Decline** and check with the member first. On a PC that isn't the library's approving PC, the window says "Approve this from [PC], the PC that approves changes to who is in [library]." and has only **Close**. Go to that PC. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#your-approving-pc) for how to find it. It's one click, with no call, because the request came from one of the member's own approved PCs. See also [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device#a-member-made-a-new-recovery-kit). #### When you'd use it Only in recovery, when your own PCs can't help: - **You lost every PC.** On a new PC, **Restore with recovery kit** brings your libraries back. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-still-have-your-kit). - **You're opening a backup on a PC that has never held your keys**, such as a brand-new PC. See [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups#restore-a-backup). - **You're a primary owner and your approving PC is lost or broken.** The kit makes another of your PCs the approving one. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#if-your-approving-pc-is-lost-or-broken). #### If you lose every PC and the kit - **Team libraries:** the library's primary owner can put you back, with the same name and role, after a quick call. See [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#you-lost-every-pc-and-your-kit). If you're the library's primary owner, nobody can put you back. Another owner of the library can export it and start a new one ([The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#if-the-primary-owner-is-unexpectedly-away)). - **Your personal library:** it can't be recovered. Nobody else can open it, PromptMason included. That's why PromptMason asks you to save the kit before your personal library leaves this PC. #### 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: > I'm saving my PromptMason recovery kit. Explain in plain words what it's for, then help me decide where to keep the kit file and its code so they're safe and I can find them if I ever lose every PC I use PromptMason on. ### Lost or stolen PC or kit *What to do if you lose a PC, lose every PC, lose your recovery kit, or your kit is stolen.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device Find your situation below. Nothing here has a waiting period: each step takes effect as soon as it's done. Your PCs hold your keys, and your recovery kit is their spare copy. A lost or stolen PC still holds your keys, so until it's removed, whoever can get into it can act as you in your libraries. Windows sign-in and PromptMason's App Lock protect it, but act quickly. #### One PC was lost or stolen You still have another PC. Removing the lost PC also replaces your keys, because that's the only way to lock it out for good. Your other PCs carry on as normal. You save a new recovery kit, and the old one stops working. **Your personal library, and team libraries where you're the primary owner:** 1. On your approving PC, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. If the lost PC *was* your approving PC, first make this PC the approving one with your recovery kit. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#if-your-approving-pc-is-lost-or-broken). 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library. 3. Find the lost PC by its code and name (for example "21A6 - Alex's desktop") and click **Remove this PC**. 4. Click **Remove and replace keys**. 5. The **Replace your keys** window opens. If App Lock is on, type your **App Lock password**. Click **Replace my keys**. ![The Replace your keys window with a Replace my keys button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/lost-device-replace-your-keys-window.webp) 6. Save your new recovery kit and click **I’ve saved my kit** ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#save-your-kit)). **Team libraries someone else leads:** 1. Ask the library's primary owner to remove the lost PC. See [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone#remove-one-pc) for how they do it. 2. On a PC you still have, Notifications (the bell in the top-right corner) then shows **Replace your keys**. Click **Replace my keys**. In the **Replace your keys** window, type your **App Lock password** if App Lock is on, click **Replace my keys**, and save your new recovery kit. 3. Each library's primary owner approves your new keys with one click. **If the lost PC is in more than one library,** have it removed from all of them first, then replace your keys once. PromptMason offers to replace your keys after each removal you make. Click **Cancel** until the last one. The **Replace your keys** item stays in Notifications. If the PC is removed from a library after you've replaced your keys, PromptMason asks you to replace them again. #### You lost every PC and still have your kit On your new PC: 1. Install PromptMason and open it. 2. Make sure each library's folder is on this PC in your cloud storage, and kept on this PC ([how](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#keep-the-whole-folder-on-every-pc)). 3. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 4. In the **Recovery kit** row, click **Restore with recovery kit** (next to "Setting up a new PC after losing your others?"). The **Restore with your recovery kit** window opens. 5. Under **Your recovery kit file**, choose your kit file, and under **Its code**, type the code. ![The Restore with your recovery kit window with a kit file box, a code box, a folder chooser and a Restore button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/lost-device-restore-with-recovery-kit-window.webp) 6. Under **The library’s folder**, click **Choose folder…** and pick the library's folder. 7. For a team library, paste its invite under **Restoring a team library? Its invite**. 8. Click **Restore**. - **Your personal library, and team libraries where you're the primary owner:** "You’re back in. The library is syncing to this PC now." This PC becomes your approving PC. - **Team libraries someone else leads:** "Your recovery kit proved it’s you." The primary owner approves this PC with one click. After the first library, this PC holds your keys, so **Restore with recovery kit** isn't offered again. For each of your other libraries: - **A team library:** click **Join a team library**, paste its invite, click **Next**, choose its folder, click **Next**, and choose **Yes, this is another of my PCs**. Click **Lost your other PCs? Use your recovery kit instead**, choose your kit file and type its code, then click **Ask to join**. The result is the same as above: you're straight back in where you're the primary owner, and elsewhere the primary owner approves you with one click. - **Your personal library:** under **Libraries**, find **Personal** and click **Join from another PC**. Click **Lost your other PCs? Restore with your recovery kit instead** and follow steps 5, 6 and 8. You can also bring your personal library back from a backup: see [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups#restore-a-backup). Then remove your lost PCs from each library, as described [above](#one-pc-was-lost-or-stolen). They still hold your keys. #### You lost every PC and your kit **Team libraries:** the primary owner can put you back, with the same name and role, after a quick call. 1. Install PromptMason on your new PC, and make sure the library's shared folder is on it. 2. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**, then **Join a team library**. 3. Paste the library's invite (ask the primary owner for it) and click **Next**. 4. Click **Choose folder…**, pick the library's folder, and click **Next**. 5. Choose **Yes, but I’ve lost every PC I used it on**. 6. Type **Your name, as your team knows you**. 7. Click **Ask to join**, and save the new recovery kit PromptMason makes for you. 8. **Your approval code** appears. Ask the primary owner to call you. **What the primary owner does:** 1. In Notifications, find **Identity reset request** and click **Review**. The window is titled **Reset identity**, or **Reset [name]’s identity** when the request already names the member. 2. Call the person, on a number you already know is theirs, and check the approval code on their screen matches the one in the window. 3. If the window shows **Who is this?**, choose the member you spoke to (it's suggested from the name they gave). 4. Click **Reset identity**. They're back straight away, with the same name and role. Their old PCs are removed from the library, every owner is told, and History marks their edits from then on with "Identity reset on [date]". If they chose **No, I’m new here** by mistake, the request shows as **Someone asked to join**: click **Review**, then **Reset identity**, and follow the same steps. The primary owner can't be reset this way. If you're the primary owner and you lost every PC and your kit, another owner of the library exports it and starts a new team library ([The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#if-the-primary-owner-is-unexpectedly-away)). **Your personal library can't be recovered.** Nobody else can open it, PromptMason included. If you have a backup, it needs your kit too. #### You lost your recovery kit If you still have a working PC and nobody else could have the kit, make a copy: **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, **Make another kit**. See [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit#make-another-copy). If you're not sure where it went, treat it as stolen (below). #### Your recovery kit was stolen If someone may have the kit file *and* its code: 1. On a PC you still use, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Click **Advanced** at the bottom of the pane, then **My kit was stolen**. ![The My kit was stolen row in Advanced with a Replace my kit button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/lost-device-my-kit-was-stolen-row.webp) 3. If App Lock is on, type your **App Lock password**. 4. Click **Replace my kit**. 5. Save your new recovery kit and click **I’ve saved my kit**. The old kit stops working straight away for anything new. Your other PCs are told. Libraries where you're the primary owner take your new keys at once; in other team libraries, the primary owner approves the change with one click. Backups made before you replaced the kit still open with the old kit. Treat them as readable by whoever has it, and let new backups replace them. #### Notices you may see - **A new recovery kit was made:** "A new recovery kit was made on [PC] on [date]; the old kit no longer works. If that wasn’t you, remove that PC from your libraries now." If it was you, click **It was me**. If not, click **Remove that PC** and follow [One PC was lost or stolen](#one-pc-was-lost-or-stolen). - **Replace your keys:** one of your PCs was removed while it still held your keys. Click **Replace my keys** and save your new kit. If that PC was in other libraries, ask their primary owners to remove it there too. - **Identity reset:** "[owner] reset [name]’s identity onto a new PC, [PC], on [date]." The primary owner put a member back after they lost every PC. If you're an owner and didn't expect it, check with the primary owner. - **"That recovery kit stopped working when one of your PCs was removed."** The kit you used was replaced. Use the newest kit you saved, make a new kit on a PC you still use, or ask the primary owner to reset your identity. #### Someone may have copied your PC's disk If PromptMason says two copies of one PC are writing, and you don't recognize the other copy, treat it like a stolen PC. See [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#two-copies-of-a-pc-are-writing). #### 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: > I lost my laptop. Walk me through what to do in PromptMason to lock it out of my libraries and get back to work. ### How PromptMason keeps your libraries safe *What PromptMason protects when your libraries sync or back up, and what it doesn't, in plain words.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/security-overview If you only use PromptMason on one PC, your library stays on that PC. This page is about what changes when a library leaves the PC: when it syncs to your other PCs or your team, or when you turn on backups. For how libraries work day to day, see [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). For everything else that can leave your PC, such as AI features, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). #### How it works A library that syncs uses a folder in cloud storage you already have, such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox. No PromptMason server holds your libraries, and there's no PromptMason account. We never see your libraries. Every PC keeps its own full copy of the library and works from it, even offline. Changes travel through the folder, locked before they leave the PC. #### What PromptMason protects - **Only your library's members can read it.** What's in the library is locked with a key that only the library's approved PCs hold. Your cloud storage company, someone the folder was shared with by mistake, or anyone who copies the folder sees files they can't read. - **Every edit is signed and checked.** Each PC signs what it writes, and every other PC checks it before using it. A change that was altered, or that comes from a PC that isn't in the library, is ignored, and the rest of the library keeps working. - **You approve every PC.** Nobody joins a team library, and no PC is added, unless the primary owner approves it. For someone new, the primary owner first compares an approval code with them. See [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device). Nobody can join as an existing member without one of that member's own PCs, their recovery kit, or the primary owner's check. - **Removed people are locked out of new work.** When someone is removed, the library switches to a new key. People you remove can't read edits made after every PC has picked up the change. See [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone). - **History shows who made each version.** Names come from the library's own member list, never from the change itself. A ✓ means the edit came from a PC proven to be that person's; "via AI app" means an AI app made it. - **Backups are locked too.** Only you can open them ([Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups)). #### Where your keys are Your PCs hold your keys, protected by Windows the same way as your other saved sign-ins. Your [recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit) is a spare copy, one file and a code, for when you've lost every PC. Your keys are never in the folder in a form anyone else can use. Your settings, your AI assist key and your AI activity log never sync at all. #### What it doesn't protect against - **Someone at your unlocked PC.** Whoever is at your unlocked, signed-in PC is you, as with your email. Lock your PC when you step away, and turn on App Lock if others use it (**Settings → Privacy & security → Enable App Lock**). If a PC is lost or stolen, remove it straight away ([Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device)). - **Harmful software on an approved PC.** It can do anything that PC's user can do. - **What someone already has.** Removing a person stops new changes reaching them; it doesn't take back what they could already read, copy or export. - **Seeing the shape of the library.** Anyone with access to the folder can see that the library exists and how it's made up: how many files, PCs and members there are, each member's role, which PCs belong to the same person, when PCs joined or were removed, when each PC is busy, and roughly how big each change is. They can't see what's in it, members' names or its settings. The library's name is locked inside the files, but the folder PromptMason makes is called "PromptMason - [library name]", so anyone who can see the folder sees that name. - **Holding files back.** Someone who controls the folder can delete files or stop them syncing. PromptMason notices missing changes and puts back what it can, but it can't force your cloud storage to deliver. - **Checking who a person really is.** The approval-code call proves the PC you approve is the one in front of the person you're talking to. Call them on a number you already know is theirs. - **The primary owner being unexpectedly away.** Only the primary owner approves PCs, removes people and changes settings. If they're away without handing the role over, those things wait until they're back; editing carries on ([The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner)). - **Losing everything.** If you lose every PC *and* your recovery kit, your personal library can't be recovered. Nobody else can open it, PromptMason included. In a team library, the primary owner can put you back after a quick call. If you're the primary owner, nobody can put you back: another owner exports the library and starts a new one ([The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner#if-the-primary-owner-is-unexpectedly-away)). #### AI apps and team libraries An AI app you connect to PromptMason (a connected app) reads and changes your libraries through PromptMason. In a team library, the primary owner decides for everyone what AI apps can do: **Read only (recommended)**, **Read and change**, or **Nothing: AI apps can’t see it**, and how many changes an AI app can make per hour. Each person's own Connected apps setting still applies, and the stricter of the two wins. This setting limits AI agents and Chat. It doesn't limit a member's own AI assist or Evaluate. Each member chooses their provider there, so text from the library can still go to the provider a member picks. Changes an AI app makes show "via AI app" in History. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#working-together) and [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). #### Something in the library folder was ignored You may see this in Notifications. It means PromptMason found a file in the library's folder that it doesn't trust, so it ignored it, or put the real one back. The library is fine. See [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems#something-in-the-library-folder-was-ignored) for each message. If it keeps happening, check who the folder is shared with in your cloud storage. #### Questions Email [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). #### 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: > Explain in plain words how PromptMason protects a team library that syncs through our OneDrive, what it doesn't protect against, and what our team should do to stay safe. ## Settings, plans and data ### Settings, plans and data *Find any setting, understand the Free and Pro plans and your license key, and move your data in and out.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/settings-plans-data These guides cover the controls and the account side of PromptMason: the Settings screen, the two plans, your license key, and getting your work out of the app and back in. The ideas to know first: - **Settings:** every option in the app, in panes, with a search box to find a setting by name. Open it from the sidebar. - **Free and Pro:** both include every feature. The only difference is how many blocks and prompts you can keep: Free has up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts. Prices are on the [Pricing](https://promptmason.ai/pricing) page. - **License key:** every download starts with 14 days of Pro, with no key. If you buy Pro, you paste the key into **Settings** under **Plan**. If you go over the Free limits, your library is paused until you're back within them or on Pro. - **Export and import:** save your personal library to one file and add a file's contents to a library. An exported file isn't encrypted, so keep it somewhere only you can open. [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview) explains where PromptMason's protection ends. Start with the [Settings reference](https://promptmason.ai/docs/settings). For the plans, read [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans) and [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). To move your work to another PC, read [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). #### 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: > I want to understand PromptMason's Settings, the Free and Pro plans, and how to export my library. Explain how they fit together and which guide I should read first. ### Plans and limits *What the Free and Pro plans include, what counts toward the Free limits, and what happens when you reach them.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans PromptMason has two plans, Free and Pro. Both include every feature. The only difference is how many blocks and prompts you can keep. For prices, see [Pricing](https://promptmason.ai/pricing). #### Free and Pro | | Free | Pro | |---|---|---| | Features | Every feature | Every feature | | Blocks | Up to 25 | No limit | | Prompts | Up to 15 | No limit | Pro is for one person, on up to 3 of their own computers. Team libraries, sync, backups, AI assist, Chat, connected apps and the Chrome extension all work on Free. So does the local model, PromptMason's own AI model that runs on your PC. It costs nothing extra on any plan. Every download starts with 14 days of Pro, with no key. When the 14 days end, PromptMason moves to Free unless you activate a Pro key. The 14 days are a trial of Pro, not a third plan. A key is only for people who buy Pro. See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license) for how the trial and keys work. #### What counts toward the Free limits - **Every library on this PC.** Your personal library and every team library on this PC count together, whether you created the team library or joined it. - **Archived items count.** Archiving a block or prompt doesn't free a place. - **Items in Recently deleted don't count.** Deleting a block or prompt frees its place straight away. Restoring it from **Recently deleted** is checked like making a new one. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). - **Embedded blocks don't count.** A block that lives inside one prompt only isn't a library block. See [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks). - **Markdown documents count as prompts.** They share the same 15. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). - **Chats, variables, folders and comments don't count.** #### See how much you use On the Free plan: - The **Blocks** screen shows "*n* of 25 blocks" at the top, next to **New block**. - The **Prompts** screen shows "*n* of 15 prompts" at the top. - Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Plan**. Under **Your plan** you see **Blocks** and **Prompts**, each with how many of the limit you use. ![The Your plan row on the Free plan, saying the 14-day trial has ended, with 20 of 25 blocks and 4 of 15 prompts used and a Buy PromptMason Pro button, and the License key box under it.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/plans-settings-plan-pane-free.webp) On Pro, the counters don't show, because there's no limit. #### When you reach a limit PromptMason checks before it opens a new block or prompt, not after you've written it. If adding one more would go over the limit, the **Free plan limit** window opens instead of the form. It says how many you have, and that archived items count. ![The "Free plan limit" window saying the Free plan includes up to 25 blocks, with Upgrade and OK buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/plans-free-plan-limit-window.webp) The same check runs before you copy, duplicate or import. A copy of several items or a whole folder either fits completely or doesn't happen at all. If it doesn't, the window says how many it would add and how much room you have left. In the window: - **Upgrade** opens the checkout in your browser, where you can buy Pro. - **OK** closes the window. Nothing was created. To make room without buying Pro, delete blocks or prompts you no longer need. Deleted items go to **Recently deleted**, which doesn't count. The window says to permanently delete items, but moving them to **Recently deleted** is enough; you don't need to empty it. Archiving doesn't help, because archived items count. #### If you're over the limits Being exactly at a limit (25 blocks, or 15 prompts) is fine. You can end up with more than the Free limits in these ways: - Your 14 days of Pro or your Pro license end, you remove it from the PC, or PromptMason couldn't check it for 14 days, and you have more than the Free limits. For example, your 14 days of Pro are over and you have 40 prompts. - On the Free plan, you join a team library, or teammates or your other PCs add items to a library you share. Those items count too, and they aren't stopped at the limit. - On the Free plan, you choose **Add anyway** for a block pack bigger than the Free plan. PromptMason asks first ([Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs#on-the-free-plan)). Your library is then paused: you can see, search and export everything, but you can't add, edit or copy until you're within the limits again or you activate Pro. Nothing is deleted. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### Team libraries on Free Team libraries work on Free, but their blocks and prompts count toward your limits on every PC that holds them, together with your personal library. When you join a team library on the Free plan, the **Join a team library** window reminds you of this and shows how many blocks and prompts you have now. If joining takes you over 25 blocks or 15 prompts, your library is paused until you're back within the limits or on Pro. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library) and [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). #### 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: > I'm on the PromptMason Free plan and keep hitting the limit. Explain what counts toward the 25 blocks and 15 prompts, how to see how many I've used, and what my options are. ### Your trial and license key *How your 14 days of Pro work, buy and activate Pro, move a key to another PC, and fix license messages.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/license PromptMason starts with 14 days of Pro. You don't need a key for that. When the 14 days are up, it moves to the Free plan, which has every feature and room for 25 blocks and 15 prompts (see [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans)). A license key is only for people who buy Pro, or who get one from support. Everything about your plan and key is in **Settings**, under **Plan**. #### Your 14 days of Pro The 14 days start by themselves the first time you open PromptMason. There is one trial per computer. You don't enter anything. **Your plan** in **Settings → Plan** shows "PromptMason Pro trial, *n* days left", with "Your trial ends on" and the date under it. The first time you open PromptMason, after you choose how to start, **Settings** opens at **Plan** by itself, with the line "Have a key? Paste it here, then select Activate." If you don't have a key, close Settings and carry on. ![The License key row on the Plan pane with the line Have a key? Paste it here, then select Activate, a key box and an Activate button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/license-paste-your-key-box.webp) ![The Your plan row showing PromptMason Pro trial, 13 days left, the date the trial ends, and a Buy PromptMason Pro button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/license-plan-pane-trial-active.webp) #### Before and after the 14 days end From three days before the end, a line at the top of every screen says "Your PromptMason Pro trial ends in *n* days." (or "Your PromptMason Pro trial ends today."), with **Enter key** and **Buy PromptMason Pro**. **Plan** in Settings has a dot next to it. ![The banner across the top saying the Pro trial ends in 2 days, with Enter key and Buy PromptMason Pro buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/license-trial-ending-banner.webp) **Enter key** opens **Settings → Plan** with the cursor in the box under **License key**. Paste your Pro key and click **Activate**. See [Activate a Pro key](#activate-a-pro-key). When the 14 days are over, PromptMason moves to Free, and **Settings → Plan** says "Your 14-day trial has ended. Buy PromptMason Pro to keep unlimited blocks and prompts." Nothing is deleted. If you have more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, your library is paused until you activate Pro or delete down to the limits. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### Buy Pro 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Plan**. 2. Under **Your plan**, click **Buy PromptMason Pro**. It shows on Free and during your 14 days of Pro. 3. The checkout opens in your web browser. Follow its steps. You can also buy from the [Pricing](https://promptmason.ai/pricing) page. Once you've paid, Polar's page shows your Pro license key. Then activate it as described in the next section. #### Activate a Pro key 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Plan**. 2. Paste your Pro key into the box under **License key**. The box is labeled **License key**. If you already have a key, it is labeled **New license key**, with the line "Paste your Pro key, then select Activate." under it. 3. Click **Activate**. A new key replaces the one already on this PC, so there's nothing to remove first. When it worked, **Your plan** shows **PromptMason Pro**, the box goes away, and the Free counters and limits are gone. ![The Your plan row showing PromptMason Pro and the License key row with only the last four characters.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/license-plan-pane-pro-active.webp) #### If Activate shows a message | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "PromptMason couldn't reach the license server. Check your internet connection and try again." | Activating needs the internet. Connect, then click **Activate** again. | | "That key wasn't found. Check that you copied the whole key." | Copy the key again from the email or page you got when you bought Pro, making sure you have all of it and no extra spaces or words, and paste it again. | | "This key is already in use on as many computers as it allows. To move it here, open PromptMason on the other computer and select Remove license in Settings → Plan." | The key is on its full number of computers. Remove it from one of them first ([Move your key to another PC](#move-your-key-to-another-pc)), then click **Activate** here again. | | "This key has expired or been cancelled. Buy PromptMason Pro to get a new key." | The key no longer works, for example a subscription that ended. Buy Pro to get a new key. | | "That key isn't a PromptMason key." | The key is for another product. Find the key in the email or page you got when you bought Pro. | | "Couldn't activate the key. Try again." | Click **Activate** again. If it keeps happening, write to [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). | If you think a message is wrong, write to [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). #### Move your key to another PC A Pro key works on up to 3 of your own computers. To use it on another one when it's already on 3, take it off one first. Your key turns on Pro; it doesn't bring your library with it. To have the same library on your other PCs, kept in step through your own cloud storage, see [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). On the PC you're moving it from: 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Plan**. 2. Click **Advanced** at the bottom of the pane. 3. Click **Remove license**. ![The Advanced section of the Plan pane with a Remove license button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/license-advanced-remove-license.webp) There's no confirmation: the key comes off as soon as you click, and that PC moves to Free straight away. If that PC has more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, its library is paused. You see "License removed. You can now activate the key on another computer." Then activate the key on the other PC as in [Activate a Pro key](#activate-a-pro-key). If that PC is offline, you see "License removed from this computer. PromptMason couldn't reach the license server, so this computer may still count toward the key's limit for a while." The key is off this PC, but the PC you're activating on may still say the key is on as many computers as it allows. Connect this PC to the internet and try again later, or write to [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). If you no longer have the old PC, write to [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). Your license key stays on the PC it was activated on. It isn't in an exported file or a backup, and importing a file never changes it. #### How your license is checked PromptMason checks your key over the internet each time it starts, and every 24 hours while it's open. The check never stops you working. Checks go to the license service run by our payment provider, Polar, and they never send your library. What each one sends: - **Activate** sends your license key, a random ID for this PC (not a hardware ID) and this PC's name. - **Each check at start-up and every 24 hours** sends your license key, the random ID for this PC, and the reference the license service gave this PC when you activated. - **Remove license** sends your license key and that reference, which frees the key for another PC. A PC with no key, including one on its 14 days of Pro, makes no license checks at all. This PC's name comes from **Settings → Libraries & sharing → This PC’s name**. Unless you've set **Your name** or **This PC’s name** there, it's based on your Windows account name. If you'd rather not send that, set the name there before you activate a key. For everything else that can leave your PC, see [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview). If PromptMason can't reach the license server (you're offline, for example), it keeps your plan as it was at the last successful check: - **After 3 days without a check,** a line at the top of every screen and **Settings → Plan** say "Couldn't verify your license; you have *n* days before Free limits apply." Connect to the internet, then click **Open Settings** in that line, or go to **Settings → Plan**, and click **Check again**. - **After 14 days without a check,** the Free limits apply. **Settings → Plan** says "PromptMason couldn't check your license for 14 days, so the Free limits apply. Connect to the internet and PromptMason will check again." If you have more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, your library is paused ([When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library)). When a check works, Pro comes back. You can click **Check again** to check straight away. If the message is still there after you click **Check again**, PromptMason still can't reach the license server. Check your internet connection and try again. #### Messages in Settings → Plan When a key stops giving you Pro, **Settings → Plan** says why, and the box for a new key appears under **License key**. | Message | What it means and what to do | |---|---| | "Your 14-day trial has ended. Buy PromptMason Pro to keep unlimited blocks and prompts." | Your 14 days are over. Click **Buy PromptMason Pro**, then activate the Pro key. | | "Your license has expired. Buy PromptMason Pro to keep unlimited blocks and prompts." | The key has passed its end date. Buy Pro to get a new key. | | "Your license is no longer active on this computer. This happens when a subscription ends or this computer was removed from the key. Buy PromptMason Pro, or activate another key." | Your subscription ended, or the key was taken off this PC. Buy Pro, or paste another key and click **Activate**. If you think this is a mistake, write to [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). | | "PromptMason couldn't check your license for 14 days, so the Free limits apply. Connect to the internet and PromptMason will check again." | See [How your license is checked](#how-your-license-is-checked). | #### 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: > I need help with my PromptMason license key or my 14 days of Pro. Walk me through activating a key in Settings, and tell me what to do about the message I'm seeing. ### When your library is paused *Why PromptMason pauses your library on the Free plan, what still works, and the three ways to unpause it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library Your library is paused when you're on the Free plan and have more than 25 blocks or more than 15 prompts. Nothing is deleted. You can still see, search and export everything, but you can't add, change or copy anything until you're back within the limits or on Pro. #### Why it happens The Free plan has room for 25 blocks and 15 prompts, counted across every library on this PC (see [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans#what-counts-toward-the-free-limits)). A pause happens when you have more than that while on Free: - your 14 days of Pro ended, - your Pro license ended, or you removed it from this PC, - PromptMason couldn't check your license for 14 days ([How your license is checked](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#how-your-license-is-checked)), - you joined a team library, or teammates or your other PCs added items to a library you share, and that took you over the limits, or - you chose **Add anyway** for a block pack bigger than the Free plan ([Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs#on-the-free-plan)). Deleting the pack's folder removes all of its items. Being exactly at a limit (25 blocks, or 15 prompts) doesn't pause anything. #### What you see A line at the top of every screen says **Your library is paused.** It gives the Free limits and how many blocks and prompts you have, with three buttons: - **Upgrade to Pro** opens the checkout in your browser. - **Enter key** opens **Settings → Plan**, where you paste a license key. - **Other options** opens the **Your library is paused** window. ![The banner across the top saying the library is paused, with Upgrade to Pro, Enter key and Other options buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/paused-library-banner.webp) **Plan** in Settings also has a dot next to it. When you try something that's paused, such as editing, copying or making something new, the **Your library is paused** window opens. Its buttons are **Upgrade to Pro**, **Delete items** and **Not now**. ![The Your library is paused window with Upgrade to Pro, Delete items and Not now buttons.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/paused-library-window.webp) #### What still works - Opening, viewing and searching everything, and the preview of each block, prompt and document. - Deleting blocks and prompts, emptying **Recently deleted**, and **Delete forever**. - Archiving and un-archiving. - **Settings**, including your plan and license key, turning on and making backups, and sync. Changes your teammates make in a team library still arrive. - **Export everything**, in **Settings → Backup & data** (see [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import)). - Reading, renaming and deleting your chats. #### What's paused - Making or editing blocks, prompts, Markdown documents, variables, folders, comments and expected output. - Favorites and ratings, and restoring an older version from History. - Copying out of PromptMason's screens: **Copy to Clipboard**, **Download .md**, and even Ctrl+C on selected text. - Importing a file, adding a block pack, restoring a backup, restoring a library with your recovery kit, restoring items from **Recently deleted**, and joining a library. - AI assist, Evaluate, and sending messages in Chat. - Connected apps. An AI agent connected to PromptMason can't read or change your library, and the Chrome extension shows the paused message with **Upgrade to Pro**. #### Unpause your library There are three ways out. Each one ends the pause at once. ##### Buy Pro 1. Click **Upgrade to Pro** in the line at the top of the screen. 2. Complete the checkout in your browser. 3. Activate the Pro key you get when you buy. See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#activate-a-pro-key) for the steps. ##### Enter a key you already have 1. Click **Enter key** in the line at the top of the screen. **Settings** opens at **Plan**. 2. Paste the key into the box under **License key**. 3. Click **Activate**. If the key doesn't activate, see [If Activate shows a message](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#if-activate-shows-a-message) for what each message means. ##### Delete items until you're within the limits Before you delete anything, consider exporting a copy: click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**, then **Export**. Export works while your library is paused. See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). 1. Click **Other options** in the line at the top of the screen. 2. Click **Delete items**. PromptMason opens **Blocks** if you have too many blocks, otherwise **Prompts**. 3. Delete the blocks or prompts you no longer need, until you have no more than 25 blocks and 15 prompts. To delete several at once, see [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). Deleted items go to **Recently deleted**, which doesn't count toward the limits, so you don't need to empty it. Items stay there for 30 days, then they're gone for good. Restoring one later is checked like making a new one, so it only works if there's room. Archiving doesn't help, because archived items count. Take care in a team library: deleting an item there deletes it for everyone in the library. Start with your personal library. #### While you decide You can click **Not now** and keep using PromptMason to read and search. The line at the top stays until the library is unpaused. #### 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 says my library is paused. Explain why, what I can still do, and help me choose between buying Pro, entering a key I already have, and deleting items to get back under the Free limits. ### Export and import *Save your personal library to a file, add a file's contents to your library, or replace your library with a file.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import Export saves your personal library to one file. Import adds what's in a file to your personal library. Use them to move your work to a new PC, to keep a copy you control, or to bring back an earlier copy. **An exported file is not encrypted**: anyone who opens it can read it. See [Keep the file somewhere safe](#keep-the-file-somewhere-safe). Everything here is in **Settings**, under **Backup & data**, in the **Move or copy your work** card. **Replace everything from a file** is below it, under **Advanced**. For copies that PromptMason makes for you on a schedule, see [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups). To keep the same library on two PCs, see [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). #### What the file holds An exported file holds your **personal library**: - folders - blocks and prompts, including Markdown documents, each with its version history - variables - comments - expected output, with attached files - your settings and your block and prompt types - the record of when you used AI assist (not what was sent) It doesn't hold: - **Team libraries.** Each member's PC holds a full copy of a team library, and an owner's backups include it. An owner can also export a team library on its own; see [Export or import a team library](#export-or-import-a-team-library). - Your AI provider keys, your license key or your App Lock password. - Your chats and web tabs' browsing history. - Items in **Recently deleted**. #### Keep the file somewhere safe The exported file is **not encrypted**. Anyone who opens it can read every block, prompt, variable value and comment in it, in plain text. Inside PromptMason your library is protected ([How your data is protected on this PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc)); once you export it, the file's safety is up to you. [Privacy in PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/privacy-overview#where-promptmasons-protection-ends) explains where PromptMason's protection ends. - Keep it somewhere only you can open, such as a folder on your own PC or a private folder in your cloud storage. - Don't email it or put it in a shared folder unless you mean everyone with access to read it. - Delete copies you no longer need. [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups) are different: each backup is locked so only you can open it. #### Export everything 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 2. Under **Export everything**, click **Export**. ![The Move or copy your work card with an Export button for Export everything and an Import button for Import from a file.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/export-import-move-or-copy-card.webp) 3. Windows asks where to save the file. It's named like **promptmason-bundle-2026-10-12.json**, with the date. Pick a folder and click **Save**. Export works on every plan, even while your library is paused. If a line under **Import…** says "Export failed:" and a reason, click **Export** again. If it keeps failing, close and reopen PromptMason, then try again. #### Import from a file Import adds a file's items to your personal library. Nothing already there is changed or removed. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 2. Under **Import from a file**, click **Import…**. 3. Choose the exported file (a **.json** file) and click **Open**. 4. The **Import from a file** window shows when the file was exported and what it contains. Variables with a name you already use are skipped, not overwritten. ![The Import from a file window showing when the file was exported, what it holds and an Import button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/export-import-import-window.webp) 5. Click **Import**. When it worked, a line under the button says what was imported, for example "Imported 3 folders, 20 blocks, 12 prompts, …". It may also say: - "Skipped *n* variable(s) — a variable of that name already exists." Your own variable of that name was kept. - "*n* attachment(s) were referenced by the file but their bytes weren't included." Some attached files weren't in the exported file. The rest of the import is complete. Importing doesn't change your settings or your block and prompt types. #### Replace everything from a file This wipes your personal library and loads the file in its place. **It can't be undone.** Export first if you might want to come back to what you have now. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Backup & data**. 2. Click **Advanced** at the bottom of the pane. 3. Under **Replace everything from a file**, click **Replace everything…**. ![The Advanced section of Backup and data with the Replace everything from a file row.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/export-import-advanced-replace-everything-row.webp) 4. Choose the exported file and click **Open**. 5. The **Replace everything from a file** window shows when the file was exported and what it contains. Click **Replace everything**. 6. Windows asks "REPLACE ALL WORKSPACE DATA?" Click **OK** to go ahead, or **Cancel** to stop. When it worked, a line starts with "Restored" and says what was loaded. It shows under **Import…**, in the **Move or copy your work** card near the top of the pane, not under the Replace button. What Replace changes: - Your folders, blocks, prompts, variables, comments, expected output and attachments are replaced by the file's. - Your settings and your block and prompt types are replaced by the file's, except App Lock: this PC keeps App Lock on or off as it was, and keeps its password. If App Lock is on, the **Auto-lock after** time comes from the file, so check it afterwards. - This PC's chats and browsing history are removed. - Your license key and AI provider keys stay as they are. #### Free plan limits On the Free plan, an import must leave you within 25 blocks and 15 prompts, counted across every library on this PC. PromptMason checks this before it changes anything. If the file doesn't fit, the **Free plan limit** window opens and nothing is imported or wiped. It says how many blocks and prompts the file has. To import it, buy Pro (**Upgrade**), or delete items to make room and try again. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). While your library is paused, importing isn't possible; the **Your library is paused** window opens instead. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). #### If a file won't import | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "That file is not valid JSON." | The file is damaged or isn't an export. Export it again from the PC it came from. | | "Bundle is missing exportedAt." | The file is incomplete or was changed after export. Export it again. | | "That file is not a PromptMason workspace export or bundle." | Choose a file made with **Export**. If it's a block pack, add it under **Block packs** with **Add a pack from a file…** instead ([Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs)). | | "This file is from an older version of PromptMason and can't be imported. Export a new bundle from the app you made it in." | Open PromptMason on the PC the file came from, and export again. | | "Import failed — check the file and try again." | Check you chose the right file, then try again. | | "That file isn’t a PromptMason bundle." (importing into a team library) | Choose a file made with **Export**. | | "Import failed:" and a reason, then "Your current data is unchanged." | Nothing was imported. Try again. If it keeps failing, write to [support@promptmason.ai](mailto:support@promptmason.ai). | #### Move to a new PC 1. On the old PC, export everything (see [Export everything](#export-everything)). 2. Copy the file to the new PC, for example on a USB drive or through your own cloud storage. 3. Install PromptMason on the new PC (see [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation)) and activate your license key there if you have one (see [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license)). 4. On the new PC, import the file (see [Import from a file](#import-from-a-file)). If you also want your settings and your block and prompt types, use [Replace everything from a file](#replace-everything-from-a-file) instead; it wipes anything already in the new PC's personal library first. 5. Delete the copy of the file you used to move it, if you don't need it any more. Copying PromptMason's data folder to the new PC doesn't work: the data is locked to the Windows account it was made on ([why](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc#copying-the-data-folder-doesnt-work)). Team libraries come to a new PC by joining them from it; see [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#a-team-library). #### Export or import a team library Only an owner of a team library can export it or import into it. 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**. 2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the team library. 3. Under **Import and export**: - To export, click **Export** followed by the library's name. Windows asks where to save the file. Like any export, the file isn't encrypted. - To import, click **Import a bundle into** followed by the library's name, and choose the file. Then click **Add to what’s there** to add the file's items, or **Replace everything** to replace the library's contents with the file's (Windows asks you to confirm), or **Cancel**. Everyone in the library gets what you import. **Replace everything** replaces the library for every member and can't be undone, so export the library first. A file holds blocks and prompts, never members or keys. On the Free plan, the same limits apply as for your personal library. #### 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: > I want to move my PromptMason library to a new PC using Export and Import. Walk me through it, and tell me what the file includes and where I should keep it. ### Settings reference *Find any setting in PromptMason, see what it does and its default, and go to the guide that explains it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/settings Settings holds every option in PromptMason. This page explains how the Settings screen works, then lists every row, pane by pane, in the order the app shows them. Each row links to the guide that covers it. #### Open Settings Click **Settings** in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+7 (the default [shortcut](https://promptmason.ai/docs/keyboard-shortcuts)). Settings opens on **General**. Some messages and buttons elsewhere in the app open Settings at the right place for you, for example **Enter key** on the plan banner, or a button in Notifications. #### How Settings is laid out - **Panes.** The left side lists the panes in three groups: **Everyday** (General, Features, Blocks & prompts, Chat), **Connections** (AI & connected apps, Libraries & sharing) and **Your data** (Privacy & security, Backup & data, Plan). Click a pane to show it. With the pane list selected, the Up and Down arrow keys move between panes. In a narrow window the list becomes a drop-down above the pane. - **Rows.** Each pane starts with its name and one line on what it's for. Each row shows the setting's name, a line describing it, and its control on the right. - **Advanced.** Some panes have an **Advanced** section that holds settings you rarely need or that are hard to undo. It's closed until you click **Advanced**. It opens by itself when you reach one of its rows from search. - **The Plan dot.** A dot next to **Plan** means your plan needs attention: your library is paused, your 14 days of Pro end within 3 days, or PromptMason hasn't been able to check your license for 3 days or more. In the narrow drop-down it reads **Plan (needs attention)**. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans) and [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). ![The Settings screen with the list of panes on the left and the General pane showing Theme, Spellcheck, Keyboard shortcuts, Updates, Install updates automatically and About PromptMason.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/settings-general-pane.webp) #### Search settings 1. Click the search box at the top of the pane list. 2. Type a word for what you want to change. Search looks at setting names, other common words for them (for example, "dark mode" finds **Theme**), pane names and descriptions. 3. The results replace the pane list. Each result shows the setting's name, with its pane underneath. **· feature is off** after the pane name means the setting belongs to a feature that's switched off. 4. Click a result, or press Enter to open the first one. Settings opens that pane, scrolls to the row and highlights it for a moment. If the setting belongs to a feature that's off, Settings takes you to that feature's switch in **Features** instead, with a note such as **Turn on Comments to use this.** Turn the switch on, then search again. If nothing matches, you see **Nothing matches** followed by what you typed. Try a shorter or different word. To clear the search, press Esc or click the **X** in the box. #### Rows that come and go Some rows show only while a feature is on, and a few only in certain situations. The tables below say so next to the setting's name. Turning a feature off never deletes anything. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). #### Settings on your other PCs When your personal library syncs to your other PCs, most settings follow you there: features, Home, everything under **Blocks & prompts**, theme, spellcheck, keyboard shortcuts, instructions, your default AI and bookmarks. What keeps you safe or belongs to one computer stays on each PC: API keys, the local model, **App Lock**, connected apps, updates, backups, chats and your license key. For the full list, see [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc#your-settings-on-every-pc). #### General | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Theme** | Choose **Light**, **Dark** or **Follow system** (matches Windows' light or dark mode). | Follow system | — | | **Spellcheck** | Underlines misspelled words while you type. Right-click a word for suggestions. | On | — | | **Keyboard shortcuts** | **Customize…** opens the list of shortcuts, where you can change any of them. | — | [Keyboard shortcuts](https://promptmason.ai/docs/keyboard-shortcuts) | | **Updates** | Shows whether a newer version is out, downloading or ready to install. | — | [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation#update) | | **Install updates automatically** | Off: you choose when a new version downloads, and it installs only when you click **Restart to update**. | On | [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation#update) | | **About PromptMason** | Shows your version number, and who made the local model and the program it runs on, with links to their licenses. | — | [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help) | #### Features Every switch here starts on. If you chose **Start simple** the first time you opened PromptMason, they all start off except **Chat**. | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Simple or everything** | **Simple** turns every switch below off except **Chat**; **Everything** turns them all on. It applies at once. A grayed-out **Custom** shows when your switches match neither. | Your first-run choice | [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features) | | **Home dashboard** | Shows the Home screen: a search across everything and widgets you arrange. | On | [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home) | | **Home grid size** (while Home dashboard is on) | **Columns** (2 to 5) and **Rows** (2 to 12) on the Home screen. | 3 columns, 4 rows | [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home) | | **Favorites & ratings** | Hearts and one-to-five-star ratings on blocks, prompts and documents, with filters and sorting. | On | [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings) | | **Tags** | Tags on blocks, prompts and documents, with a tag filter in the sidebar. | On | [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings) | | **Variables** | The Variables screen and `{{name}}` values in blocks and prompts. | On | [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) | | **Comments** | A comments panel on the Blocks, Prompts and Build screens. | On | [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments) | | **Expand comments by default** (while Comments is on) | Opens the comments panel without a click. | Off | [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments) | | **Version history** | View and restore earlier versions of a block, prompt or document. | On | [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history) | | **Expected output** | Keep the results an AI tool gave, with the tool, model and an optional file. | On | [Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output) | | **Markdown editor** | Write and edit Markdown documents, such as Skills, on the Build screen. Saved documents can still be read, copied and downloaded while it's off. | On | [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents) | | **AI assist** | AI assist and Evaluate while you edit. If the switch is on and no AI is set up yet, a **Set up AI assist** link appears under it. | On | [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist) | | **Chat** | The Chat & Browse screen, where you run prompts and read the results. | On | [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics) | | **Web tabs** (under Chat, while Chat is on) | Websites such as Claude or ChatGPT in tabs on the Chat & Browse screen. Turning Chat off hides it; your choice comes back when you turn Chat on again. | On | [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs) | #### Blocks & prompts | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Days in Recent** | Items not changed for longer than this many days don't show as Recent (1 to 3650). | 30 | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#days-in-recent) | | **Include the block's name** | New blocks in a prompt start with **Include Name** ticked. | Off | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#include-the-blocks-name-or-type) | | **Include the block's type** | New blocks in a prompt start with **Include Type** ticked. | Off | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#include-the-blocks-name-or-type) | | **Block header marker** | The characters written on both sides of a block's header in a prompt, such as `### ROLE ###`. | `###` | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#block-header-marker) | | **Blank lines between blocks** | Empty lines before a block that has a header in a prompt (1 to 3). A block with no header continues the section above. | 1 | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#blank-lines-between-blocks) | | **Block types** | The types you can pick for a block. Add your own; the defaults stay. | Constraints, Context, Format, Role, Task | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#block-types-and-prompt-types) | | **Prompt types** | The types you can pick for a prompt. Add your own; the defaults stay. | Skill, System Prompt, User Prompt | [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults#block-types-and-prompt-types) | #### Chat The Chat pane shows its rows only while **Chat** is on in Features. While it's off, the pane says **Turn on Chat in Features to see its settings here.** The last three rows show only while **Web tabs** is on as well. ![The Chat pane in Settings with chat instructions, local model tools, bookmarks and browsing history.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/settings-chat-pane.webp) | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Chat instructions** | **Edit chat instructions** opens the instructions every chat starts with, and how long replies can be, under AI & connected apps. | Built-in text | [Customize the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions) | | **Local model tools** | One switch per kind of task the local model may do in your library when you ask it in Chat, such as finding, creating or deleting items. **PromptMason guides** lets it answer questions about using PromptMason from the guides. Before the local model is downloaded, the switches apply once it is. While **What connected apps can do** is **Off**, Chat can't use your library at all, but it can still look in the guides. | Depends on the model: kinds marked as not recommended start off | [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics) | | **Delete all chats** | Deletes every chat on this PC. Your blocks, prompts and settings aren't affected. This can't be undone. | — | [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat) | | **Bookmarks** (while Web tabs is on) | The sites listed when you open a new web tab. Add, rename or remove them. | Four AI sites | [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs) | | **Browsing history** (while Web tabs is on) | Keeps a list of pages you open in web tabs, for **Keep pages for** a number of days (1 to 365). Turning it off deletes the list. | On, 30 days | [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs) | | **Clear browsing data** (while Web tabs is on) | Signs you out of every site you opened in web tabs and deletes their cookies, saved data, cache and browsing history. | — | [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs) | #### AI & connected apps You don't need this pane to use PromptMason. It's for setting up AI, the Chrome extension and AI agents. ![The AI & connected apps pane in Settings, with the Local model, Chrome extension and AI assist cards.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/settings-ai-connected-apps-pane.webp) | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Local model (private)** | Downloads an AI model that runs on this PC, so AI features work with no API key and none of your text is sent anywhere. Free on every plan. | Not downloaded | [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model) | | **Chrome extension** | **Install from Chrome Web Store**, and the **Extension token** you paste into the extension. | — | [The Chrome extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension) | | **Default AI provider** | The provider and model that AI assist, Evaluate and new chats start with. You can choose another each time. | — | [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup) | | **AI providers** | Add your own API key and models for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or xAI (Grok), then **Save** and **Test connection**. Keys are stored encrypted on this PC and never exported. | None set up | [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup) | | **AI assist activity** | PromptMason's record of each AI assist run and chat reply: when, which provider and model, and the tokens used. Your text isn't kept. **Clear activity** deletes the record and can't be undone. | — | [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy) | | **AI assist instructions** | What PromptMason tells the AI for AI assist, Evaluate and Chat, and how the local model summarizes a long chat. Edit, reset, preview, export or import them, customize them for one provider, or use your own blocks as examples. | Built-in text | [Customize the AI instructions](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-instructions) | | **Your own AI server** (under Advanced) | Use an OpenAI-compatible server, such as one running on this PC. | Not set up | [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup) | | **What connected apps can do** | **Full access**, **Read-only** or **Off** for AI agents, the Chrome extension and Chat's use of your library. Restart an open AI agent after you change it. | Full access | [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access) | | **Connect an AI agent** | **Add** for Claude Desktop and Cursor, and **Copy command** for Claude Code. | — | [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent) | | **Set up another AI agent by hand** | The **API token** for an agent you set up yourself, with show, copy and **Regenerate API token**. | — | [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access) | #### Libraries & sharing You don't need this pane to use PromptMason. It's for sharing with a team or using your library on a second PC. ![The Libraries and sharing pane with the Profile card, the Libraries row and the Recovery kit row.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/settings-libraries-and-sharing-pane.webp) | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Your name** | The name your teammates see on your edits in team libraries. | Empty; the line under the box shows the name teammates see meanwhile | [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries) | | **This PC’s name** | The name shown next to this PC’s approval code, to you and your teammates. | Empty; the line under the box shows the name used meanwhile | [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device) | | **Libraries** | Your libraries and their sync status, with **Use on my other PCs**, **Join from another PC**, **Manage**, **Create a team library** and **Join a team library**. | Your personal library, on this PC only | [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries), [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries), [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc) | | **Recovery kit** | Whether you've confirmed you saved your kit, and **Make another kit**. On a PC where you haven't set up a team library, syncing or backups yet, **Restore with recovery kit**. | — | [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit) | | **My kit was stolen** (under Advanced) | Makes your old recovery kit stop working and saves a new one. Shows only once you've set up a team library, syncing or backups on this PC. | — | [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device) | #### Privacy & security | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **App Lock** | Locks PromptMason with a password. **Enable App Lock** sets one; then **Auto-lock after**, **Lock now**, **Change password** and **Disable** appear. | Off (Auto-lock after: Never) | [Lock PromptMason with a password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock) | | **Remember values on this computer** | Keeps the last five values you typed for each variable that asks each time, on this PC only. Turning it off forgets them right away. | On | [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables) | | **What’s protected** | **Show** explains how PromptMason keeps your library safe on this PC. | — | [How your data is protected on this PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/data-on-this-pc) | #### Backup & data ![The Backup and data pane with Automatic backups, Export and Import, and Block packs.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/settings-backup-and-data-pane.webp) | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Automatic backups** | Saves a copy of your libraries to a folder you choose: **Choose folder…**, how often (**Automatically:**), how many to keep, **Back up now** and **Restore from backup…**. | Off until you choose a folder; then Daily, keeping the last 30 | [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups) | | **Export everything** | **Export** saves your personal library and settings to one file you can import elsewhere. Team libraries aren't in it. | — | [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import) | | **Import from a file** | **Import…** adds what's in an exported file to what you already have. | — | [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import) | | **Block packs** | Ready-made blocks and prompts to add (**Add**, **Add missing items**), and **Add a pack from a file…**. Adding a pack again only adds what's missing. | — | [Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs) | | **Replace everything from a file** (under Advanced) | **Replace everything…** wipes your library and loads an exported file in its place. This can't be undone, so export first. | — | [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import) | #### Plan | Setting | What it does | Default | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | **Your plan** | Your plan (Free, Pro with days left in your 14 days, or Pro) and, on Free, how many of your 25 blocks and 15 prompts you use. On Free or during your 14 days of Pro, a **Buy PromptMason Pro** button can show here; it opens the page to buy Pro in your browser. **Check again** shows when PromptMason couldn't check your license. | 14 days of Pro, then Free | [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans) | | **License key** | Paste your Pro key and click **Activate** to unlock Pro. With a key on this PC, the row shows the end of the key. During your 14 days of Pro, the box is there for a Pro key. | — | [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license) | | **Remove license** (under Advanced, only with a key on this PC) | Takes the key off this PC so you can use it on another one. It doesn't ask to confirm, and this PC goes to Free at once. | — | [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license) | #### 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: > I want to change something in PromptMason but I don't know which setting does it. Help me find the right place in Settings and explain what the setting does. Here's what I want to change: ### Keyboard shortcuts *See every keyboard shortcut in PromptMason, change any of them, and put them back to the defaults.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/keyboard-shortcuts PromptMason has keyboard shortcuts for moving between screens and for common actions. Below are the defaults. You can change any of them. #### Default shortcuts The shortcuts are listed in the same three groups, and with the same names, as the **Keyboard shortcuts** dialog in Settings. ![The Keyboard shortcuts window listing each action with its key combination.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/keyboard-shortcuts-dialog.webp) ##### Navigation | Shortcut | Keys | What it does | |---|---|---| | **Go to Home** | Ctrl+8 | Opens Home. | | **Go to Blocks** | Ctrl+1 | Opens Blocks. | | **Go to Canvas** | Ctrl+2 | Opens Build. | | **Go to Prompts** | Ctrl+3 | Opens Prompts. | | **Go to Explorer** | Ctrl+4 | Opens Explorer. | | **Go to Chat** | Ctrl+9 | Opens Chat & Browse. | | **Go to Variables** | Ctrl+5 | Opens Variables. | | **Go to Archive** | Ctrl+6 | Opens Archive. | | **Go to Settings** | Ctrl+7 | Opens Settings. | | **Go to Help** | F1 | Opens Help, the guides inside PromptMason. See [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help#read-the-guides-in-promptmason). | ##### Actions | Shortcut | Keys | What it does | |---|---|---| | **New item** | Ctrl+N | Starts something new on the screen you're on: a block on Blocks, a static prompt on Prompts, a variable on Variables, a folder on Explorer, or a chat on Chat & Browse. | | **Find** | Ctrl+F | Puts the cursor in the current screen's search box. | | **Delete** | Delete | On Blocks or Prompts, asks whether to archive or delete the open block or prompt. | | **Copy to Clipboard** | Ctrl+Shift+C | On Blocks or Prompts, copies the open block or prompt while you're viewing it (not while you're editing it). | ##### Editing | Shortcut | Keys | What it does | |---|---|---| | **Save** | Ctrl+S | Saves what you're editing on Blocks or Prompts. On Build it saves the prompt as a dynamic prompt (on the **Markdown** tab, the document). | | **Cancel / Close** | Esc | Stops editing on Blocks, Prompts or Build. If a dialog is open, Esc closes the dialog first. | | **Undo (Canvas)** | Ctrl+Z | On Build's **Canvas** tab, undoes your last change to the prompt's blocks, such as adding, removing or moving one. | | **Redo (Canvas)** | Ctrl+Shift+Z | On Build's **Canvas** tab, redoes what you undid. Ctrl+Y does the same. | | **AI assist** | Ctrl+Shift+A | Runs AI assist, with no instruction, on the text box you're typing in, when that box has an **AI assist** button. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). | The dialog shows Esc as **Escape**. Ctrl+Y always redoes on the Canvas tab. It isn't listed in the dialog and can't be changed. #### Shortcuts while you type Only **Save**, **Cancel / Close**, **AI assist** and **Go to Help** work while the cursor is in a text box. The others do nothing while you're typing. That way the Delete key deletes a character rather than the item, and Ctrl+Z undoes your typing rather than a change on the Canvas tab. Click outside the text box to use them. #### Shortcuts for features that are off Four shortcuts belong to a feature you can turn off in **Settings** → **Features**: | Shortcut | Feature | |---|---| | **Go to Home** | Home dashboard | | **Go to Chat** | Chat | | **Go to Variables** | Variables | | **AI assist** | AI assist | While a feature is off, its shortcut does nothing and isn't listed in the dialog. Turn the feature on again to use it. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). #### Change a shortcut 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **General**. 2. Next to **Keyboard shortcuts**, click **Customize…**. 3. In the **Keyboard shortcuts** dialog, find the shortcut you want to change and click the keys shown next to it. The button changes to **Press keys…**. 4. Press the new keys, for example Ctrl+Shift+N. The new keys show next to the shortcut and work straight away. There's no Save button. A changed shortcut gets a reset button next to it. To stop without changing anything, press Esc or click somewhere else in the dialog. Because Esc stops recording, you can't record Esc itself. If you changed **Cancel / Close** and want Esc back, reset it (see [Go back to the defaults](#go-back-to-the-defaults)). #### If the keys are already in use If another shortcut already uses the keys you pressed, the dialog shows a message in red, such as **"Ctrl+S" is already used by Save.**, and nothing changes. - Press different keys, or - Change the other shortcut first, then come back to this one. The message can name a shortcut that isn't in the list, because its feature is off. Ctrl+Y is kept for **Redo (Canvas)**, so it can't be used for anything else. #### Go back to the defaults - **One shortcut:** click the reset button next to it (it shows **Reset to default** when you point at it). - **Every shortcut:** click **Reset all to defaults** at the bottom of the dialog. This button shows once you've changed at least one shortcut. ![The Keyboard shortcuts window with a changed shortcut, its reset button, and Reset all to defaults.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/keyboard-shortcuts-reset-buttons.webp) Neither asks you to confirm. If you reset by mistake, change the shortcut again. #### 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: > I want to change a keyboard shortcut in PromptMason. Walk me through changing it, and tell me what to do if the keys I want are already in use. ### Block types, prompt types and defaults *Add your own block and prompt types, and set how far back Recent looks and how blocks are written into a prompt.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults These settings are on one pane: click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**. They set the types you can pick for blocks and prompts, how far back Recent looks, and how blocks are written into a prompt's text. #### Block types and prompt types A type says what a block or prompt is for. You pick it in the **Type** box when you create or edit a block or prompt, and you can filter by it. When a block's type is included in a prompt, it's written in the block's header (see [Block header marker](#block-header-marker)). Each list starts with defaults that can't be removed: | List | Defaults | |---|---| | **Block types** | Constraints, Context, Format, Role, Task | | **Prompt types** | Skill, System Prompt, User Prompt | You can add your own types to either list. The defaults are shown first, then your own types, each in A to Z order. ##### Add a type 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**. 2. Under **Types**, find **Block types** or **Prompt types** and click **Add**. 3. Type the name of the new type. ![The Prompt types row with a new type being typed into a box.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/types-and-defaults-add-type-box.webp) 4. Press Enter, or click outside the box. The new type appears in the list, and you can pick it for blocks or prompts straight away. To stop without adding anything, press Esc. If you leave the box empty, or type a name that's already in the list, nothing is added. The check matches capital letters exactly: "role" is added as a new type next to "Role". ##### Remove a type Click the **X** next to a type you added. The defaults have no **X**. The type is removed straight away, without asking you to confirm. If you removed one by mistake, add it again with the same name. Removing a type takes it off the list you pick from. It doesn't edit any block or prompt that already has that type. If you want those items to use a different type, open each one and choose a new **Type**. #### Days in Recent Explorer's **Recent** tab and the **Recent** widget on Home show only blocks and prompts changed within this many days. Anything older doesn't show as Recent, even if it's the most recent item you have. Type a number from 1 to 3650 in the box. The default is 30. A number outside that range changes to the nearest allowed number when you leave the box. See [Explorer](https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer) and [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home). #### Include the block's name or type When you add a block to a prompt on Build, its card has two checkboxes, **Include Name** and **Include Type**. When either is ticked, the block gets a header line above its text in the prompt. These two switches, under **When you add a block to a prompt**, set how those checkboxes start: | Setting | When it's on | Default | |---|---|---| | **Include the block's name** | New blocks in a prompt start with **Include Name** ticked. | Off | | **Include the block's type** | New blocks in a prompt start with **Include Type** ticked. | Off | ![The two Include switches and the Blank lines between blocks box in Settings.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/types-and-defaults-include-switches-rows.webp) Each block already in a prompt keeps its own choice. Changing these switches doesn't change any prompt you've already built. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). #### Block header marker The marker is written on both sides of a block's header. With the default marker, `###`, headers look like this: | Included | Header | |---|---| | Type only | `### ROLE ###` (the type in capital letters) | | Name only | `### Support agent ###` | | Type and name | `### ROLE: Support agent ###` | A block with neither ticked has no header. ##### Change the marker 1. Click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Blocks & prompts**. 2. Under **Block headers**, click in the **Block header marker** box and replace `###` with the marker you want, for example `***` or `===`. 3. Press Enter, or click outside the box. The line under the box, **Example:**, shows a header written with your marker. To go back to `###`, click **Reset**. The marker is used every time a prompt made of blocks is put together, in the preview and in the text you copy, so it applies to those prompts straight away. A static prompt keeps the text it was saved with. See [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). ##### Marker rules and messages The box takes up to 10 characters. A marker can't have spaces or use `{` or `}`, because prompts use braces for variables. If what you type breaks a rule, a message appears under the box and nothing is saved. The line under the box then reads **Still using:** followed by a sample header written with the marker that's still in use. ![The Block header marker row showing a message about spaces and a Still using line.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/types-and-defaults-marker-error-message.webp) | Message | What to do | |---|---| | **Enter a marker, or choose Reset to go back to ###.** | The box is empty. Type a marker, or click **Reset**. | | **Use characters only, with no spaces, for example \*\*\* or ===.** | Take out the spaces. | | **Leave out { and }, which prompts use for variables.** | Take out the braces. | | **Couldn't save this marker. Try again.** | Click in the box and press Enter again. | #### Blank lines between blocks Under **Between blocks**, **Blank lines between blocks** sets how many empty lines go before a block that has a header (**Include Type** or **Include Name** ticked), in the preview and in the text you copy. A block with no header continues the section above it, with no blank line between them. The first block in a prompt has nothing before it. Type 1, 2 or 3. The default is 1. A number outside that range changes to the nearest allowed number when you leave the box. Like the marker, this applies to prompts made of blocks whenever they're put together. A static prompt keeps the spacing it was saved with. Extra blank lines inside a block's text are tidied when the prompt is put together: a run of two or more counts as one, and blank lines at the start and end are dropped. #### 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: > I want PromptMason to use my own block types and to change how block headers look in my prompts. Walk me through adding a type and changing the header marker. ## Troubleshooting and reference ### Troubleshooting and reference *Fix common problems, look up a term, and find out how to get help.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/troubleshooting-and-reference This section is for when something goes wrong or you meet a word you don't know. It has three guides, and you can read them in any order. - **Troubleshooting** collects common problems, grouped by where they happen: installing, saving and editing, prompts, AI features, connected apps, libraries and backups, moving to another PC, and your license. Each problem says what to do about it. - **Glossary** explains the terms PromptMason uses, each in a line or two, with a link to the guide that covers it. - **Get help** shows how to ask an AI assistant for step-by-step help, and what to include if you email support. Every guide ends with a **Want a hand?** box. Click **Copy** in it, paste the result into an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT, and the assistant can walk you through that guide. Start with [Troubleshooting](https://promptmason.ai/docs/troubleshooting). If your problem isn't there, or you don't recognize a word on the screen, try the [Glossary](https://promptmason.ai/docs/glossary). If you still need a person, email support@promptmason.ai; see [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help) for what to include. #### 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: > Something isn't working in PromptMason. Explain how to use the Troubleshooting guide and the Get help guide, and help me work out what to read first for my problem. ### Troubleshooting *Common problems in PromptMason, what each message means, and what to do about it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/troubleshooting This page collects common problems, grouped by where they happen. Each one says what to do. If your problem isn't here, see [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help). #### Installing and starting ##### Windows protected your PC Windows shows this blue screen for apps it hasn't seen often yet. Click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. See [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation). ##### Could not load workspace data PromptMason shows a card with this heading, the error, and a **Retry** button. ![A card reading Could not load workspace data, with an error line and a Retry button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/troubleshooting-could-not-load-workspace-data-card.webp) 1. Click **Retry**. 2. If the card comes back, close PromptMason and open it again. 3. If the error says a folder was copied from a different machine or Windows user, see [The data folder was copied to another PC](#the-data-folder-was-copied-to-another-pc). 4. If it keeps happening, email support@promptmason.ai with the exact error text. See [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help). ##### Update PromptMason to open your library Instead of the app, PromptMason shows a card with this title and the text "Your library was saved by a newer version of PromptMason, so this version can’t open it. Nothing in it was changed. Update PromptMason to open it." This happens when an older version was installed over a newer one that had already upgraded your library. Going back to an older version isn't supported. 1. Click the button on the card: **Check for updates**, **Download update** or **Restart to update**, depending on the update status shown above it. 2. When PromptMason restarts on the latest version, your library opens as it was. See [Install, update and remove](https://promptmason.ai/docs/installation#update). ##### PromptMason failed to start If the message asks whether another copy of PromptMason is running, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), end any **PromptMason** task, then open PromptMason again. If it still won't start, restart your PC. If that doesn't help, email support@promptmason.ai with the exact message. ##### PromptMason is locked and I forgot the password The lock screen ("PromptMason is locked") asks for the App Lock password you set in **Settings → Privacy & security**. Click **Forgot password?** and use your recovery kit to choose a new password. See [If you forget your password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock#if-you-forget-your-password). #### Saving and editing ##### The Save button is grayed out Save stays grayed out until the item has what it needs, and while it's saving. PromptMason doesn't show a message, so check this list: | Where | Save works once | |---|---| | Blocks, new block | the block has a name and some text | | Blocks, editing a block | the name and the text aren't empty | | Prompts, **New static prompt** | the prompt has a name and some text | | Prompts, editing a static prompt | the name isn't empty | | Build, a prompt | the prompt has at least one block, and every **Embedded Block** card you added has a name, a type and text. If the prompt has no name, clicking save shows "Give this prompt a name to save it." | | Build, **Markdown** tab | the document has some text. If it has no name, clicking save shows "Give this document a name to save it." | | Build, **Edit block** window | the block has a name and some text | | Variables | the name is filled in, has no `{` or `}`, and you've changed something | The guides for each screen have more: [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks), [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt), [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents), [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). ##### I can't edit, create or copy anything If the banner at the top says **Your library is paused.**, you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or more than 15 prompts. While paused, you can still read, search and delete, but you can't edit, create or copy. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library) for the ways out. ##### A "Free plan limit" message when I create something The Free plan holds up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts, across every library on this PC, archived items included. Delete items you don't need (deleted items don't count), or upgrade to Pro. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). ##### "You can view this library but not change it." The item is in a team library where you're a reader. Ask the library's primary owner to make you an editor. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). #### Prompts ##### A prompt shows [Block removed] or [Block unavailable] A dynamic prompt shows a placeholder where one of its blocks should be, with a warning under the preview. - **`[Block removed: name]`** means the block was deleted. Restore it from **Archive**, on the **Recently deleted** tab, within 30 days; in a team library, only an owner can restore it. Or take the block out of the prompt on Build. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete) and [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). - **`[Block unavailable]`** means the block is in a team library this PC can't reach right now. It comes back when the library's folder is reachable again. See [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems). If the warning says "Includes archived block", the block is archived but its text is still in the prompt. Restore it from **Archive** if you want to edit it, or take it out of the prompt on Build. ##### A variable shows as {{name}} or [Name] in what I copied - `{{name}}` with a warning "Unresolved variable" means no variable has that name. Click **Create variable “name”** in the warning, or create it on the **Variables** screen, or fix the spelling in the text. To find every block and prompt with this problem, click **Unresolved variables** in the toolbar of **Blocks**, **Prompts** or **Explorer**, or click **Show them** on the **Variables** screen. If you don't see Variables in the sidebar, turn it on in **Settings → Features**. - `[Name]` means a variable that asks each time was left empty and has no default. Copy again and type a value in **Fill in your values**. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). #### AI assist, Evaluate and Chat ##### There's no AI assist or Evaluate button Both buttons show only when the **AI assist** feature is on in **Settings → Features**, and an AI is set up: the local model downloaded, or an API key added. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). Evaluate shows only while you're not editing. ##### AI assist shows an error A card headed "AI assist didn't work" appears in the corner of the window, with the error and a button **Open Settings → AI & connected apps**. Your text isn't changed. The card closes by itself after about 15 seconds, or sooner if you click its X. To read the message again, run AI assist again. | Message starts with | What to do | |---|---| | "Set up AI assist first" | Download the local model, or add an API key, in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). | | "Add an API key for…" or "Enter a model name for…" | Open **Settings → AI & connected apps** and finish setting up that provider. | | "…didn't respond within…" | Wait a moment and try again. | | "Couldn't connect to…" | Check your internet connection, and the server address if you use your own AI server. If you're on a work network, check its proxy settings with whoever manages it. | | "…returned an error", or another message in the provider's own words | The AI provider refused the request. The message gives its reason or an error code, for example a wrong key or no credit left. Fix it with the provider, or choose another provider. | | "AI assist works on text up to…" | Shorten the text and try again. | | "This … is too long to evaluate…" (from **Evaluate**) | Shorten the text and try again. | See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). ##### Chat says "Set up AI to start chatting" Chat needs the local model or an AI provider. Click **Download the free local model**. It opens **Settings → AI & connected apps** at the local model, where you download it. To use an AI provider instead, add your API key in the same place. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). ##### The local model won't download or won't start Open **Settings → AI & connected apps** and read the message on the **Local model (private)** card. | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "The local model needs at least 4 cores and 8 GB." | This PC can't run the local model. Use an AI provider with your own API key instead. | | "Can't reach the download server…" or "The download keeps getting interrupted…" | Check your internet connection, then click **Try again**. The download carries on from where it stopped. | | "The download server couldn't be reached from this network…" | A work or school network may block it. Check with whoever manages the network. | | "There isn't enough free space on this computer…" | Free up the space the message names, then try again. | | "…security software on this computer blocked it…" | Allow PromptMason in your security software, then try again. | | "…doesn't have enough free memory…" | Close some programs and try again. | | "The local model's download is damaged…" | Click **Remove**, then download it again. | See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model) for every message. #### Connected apps ##### The Chrome extension can't reach PromptMason The extension works only while PromptMason is open on the same PC. | The extension says | What to do | |---|---| | "Can't reach the PromptMason desktop app." | Open PromptMason, then close the extension's window and open it again. | | "Your extension token wasn't accepted." | In PromptMason, click **Settings**, then **AI & connected apps**. Under **Chrome extension**, copy the extension token and paste it into the extension. | | "PromptMason is turned off for connected apps." | In **Settings → AI & connected apps**, under **What connected apps can do**, choose **Full access** or **Read-only**. | | A message that your library is paused | See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). | See [The Chrome extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension). ##### My AI agent can't reach PromptMason PromptMason must be open for Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code to use your library, and an agent that was open when you changed **What connected apps can do** needs restarting. For what each message means, see [Troubleshooting MCP connections](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-troubleshooting). #### Libraries, sync and backups ##### A sync message in Notifications Messages such as **Can’t reach the library folder** or **The library folder is read-only** come with a button for the next step. [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems) explains each one. ##### Your last backup didn’t finish Click **Open backup settings** in the notification. Check that the backup folder is available, for example that the drive is plugged in, then click **Back up now**. Backups run only while PromptMason is open. See [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups). #### Moving to another PC ##### The data folder was copied to another PC Copying PromptMason's data folder to another PC, or to another Windows account, doesn't work. Your library is encrypted with a key that only the original Windows account on the original PC can open, so the new PC shows **Could not load workspace data**. Your data isn't lost. Use one of these instead: - **Export and import:** on the original PC, click **Settings → Backup & data** and click **Export**. On the new PC, click **Import…** in the same place and choose the file. See [Export and import](https://promptmason.ai/docs/export-import). Team libraries aren't in the file. To have them on the new PC, see [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). - **Sync:** use your personal library on both PCs. See [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). #### License ##### My license key won't activate | Message | What to do | |---|---| | "PromptMason couldn't reach the license server…" | Check your internet connection and try again. | | "That key wasn't found…" | Copy the whole key again and paste it. | | "This key is already in use on as many computers as it allows…" | On the other computer, click **Settings → Plan**, then **Advanced**, then **Remove license**. Then activate here. | | "This key has expired or been cancelled…" | Buy PromptMason Pro to get a new key. See [Pricing](https://promptmason.ai/pricing). | | "That key isn't a PromptMason key." | Check you copied the key you got when you bought Pro. | See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). ##### "Couldn't verify your license" PromptMason hasn't been able to check your license over the internet for 3 days or more. Your plan stays as it was until 14 days without a check; after that, the Free limits apply until a check works. Connect to the internet: PromptMason checks again on its own, or you can click **Check again** in **Settings → Plan**. See [How your license is checked](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license#how-your-license-is-checked). #### More help See [Get help](https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help) for the help prompt on every guide, and what to send to support@promptmason.ai. #### 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: > Something isn't working in PromptMason. I'll tell you what I clicked and the exact message I see; help me work out what's wrong and fix it. ### Glossary *The words PromptMason uses, each explained in a line or two, with a link to the guide that covers it.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/glossary The terms PromptMason uses, in alphabetical order. Each links to the guide that covers it. - **AI agent:** an AI app on your PC, such as Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code, that you connect to PromptMason so it can search and use your blocks and prompts. See [Connect an AI agent through MCP](https://promptmason.ai/docs/connect-ai-agent). - **AI assist:** a button in the editor that asks an AI model to rewrite the block, static prompt or document you're editing. You accept or discard the suggestion. See [Improve text with AI assist](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-assist). - **AI provider:** a company whose AI models PromptMason can use with your own API key: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini or xAI (Grok), or your own OpenAI-compatible server. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). - **API key:** a private code from an AI provider that lets PromptMason use your account with them. Any charges go to that account. Keys are stored encrypted on your PC and never exported. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup). - **API token:** a private code an AI agent uses to reach your library. Agents you add under **Connect an AI agent** in Settings use it automatically; you only handle it when you set up an agent by hand. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). - **App Lock:** a password that PromptMason asks for when it opens and, if you choose, after a time away. It locks the screen; it isn't what keeps your library encrypted. See [Lock PromptMason with a password](https://promptmason.ai/docs/app-lock). - **Approval code:** a code of letters and numbers, in groups of four, shown on a PC that asks to join a library, and on the PC that approves it. You check the two match before you approve. See [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device). - **Approving PC:** the one PC on which a library's primary owner approves PCs, removes them and changes roles. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner). - **Archive:** a place to put blocks and prompts you don't use now but want to keep. Archived items leave your lists but still count toward the Free plan, and an archived block still supplies its text to dynamic prompts. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). - **Ask me each time:** a setting on a variable. Instead of a fixed value, PromptMason asks you to type one, or pick one from a list you set up, each time you copy something that uses it, in **Fill in your values**. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). - **Backup:** a copy of your personal library, and any team libraries you own, that PromptMason saves to a folder you choose, on a schedule, while it's open. Only you can open it. See [Backups](https://promptmason.ai/docs/backups). - **Block:** a reusable piece of prompt text with a name and a type, such as "Act as a careful editor". You build prompts from blocks. See [Create and edit blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/blocks). - **Block header:** a line such as `### ROLE: Support agent ###` that PromptMason writes above a block's text in a prompt when you tick **Include Name** or **Include Type**. See [Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting). - **Block pack:** a set of ready-made blocks, prompts and variables you can add to your library, such as the Starter pack. Pack items carry the pack's name as a tag, such as `Starter pack`. See [Add a block pack](https://promptmason.ai/docs/block-packs). - **Block type:** the kind of text a block holds. The built-in types are Role, Task, Context, Format and Constraints, and you can add your own. See [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults). - **Build:** the screen where you put blocks together into a prompt, on the **Canvas** tab, or write a document on the **Markdown** tab. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). - **Canvas:** the tab on Build where you put blocks together into a prompt. The blocks sit in order as cards. The shortcut for opening Build is called **Go to Canvas**. See [Build a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/build-prompt). - **Chat:** the screen, shown as **Chat & Browse** in the sidebar, where you run your prompts with an AI model and read the results. See [Run prompts in Chat](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics). - **Chrome extension:** an add-on for Chrome that lets you search your prompts and blocks and copy them on any website, while PromptMason is open. See [The Chrome extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension). - **Cloud provider:** an AI service reached over the internet with your own key, such as OpenAI or Anthropic. Text you send with AI assist, Evaluate or Chat goes to it, under its terms. See [Set up AI](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-setup) and [What AI features send, and where](https://promptmason.ai/docs/ai-privacy). - **Code view:** the **Code** side of Build's **Visual** | **Code** switch, which shows a prompt's blocks as code you can copy or edit. See [Edit a prompt as code](https://promptmason.ai/docs/code-view). - **Comment:** a note about a block, prompt or document, kept in the **Comments** panel. Comments are never part of the prompt's text. See [Comments](https://promptmason.ai/docs/comments). - **Connected app:** an app outside PromptMason that can reach your library: an AI agent or the Chrome extension. You choose what they can do in **Settings → AI & connected apps**. See [Control what connected apps can do](https://promptmason.ai/docs/agent-access). - **Default value:** a value a variable that asks each time fills in for you, which you can change before copying. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). - **Document:** a Markdown file, such as a Skill for an AI tool, written on Build's **Markdown** tab. PromptMason keeps its text exactly as written, and it counts as a prompt on the Free plan. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). - **Dynamic prompt:** a prompt built from blocks that stays linked to them. When you edit a block, every dynamic prompt that uses it changes too. See [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). - **Editor:** a team library role. An editor uses and changes what's in the library. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). - **Embedded block:** a block that belongs to one prompt only. It isn't on the Blocks screen, and it doesn't count toward the Free plan. See [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks). - **Evaluate:** a button that asks an AI model to grade a block, prompt or document out of 10, or to check it for personal, financial or confidential details. See [Evaluate a block, prompt or document](https://promptmason.ai/docs/evaluate). - **Expected output:** a result an AI tool gave for a block, prompt or document, kept with it, with the tool and model that gave it and an optional file. See [Expected output](https://promptmason.ai/docs/expected-output). - **Explorer:** the screen that shows blocks and prompts side by side, in their folders, to move, copy, file and delete them. See [Explorer](https://promptmason.ai/docs/explorer). - **Extension token:** a private code that lets the Chrome extension reach your library. You paste it into the extension once. See [The Chrome extension](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chrome-extension). - **Favorite:** a block, prompt or document you marked with a heart, so you can filter for it. Shown only when the Favorites & ratings feature is on. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). - **Feature switch:** a switch in **Settings → Features** that shows or hides an optional part of PromptMason. Hiding a feature never deletes anything. See [Show or hide features](https://promptmason.ai/docs/features). - **Folder:** a way to group blocks and prompts in a library. Items not in a folder are at the top of the library, shown as **My Files** in your personal library. See [Folders, moving and copying](https://promptmason.ai/docs/folders). - **Free and Pro:** PromptMason's two plans. Both have every feature. Free holds up to 25 blocks and 15 prompts; Pro has no limit. See [Plans and limits](https://promptmason.ai/docs/plans). - **Hidden note:** text written as `{{! like this }}` inside a block or prompt. You see it while editing, but it's left out wherever the text is previewed or copied. See [Formatting, block headers and hidden notes](https://promptmason.ai/docs/text-formatting). - **Home:** a start page with a search across everything you've saved, and widgets you arrange. Shown when the Home dashboard feature is on. See [The Home screen](https://promptmason.ai/docs/home). - **Kind:** whether a prompt is **Static**, **Dynamic** or **Markdown** (a document). It's set by how you made the item, and the app has no button to change it. Not the same as Type. See [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). - **License key:** the code that turns on Pro on a PC. You get it when you buy Pro; you paste it in **Settings → Plan** and click **Activate**. You don't need one for your first 14 days of Pro. See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). - **Library:** where your blocks, prompts, folders and variables live. See [Personal and team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/libraries). - **Library block:** a block saved on the Blocks screen that any prompt can use. Editing it changes every prompt that uses it. See [Library blocks and embedded blocks](https://promptmason.ai/docs/embedded-blocks). - **Local model:** an AI model that runs on your PC. Once downloaded, it works offline and sends none of your text anywhere. It's free on every plan. See [Free, private AI on your PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/local-model). - **MCP (Model Context Protocol):** an open standard that lets AI apps use tools other programs provide. PromptMason has an MCP server built in, so AI apps such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Claude Code can search and use your library. See [PromptMason's built-in MCP server](https://promptmason.ai/docs/mcp-server). - **Notifications:** the panel that opens from the bell in the top-right corner, with things to do and things you might want to know. See [Notifications](https://promptmason.ai/docs/notifications). - **Owner:** a team library role. An owner also exports the library, backs it up and restores deleted items. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). - **Paused:** what happens when you're on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or more than 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end. You can read and delete, but not edit, create or copy, until you're within the limits or on Pro. See [When your library is paused](https://promptmason.ai/docs/paused-library). - **Personal library:** your own library, named **Personal**. Everyone has one. You can sync it to your other PCs. See [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc). - **Primary owner:** the one owner of a team library who approves PCs, removes people, changes roles and changes the library's settings. See [The primary owner](https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner). - **Prompt:** the text you paste into an AI tool, or run in Chat. A prompt is static, dynamic or a Markdown document. See [Copy and use a prompt](https://promptmason.ai/docs/use-prompts). - **Rating:** one to five stars you give a block, prompt or document, to filter and sort by. Shown only when the Favorites & ratings feature is on. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). - **Reader:** a team library role. A reader uses what's in the library but can't change it. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). - **Recently deleted:** a tab on the **Archive** screen that holds deleted blocks and prompts for 30 days, after which they're gone for good. Items there don't count toward the Free plan. See [Archive, delete and restore](https://promptmason.ai/docs/archive-and-delete). - **Recovery kit:** a file plus a code that together hold a spare copy of your keys. You only need it if you lose every PC you use PromptMason on, or forget your App Lock password. See [Your recovery kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/recovery-kit). - **Skill:** a set of instructions for an AI tool, usually written as a Markdown document. **Skill** is also one of the built-in prompt types, and the type a new document starts with. See [Markdown documents and Skills](https://promptmason.ai/docs/markdown-documents). - **Static prompt:** a prompt whose text is fixed. Changes to blocks don't affect it. You write one on the Prompts screen, or save one from Build with **Save as Static**. See [Static prompts, dynamic prompts and documents](https://promptmason.ai/docs/static-and-dynamic). - **Sync:** how a library stays the same on several PCs, through a folder in cloud storage you already use. See [Use your library on a second PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/second-pc) and [Sync problems](https://promptmason.ai/docs/sync-problems). - **Tag:** a label you add to blocks, prompts and documents, to filter and find them. See [Tags, favorites and ratings](https://promptmason.ai/docs/tags-favorites-ratings). - **Team library:** a library shared with other people through a folder in the cloud storage your team already uses. Every member's PC keeps a copy. See [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries). - **Token (AI):** the unit AI models count text in. A token is about three quarters of a word. Cloud AI providers charge by the token. See [Chat and context](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat). - **Trial:** the 14 days of Pro every download starts with, with no key. It is not a third plan. Afterwards PromptMason moves to the Free plan; nothing is deleted. See [Your trial and license key](https://promptmason.ai/docs/license). - **Type:** a label you pick for a prompt or document under **Properties**: User Prompt, System Prompt, Skill or one you add. Not the same as Kind. See [Block types, prompt types and defaults](https://promptmason.ai/docs/types-and-defaults). - **Variable:** a named value, such as your company name, written as `{{name}}` in a block or prompt and filled in when you copy. See [Variables](https://promptmason.ai/docs/variables). - **Version:** a saved copy of a block, prompt or document from an earlier save. You can see earlier versions and restore one. See [Version history](https://promptmason.ai/docs/version-history). - **Web tab:** a website, such as Claude or ChatGPT, open in a tab on the Chat screen, signed in with your own account. See [Web tabs](https://promptmason.ai/docs/web-tabs). #### 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: > Explain what these PromptMason terms mean in plain words, with an example of each: block, embedded block, dynamic prompt, static prompt, variable and library. ### Get help *Ways to get help with PromptMason, and what to include when you email support.* Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/get-help There are seven ways to get help: read the guides on PromptMason's **Help** screen, ask PromptMason's Chat, ask the help chat on promptmason.ai, give an AI assistant a guide's help prompt, download the guides as files, follow the guide links on PromptMason's screens, or email support. #### Read the guides in PromptMason Click **Help** at the bottom of the sidebar, or press F1. **Help** has every guide from promptmason.ai, with its screenshots, as it was when your version of PromptMason was made. It works without an internet connection. - The list beside the guide has every guide, by section. Click a section's name for its summary page. In a narrow window, pick a guide from the list above it instead. - Type in the search box above the list to find the part of a guide about what you're looking for. Click a result to go straight to it. - Links to other guides stay in **Help**. **Back**, above the guide's title, returns to the page you came from. **Previous** and **Next**, at the end of each guide, go through the guides in order. - **Open on promptmason.ai**, under each guide's title, opens the guide on the website in your browser. The website can have a newer version of a guide than the one in your version of PromptMason. Screenshots follow PromptMason's theme, light or dark. #### Ask Chat about PromptMason PromptMason's Chat can answer "how do I…?" questions from these same guides, step by step, with a link to the guide in **Help**. 1. Click **Help** in the sidebar. 2. Click **Ask about PromptMason** at the top of the screen (it shows while Chat is switched on). A new chat opens. 3. Type your question, for example "How do I turn on backups?", and press Enter. You can also ask in any chat. Chat needs an AI provider: the local model, or your own API key. With the local model, your question stays on your computer. See [Ask how to use PromptMason](https://promptmason.ai/docs/chat-basics#ask-how-to-use-promptmason). #### Ask the help chat on promptmason.ai Every page on promptmason.ai has a chat button at the bottom right. Click it to ask a question without installing anything. It answers questions about PromptMason: what it does, its plans and prices, and how to set something up or what a setting does. Its answers come from this website and these guides and are written by AI, so check any important step against the page it links. For anything about your order, license or a refund, email support@promptmason.ai instead. The chat can't look up your account. Never paste a password, your recovery kit, your recovery code or a library invite into the chat. #### Ask an AI assistant with a help prompt Every guide ends with a box called **Want a hand?** It holds a short request about that guide, for example "Walk me through creating a team library." 1. Open the guide for what you're trying to do. 2. In the **Want a hand?** box at the end, click **Copy**. 3. Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant, and send it. Copy adds a short note about PromptMason and the guide's full text to the request, so the assistant has the right steps even if it can't open web pages. It asks the assistant to go one step at a time, use the exact words on PromptMason's buttons, and check with you after each step. Never paste a password, your recovery kit file, your recovery code or a library invite into an AI assistant. The help prompt tells the assistant not to ask for them. #### Download the guides - **One guide:** on promptmason.ai, click **Download as Markdown (.md)** under the guide's title. In PromptMason's **Help**, click **Open on promptmason.ai** first. - **Every guide:** on the docs home page on promptmason.ai, click **Download every guide as one Markdown file (.md)**. A Markdown file is plain text. You can read it in any text editor, keep it for offline use, or give it to an AI assistant along with your question. #### Guide links in PromptMason - Many notifications in the bell's **Notifications** panel have a link, such as **How do I fix sync problems?**, that opens the matching guide in **Help**. - Some rows in Settings have a **What’s this?** link that opens their guide in **Help**, such as **Automatic backups** in **Settings → Backup & data**. ![The Automatic backups row in Settings with a What's this link next to its name.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/get-help-whats-this-link-in-settings-row.webp) - A guide link inside a window, such as the one that turns on backups, opens the guide in a **Help** window on top of it. Close **Help** to carry on where you were. - The search box at the top of **Settings** finds a setting by name or by what it does. #### Email support Email support@promptmason.ai. Include: 1. **Your PromptMason version.** It's at the bottom of the sidebar. It's also in **Settings → General**, under **About PromptMason**. 2. **Your Windows version:** Windows 10 or Windows 11. 3. **What you were doing:** the screen you were on and what you clicked, step by step. 4. **The exact message,** copied word for word, or a screenshot of it. If nothing appeared, say what you expected and what happened instead. 5. **Whether it happens every time,** or only sometimes. Don't send passwords, your recovery kit file or your recovery code. Before you write, check [Troubleshooting](https://promptmason.ai/docs/troubleshooting): it may already have the answer. #### 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: > I'm stuck with PromptMason and want to know where to get help. Show me the ways to get help, and if I need to email support, help me write a clear message with my version number, the steps I took and the exact error.