# What each feature means

Every control on the landing screen changes the search. None of them turn the lab into a chatbot.

## Population size

This is how many **sampled perspectives** are generated for your wording — not how many API products you are paying for, and not a count of independent agents. Bigger N usually means more variety and a longer run. The hosted trial caps size; a saved Cerebras key unlocks the web options up to 500 (1,000 stays locked).

## Search depth: quick vs balanced

- **Quick** — generate, score, deepen the winners, synthesize. Built for the free-tier envelope.
- **Balanced** — after scoring, the run mutates survivors and red-teams finalists before synthesis. Slower and more tokens. Hosted trial stays on quick; save a key to use balanced.

## Web grounding

A switch, not a second product. It starts **off**. **On** runs a cheap web pass before casting (Scout) and an assumption check on finalists. Click-a-mind search still works either way. See [Web search](/docs/web-search).

## Attached files

Optional context, not a second problem. PDF, Markdown, text, PNG, or JPEG — up to four. The population reads a compressed brief. A scanned PDF with no text layer needs a screenshot instead.

## Past runs

Your photo in the header opens the account page and lists searches you already ran. Opening one hydrates the lab from the saved snapshot. You are not resuming a live stream.

## Hosted trial vs your Cerebras key

| | Hosted trial | Your key |
|---|---|---|
| Runs | 3 per Google account | Until your Cerebras budget says otherwise |
| Size / depth | Up to 50 minds, quick | Larger sizes, balanced |
| Deep research on a node | Locked | If you opt in on that mind |

Your key never appears in the page after Save. Removing it returns you to the trial rules.

## The canvas and a clicked mind

Each node is one seat in the population. Status (alive, discarded, deepened) is visible on the field. **Click** opens that seat: you can read the idea and run **web search** as that mind. Deep research is a separate, slower loop and only with a saved key.

## The result

When the run converges you get **one answer** — title, how it works, first move, risks — not a transcript of every mind. Download markdown from the result sheet if you want to keep the pack.