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The workspace should be the simplest place to start a task and the clearest place to understand what the AI is doing. It should combine a familiar conversational interface with structured capabilities for projects, files, tools, and outputs.

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5.1 Product goal

The workspace should be the simplest place to start a task and the clearest place to understand what the AI is doing. It should combine a familiar conversational interface with structured capabilities for projects, files, tools, and outputs.

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5.2 Core interaction

A typical workflow could look like this:
  1. A user starts a conversation or opens an existing project.
  2. The user provides a request and any relevant files or context.
  3. Orbit identifies the task and determines which capabilities are available.
  4. If a tool is needed, Orbit checks permissions and the tool’s declared scope.
  5. The system produces a response or proposes an action.
  6. The user reviews the result, approves sensitive steps where required, and can inspect relevant changes.
  7. The conversation and outputs remain organized according to the user’s settings.
The interface should distinguish between an answer generated from model knowledge, a result retrieved from a source, and an action performed by a connected tool. Those are different kinds of evidence and should not be presented as if they were the same.

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5.3 Projects and context

Projects can group conversations, instructions, files, and outputs around a specific goal. Context controls should allow users to see what information is available to the model and remove information that is no longer relevant. A sound design should include:
  • Project-level instructions with clear precedence.
  • File upload and supported file parsing.
  • Search across files the user has permission to access.
  • Visible indicators when external tools or sources are used.
  • A way to correct, replace, or remove project context.
  • Export options that avoid trapping user work inside the platform.

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5.4 Writing and research

Writing features may assist with drafting, editing, outlining, summarizing, translation, and formatting. Research features may help formulate questions, compare evidence, and organize findings. For source-based work, Orbit should preserve references and make it possible to distinguish direct source content from the model’s interpretation. If a source cannot be accessed, the interface should say so rather than inventing a citation.

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5.5 Coding support

Coding assistance can include explanation, code generation, debugging, test suggestions, repository navigation, and review of proposed changes. When connected to a development environment, the system should work with a clear view of the active project and its constraints. Code-writing agents should prefer small, reviewable changes. Before modifying files, they should identify the intended scope. After making changes, they should report which files changed and which tests were run. They must not claim tests passed when they were not executed.

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5.6 Accessibility and usability

A workspace should support keyboard navigation, readable contrast, clear focus states, responsive layouts, and meaningful error messages. It should avoid making essential functionality depend entirely on animation, color, or tiny icons. The product should also be usable by beginners without hiding advanced controls from developers. Progressive disclosure is preferable to a screen full of every possible setting.