> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aiwa.codes/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # The Brief and Clarifying Questions > Let AIWA interview you about your idea and write a complete brief before it builds, and learn how AIWA asks quick questions when a request is too thin. The fastest way to waste credits is to build the wrong thing. AIWA has two ways to make sure it understands you before it starts: **the Brief**, which you ask for, and **clarifying questions**, which AIWA asks on its own when something important is missing. ## The Brief The Brief is a short interview. You describe your idea in a sentence or two, AIWA asks you what it needs to know, and then it writes a complete, well-structured request for you to build from. It's the right choice when you know roughly what you want but haven't thought through the details yet. ### Start a Brief There are two ways to start one: **1. Click the Brief button** Type your idea into the prompt box. Once it's a little more than a few words long, a **Brief** button appears in the composer. Hover over it to see which details your idea doesn't cover yet, then click it. **2. Or type /brief** Start your message with `/brief`, followed by your idea, and press Enter. For example: > /brief a directory of coarse fishing venues in the UK > [!TIP] > > Typing `/` at the start of the prompt box opens the command menu. It lists the Brief and the modes available on that screen, so you can switch to Build, Plan, Explore, or Debug without reaching for the mouse. ### What AIWA asks about The Brief checks your idea against the details that most often decide whether a first build lands: | Detail | Example | | - | - | | What it is | A directory, a booking site, an internal dashboard | | Who it's for | Anglers looking for a venue | | Key pages | Home, search, a venue page, contact | | Look and feel | Clean and outdoorsy, not corporate | | Anything to go on | A link or a screenshot | AIWA only asks about what's missing. If your idea already covers something, it won't ask again. ### Review the brief When you've answered, AIWA writes the brief into the prompt box. Read it, change anything you like, and send it in whichever mode you want, usually Build or Plan. Nothing is built until you send it. ### What the Brief costs | | Cost | | - | - | | Your first Brief each day | Free | | Each further Brief that day | 2 credits | | Answering the questions | Free | | Abandoning a Brief halfway | Free | You're only charged when AIWA writes a finished brief. This applies on every plan. > [!NOTE] > > A Brief costs far less than a build that goes the wrong way. If you're about to start a large project and aren't sure your request says enough, it's usually worth it. ## Clarifying questions Sometimes you'll skip the Brief and send a request directly, but the request is too thin to build well. For example: > Build me a website Instead of guessing, AIWA may pause and ask one or a few quick questions first. Each question comes with options to pick from, and you can usually type your own answer instead. * **Answering is free.** AIWA asks before it spends credits on the build. * **You can skip.** If you skip, AIWA uses the recommended option for each question and carries on. * **AIWA won't nag.** A question you've already answered or skipped won't be asked again for the same thing. ## When you mention a website If your request names a website, AIWA looks at it and asks how you mean it: > You mentioned example.com. Is that a site you already have, or a reference for how this one should look? | Answer | What AIWA does | | - | - | | **I already have it** | Works from that site as it is now, keeping its name, content, and sections | | **Just a reference** | Builds something new, taking cues from how that site looks | | **Neither, ignore it** | Follows the rest of your message and treats the link as background | AIWA shows a one-line summary of what it found on the site, so you can confirm it looked at the right one. If you skip the question, AIWA assumes it's your own site. That's the safer reading: it means AIWA won't invent a new name or brand for a business that already has one. ## Brief, clarifying questions, or Plan Mode? | Use | When | | - | - | | **The Brief** | You have an idea but haven't worked out the details | | **Clarifying questions** | Nothing to do. AIWA asks on its own when it needs to | | **Plan Mode** | You know what you want and the work is complex enough to review a full specification first | You can combine them: write a Brief, then send it in Plan Mode to get a detailed plan before anything is built. ## Next: Plan Mode Next, we'll take a closer look at Plan Mode, how AIWA turns complex requirements into a structured specification you can review before building. > **[Plan mode](/building/plan-mode.md)** > > Review and approve a spec before AIWA builds. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.