#How Arachne works

Arachne sees the page like you do, decides the next move toward your goal, acts, and verifies — over and over, until the work is done or it needs you.

#Overview

Arachne works the way a careful, capable person works on the web: it looks at what is in front of it, decides what to do next to move closer to your goal, does that one thing, and then checks that it actually worked before continuing. It keeps going through that loop — look, decide, act, verify — until your goal is reached or it reaches a point where it needs your input.

What makes this powerful is what it asks of you: almost nothing about the how. You describe the outcome you want and how much freedom Arachne has, and Arachne finds the path. You never spell out individual clicks, navigations, or steps. That is the heart of working with Arachne — you own the goal, Arachne owns the route.

#What you can do

When you understand the loop, you understand what you can rely on:

  • Set the outcome, not the steps. You say what "done" looks like; Arachne works out how to get there across real pages and applications.
  • Choose how much freedom it has. Using the permission levels, you decide whether Arachne only looks, plans first, asks before each change, works freely inside your workspace, or carries the whole task through on its own.
  • Watch it work live. You can follow the loop as it happens — what Arachne is looking at, what it decides, and what it does next.
  • Trust the result. Every step is checked before it counts. Arachne does not report a step as done until it has confirmed the real result, so a "done" means the outcome was verified, not merely attempted.
  • Steer at any moment. You can change the permission level mid-task, give a correction, or stop — and stopping always works immediately.
  • Be brought in when it matters. When a goal is ambiguous or a step is risky, Arachne pauses and asks rather than guessing.

#How to use it

You do not operate the loop — you set it up and let it run. The way to work well with it:

  1. Describe the outcome clearly. State the result you want in plain language, with enough detail that "done" is unambiguous. Specify the what, not the how.
  2. Hand over what you already have. Give Arachne any links, accounts, files, or constraints that belong to the task so it starts from the right place instead of rediscovering it.
  3. Pick a permission level that fits. Start cautious — Plan first or Ask before acting — when the task is new or sensitive. Give more freedom — Work in your workspace or Act automatically — for long, well-understood work you trust.
  4. Watch the first run. Following the loop the first time shows you how Arachne is interpreting your goal, and lets you correct course early.
  5. Let it find the path. Once it is moving, resist scripting the steps. Arachne decides each next move and checks the result; your job is to judge the outcome and adjust the goal or the freedom if needed.
  6. Step in when asked, stop when you want. If Arachne pauses for your input, answer it. If something looks off, stop immediately and refine the request.
Tip

If a task keeps stalling at the same point, the fastest fix is usually a clearer outcome or a higher permission level — not more detailed instructions. Tell Arachne what the finished result should be, and let it work out the steps.

#Examples

text
Find the three best-reviewed accounting tools for a small studio,
and compare them on price, features, and support.

Arachne reads across real sites, gathers what it finds, and returns a comparison — three options laid side by side against price, features, and support — having checked each detail before presenting it.

text
Sign in to my project tracker and tell me which tasks are overdue.

Working at the permission level you set, Arachne opens the tracker, navigates it the way you would, and returns a table of overdue tasks — pausing for your permission first if you asked it to.

text
Watch this one while it runs — I want to see how it handles the booking flow.

You follow the loop live: Arachne moves through the booking pages step by step, you see each decision and action as it happens, and you can stop or steer the moment anything looks wrong.

#Tips

  • Be specific about the result, vague about the route. "A report comparing these four vendors on cost and turnaround" guides Arachne far better than a list of clicks. Describe the destination, not the directions.
  • Match the freedom to the trust. New or sensitive tasks deserve Plan first or Ask before acting; long, familiar tasks run smoothly at higher levels. You can change the level at any time.
  • Watch the first run of anything new. Seeing the loop once tells you whether Arachne read your goal the way you meant it, and it is the cheapest moment to correct.
  • Trust "done," and check "asked." A reported result was verified; a pause means Arachne genuinely needs you. Answer the pause rather than overriding it.