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Puffin answers with more than plain text. Depending on what you asked, you’ll see explanations, tables, alert summaries, or suggested changes you can accept with one click. This page walks through each kind of answer and how to read it.

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Explanations

For most questions, Puffin replies with prose. Names of people, blocks, rules, and alerts appear as small colored chips. Click any chip to see the full entity in context on the schedule. The chip colors are consistent across the chat, the schedule grid, and the alerts list. The same person or block always gets the same color, so you can spot them at a glance.

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Tables

When numbers matter, Puffin returns a table. Per-person hour counts, per-week coverage, side-by-side rule parameters. Numbers are color-coded against their targets, so anyone over or under stands out. Tables are a good way to get something you can paste into an email or document for another team.

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Plan cards

A plan card is a concrete change Puffin is suggesting. It shows the person, the slot, and the block move (from one block to another). Under each plan card, small chips show what the change would do to your alerts:
  • Resolved alerts go away if you accept the change.
  • Improved alerts get less severe.
  • Worsened alerts get more severe.
  • Added alerts are new ones the change would introduce.
These chips are computed by checking the plan against every rule on your schedule. Puffin never suggests a plan it hasn’t already tested.
To apply the change, click Accept. A new schedule version is generated. To discard the suggestion, click Dismiss.

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Comparison cards

When there’s more than one good way to fix something, Puffin shows two or three options side by side. Each option contains its own plan inside. Pick the one you prefer, then accept it. Comparisons are useful when the tradeoffs aren’t obvious. The text around the comparison usually explains what each option costs and what it gains.

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Alert summaries

For questions about violations, Puffin can return a grouped triage view of your alerts. Groups are sorted by severity, with the most urgent at the top. This is the right format when you want the lay of the land before deciding what to fix first.

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Status updates

For slow steps, Puffin shows a small italic line telling you what it’s doing. Things like “Reading 30 alerts” or “Computing coverage for 12 residents.” This is a status indicator, not an answer. Wait for the answer to follow.

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When Puffin gets it wrong

Puffin is good but not perfect. If a suggestion looks off, ask why, or ask for an alternative. The chat is the right tool for refining a fix. If a plan card looks right but you have concerns, you can also accept it and inspect the resulting schedule. The previous version is always available if you want to go back.

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Next steps