Capture ideas on the Scratchpad
Drop links, screenshots and half-ideas on a shared pinboard that Bob uses when he plans your week.
Written by Jan van MusscherUpdated October 2, 2026
The Scratchpad is a shared pinboard for raw material: a link you spotted, a screenshot, a half-formed thought from a client call. Drop it in mid-week without deciding what it becomes. Bob pulls from it when he plans your next batch of ideas. It is marked Beta.
Items fade after 30 days, so the Scratchpad is for quick sparks. For material that should stay, use Knowledge.
Add something to the Scratchpad
- Click Scratchpad in the sidebar.
- Type a thought or paste a link in the bar at the bottom, where it says "Drop a thought, paste a link…".
- Press
Enteror click Add to scratchpad.
A new card appears on the board. If you paste a link, a Link tag shows up in the bar, and the card gets a preview. Links to YouTube videos and to LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok posts get a thumbnail.
Other ways to add things
- Attach a file. Click the paperclip (Attach a file) to add an image, PDF, Word, PowerPoint or Excel file.
- Drag and drop. Drop files or links anywhere on the board. You will see "Drop it on the pile". The card lands where you drop it.
- Paste an image. Press
Cmd+V(Mac) orCtrl+V(Windows) anywhere on the board to paste an image from your clipboard. - Ask Bob. In any chat, tell Bob "save this to my scratchpad" and give him the idea or link. Ask "what is on my scratchpad?" and he shows the board next to the chat.
Work with your cards
- Move cards. Drag a card to where you want it. Its position is saved.
- Zoom and pan. Scroll to pan the board. Click Reset zoom in the top right corner to fit everything on screen.
- Open a card. Click a card to open it as a page. Edit the title and the text. The footer says "Changes save automatically".
- See who added it. Each card shows the name of the person who added it and how long ago. The Scratchpad is shared with your whole workspace.
Keep the good ones
- Hover over a card.
- Click the bookmark icon (Save to Knowledge). You can also open the card and click Save to Knowledge in the top bar.
The item moves into Knowledge and a "Saved to Knowledge" message confirms it. It no longer fades.
To throw a card away, hover over it and click the X (Remove), or click Delete inside an open card.
What the labels on a card mean
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fades in Nd | The card has N days left, and N is 14 or fewer. It looks faded on the board. |
| gone in Nd | The card has N days left, and N is 5 or fewer. Save it to Knowledge if you want to keep it. |
| in this week's plan | Bob is using the card in this week's plan. Click it to jump to the idea on Home. |
| used ✓ | Bob has already used the card for a post. |
Tips
- Add a short note with each link. It tells Bob why you saved it.
- Check the Scratchpad at the end of the week and save keepers to Knowledge.
Common questions
What is the difference between the Scratchpad and Knowledge?
Knowledge is Bob's long-term memory: documents, websites and other sources that stay. The Scratchpad is a short-term pile that fades after 30 days. Use Save to Knowledge to move something across.
Who can see the Scratchpad?
Everyone in your workspace. It is shared, not personal.
Which files can I add?
Images, PDFs and Microsoft Office documents (Word, PowerPoint and Excel). If a file type is not supported, you will see a message saying so.
Does Bob read my cards?
Yes. Bob can read the full text of a note, a web page or a YouTube transcript you saved, and uses them when he plans and writes. See Meet Bob.
Did this answer your question?
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