Output Formats
Output Formats remember the shape of a specific deliverable—its sections, order, tone, fields, or example—so a teammate can reuse it when a later request is relevant.
✦ Saved from chat
Refine an answer, then ask the teammate to remember that format.
◎ Scoped
A format belongs to the whole team or to one specialist.
⌁ Relevance selected
Only formats whose wording overlaps the current request are supplied.
× Removable
Delete a standing format from the panel when it should stop applying.
What formats are#
A format is a named instruction for one kind of output. It records a label, a written specification, a team or specialist scope, and—when useful—a sample. Good candidates include a weekly status report, an incident summary, an interview scorecard, or release notes.
Formats are separate from memory and playbooks. A memory records a durable fact or preference. A playbook is a reusable instruction pack. An output format is the narrower contract for how one deliverable should look.
Save a format#
- 1Shape the result in chat.
Ask for the headings, fields, sequence, tone, or level of detail you want, and correct the response until the form is useful.
- 2Ask to remember it.
For example: “Remember this as the weekly product update format.” The teammate stores the reusable specification and may include the finished answer as a sample.
- 3Name the intended scope.
Say whether it should apply across the team or only when working with the current specialist. If the same label is saved again in the same scope, the existing entry is updated.
- 4Test it.
Start a fresh request for that deliverable and state the format by name if you want to remove any ambiguity.
Scope & relevance#
Each saved format is scoped either to the team or to one specialist. On a new turn, Zimac considers team formats plus the active specialist’s formats, scores lexical overlap between the request and the saved label and specification, and supplies a small relevant set to the model.
This keeps a “board update” structure from distorting an unrelated coding question. Up to six relevant formats are included for a turn; unrelated entries stay out of the prompt. Naming the format directly is the most reliable way to select it.
Inspect & remove#
The panel lists the newest entries first. Each card shows its scope, label, specification, optional sample, and last-updated time. Delete removes that stored instruction so it is no longer considered on later turns.
The panel does not currently provide text fields for manual creation or editing. To revise an entry, tell a teammate to save the corrected format under the same label and scope. Zimac keeps at most 60 saved formats.
Examples#
| Deliverable | Useful specification | Possible sample |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly update | Outcome, metrics, risks, decisions needed; under 300 words | One polished update with the exact headings |
| Interview scorecard | Evidence by competency, concerns, confidence, recommendation | A completed anonymized scorecard |
| Release notes | User-facing title, change, impact, migration note; no internal IDs | A prior approved release note |
A sample is illustrative context, not source data for the next task. Avoid saving secrets, personal data, or one-off factual content merely to preserve visual structure.
Limits#
- Output Formats are model instructions, not a rigid template engine or schema validator. The model may vary from a specification, especially when the current request conflicts with it.
- Selection is based on text relevance, not an exhaustive semantic or rules engine. A vaguely worded request can miss a format; name it when exact reuse matters.
- Formats do not add tools, fetch data, run workflows, or verify the factual accuracy of the generated content.
- The panel currently supports inspection and deletion, not manual field-by-field editing.
- Saving a final answer as a sample can preserve its content as well as its shape. Remove sensitive details before asking to remember it.