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A motion is a natural-language proposal for action. It doesn’t start as one: it starts as a thread, and becomes a motion when Monnet writes the document. This page covers both. For the concept — what a motion is and how it moves through the three phases — see How Monnet works.

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Start a thread

Click New in the sidebar (or press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + O). You get a full-page composer, not a modal. Type what’s on your mind — a decision, a problem, a half-formed idea. Examples: The composer also lets you:
  • Attach files to seed the conversation — drag and drop, paste an image, or click to browse. Common document and image types are accepted (PDF, text, CSV, Markdown, JSON, HTML, and PNG/JPG/GIF/WebP/SVG).
  • Write at length — up to 10,000 characters, so you can paste real context.
Your unsent text is saved as you type. Closing the page or reloading won’t lose it.
A thread is a private one-to-one with Monnet. Nobody else sees it, and the lock in the composer says so. It stays private until you bring someone in.

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From thread to motion

When you’re ready to shape the idea into a proposal, Monnet writes a document and the thread becomes a motion. During web onboarding, click Write spec after the first review to make that transition. A motion has:
  • a summary — the one-liner shown in feeds, the inbox, and the sidebar;
  • a document — the full proposal, where context, rationale, and resolution live;
  • a plan — the execution steps;
  • a priority — Critical / Normal / Low.
Nothing is copied or re-created: it’s the same object, further along. You land on the motion page, where you can edit everything before kicking it off.

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Edit the document

While the motion is a Draft, you can edit inline:
  • Summary — the one-liner.
  • Document — a rich-text (WYSIWYG) editor, not raw markdown. The toolbar gives you headings, bold and italic, lists, links, and tables; select text and a formatting bubble appears.
  • Priority — from the dropdown in the right panel, changeable at any time.
Every edit while the motion is Open creates a version.

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Kick off

Click Kick off in the action banner. The motion moves from Draft to Open:
  • All motion members can see it.
  • Monnet activates the plan and starts coordinating with assignees.
  • The people on the first steps get notified.
Before you kick it off, the motion is visible only to you and any editors you’ve added.

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Add members

Open the Members area and click Add member. You can add a workspace member from your team list, or invite someone by email — they’ll get a link to join the motion. Two roles:
  • Editor — edit the document, manage members, attach files, kick off, close, and reopen the motion.
  • Commenter — comment and chat with Monnet.
Someone from outside your workspace joins as a guest: a commenter on that motion and nothing else. They can’t see your other motions or your company brain.

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Sharing

Independently of the member list, each motion has a general access setting, like a shared document:
Sharing a motion with the workspace also makes it eligible for the nightly company brain ingest once it’s closed. Restricted motions are never ingested.

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Work through the plan

The plan lives in the Progress card on the right. Steps, assignees, dates, approvals — see Plan.

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Compare options and decide

When a decision comes down to a few settled alternatives — which vendor, which architecture, which path — Monnet lays them out as options: side-by-side cards in the document, each with a description and the trade-offs that matter. One may be flagged as recommended.

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Vote on an option

Anyone on the motion can react to a card with 👍 or 👎. Click to cast, click again to undo. Counts update live, and hovering shows who voted. Voting signals where the team leans — it doesn’t decide the motion.

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Mark an option as decided

When the team has converged, an editor clicks Mark as decided on the winning card. It’s highlighted, the alternatives dim, and voting on them closes. The decision is recorded in the feed, and Monnet carries it forward — usually by updating the plan to execute what you chose. Marking a different card later moves the decision; only one option in a set is decided at a time.
An options carousel on a motion with vote pills and a decided card

Options on a motion: side-by-side cards with vote pills and Mark as decided.

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Discuss

The public feed and your private chat with Monnet both live on the motion page. See Talking with Monnet.

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Attach files

Use the Files section in the right panel to upload contracts, mockups, spreadsheets, screenshots. Files are scoped to the motion and visible to all its members. Monnet reads them, and an agent triggered on the motion receives them too. Click the X next to a file to remove it.

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Versions

Every edit while the motion is Open creates a version. Open the Activity timeline in the right panel and click a version to see the diff against the current document. Restore rolls back — as a new version, so nothing is lost.
Typing is saved continuously, but a version is only committed when you finish editing. Reloading the page doesn’t create one.

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Follow, star, or mute

  • Bell toggle — subscribe to a motion’s updates or mute it. You’re subscribed by default to motions you’re involved in.
  • Star — pin a thread, motion, or brain page to the Starred section of the sidebar. Starred items are yours alone and you can reorder them by dragging.

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Close or reopen

When the work is finished — or no longer worth pursuing — an editor can Close the motion. Monnet stops facilitating it: it won’t nudge, message, or update the plan any more. Editors can still edit the document, attach files, and comment. Any editor can Reopen a closed motion. It returns to Open and the plan resumes where it left off.