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Klaus is tuned for precision and brevity. Understanding how Klaus interprets your questions will help you get the most useful answers.

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The Brevity Default

Klaus values conciseness. By default, Klaus aims to give you the shortest accurate answer - typically 1-3 sentences - then stops.

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Why Short Answers?

When you’re in a fast study loop (read, ask, clarify, continue), you want an answer that lets you keep reading. Klaus assumes you’ll ask a follow-up if you need more detail.

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Getting Longer Answers

Explicitly ask for depth when you want it:
  • “Elaborate on that”
  • “Go deeper”
  • “Walk me through it”
  • “Tell me more”
  • “In depth”
  • “Break it down”
These phrases signal Klaus to give a fuller explanation.
Think of Klaus as a sharp colleague across a desk, not a lecturer. Ask short questions, get short answers, then drill down where you need more.

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Types of Questions

Klaus intelligently routes your question based on what you’re asking. Different question types receive different context and answer lengths.

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Standalone Definitions

When you ask for a definition or concept explanation without referencing the page, Klaus gives a direct, standalone answer in no more than two sentences. Example: 
You: "Can you define time-reversal symmetry?"

Klaus: "The laws governing the system are identical whether time runs 
forward or backward. A pendulum in a vacuum has it. Ink diffusing in 
water doesn't."
Klaus does NOT look at the page for these questions - it gives you the canonical definition from its training. Trigger phrases:
  • “What is [concept]?”
  • “Define [term]”
  • “Can you explain [idea]?”
  • “What does [term] mean?”

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Page-Grounded Questions

When you explicitly reference a location on the page, Klaus looks at the camera image and grounds its answer in what it sees. Example: 
You: "What does this section mean?"

Klaus: "Selection doesn't require intent. Any mechanism that copies 
with variation and filters by fitness produces adaptation."
Trigger phrases:
  • “What does this [section/paragraph/equation] mean?”
  • “Explain the definition on the right”
  • “What’s on the page?”
  • “Can you read this?” (while pointing or holding the page)
  • “What does the author say about [topic]?”
Klaus receives the full page image and recent conversation history for these questions.

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Conceptual Questions

When you ask about relationships between ideas, Klaus provides context-aware reasoning. Example: 
You: "What's the difference between ergodic and non-ergodic systems?"

Klaus: "In an ergodic system, one trajectory eventually visits all 
accessible states, so time averages equal ensemble averages. In a 
non-ergodic system it doesn't, so history and initial conditions 
permanently matter."
Klaus may look at the page if it contains relevant context, or rely on its general knowledge if the question is theoretical.

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Follow-Up Questions

Klaus remembers your conversation history within a session. You can refer back to previous exchanges: Example: 
You: "What does non-linear coupling mean?"
Klaus: "Components interact in ways where the effect of one depends on 
the state of others. You can't isolate variables."

You: "Can you give me an example from the page?"
Klaus: [looks at page and provides a specific example]

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When Klaus Searches the Web

Klaus automatically triggers a web search when:
  • It’s uncertain about a factual claim
  • You ask about a specific paper or author that might need verification
  • You ask about recent events or discoveries outside its training data
  • It needs to verify a technical definition before answering
You’ll see search results mentioned in Klaus’s answer when this happens. Example: 
You: "Is this claim about the Higgs boson discovery accurate?"

Klaus: [searches] "The discovery was announced in 2012 at CERN, confirmed 
at 5 sigma significance. The claim on the page is accurate - the mass 
measurement matches the published results."
Klaus uses Tavily for web search. The free tier includes 1,000 searches per month.

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Referencing Specific Parts of the Page

When asking about the page, be specific about location: Effective:
  • “What’s the equation in the top right?”
  • “Define the term in the third paragraph”
  • “What does the diagram on the left show?”
  • “Read the conclusion at the bottom”
Less effective:
  • “What’s on the page?” (Klaus will ask you to clarify)
  • “Explain this” (without context about what “this” refers to)

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Mathematical and Technical Notation

When you ask about formulas or mathematical notation, Klaus explains what it means and why it matters, rather than assuming you’re familiar with the formalism. Example: 
You: "What does this integral represent?"

Klaus: "It's summing the probability density over all possible states. 
The bounds tell you the system is confined to a finite region. The 
result is normalized to one because total probability must be unity."

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Critical Evaluation

Klaus can help you evaluate claims critically. Ask about evidence, assumptions, or weaknesses: Examples:
  • “What evidence does the author give for this claim?”
  • “What assumptions are behind this argument?”
  • “Where might this be weak?”
  • “Is this claim well-supported?”
Klaus will point to specific parts of the page and evaluate the reasoning.

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What Klaus Does NOT Do

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No Page Summaries by Default

If you say something brief or unclear, Klaus asks for clarification rather than defaulting to a page summary. Not this: 
You: "Okay" or "Hmm" or "Interesting"
Klaus: [does NOT summarize the page]
Klaus waits for an actual question.

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No Narration of the Page

Klaus does NOT say:
  • “The page defines X as…”
  • “According to the text…”
  • “The author describes…”
  • “It’s described as…”
Klaus just states the answer directly.

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No Lists or Bullet Points

Klaus is spoken aloud, so it avoids structured lists. Instead, it speaks in clear, direct sentences.

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Voice Style Expectations

Because Klaus is spoken aloud, it follows strict voice style rules:
  • No preambles - Klaus never says “Great question” or “Let me explain”
  • No hedging filler - No “sort of”, “kind of”, or “if you will” (unless expressing genuine uncertainty)
  • No theatrical transitions - No “This is where it gets interesting” or “Here’s the thing”
  • No buzzwords - No “dive into”, “leverage”, “robust”, “multifaceted”, etc.
  • Direct statements - Just the answer, no framing or setup

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Example Question Patterns

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Quick Definitions

You: "What does emergence mean?"
Klaus: "Properties that appear at higher levels of organization but 
aren't present in the individual components."

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Page Context

You: "What's the author's main argument in this section?"
Klaus: "Complex systems can't be understood by reduction because 
interactions between components create new behavior that doesn't exist 
in the parts alone."

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Elaboration

You: "What's a phase transition?"
Klaus: "A sudden qualitative change in a system when a parameter crosses 
a threshold."

You: "Give me an example from the page"
Klaus: "The author uses freezing - at zero Celsius, water abruptly shifts 
from liquid to solid. The molecules are the same, but collective behavior 
changes discontinuously."

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Critical Analysis

You: "Is the author's reasoning sound here?"
Klaus: "The logic is valid if you accept the premise that selection acts 
on variation. The weak point is the assumption of heritability - the 
argument needs that to close, and it's only mentioned in passing."

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Adjusting Klaus’s Behavior

If you want Klaus to consistently give longer or more detailed answers, you can add context to your user background in Settings. Example: 
user_background = "I'm a graduate student in complexity science. I prefer 
detailed technical explanations and want you to assume I'm familiar with 
basic mathematics and physics."
This gets injected into Klaus’s system prompt and influences answer depth and technicality. See Configuration > User Background for more details.

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Next Steps

Voice Modes

Choose the right input mode for your environment

Obsidian Integration

Save important answers as notes

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