Thinking Probe

Writing is thinking made visible. Every sentence you put on the page is a claim about the world. Some claims are clear and well-supported. Others are vague, circular, unsupported, or quietly wrong. Most writers struggle to see these gaps because they are too close to the work. They know what they meant to say, so they assume they said it. What you need in those moments is not another spell-checker. You need a Socratic interlocutor: someone who reads carefully and asks: * “What do you mean by that?” * “What evidence supports this?” * “You’re assuming X here — is that actually true?” * “Who would disagree, and why?” Thinking Probe automates that function. It reads your writing like a rigorous intellectual sparring partner and returns the questions that most need asking right now. The result: tighter, more honest, more well-examined prose — not because AI polished your words, but because it pushed you to think more clearly. ⸻ How It Works 1. You write Open any Google Doc and start drafting. Thinking Probe runs quietly in the background. 2. You pause After a short pause, and only once there is enough text for context, Thinking Probe analyzes your recent writing. 3. Questions appear A sidebar opens on the right side of your screen with short, direct probe questions. Each question targets a specific passage in your document where your reasoning may need clarification, evidence, or refinement. 4. Passages are highlighted The relevant passages are marked with a subtle amber underline so you know exactly what each question refers to. 5. You respond Type your answer in the sidebar. You can write a sentence or a paragraph — whatever helps you think through the issue. 6. A revision is suggested Thinking Probe uses your answer to generate a revised version of the highlighted passage that incorporates your clarified thinking. 7. You decide Click Copy & Paste to move the suggested revision into your document, or dismiss it and revise the passage yourself. The full cycle — pause, question, response, revision — is designed to fit naturally into a normal writing session. ⸻ Key Features Socratic Probe Questions Thinking Probe does not give generic feedback like “add more evidence” or “improve clarity.” It asks specific questions about the text you just wrote. Examples: * “You say this happens ‘often’ — what evidence shows it is common?” * “What does ‘better’ mean here: better for whom, and by what measure?” * “This assumes readers already accept your premise. What if they don’t?” * “You’ve made three claims in a row. Which one actually matters most?” The questions are short, direct, and designed to feel less like a classroom prompt and more like a smart reader pushing back. Inline Passage Highlighting Each probe question is tied to a specific passage in your Google Doc. Thinking Probe highlights the relevant passage with a light amber underline, so the connection between question and text is always clear. Only one set of highlights is active at a time. When a new set of probes appears, old highlights clear automatically. Multiple Probes Per Pass Each analysis pass can surface questions across multiple paragraphs at once, so you can work through a small set of probes at your own pace instead of waiting for feedback one paragraph at a time. Smart Triggering Logic Thinking Probe does not fire every time you type. It waits for a genuine pause, requires enough new writing since the last analysis, and only activates once your document has enough text to provide meaningful context. This keeps feedback from interrupting your drafting flow. No Re-Surfacing Old Questions Thinking Probe tracks which paragraphs have already been probed during your session. It will not keep asking about the same passage again and again. Once your current paragraphs have been cycled through, it resets and starts fresh. High-Quality Revision Suggestions After you answer a probe, Thinking Probe suggests a rewritten version of the highlighted passage. The revision is designed to reflect your clarified thinking while matching your existing tone and style. You get only the revised text — no preamble, no explanation, no meta-commentary. Non-Intrusive Sidebar The sidebar is anchored to the right side of Google Docs. It does not cover your writing, block the toolbar, or interfere with the comments pane. You can collapse it when you want a cleaner writing space. No Account or API Key Required Thinking Probe works out of the box. You do not need to create an Anthropic account, manage an API key, or configure anything before writing. AI calls are handled in the background. Monthly Usage Allocation Each installation includes a monthly allocation of probe and edit calls. Usage is tracked locally and resets at the start of each calendar month. The allocation is designed to cover normal active writing sessions. ⸻ Who It’s For Thinking Probe is useful for anyone writing serious prose where the quality of the thinking matters. Students writing essays and papers Thinking Probe does not do the work for you. It does the opposite: it pushes you to clarify what you are claiming, whether your evidence supports it, and where your reasoning needs work. Researchers and academics Academic writing often contains assumptions and logic that feel obvious to the writer because they have been living with the material for months. Thinking Probe offers an outside reader’s pressure at the draft stage. Knowledge workers writing under time pressure Fast first drafts often skip over the weakest links in an argument. Thinking Probe helps surface those links before you send the document to your manager, team, or client. Journalists and essayists Opinion writing and long-form analysis depend on the strength of the reasoning underneath the prose. Thinking Probe helps stress-test your claims before readers do. Founders and operators Strategy docs, memos, investor updates, and internal narratives all get read …