Canvas-as-prompt
The canvas isn't a chat input. It's the whole brief Claude reads.
Most AI tools give you a chat box. You type, the AI replies. Lossy. You're translating ideas into words, and the AI is rebuilding meaning from those words.
Clearly inverts this. The canvas holds your idea — text from your Apple Notes, screenshots of references, your brand assets, voice memos, links to competitors, a brief paragraph at the top. When you hit Send, Claude reads everything new since the last Send. The canvas IS the prompt.
The five things to paste
Almost any input maps to a canvas block. Cmd+V works from anywhere — Notes, Docs, Twitter, screenshots, terminals.
| Source | What happens |
|---|---|
| Plain text (any source) | Drops as a styled text block at viewport center |
| Apple Notes / Google Docs | Preserves formatting (bold/italic/headings/lists), extracts inline images as separate blocks |
| Image file or screenshot | Image block; auto-detects brand colors if you have no brand set |
| URL (any site) | Smart card with Open Graph preview (title + description + hero image) |
| YouTube / TikTok / X / Figma / Loom URL | Native embedded iframe (no static card) |
| File from desktop | Document, image, video, or audio block depending on type |
How Send works
When you hit the Send button, Clearly compares the current canvas to the snapshot from your last Send. Only the new + changed blocks are formatted into a prompt for Claude — with their text, image refs, position, and active brand context. Claude reads the whole thing in one turn.
Assemble
Paste, drop, type, or use the suggested-prompt chips. Arrange the blocks however makes sense to you. Spatial layout matters — Claude sees position too.
Check the diff count
The Send button label updates: "Send · 3 new" or "Sending…". The count tells you how many blocks Claude will see.
Hit Send
Claude reads everything. Status blocks land on the canvas showing what it's doing. The focus halo on existing blocks lights up to show what it's referencing.
Claude responds back on the canvas
Narration blocks for prose. Build-result blocks for shipped artifacts (URLs, preview images). Approval forms for decisions. Diff blocks for code changes. Everything stays on the canvas.