Overview
The AI generates a better scope when you tell it what to focus on, not just what files or words to start from. Where you do that depends on which path you're on — Create an Estimate from Plans or Photos uses Scope Focus chips and Custom Instructions, Create an Estimate from a Description uses Project Description Samples — but both share one Instructions field for anything else you want the AI to know.
Scope Focus trade chips (plans path)
When uploading plans or photos, Scope Focus chips — Painting, Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, Framing, Roofing, Demolition, Concrete, Metals — narrow the extraction to the trades you actually price.
Selecting a chip writes a detailed, trade-specific instruction into Custom Instructions for you. For Framing, for example, it tells the AI to identify wall types from partition plans and wall type schedules, capture stud size, gauge, spacing and wall heights, include rough openings, and explicitly note anything it can't find.
You can edit that text, add your own instructions, or dictate them with the microphone. Click Save to keep a set of instructions you reuse across projects. Leave Scope Focus empty if you want the AI to extract every trade it can find.
Project Description Samples (description path)
When describing a project instead of uploading plans, click the Samples dropdown above the Project Description box for pre-written starting points grouped by category — Remodel, Upgrade, Addition, New Construction, and more — like Kitchen Remodel or Roof Replacement. Selecting one inserts a detailed sample description you edit to match your actual project, rather than writing from a blank box.
The field's own guidance is the shortest version of this whole article: include dimensions, materials, finishes, and any specific requirements. A description that only names the project type ("kitchen remodel") gives the AI far less to work with than one that states square footage, quality level, and what's explicitly in or out of scope.
The Instructions field (both paths)
Click the gear icon next to Project Info to open Estimate Preferences, then the Instructions tab. This free-text field takes any special instructions, requirements, or notes for the estimate as a whole — separate from Scope Focus or the project description — plus an Enable labor and materials breakdown toggle that splits each line item into labor and materials instead of one blended cost.
What makes a good instruction
Name the trade and the boundary. "Only include work for painting and wall coverings on the first floor" tells the AI exactly what to extract and what to leave out.
State dimensions and quality level. "~200 sq ft, mid-range finish" removes a guess the AI would otherwise have to make and disclose as an assumption.
Say what's out of scope, not just what's in it. Ambiguous scope boundaries — like who's responsible for demolition — are exactly what the AI's focusing questions ask about; answering them up front in your instructions skips the back-and-forth.
If something's missing from the result, check visibility first. If the AI didn't pick up a detail, confirm that detail is clearly legible in your uploaded files or explicitly stated in your description before assuming the instruction didn't work.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
My instructions didn't change the result. Check that the detail is also visible in your uploaded files (for the plans path) or stated directly in the description (for the description path) — instructions steer the AI, but it still needs the underlying information somewhere.
Do Scope Focus and the Instructions field do the same thing? No. Scope Focus chips write a trade-specific instruction for you and only apply to the plans path. The Instructions field is a separate, always-available notes field for anything else — fees, formatting, or general requirements.
Can I reuse the same instructions on future projects? On the plans path, click Save after editing Scope Focus text to keep it for reuse. Project Description Samples are reusable by design — start from the same sample each time.
Quick Reference
Plans path: Scope Focus chips → writes into Custom Instructions → editable, dictatable, savable.
Description path: Samples dropdown → pre-written starting text → edit to match your project.
Both paths: gear icon → Estimate Preferences → Instructions tab for anything else.
Don't skip: stating dimensions, quality level, and scope boundaries — that's what turns an AI assumption into a measured line.