Read the interface
The North Star dashboard is meant to answer a sequence of practical questions. You do not need to understand worker queues, event schemas, or deployment receipts before using it.
Start at Briefing
Section titled “Start at Briefing”Briefing answers three questions:
- What deserves attention now?
- Is useful work running or scheduled?
- Is anything waiting for my decision?
If the system is quiet, Briefing says so. It does not fill the page with old test runs to appear busy.
Follow the work
Section titled “Follow the work”Open Work when you want to inspect a task. A work item should have a readable objective, a current stage, a result or next action, and a link to the project that gives it context.
Open Projects when the important question is broader: where does this effort stand, and what would North Star plan next?
Understand time
Section titled “Understand time”Open Schedules to see work that will start later or repeat. Each schedule should show what it will do, which project it belongs to, when it runs, and whether it is active.
Check the system
Section titled “Check the system”Open System when you need to know if the operator is ready. Health, capacity, protected limits, and runner state belong here, away from the normal project view.
Read the proof
Section titled “Read the proof”Open History after the work. This is where results, tests, decisions, source versions, deployment versions, and recovery instructions stay together.
Use conversation when it helps
Section titled “Use conversation when it helps”Ask North Star opens a compact conversation sheet. Use it to ask what needs attention, what is running, or to continue a project in natural language. Conversation can direct the system, but projects and work remain the source of operational context.
Next: The proof loop