Frequently asked questions ## The basics What is Sphere? Sphere is an architecture-guided platform for autonomous software delivery. It keeps a living Architecture-as-Code model of your system and uses it to plan, build, verify and fix changes — a control plane for BA, Dev, Architect, and QA — so complex changes get delivered with less human supervision. See the four-beat story in what-is-sphere.md. Who is it for? Engineering teams, architects, BAs/product, QA, and founders working on systems with several components or repositories, where changes need to be planned, checked and understood later. What does "architecture-guided" mean? Every plan starts from a model of your whole system: components, connections and decisions. That model guides what Sphere changes and how it checks the result. Context is not rebuilt from a blank prompt each time. What is SCAN? SCAN is the open, free notation Sphere uses to describe systems in readable YAML — the blueprint language. You can use SCAN without Sphere — try the free whiteboard at app.spherescan.io. That site is diagram-only; it is not Sphere Desktop. Is Sphere mainly a diagram builder? No. Sphere Desktop is chat-first: you architect and orchestrate in Chat, with Plans, Runs, and Diagram as supporting views. See sphere-desktop.md. ## Autonomy and coding tools Aren’t all AI coding tools autonomous? Harnesses are strong at writing and editing code in a session. Sphere’s autonomy is delivering a checked change through plan, build, verify, and fix against a persistent system model, with people at goal/plan approval and result review. Different job, not “they aren’t autonomous.” Is Sphere a coding assistant? Not on its own. Sphere directs coding agents and checks their work — context, planning, verification, fixing and memory. Do I have to stop using my current AI coding tools? No. Sphere works alongside coding agents. Why not just use a coding agent directly? For small edits in one place, that's often fine. For multi-component changes, a coding agent alone needs a person to supply context, steer and check at every step. Sphere carries that work and keeps a record. How do you measure ROI vs Cursor / Claude / similar harnesses? Compare equal production-ready outcomes using tokens (or AI capacity), scope delivered, and human interactions — then run a scoped pilot. We don’t invent benchmark numbers. See roi-and-evaluation.md. Which AI models does Sphere use? Sphere chooses suitable models for each kind of work; customers can use their own credentials where the plan allows. We don't share specific models or selection rules. ## How it works in practice How is context not rebuilt each time? The SCAN/Sphere model, plans, and verification history persist with the workspace. Agents and people stay anchored in that blueprint instead of re-pasting the system into every prompt. See how-sphere-works.md and scan.md. Do I need to describe exactly what code to write? No. Describe the goal functionally. You review the plan before anything is built. What happens if the build fails a check? Sphere diagnoses, rebuilds and verifies again. If it can't resolve the problem, it pauses and asks a person. Will Sphere change my architecture without asking? No. Model updates are proposed for review. Do I have to watch builds? No. Approve the plan; Sphere reports when ready or when it needs a decision. Can I start from a prototype? Yes — a common pattern is turning a prototype into a production version while cleaning structure. Is Sphere used to build Sphere? Yes. The team develops parts of Sphere, including the desktop client, through the same loop — evidence the delivery loop works on a real multi-component product. ## Product and access Is there a desktop app? Yes — Sphere Desktop (Windows and macOS) is the primary product: chat-first control plane for plans, architecture, and builds. It is rolling out in invitation waves; join via Get started / Download on this site. The free tool at app.spherescan.io is the SCAN whiteboard, not Desktop. Where do I spend my time in Sphere? In Chat. Diagram, Plans, and Runs support the same workspace; you visit them for the board, roadmap, or build progress, then return to Chat to keep directing work. Does a local setup mean my code never leaves my machine? Not automatically. It depends on deployment option and whose model credentials are used. Can we deploy Sphere privately? Enterprise options include your own cloud or on-premises. Talk to the team. How much does it cost? SCAN is free. Sphere has paid subscriptions and Enterprise contracts. For current pricing, see spherescan.io or email hello@spherescan.io. How do I contact Sphere? Email hello@spherescan.io (also linked in the site footer). For Desktop access, use Get started / Download on this page. How do I get started? Join the Sphere Desktop invitation list via Get started / Download on this page, explore the guided Desktop-shaped examples on the site, try free SCAN at app.spherescan.io, or email hello@spherescan.io for a demo.