> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://doc.getrationale.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rationale FAQ: answers to your most common questions

> Answers to the most common questions about Rationale — what it does, how the audit works, which tools it connects to, and how your data is handled.

This page collects the questions we hear most often from product managers, designers, and engineers getting started with Rationale. If something isn't covered here, reach out through the in-app support button or check the [troubleshooting guide](/troubleshooting).

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is Rationale?">
    Rationale is an AI workspace for product designers, PMs, and engineers. You drop your screens and PRD onto an infinite canvas, and Rationale audits the actual pixels against the spec — surfacing missing logic, contradictions, and unanswered edge cases before they become engineering tickets.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does the design audit actually work?">
    Rationale reads your designs as images, not just metadata, and cross-references them with the PRD on the same canvas. It flags gaps like missing empty states, undefined error paths, contradictory copy, and behaviors the spec describes but the screens don't show — then explains its reasoning in plain language so you can accept, dismiss, or push it to Linear.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which tools does Rationale connect to?">
    You can pull designs straight from Figma, import a PRD from Notion or as a PDF, and push audit findings into Linear as a parent issue with sub-issues per gap. Slack is also supported — connect it once and audit summaries are posted to a channel of your choice whenever a new Figma version is saved. Google Docs and Jira-style workflows are on the roadmap.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does version control work?">
    Every iteration is snapshotted with its screens, PRD, and designer notes attached. You can compare two versions side by side, see what changed and why, and switch back to any earlier version without losing the rationale behind the decision.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I push audit findings into my issue tracker?">
    Yes. Connect Linear once, then push an audit straight from the canvas. Rationale creates a parent issue for the audit and a sub-issue for every flagged gap, with the screen, the relevant PRD excerpt, and the AI's reasoning attached so engineers have full context.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who is Rationale built for?">
    Rationale is built for product teams shipping real software. Product managers and founders get the most value — it gives them a single source of truth across PRD and designs before engineering starts building. Engineers benefit next, since the audit catches missing logic and contradictions before they hit a sprint. Designers round out the loop by getting their work reviewed in context, not in isolation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my data secure?">
    Your designs, PRDs, and audit results are stored in your private workspace and are only accessible to you. Rationale does not train models on your content, and integrations like Figma, Notion, and Linear use scoped OAuth tokens you can revoke at any time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do you offer a free plan?">
    Yes. You can start for free, run audits on a sample project, and import your own designs without entering a credit card. Paid plans unlock larger projects, team collaboration, and unlimited audits.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What PRD formats does Rationale accept?">
    You can bring your PRD in three ways:

    * **Upload a file** — `.pdf`, `.doc`, `.docx`, `.md`, and `.txt` are all supported.
    * **Connect Notion** — pick any page from your workspace using the Notion page picker.
    * **Paste a link** — paste a Google Doc or Confluence URL and Rationale will fetch the content automatically.

    <Tip>
      If you run into issues with a pasted link, try uploading the file directly instead — some pages behind authentication can't be fetched remotely.
    </Tip>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I revoke an integration?">
    Yes. Go to **Settings → Connections**, find the integration you want to remove, and click on it to open the connector detail dialog. Click **Disconnect** to revoke access. The OAuth token is removed immediately and Rationale will no longer have access to that service.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I dismiss a finding?">
    Dismissed findings are removed from your active gaps list but are not deleted. You can review them later from the Gaps tab, where dismissed items appear separately. If you change your mind, you can reopen a dismissed finding and push it to Linear or accept it as resolved.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I export the handoff document?">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the Dev Handoff tab">
        Navigate to your project and select the **Dev Handoff** tab. The tab is locked until you approve the audit — if it appears grayed out, go to the **Summary** or **Gaps** tab first and click **Approve**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Click Export">
        Once the audit is approved, click the **Export** button in the top-right corner of the Dev Handoff tab.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Choose sections to include">
        Select which sections you want in the exported document — for example, requirements, gap summary, screen annotations, and engineer notes.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Download">
        Click **Download** to save the document as a `.docx` file, ready to share with your engineering team.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>