How do I see what Bernard would do before I let him?
Choosing a higher setting is easier when you have seen what Bernard would actually have done, not just read a description of it. Watching in shadow shows you.
The prompt
“Show me what Bernard has found while watching in shadow, with the evidence behind each piece of work.”
Signed in, Get my prompt fills in your site for you. Otherwise press Copy and fill in the [bracketed] parts. First time? Connect your AI to bernard once: Use your own AI (opens in a new tab).
When it starts
Once your site is live and connected to at least one real source of evidence - Google Search Console, your visitor numbers, your courses, your shop, or your contacts - Bernard can spend a period watching your site and working out what he would do. He changes nothing while he watches.
How long it runs
At least 7 days, never more than 30. If Bernard has found at least 3 pieces of evidence-backed work by day 7, watching can end there; otherwise it keeps going up to day 30, and tells you honestly if not enough happened to recommend anything. Nothing you do in the app, and no silence from you, ends it early or changes your setting: only the calendar and the evidence decide.
What you see while it runs
Look for the line “Watching in shadow: day N of up to 30 - See what he would do” at the top of Bernard’s list on your site home. Opening it shows progress so far.
What you see at the end
A summary of what Bernard would have done himself, what he would have prepared for your approval, and what he would have left to you, each with the evidence behind it. He prepares at most one example preview per area, so you can look at real, finished work rather than take his word for it, along with the estimated AI cost of preparing those previews.
Where the evidence supports it, Bernard may recommend moving a particular area, such as Website or Courses, to “Do the routine things”. He never recommends “Get on with it” - that stays your own choice, once you have seen the first results for yourself.
Choosing what happens next
Nothing changes until you decide. Tap “Use this” to apply the recommendation, or “Keep ‘Ask me first’” to decline it - either way, the choice is yours. After a big change on your site, you can choose to watch again for your current goal from the goal panel.
Questions people ask
- When does watching in shadow start?
- Once your site is live and connected to at least one source of real evidence - Google Search Console, your visitor numbers, your courses, your shop, or your contacts.
- Does it change anything on my site?
- No. While watching, Bernard changes nothing. He works out what he would have done, and prepares at most one example for each area so you can see his work, not just read about it.
- How long does it watch for?
- At least 7 days, and never more than 30. It can end after 7 days once Bernard has found at least 3 pieces of evidence-backed work; otherwise it runs the full 30 and tells you honestly if not enough happened.
- What happens at the end?
- You see a summary: what Bernard would have done, what he would have prepared for your approval, and what he would have left to you, with the evidence behind each one, the example previews, and the estimated AI cost of preparing them. He may suggest “Do the routine things” for a particular area; he never suggests “Get on with it”.
- Does staying quiet end it early or raise my setting?
- No. Nothing you do, or do not do, ends watching early or raises your setting. Only the calendar and the evidence decide when it ends, and only your own tap on “Use this” changes anything - “Keep ‘Ask me first’” declines and changes nothing.