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What it is

Inline annotations let you score any trace, session, or prototype execution directly from its detail view — no queue setup required. The InlineAnnotator component appears in the right sidebar of every detail drawer, so you can leave feedback the moment you spot something interesting. Best for one-off feedback, quick quality checks, or ad-hoc labeling during debugging.

How to annotate inline from Observe

1

Open a trace

Go to your Observe project and click any trace to open the detail drawer.
2

Open the Annotations tab

Click the Annotations tab in the right panel.
3

Enter edit mode

Click the Annotate button to enter edit mode.
4

Select labels and provide values

Select labels and provide values. The input types are the same as queue-based annotation — categorical, numeric, text, star, or thumbs up/down.
5

Add optional notes

Optionally add free-text notes to provide extra context for your annotation.
6

Save

Click Save to store your annotations. They are immediately visible to your team and available via the API.

From Sessions

Same flow — open a session, switch to the Annotations tab, and click Annotate. Session-level annotations are tracked separately from individual trace annotations within the session.

From Prototyping

Open a prototype execution, then click into the trace detail drawer. The Annotations tab is available in the right panel — click Annotate to score the execution.

From Simulation Call Logs

Open a call log detail. The Annotations tab appears in the right section of the detail view — click Annotate to score the call.

Adding new labels inline

You can create labels without leaving the annotation sidebar:
  • Click the Add Label button in the annotation sidebar.
  • Create a new label or select from your existing labels.
  • The label immediately appears in the annotation form, ready to use.

Inline vs Queue-based

FeatureInlineQueue-based
Best forQuick one-off annotationsStructured campaigns
Setup requiredNoneCreate queue, add items
AssignmentSelf-serveManual, Round Robin, Load Balanced
Progress trackingPer-score onlyFull queue progress + analytics
Multi-annotatorManual coordinationBuilt-in agreement metrics
ExportIndividual scoresBulk export to dataset
Keyboard shortcutsNoYes (full shortcut support)
Use inline annotations for quick feedback during debugging. Switch to queues when you need structured annotation campaigns with progress tracking and inter-annotator agreement.

Next steps

Create & Manage Labels

Create the labels you’ll use for inline annotation.

Create & Manage Queues

Set up queues for structured annotation campaigns.

Scores Concept

Understand how scores unify inline and queue-based annotations.