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Ceiling

A working library of AI product interface patterns.

Pattern-first teardowns of how AI products actually feel. Not principles. Not personas. Patterns — composers, streaming, thinking indicators, plan previews, tool calls. Anonymized and published free.

Thesis
  1. Interfaces are how AI gets honest.

    A model can be right and still feel wrong. A model can be wrong and still feel trustworthy. The interface is the part that decides.

  2. Patterns outlive principles.

    I don't need another list of values. I need a reference shelf of specific moves, with the conditions they work in and the failure modes they invite.

  3. A teardown is an argument, not a verdict.

    Every pattern here is broken down the same way — what it does, how it fails, who it serves. The writeup isn't the point. The debate it starts is.

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  1. The composer at rest
    What your input box says when no one is typing into it.
    9 min
  2. The suggestion chip
    A pre-written prompt the user can tap instead of type.
    7 min
  3. The context pill
    How attached sources sit next to the cursor.
    8 min
  4. The slash command menu
    Discoverable power, triggered by a single character.
    9 min
  5. The mention trigger
    Using @ to invoke a scope, a person, or a tool.
    7 min
  6. The file drop zone
    What happens the moment a file crosses the threshold.
    7 min
  7. The streaming cadence
    Why your token rate is a design decision, not a backend one.
    11 min
  8. The thinking indicator
    Everything you put on screen between enter and the first token.
    8 min

A reading-room, not a roadmap. Come back when you need a second opinion on what good looks like today.