2b:null 2c:["$","title",null,{"children":"A new Observable | Observable | Observable"}] 31:[{"id":"d97f8d3f9ecdf8170a198edc5cc7b291ddcbf07b6bc4d362937690e3fe73172fbe9b57a40c657d1e9e69ed67418b1dff9d43cbdbe6b6317bfe56f09be6e07119","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/d97f8d3f9ecdf8170a198edc5cc7b291ddcbf07b6bc4d362937690e3fe73172fbe9b57a40c657d1e9e69ed67418b1dff9d43cbdbe6b6317bfe56f09be6e07119","name":"Chat interface.webp","type":"image/webp","lastModified":1788284908898,"size":217292},{"id":"af3e96277efd7c778d0260d895dd39e9e61e87b2f960cfa1791623982a4f8f7bf2194a2b92665b70f4d97466a7656b77ff1821191cfd00f3a62c84815e2f5d19","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/af3e96277efd7c778d0260d895dd39e9e61e87b2f960cfa1791623982a4f8f7bf2194a2b92665b70f4d97466a7656b77ff1821191cfd00f3a62c84815e2f5d19","name":"Notebook interface.webp","type":"image/webp","lastModified":1788284913860,"size":139072}] 2f:{"id":"0d155ccfbde84c6e","slug":"a-new-observable","title":"A new Observable","thumbnail":"d0b1e406b899e7584c782f4aec0a0c8a0be1fd59b7dbbb498062ef1786e00638","access_level":"public","create_time":"$D2026-08-28T20:49:10.849Z","update_time":"$D2026-09-01T17:49:03.574Z","view_time":null,"first_public_time":"$D2026-09-01T18:41:57.046Z","fork":false,"stars":33,"starred":false,"owner":{"type":"team","id":"f35c755083683fe5","login":"observablehq","name":"Observable","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/424c6c1f7794371c9915a160519bdfb34cf34e50069fcd6def38a1a04d4e9702","tier":"enterprise_2024"},"version":873,"publish_version":873,"role":null,"authored":false,"authors":[{"type":"individual","id":"074c414ad1d825f5","login":"mbostock","name":"Mike Bostock","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/7dbba99ced40bd5ab8013c99b1a11da61231bce321ba1148a9d16ad0f121550a","tier":null}],"members":[{"type":"team","id":"f35c755083683fe5","login":"observablehq","name":"Observable","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/424c6c1f7794371c9915a160519bdfb34cf34e50069fcd6def38a1a04d4e9702","tier":"enterprise_2024","role":"editor"}],"comments":[],"custom_thumbnail":true,"trashed":false,"subscribed":null,"forks":7,"collection":{"id":"acec04f1ed8c075e","slug":"blog","title":"Blog","owner":{"id":"f35c755083683fe5","login":"observablehq","name":"Observable"}},"type":"notebook","body":{"title":"A new Observable","cells":[{"id":15,"value":"# A new Observable\n\nFor more than a year, we’ve been quietly building an all-new Observable. Today, that new Observable is live on [observablehq.com](/about).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":16,"value":"“All-new” is not an exaggeration. We ignored the sensible maxim [_never rewrite from scratch_](https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-never-do-part-i/); only our database and [open-source runtime](https://github.com/observablehq/runtime) survive the rewrite!","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":17,"value":"Why undertake such a foolhardy effort? In short, we want Observable to be great. We aspire to deliver the best experience and anything less leaves us intensely dissatisfied. We don’t want more features — we want fewer distractions. We want focus and clarity. We want Observable to be a beautiful, finely-crafted, purpose-driven tool that turns your imagination into reality.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":19,"value":"But also: AI. AI has enabled a vastly wider audience to wield code. Rather than obviating the need to understand code, we believe our mission to [make code more accessible](https://medium.com/@mbostock/a-better-way-to-code-2b1d2876a3a0) is more urgent than ever. We reimagined how computational notebooks could work with agents as the primary interface. Our new agent-first notebooks, called _chats_, are radically different from our human-first notebooks and yet seamlessly interoperate with them. You can pick the mode of development you like best, and move between modes fluidly. More on that below.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":18,"value":"We love the new Observable. Whether you are new to us or returning, we are delighted to welcome you, and hope you love it, too.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":29,"value":"## What’s new?\n\nA lot!","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":49,"value":"

Chats are our new agent-first notebooks where you ask questions and the agent replies with code.

","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":35,"value":"[**Chats**](/@observablehq/chat-user-guide) - Chats are our new agent-first notebooks. Rather than writing code by hand, the agent writes for you. Because the agent runs code instantly in the browser sandbox, inspects live runtime values, and sees user interaction, it’s dramatically faster and more visual than general-purpose AI assistants you may have tried. Plus, all the familiar capabilities you need for analysis, like [databases](/@observablehq/database-clients) and [imports](/@observablehq/notebook-imports) and [plots](https://observablehq.com/plot/), are there because it’s “just” a notebook under the hood. Any chat can be forked into a notebook when you want to more hands-on. And of course the agent is available in notebooks, too.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":31,"value":"**Notebooks 2.0 are now the default** - We’ve learned a lot since inventing the reactive notebook in 2018. Technology has evolved, too. Notebooks 2.0 embrace standard, vanilla JavaScript and TypeScript, eschewing past quirky syntax. Our open-source [Notebook Kit](https://observablehq.com/notebook-kit/) supports file-based workflows, static site generation, and self-hosting. While any change is disruptive, we believe it’s worth it to align with standards. We want it to be easier for users to get started on Observable, to bring their work into Observable, and to take what they’ve built on Observable with them anywhere on the web (or beyond).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":50,"value":"

The new streamlined notebook editor gets out of the way so you can focus on work.

","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":32,"value":"**Streamlined user interface** - The best interfaces get out of the way. To communicate effectively, the content of the notebook must be primary. And yet affordances for editing and interacting must also be discoverable and readily accessible. Designing interfaces that balance these competing constraints is extraordinarily difficult, relying on a deep understanding of user needs, intents, and assumptions. Our knowledge is firsthand: we spend countless hours a week using Observable ourselves, as well as helping and studying both new and long-time users. We are confident you will find the new Observable a dramatically calmer experience that lets you focus on work.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":38,"value":"(A few of our favorite improvements: we removed the “add cell menu” and “new notebook modal”; file attachments are now tracked in version history; notebooks default to team-editable (again); publishing is versioned (again); and listings now support infinite scroll. We’ve also introduced powerful new notebook capabilities such as [query caching](/@observablehq/database-clients) and [fetch caching](/@observablehq/fetch-caching). See the [user guide](/@observablehq/notebooks-user-guide) and [new documentation](/@observablehq/-/collection/documentation) for more.)","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":36,"value":"**Free personal workspaces** - Some years ago, we started shoehorning individuals into “teams of one.” This misguided effort burdened every user with the task of _workspace management_ when the vast majority of users do not need multiple workspaces. As of today, personal workspaces are automatic; you only need a team to collaborate privately. Personal workspaces default to free and have unlimited private notebooks and access to all core features, including databases and the new agent. And you can upgrade your personal workspace to the new Pro (individual) tier, giving more generous AI and compute limits, for the same price as before ($22/month when paid annually).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":12,"value":"**Teams are now paid** - Correspondingly, our Teams product is now paid, and the price will be increasing to $40/editor/month (paid annually). The viewer price will remain the same at $10/viewer/month. We offer custom pricing for Enterprise customers, and generous discounts and free teams for education and other public benefit uses. Please [contact us](mailto:sales@observablehq.com) if you have any questions — we’d love to help you get started with Observable.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":37,"value":"Despite the changes above, we’ve worked hard to maintain backwards compatibility and minimize disruption. Please [let us know](https://talk.observablehq.com) if you encounter any problems. While “new” Observable is now the default experience, you can continue to access “old” Observable at old.observablehq.com. Not all planned features are yet available on new Observable; much more is coming soon. Please follow development by reading our [weekly release notes](/@observablehq/-/collection/release-notes), as well as joining us in [the forum](https://talk.observablehq.com/) and following us on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/observablehq.com).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":39,"value":"## Why a new Observable?\n\nI’ll end with a few personal words on why we continue to pour our heart and soul into this. The prevailing winds of technology — by which I mean AI — seem to be pushing humanity towards isolation and automation over collaboration and understanding.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":42,"value":"We obviously cannot pretend that AI does not exist; large language models are astonishingly capable and are profoundly changing the world, and this change appears to be only accelerating. Likewise we cannot do nothing, “watching and waiting, observing from afar and merely hoping for the best” as [Pope Leo writes](https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html). We therefore seek, in what little way we can with our humble notebook, to apply this technology in a way that encourages human understanding, collaboration, and creativity.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":48,"value":"Lest we become overly enamored with AI, we remind ourselves:","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":41,"value":"**AI is not a substitute for human understanding.** We do not want a chatbot where you can ask a question and get an opaque answer. The answer isn’t the point. The _meaning_ of the answer — its implications, its nuances, its accuracy, its effect on your future assumptions and decisions — is the point. This means an agent should show its work and you should understand its derivation. Large language models are great at generating code; Observable’s job is to make that code more interpretable and malleable. That’s why we care about the _computational medium_, where you can see the state of a program as its runs, where you can instantly modify running programs, and quickly add interaction or visualization. The medium is where humans and computers work together.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":45,"value":"**AI is not a substitute for human collaboration.** We don’t want agents to replace human relationships. Observable is designed for collaboration — to quickly see what others are working on, to contribute to others’ work or riff on it, to reuse code, to ask for or receive feedback — and that extends to chats, too.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":46,"value":"**AI is not a substitute for human creativity.** Observable grew out of the nascent community of [D3](https://d3js.org/) users, and we continue to be inspired by the creativity and generosity of this community. As magical as it is to have an agent quickly sketch for you, an agent is not a community. A community does not merely suggest code; it provides support, empathy, and compassion. A community builds relationships that go beyond whatever tool you use. Read [How D3 moved us](/@tophtucker/how-d3-moved-us) for a few of those stories (seriously).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"},{"id":7,"value":"Please enjoy the new Observable, and [let us know what you think](https://talk.observablehq.com/).","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined"}],"files":"$W31","stdlib":"2","titling":"auto"}} 30:"$2f:body"