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

# Inline Annotations

> Annotate traces, spans, sessions, and prototypes directly from their detail views without using queues.

## 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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open a trace">
    Go to your Observe project and click any trace to open the detail drawer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Annotations tab">
    Click the **Annotations** tab in the right panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter edit mode">
    Click the **Annotate** button to enter edit mode.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add optional notes">
    Optionally add free-text notes to provide extra context for your annotation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save** to store your annotations. They are immediately visible to your team and available via the API.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 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

| Feature            | Inline                    | Queue-based                        |
| ------------------ | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Best for           | Quick one-off annotations | Structured campaigns               |
| Setup required     | None                      | Create queue, add items            |
| Assignment         | Self-serve                | Manual, Round Robin, Load Balanced |
| Progress tracking  | Per-score only            | Full queue progress + analytics    |
| Multi-annotator    | Manual coordination       | Built-in agreement metrics         |
| Export             | Individual scores         | Bulk export to dataset             |
| Keyboard shortcuts | No                        | Yes (full shortcut support)        |

<Tip>
  Use inline annotations for quick feedback during debugging. Switch to queues when you need structured annotation campaigns with progress tracking and inter-annotator agreement.
</Tip>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Create & Manage Labels" icon="tags" href="/product/annotations/features/labels">
    Create the labels you'll use for inline annotation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create & Manage Queues" icon="list-check" href="/product/annotations/features/queues">
    Set up queues for structured annotation campaigns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scores Concept" icon="chart-simple" href="/product/annotations/concepts/scores">
    Understand how scores unify inline and queue-based annotations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>