> For the complete user guide index, see [llms.txt](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/llms.txt).

# Monitors overview

[Canonical page](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/monitors/)

## Applicability

- **Task:** Decide when a Monitor fits an ongoing information need
- **Access:** Portrait account with applicable usage and source access
- **Audience:** Portrait users maintaining ongoing coverage
- **Surfaces:** web; ios
- **Availability:** Production
- **Content type:** explanation
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-08

Monitors evaluate selected source types for signals you define and create updates when the system identifies a match. Detection coverage and relevance are not guaranteed; review each update against its source.

On supported mobile versions, open **Monitors** and choose **New monitor** to create one directly. The mobile form creates a Monitor without a Project, and its available controls differ from web; leaving **Focused Companies** empty there creates a company-free Monitor with Morning or Evening email. On accounts with Easel available, an Easel session on iOS can also propose and, after confirmation, launch a Monitor. The iOS Monitor list and detail surfaces can change the name, notification cadence, companies, signals or topics, supported news or web sources, and Project; they can also move or archive a Monitor and request a summary. Mobile controls expose a narrower source set than the web editor. The visible **Pause** and **Resume** actions change notification delivery; they do not stop Monitor evaluation or Inbox updates. See [Manage a Monitor](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/manage-a-monitor/) for the different effects of muting, editing, and removing one.


## How a Monitor is structured

A Monitor combines four components: **companies**, **signals**, **sources**, and **delivery**. Everything else — thesis signposts, KPIs, event-driven coverage — is a matter of what you write in the signals, not a different kind of Monitor. The pages below are worked examples, not separate features.

* **Companies** — a fixed list, up to 100. Taking a Project's companies copies a snapshot into the Monitor; later Project membership changes do not synchronize into that list.
* **Signals** — plain-language descriptions of what should trigger an update, for example *"Management lowers guidance"*.
* **Sources** — which supported document types the Monitor evaluates, plus news and web where available. Podcast transcripts are an additional source for company-scoped Monitors only when enabled for your account. Company-free topic Monitors do not support the **Web** or **Podcasts** source switches.
* **Delivery** — for a company-scoped Monitor, choose **Real-time**, a **Daily digest**, or a **Weekly digest**, and manage email alerts from the web app or iOS. A company-free topic Monitor instead uses **Morning**, **Evening**, or both for email delivery; these choices do not disable the other evaluation cycle.

For a market-wide watch with no company list, choose **Monitor topics or events** in the manual builder. The review step may call the draft a scheduled brief; after you save it, the Monitor list shows the empty company scope as **General coverage**. See [Create a Monitor without companies](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/create-topic-monitor/).

## Creating one

In the web app, creation has two paths. The assisted path proposes Monitors and opens a review screen before creation. The manual stepper creates the Monitor when you submit its final step, so review each completed section before submitting. On accounts with usage enforcement, Portrait shows the projected commitment before creation; if it rejects that projection, it creates nothing. Review **Settings → Usage**, reduce the scope, or contact your account team before trying again. See [Create a Monitor](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/create-a-monitor/).

## Reading what a monitor finds

After creation, Portrait prepares **Initial context**, which can appear as a **Monitor launch brief**. This provides background for the new Monitor; it is not a new-event alert or a 90-day summary of updates. If preparation takes longer, the interface can show **Still building the initial context**. Reload to check again; not every Monitor will have enough material to produce a launch brief.

Subsequent updates land in your [Inbox](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/inbox/) and, if email alerts are on, in your mail. Open a Monitor to review its updates and available source attribution or links. Passage and full-source display depend on the provider's licence. A quiet feed can mean no qualifying match was captured; it does not prove that nothing relevant happened.

On desktop web, Portrait offers **Create a 90-day summary** after sufficient recent activity. iOS offers **Run summary now**, but a Monitor with no updates will not produce a summary. Check any summary against the individual updates. See [Generate a 90-day Monitor summary](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/generate-90-day-summary/).

Use [Export Monitor updates](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/export-monitor-updates/) to save an update, a summary, or updates since a chosen date as PDF from the web app.

## Up next

[Track a thesis](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/create-thesis-monitor/)

Build a monitor around a specific investment thesis to capture updates tied to the drivers that matter most.