Getting started

Provenza is the agentic lab notebook that captures every protocol, reagent, and deviation as you work, so any experiment can be rerun exactly. You log what you do once, in plain language or by voice, and Provenza structures it into versioned steps, reagents, and conditions you can rerun on demand.

Before you start

• Have your protocol handy in whatever form it lives now: a paper page, a Slack thread, a Word doc, or your own memory. You do not need to clean it up first.
• Know your reagents and lot numbers for this run. Provenza tracks lots automatically, but it can only track what you tell it once.

Log your first protocol

1. 1Create an experiment. From your dashboard, select New experiment, give it a name (for example, "Western blot, TNF-alpha, HeLa"), and set the date. This becomes the container for every run and version.

1. 1Capture the protocol. Choose Text or Voice, then describe the procedure the way you would explain it to a labmate. Write or dictate one step per line. For example:

   Lyse cells in RIPA + protease inhibitor on ice for 30 min
   Load 20 ug total protein per lane on a 4-12% Bis-Tris gel
   Transfer to PVDF at 100 V for 60 min

1. 1Add reagents and conditions. Note the specifics inline as you would say them at the bench. Provenza pulls reagents, dilutions, and conditions out of the text automatically. For example:

   Incubate primary antibody 1:1000 in 5% BSA overnight at 4C
   Wash 3x in TBST, 5 min each, room temperature

1. 1Review the structured protocol. Provenza shows the parsed result: ordered steps, each reagent with its lot field, and every condition (concentration, temperature, time). Fix anything it read wrong by editing the line directly. Fill in lot numbers where prompted.

1. 1Save the run. Select Save run. Provenza records this as version 1 and generates a reproducibility score based on how completely the run is specified. Missing lot numbers or vague conditions lower the score and are flagged so you can tighten them next time.

How versioning works

Every time you save a change to a protocol, Provenza creates a new version rather than overwriting the last one. Each version keeps the full step list, reagents, lots, and conditions exactly as they were at that moment, so you can always see what an old run actually specified. When results drift between runs, Provenza compares versions and flags the exact step, reagent, or condition that changed. You can view any two versions side by side and roll back to an earlier one to reproduce a prior result.

Exporting

Export any experiment or single run as a structured document for your electronic lab notebook (ELN), or in regulatory-ready formats for review and audit. Exports carry the full version history, reagent lots, conditions, and reproducibility score, so the record you hand off matches the run exactly as it was performed.

Next steps

• Reagent tracking
• Deviation alerts
• Team workspaces