Claude has produced a two-page briefing note in a side panel. You want the same note, but shorter and with a different opening. What is the efficient next step?

The principle — an artifact exists so that substantial output can be iterated on, which means the conversation is the editing interface.

Why the key is correct — Anthropic's criteria for putting content in a dedicated window include that it is something you are likely to want to edit, iterate on or reuse outside the conversation. Asking for a shorter version with a different opening is precisely that iteration, and the panel is where the revised version appears.

Why the others are wrong — starting over discards a draft you have already invested in and everything the conversation established about it. Copying out to edit by hand treats a working surface as a finished export. And replying does not destroy the panel; replying is how it changes.

The conversation and the panel are one working surface: you talk, and the thing beside you changes.

Remember this — say what to change rather than describing the whole thing again.

Sources — Anthropic's artifacts documentation.